The Napping Train and a Parade of Monks

The sleeper train . . . I think it should be renamed the 'napping train' or the train for people (of a certain age) who remember making forts under kitchen tables.  We have two berths in second class and like most, if not all of the couples on board, we share the bottom bunk.  There was no way I was climbing up to the top bunk!  Each berth has a curtain which slides across its length, and it felt just like being in a fort . . . but unlike our play forts of old, there was no handy kitchen nearby.  Instead we had the roving purveyor of food and soft drinks.

We've learned (the hard way) to always bring food on a train journey of more than an hour or two.  And we did this time, fortunately.  On-board food was ridiculously expensive which we learned when we paid 60 baht (about $2) for a minuscule cup of coffee which we absolutely had to have early in the morning.  I think we napped but there was definitely very little sleeping.

Chiang Mai . . . the second largest city in Thailand and frequently cited as the one place in the world travelers would choose to live.  High praise!  We're eager to sample its delights and after a refreshing nap at our lovely hotel in the old city, we set off.  Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand, not far from the border with Myanmar (formerly Burma).  The weather is mild, the mountain setting picturesque, and the people lovely and friendly.  The old city is actually inside a stone-walled square and remarkably serene - in fact it has a village feel although everything is an easy walk and our street is quiet.  We hear song birds.

The city is filled with temples and I mean filled!  There seems to be one on every street.  Thailand is 98% Buddhist and it's not uncommon to see long columns of robed monks walking everywhere.  Our first excursion we come across some sort of parade, funeral procession?  We're not sure what we're seeing but it involves music, a big elephant float, and lots and lots of monks.

He appeared to be the honoree of this procession.

I have no idea what was on this cart but there were a lot of flowers!

And a lot of monks following it. . .

And a lot of women (and a couple of men) holding fast to a long rope.

Followed by a fabulous animated elephant float, the top of which had to be lowered so as to not take out the power lines.

Reassembled, the elephant makes its way down the main street, its trunk moving slowly from side to side.

Accompanied by musicians on the bed of a dump truck.

A couple of young monks, watching with us.

We're told that every young Thai male must spend time studying with the monks.  I think one of the first lessons must be learning how to wrap this huge length of saffron cloth into a robe-like garment around themselves (I couldn't help but think of Indian women and their saris).  Did I mention that there are very strict rules about women and their proximity to monks?  We've seen signs that instruct women to not sit on the same bench as a monk, never sit above them, and don't touch them or their garment . . . I need to learn more about Buddhism.   But first, I think dinner and another nap is on the agenda.

A Day with the Big Cats

I have to preface this by assuring you that these photos are real.  Even I look at them now and am amazed . . .

We are at the Tiger Temple about a 45" drive from Khanchanaburi.  Officially, this is a tiger preserve started in the late 90's when a group of Buddhist monks received a couple of tigers as a donation.  I'm not certain if the tigers were injured or their rescuers simply wanted to make sure the population of Bengal tigers wasn't wiped out.  Estimates are that there are less than 2500 of them left in the wild, with a mere 50 of them in the mountains of Thailand.

Well, it was a huge success - there are now 144 Bengal tigers at the Tiger Temple.  As youngsters, 18 are chosen to 'perform' - namely, let scores of visitors do what we did - pet them and take a photo with them.  Actually, the volunteers lead you around, stop at 'unoccupied' tigers and take countless photos with your camera.

This guy was my absolute favorite - he was such a little slut kitty!!

Yes, they're all adolescent boy tigers, under age 4.  Once they reach that age - adulthood in tiger terms - they are no longer suitable for this kind of 'work'.  Female tigers don't 'do' the photo thing.
Visitors are cautioned to not wear certain colors (red, yellow, orange) and to remove their sunglasses  before going into the photo compound.

Check out the size of those paws!!

Near the 'photo' compound, we get up close and personal with a cub.  A volunteer is playing with him, walking him around, and letting him go to the end of his tether where all of us eagerly photograph him.  Another very popular program is the 'bottle feed a baby tiger cub' - we don't do that, and there has been no small bit of controversy surrounding it.  Critics say that the babies are taken from their mothers at two weeks of age and started on bottle formula so that they can become another income-generating attraction (that's an extra $25 over the admission price of $20).

Yes, we were this close to this cub!!

This is a huge compound (easily thousands of acres) and at any given time there are close to 20 volunteers who supplement the full-time work force which appears to number around 20 as well.  Before we decided to visit, I did a lot of reading about the 'temple'.  To say that it's controversial is an understatement.  A lot of people decry what's being done here and go so far as to call this 'tiger prison'.  They allege that the tigers are drugged, and the older ones who are no longer able to 'work' are not properly cared for.  

How would I know a drugged tiger??  These 'photo' tigers have been handled from birth, they are totally used to humans, and they are nocturnal by nature.  Seeing them all blissed out in the afternoon sun probably isn't unusual.  They all looked well-fed (their diet is pre-cooked chicken - costs about $1K a day), and their coats looked healthy (their hair is very coarse).

The rest of the compound is given over to housing the remaining 126 adult tigers along with what one volunteer estimates are about 1500 other animals - everything from water buffalo to deer and wild pigs.  No animals are turned away, and no animals are euthanized.

The end of the work day and the tigers go back to their cages.  Yes, that's a volunteer leading one of the cats.  Oh, almost forgot - they weigh about 450 lbs (the cats, not the volunteers).

There is one enclosure we almost miss - the hornbills.  Now this is one weird bird - huge!  Reminds me of vultures dressed up for a costume ball.

Our new friend, Jake, photographing a very interested hornbill.  We met Jake on the bus out from Kanchanaburi and have enjoyed getting to know him.  Big surprise, readers - he's from NY!!

This is my musing postscript to this Buddhist tiger preserve (and Buddhism in general) . . .  as we're leaving I see this stone tablet (maybe the Eight Precepts are like the Ten Commandments).

I found it all a bit weird.

What's with the high and large luxurious couches??

Tomorrow we're off to Ayuthaya to catch the sleeper train to Chiang Mai.

The Old Movie, the New Movie, the Reality of the Bridge

I doubt there's anyone in the US (of a certain age) who hasn't seen or at least heard of The Bridge on the River Kwai.  In fact, the first few bars of the iconic marching song are right up there with the 

all-time familiar tunes. The jauntiness of that melody is in stark contrast to the abysmal conditions endured by the POWs and local conscripts (read slave labor) who built not only 'the' bridge but much of the Thai-Burma Railway.  Estimates are that 100,000 (that's not a typo) men died building this railway - many of them in unmarked graves. The overwhelming majority (85%+) of those workers were Tamil Indians.

However, approximately 7,000 Allied POWs were exhumed from the POW camp gravesites and buried at this cemetery in Kanchanaburi.  A majority of them are Dutch.

One of the Dutch survivors established the Death Railway Museum and Research Center so that descendants of the death railway workers could learn of the fate of their loved ones.  It's also become a place for families to donate items they've kept safe for years.  We saw a Scottish full-dress uniform, diaries written by POWs, contraband radio parts, painstakingly drawn illustrations of the work parties, tattered portions of uniforms.  All very sobering . . .

In the opposite direction from these two sites is the actual bridge, well not 'the' bridge but a realistic replica.  However, on the walk there we stop at a most perplexing monument.  Built in 1944 (the War is still on) by the Japanese, it honors the POWs who worked on the Thai-Burma Railway.  Given the wretched treatment of the POWs, this monument is a puzzler (to borrow a Tom and Ray designation).

And, lo and behold, a Peace Pole!  It is exactly like the one in our backyard in Tucson.

The actual memorial - while we were there two Japanese tour groups were placing incense sticks at the base.

The River Kwai (it's actually pronouned 'quay,' the ai sounded as in 'straight').  This is one of the many 'step outs' along the bridge span.  That's to allow the Toonerville trolley-like train to pass on its trip back and forth across the bridge.

View from the opposite side of the river.  Note the two distinct tracks of different gauge.  The Japanese designed this rail to carry a hybrid form of rail-truck (or truck-rail) car which could easily be off-loaded, fitted with wheels and put on the road - no off-loading of cargo required.  One gauge was for regular train cars, the other for this hybrid.

The war ended before it could be completed.  Now it's the Toonerville trolley.

View from the dock.

Okay, now 'the new movie' . . . Railway Man starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.  This is a British film, released in 2013, oddly not in the US.  Puzzled both of us . . . I urge you to try and find this movie and I won't do a spoiler alert as to why we thought it wasn't released in the US.

Based on a true story, it tells of a group of British servicemen who worked on the death railway.  Parts of this movie are terribly brutal . . . but hang in there; the end is more than worth it.  And, remarkably, while we visited the Kwai Museum near the bridge we were able to read parts of the memoir by the Japanese commander who plays such an important role in Railway Man.  This is an astonishing story of courage, repentance, forgiveness, and ultimately, love.

And I have to include this remarkable photo of an orchid (our local fave coffee shop) - growing on air!  Joe, this one's for you!!

Kisses, Hugs, and Chicken Balls

Bangkok wouldn't be Bangkok without its street food.  Block after block of 'Mom and Pop' style food carts selling all kinds of fare, most of it fried and offered on a stick or in a wee plastic bag which, miraculously, doesn't leak - not a drop!  Amazingly, Tim has quickly overcome his fear (terror!) of eating food of unknown origin and handled by people who probably don't hold 'safe handling' certificates.

In fact, our first morning he was out early, checking out the street carts and proudly returned with two piping hot bags of something fried, somewhat sweet, and totally wonderful.  I dubbed them 'X's' (a later excursion resulted in a rounded version, a bit sweeter) hence the O's.  By the third morning he was on a first name basis with the fry lady and knew exactly when she began cooking!

A photo of a bag of X's and a very, very strange fruit.  I think it's called dragon fruit (real name: pataya) - the insides of which are supposed to be very healthful but, honestly, don't taste like anything at all.  Totally bland with a lot of black seeds that get caught in your teeth.

While waiting for our train to Kanchanaburi, Tim nips over to the local food market and comes back with what he assures me (with a totally straight face) are chicken balls on skewers accompanied by something green, fried, and shaped like a wee patty.  As a palate cleanser, he's bought a baggie of young cuke slices.  Ahh, life is good.

We make new friends while waiting for the train.  They declined to share our impromptu lunch.

On to Kanchanaburi!

The King and Us

Considered the number one tourist 'must see' in Bangkok, the Royal Palace is an easy boat ride up the Chao Praya.  (We love these boat trips!)  A couple of photos of the waterfront structures, including some that look like they may collapse into the water before we make the return trip.

Not unusual to see a 5-star hotel overlooking a "modest" waterfront dwelling.

The Royal Palace is a short walk from the pier with several signs along the way warning people to: 'Beware of Wily Strangers'.  How quaint!

Who knew the Palace closed at 3:30??  We arrive at 3:25 obviously not having checked the hours in advance.  Not a big disappointment, I must admit.  The admission price is steep ($15+ each) and the grounds are a delight.  And the people-watching is wonderful!  A couple of shots of the grounds -

The Palace Police force marches up and down - somewhat in step.

I did not get a photo of the icons of prohibited attire - they included:  torn pants, short shorts, see-through tee shirts (that was an interesting icon!), halter tops, and midriff tops.  Maybe that's what the police force is tasked to enforce!

Lots and lots of tour groups, overwhelmingly Chinese, a goodly number of Germans, and a smattering of Thais.  We didn't hear any English spoken.

One of our fellow passengers on the way home on the water taxi is a monk.  I remember something I read in LP:  on a boat, women are prohibited from touching a monk or his robe (even inadvertently), standing 'too close' to him, or sitting down next to him.  No explanation, no rationale, no stating what the consequences are . . .

Early dinner at a wonderful restaurant across the (busy) road from our flat.  We asked one of the desk personnel what they recommended and this is a winner!  The name was in Thai, the menu was extensive, and by the time we paid the bill (a whopping $8 for two entrees and a Chang), every table was full and every patron was a local.

Tomorrow we're off to Kanchanaburi - our first Thai train trip!

Planes, trains, and water taxies

Thanks to the wonders of modern air travel and technology - we're in Bangkok!  Still not sure what day it is, and our bodies are prone to unpredictable, near-narcoleptic episodes.  Before I talk about Bangkok, I have to say "thank you" to Boeing for persevering with the 787 Dreamliner.  Of the 20+ hours of flight time on the trip over, 11+ hours were on the 787, and it is a delight to fly.  The economy seats are remarkably comfortable, the lighting is somehow different and much better, there is far more headroom and - most important of all - it is pressurized to 4K rather than the former 6K or 7K of earlier jumbo aircraft.  It is the very first time - on countless long-haul flights - that we've arrived without swollen ankles and toes - amazing!  The only place where the 787 falls short is the on-board entertainment system; it's operationally clunky, and the offerings are skimpy.  That may be attributable to UAL rather than Boeing.  Otherwise, this plane is a beauty!

First impressions: Bangkok is modern, very tourist-friendly, immaculately clean, full of flowers and lush greenery and, most importantly, smiling, helpful Thais.   The airport is a monster, easily a half  to three-quarters of a mile walk from the arrival gate through immigration and customs to the taxi queue area.  All very new and very slick.  Taxi to our rented flat was an adventure (I think the driver was illiterate and couldn't read the address I showed him and our Thai is very rusty)!

We're in a very upscale area, a short walk to the Chao Praya River, the BTS (city transit) and countless street stalls selling everything you could possibly want to eat (and didn't know because you couldn't identify it).

That's our apartment building in the distance - 40 stories tall!  We're on the 5th floor.  Those covered walkways are the only way for pedestrians to cross this very busy road.

Our first foray into BTS - very slick system (reminded both of us of the DC Metro) - one stop to the Central Pier and the water taxies.

Taking a boat ride on the Chao Praya (river) is a must in Bangkok.  We need to take care of a train reservation (or lack thereof) and take the 'normal' (non-tourist) boat to the train station.  Couple of photos from our first ride.

Train reservations all sorted, time for a graze through the food stalls before getting back on the boat.

The walkways between the food stalls and store fronts is about 3' wide - no way could I stop and take a photo without causing a major people-jam.  We buy some fried chicken nibbles, a bowl of noodles, and a luscious piece of chocolate mousse/almond cake for at-home dining.

Tomorrow, the Palace!

We're off again!

Dear Friends and Family:

We're off again, this time to SE Asia, Fiji, NZ, and Australia.  Our original 'next big trip' was to the Middle East and the top and bottom of Africa.   Sadly, tragic events have engulfed those parts of the world, and the change in our travel plans pales in comparison to the horrors occurring there . . .

We've managed to tick off quite a few countries on this tour with one notable exception:  Vietnam.  Most of you know that Tim has already been (not as a tourist); the idea of going back stirred a lot of memories which were less than thrilling.  Uncharacteristically, I opted out of the decision-making process.  To go or not to go was his decision and one I would support either way.

After several days of investigating transport to, from, and within Vietnam (Tim gets planes, trains, and automobiles on our trips; I get accommodations) and many muttered expletives from the opposite side of command central (our kitchen table), he concluded this was a country he could skip.  Lots of our friends have raved about their trips there and remarked on its recovery and modernity.  We'll have to take their word for it.

So here is our itinerary:
   -- Thailand - Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Ayuthaya, Chiang Mai
   -- Cambodia - Siem Reap, Angkor Wat, Battambang, Phnom Penh
   -- Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Cameron Highlands
   -- Fiji - Savusavu
   -- NZ - Auckland, Lake Taupo/Rotorua, Hawera, Tauranga
   -- Indonesia - Bali, Borneo (maybe)
   -- Australia - Melbourne

The whole trip is a bit over 3.5 months, our longest yet.  And, yes, we are going with one backpack each and two computers.  We should have wi-fi at most all our accommodations and access to our regular email.  We would love to hear from you while we're traveling and hope you enjoy following along on our adventures. I love writing this travel blog and have found it a very satisfying way to 'process'  our day-to-day excursions, encounters, and the thrill of experiencing the immediacy of 'life on the road'.  I still haven't figured out how to embed a map in the narrative but I haven't given up!

Wishing you all a most joyous holiday season and your own happy travels, wherever they may take you!

Love,
Carol & Tim