Tigers, Oh Mai

We woke up and had breakfast in our hotel. Armed with maps, iPads and laptops, we tried to figure out what to do. We decided to ask the front desk to find us a driver to take us around sightseeing. For $54, we got a driver in a brand new Mitsubishi SUV from 10 am until 6 PM. Pretty good deal right? One of the things that I looked most forward to when booking our trip was a chance to see the tigers. Since apparently, the insurance issues that we have in the US don't exist here, you can get up close and personal with the animals. I saw a video on trip advisor of someone in an enclosure with baby tigers and I knew that was one thing that I really wanted to do. I know it is a little controversial, but we did some research and picked a place called the Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai that got good reviews. All the tigers there were born at the facility and were used to being handled by humans and not drugged. (so I hope). Anyway, I don't know when else I would ever have a chance to pet baby tigers so we went. Janina and I were excited, Jo was less enthusiastic but was a good sport and went along with us. Our driver B took us out of the city to the Tiger Kingdom. We decided to see the smallest, small and medium tigers. I was sooooo excited to actually be in an enclosure with the tigers I could hardly stand it. The tigers we started with were 2 months old. They were so incredibly cute!!!! Because it was so hot, they were pretty much all sleeping, but some played with us and we got a chance to feed some with bottles. It was such a thrill.

Janina with the little sleeping female

We had a photographer making us do ridiculous poses but look at these two little guys

The next cage was a little more scary- the tigers were 6 months old, but they were pretty big. When you see those huge paws, I must admit, you get a little nervous. There are no chains or restraints, just handlers in the cage. The tigers were so beautiful! I loved them. We petted them but none of us felt comfortable laying on them for a picture as we were instructed! Then, the third enclosure was the 16 month old tigers that look pretty close to full grown to me. We didn't spend as much time as we were allowed, I mean those tigers were BIG! They were very docile and most were sleeping and playing a little. It was amazing. The tigers seemed well taken care of and I really hope they are treated well. While we were waiting for our photo CD to be ready, I tried putting my feet in a tank of Gara fish. They supposedly eat all the dead skin off your feet. I know it sounds weird but it was pretty cool. It actually leaves your feet feeling smooth and soft.

Jo giving the tiger a belly rub.

6 month old tiger

16 month old tiger- I must admit I am a little nervous here

Look at those paws!

After we left the tiger kingdom, we asked our driver to take us to the Four Seasons hotel, it was  recommended for a great spot for views and lunch. Well, he said no, it was too far. Never mind that we were hiring him for the day. He was going to take us somewhere else for lunch. Where, Jo asked several times, never given an answer. Humm, things were getting a little suspicious. Well, somehow, he decided that we should go to an area with handicrafts. We stopped at this place that makes umbrellas- Now Janina and I have been on many tours, and we have made stops at these type of places many times- we understood that the choice was not ours and we were going to stop wherever he had planned, probably our driver got commission for these stops. We proceeded to stop at the jewelry factory and the silk factory. We were really hungry for lunch but had no choice in the matter of where we would eat. Finally, we got taken somewhere in a remote area near a water fall- we were very skeptical but actually it wasn't bad. We then went to a famous temple in the hills above Chiang Mai called Doi Suthep.

Doi Suthep

View of Chiang Mai from atop the temple

 It was a beautiful Buddhist temple on top of a hill with views of the whole city.  On the way home, Jo wanted to get some curry paste for gifts so our driver brought us to a supermarket and we shopped for a while before returning to our hotel. It was actually a fun day- maybe not what we expected but a little adventure. We decided to take a break from Thai food and found an Italian restaurant run by a man from Lake Como. Well, day one in Chiang Mai was pretty good- I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!