Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Day 9
2nd August 2013
Up at 05:45 this morning for a quick shower and then down stairs to meet the others for 6:30 for our first activity of the day, giving alms to the Monks or feeding the monks as I keep saying and getting told off for. There are only 3 others and Bond in reception and we all head off down to the local market. We get to the market and each buy a bag from one of the stall holders. Each bag contains a flower, some rice, curry I think, a drink and some other bits and pieces. We walk to the other side of the road and watch as the monks go past. Bond explains what we have to do, which is to take our shoes off and kneel in front of one of the monks. The monk then takes the lid off his bowl and you carefully place your bag into the bowl trying not to touch either the bowl or the monk, especially the ladies as monks are not allowed to touch women. The monk will then replace the lid on the bowl and you lower your head whilst he prays for you and blesses you. Bond goes first to show us what happens and then Paula and Kevin go followed by me and lastly Tracey. We take a few more photos and then head back to the hotel. We arrive back and have some breakfast before going back to our rooms for an hour before most of the group meeting up for our journey to "Tiger Kingdom"
We meet in reception at 8:30 and jump in the back of our taxi truck and head off. For a change the group is very quite as I think that we are all a little nervous about going into cages with the tigers and really don't know what to expect. We arrive and are greeted by a member of the Tiger Kingdom staff who explains what options we have available to us. I choose a package which lets me into 2 cages and to have a photographer to take photos for me. We all buy our tickets and wait to be called and are then taken into the main part of the park. I have chosen to do the large tigers and the small tigers and my first stop is the large tigers. The large tiger cage has 4 tigers in it. They open the door and me and my photographer go in. I'm told to go and sit down behind one of the tigers that is laying down next to the pool. I feeling very nervous and apprehensive being so close to such amazing and powerful animals. I sit down behind the tiger and and start to stroke him. The photographer gets me to move into different poses before moving onto the next tiger. I slowly move from one tiger to the next but still as nervous as hell. I then leave that cage and am taken into the cage with the small tigers. Although these are a lot smaller I still can't help feeling nervous about the whole thing. Even at this side I'm pretty sure that they could do a far but of damage if they were to turn on you. Once again I'm taken around the cage having my photo taken with each of the tigers. Whilst I'm in there I notice that one of the keepers looks very much like a Thai version of my nephew Danny. I leave the cage and get a photo taken with the keeper and head back to the main reception area to wait for the others and wait for my cd of my photos to be ready.
We all jump back onto the taxi and head back to the hotel and this time the journey is full of excited chat about the experience of being able to stroke the tigers. When we arrive back at around 11:30 there is time for another quick shower and a change of cloths before our check out at midday. We all meet up in reception and talk about where to go for lunch most people want to go back to Doo Dee where we ate last night but I tell them it doesn't open until 15:00. No one believes me! Well that might have something to do with practical jokes iv played during our trip. We get to the bar and its closed!!! I check on trip advisor and it says there is a good place to eat about half a mile south of where we are so we all start to walk. After about a mile or so there is no sign of the restaurant so we turn around and decide to eat at the hotel. After lunch we then wander down to a little bakery to get some food ready for our 13 hour overnight train journey back to Bangkok and the end of the first part of our trip. We all get baguettes and then go back to the hotel and wait for our buses. We get on the buses and are taken to the station and once we arrive we all pop into the seven eleven for a few last minute supplies. We get back to the station just in time before the heaven open. We heap our bags and walk down the platform until we reach our carriage and get on board. I'm very surprised as the train is not what I was expecting as we have compartments sleeping 4 people in each rather than the open carriage I was expecting. We settle in an stow our bags and wait for the train to depart. We wait and wait and wait the train is delayed by an hour, Thai trains aren't known for being on time!
Finally the train starts to move and Bond appears in the the doorway with a couple of beers and we sit down chatting and enjoying our drinks. After a while Bond disappears and I sit and talk to Jackie and Tracey, before Steven appears at the door and asks if I want to join him for a cigarette in the dinning car. We wander down a couple of the carriages and finally arrive at the buffet car, to find Bond sat at one of the tables eating dinner with another couple of G adventure CEO's. We sit down and have our cigarette and chat and then return back to our cabins. A little while later Bond arrives back at the cabin and i ask him to do me a favour and write "i have a nut allergy" in Thai. I hand him a piece of paper and a pen and he presses the top of the pen and jumps as he gets a shock from it, ooooops that must be the electric shock pen I brought with me! I tell Bond he can keep the pen and he goes to the cabin next door to chat to some of the others. While he's chatting and explaining the itinerary for the coming week, Willy walks past the cabin and Bond tries the same trip on him with the pen but willy doesn't fall for it. Willy heads off with the pen to try it on some of his passengers. Bond finishes chatting with the others and disappears off again.
After a while I decide to go back to the dinning car and get another beer and sit down with Bond, Willy and the other CEO. We sit and drinking and chatting for a while and singing along to the music videos playing on the TV. After a few beers I decide to go back to my cabin so Jackie and Tracey can go off to the dinning car if they want and I will stay and keep an eye on our bags. I sit and eat one of my baguettes and watch a film on the iPad. By about 21:00 Tracey returns and tells me there's a party going on in the dining car now, so I head off to check it out. The dining car is jam packed with disco lights flashing and the music booming out. I stay in the door way and have a cigarette but because its so crowded decide to head back to my cabin after and watch the end of the film. By about 22:00 I dose off to sleep and don't wake up until the early hours of the morning.
- comments