Bangkok first impressions.
Wow, just a couple of days into my stay in Bangkok and I am still amazed at what diverse and exciting things this place has to offer. My hotel is conveniently located a block away from Khaosan Road, the Bourbon Street of Bangkok if you will. My flight got in around one o’clock in the morning, so needless to say I was a bit tired. I walked around and hung out with some backpackers for a bit, I couldn’t sleep cause of the crazy flight schedules…but I finally hit the hay.
The next day was all about rest, I got a Thai massage for an hour…something I was looking forward to a great deal, although I think I walked away feeling more sore than I did going in. I got measured for a tailored suit, which I just had my first fitting for and it looks incredible so far!! That was pretty much it for the first day.
Today, however, I went on a tour. It included the Floating River Market, Kwai Bridge, and the Tiger Temple. One thing I’ve learned about Thailand is that the people want your money, and will take every opportunity they can to sell you some souvenirs, most of which are completely useless and could not possibly blend in with your décor back home. So where does our tour stop first, the Floating Market? No…the coconut factory. I’d already made friends with a nice British couple by this point so we just made light of the situation.
After learning EVERY single use a person can get out of a coconut tree, we were off to the Floating River Market!
I didn’t end up buying anything, but then again I didn’t do it to actually buy stuff, it’s more about the experience…which was great. We had a few close calls where I could’ve sworn we were going to capsize into the murky, god-only-knows-what’s-in-there water…but we survived, and had a good time doing it. In all honesty the food did smell pretty good, just something about those women touching their river-water-soaked paddles and then handling the food, I figured I’d better pass. We also saw a few enormous iguanas, or what looked like iguanas, along the side of the river!
Then to the Tiger Temple. No wait, first we had to ride up river to a place where we could purchase fish food to throw out for the minnow sized recipients (another forced stop to try and get more money from us…I didn’t budge!). Then we stopped to see the Kwai River Bridge, for an hour (remember it’s really hot here). So was it worth it? You be the judge:
Yup, that’s the bridge behind me. Wait…take a deep breathe. I know, I know it’s stunning, but we must move on!
Alas the Tiger Temple. Now, I had heard about this place a couple months before I came to Bangkok, and ever since then it has been at the top of my list of things to do while I’m here. It definitely lived up to my expectations. The whole place was like a wildlife reserve. I just loved the waiver we had to sign before we could enter beyond the HUGE 15 ft iron gate. It went something like, “By signing below, you understand that you are about to enter a large open area with many wild animals that are uncaged and could harm you.”
Seriously, I wish they would’ve let me keep a copy of it. Our group had gotten a bit split up, so when I DID enter the big iron gate, the man who took my release form told me that a few members of my group had already entered, and “they went that way” (pointing down a long dirt road). I power-walked my way up to them, relieved that none of the uncaged and wild animals had decided to take me out as an easy solo target. We finally entered the Tiger Canyon and got to hang out with the big cats up close.
Uhmm, majestic is one word that comes to mind? I don’t know how I would describe it. I mean, I always gave much respect to tigers…but when you’re actually sitting next to a full grown one, petting it, feeling it inhale and exhale beneath your hand, that’s when you come to truly respect these creatures. Don’t get me wrong, knowing that at any moment one of them could reach around and rip my head off…well, that was a bit nerve-racking, but it was an awesome experience that I will NEVER forget. I also got to hang out with a couple of the cubs:
They were too big to snuggle with, but still young enough for me to pet them without wanting to pee my pants at the same time. If you’re ever in Bangkok…definitely take the two and a half hour ride out to Tiger Temple!
Alright, well tomorrow I plan on exploring the city itself, something I’ve neglected to do thus far. In a couple days I head further north to Chiang Mai for elephant riding, bamboo rafting, jungle trekking, and eating “tradition Thai village food” while staying out in a far away village and sleeping in a hut under a mosquito net. I can only imagine the stories I’ll have to tell about that one. Will post more pictures and entries soon…much love from Thailand!!