We got up close and personal with a few tigers and a cub at the Tiger Temple, Bangkok, another thing high on our list of places to visit.
It was a really hot day, but we braved the heat and headed on a one day tour which included a visit to the tiger canyon where there were about 6 tigers sleeping peacefully at the bottom of a canyon. When we climbed down the steep hill we saw many industrial fans and umbrellas to keep the tourists comfortable. We had been told not to wear the colours red, orange and pink because tigers don't like those colours and the ticket officer wouldn't let you through the gate. Unfortunately one of our tour members wasn't aware of this because he was wearing a nice red and white striped t-shirt. Our guide told him to swap his t-shirt with the driver (Yummy) to save him having to buy a souvenir t-shirt.
When we got to the little partition we were each taken by the arm, one at a time, and lead around to the different tigers. We gave our leader our camera and they snapped quite a few pictures for us with the tigers. I was a bit nervous at first but they kept saying, "pat the tiger, pat the tiger", so I did. Their fur was quite course and I was only game enough to touch their rump. They were all happily sleeping, which in turn made us happy! One guy in our tour group jumped a metre in the air when the tiger flinched, and his camera clicked just at the right time to catch his reaction! Once he was back behind the partition he thought it was all very amusing! The tigers were all positioned in the shade of small trees and drenched in water from time to time to keep them cool. What a life! We could have paid $40 to have a picture taken with the tiger's head on our lap, but we were happy with the pictures we already had.
Before we knew it, it was all over and we were told to go behind the partition again. It was an amazing experience. Next we went to find the baby tiger who was at the nursery with the monks. He was so cute and cuddly, and sleeping too. Jono got to hold his head and I got to hold up his paw. It's not everyday you can do this and it was amazing.
It was a really hot day, but we braved the heat and headed on a one day tour which included a visit to the tiger canyon where there were about 6 tigers sleeping peacefully at the bottom of a canyon. When we climbed down the steep hill we saw many industrial fans and umbrellas to keep the tourists comfortable. We had been told not to wear the colours red, orange and pink because tigers don't like those colours and the ticket officer wouldn't let you through the gate. Unfortunately one of our tour members wasn't aware of this because he was wearing a nice red and white striped t-shirt. Our guide told him to swap his t-shirt with the driver (Yummy) to save him having to buy a souvenir t-shirt. 
When we got to the little partition we were each taken by the arm, one at a time, and lead around to the different tigers. We gave our leader our camera and they snapped quite a few pictures for us with the tigers. I was a bit nervous at first but they kept saying, "pat the tiger, pat the tiger", so I did. Their fur was quite course and I was only game enough to touch their rump. They were all happily sleeping, which in turn made us happy! One guy in our tour group jumped a metre in the air when the tiger flinched, and his camera clicked just at the right time to catch his reaction! Once he was back behind the partition he thought it was all very amusing! The tigers were all positioned in the shade of small trees and drenched in water from time to time to keep them cool. What a life! We could have paid $40 to have a picture taken with the tiger's head on our lap, but we were happy with the pictures we already had.
Before we knew it, it was all over and we were told to go behind the partition again. It was an amazing experience. Next we went to find the baby tiger who was at the nursery with the monks. He was so cute and cuddly, and sleeping too. Jono got to hold his head and I got to hold up his paw. It's not everyday you can do this and it was amazing.
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