Floating Market and Tiger Temple

For our second day in Bangkok, we decided to take a guided tour to the floating market and Tiger Temple. The drive was about 2-3 hours each way, so we hired a guide and a van with a driver. We left bright and early with not much time for breakfast. We learned quickly that our guide, Katie, was not the most patient person in the world. Our first stop was the floating market. We got into small speed-canoes and wound through some canals with houses right on the edge of the water. The market itself was quite chaotic. There was a traffic jam of boats at the entrance/exit, so we opted to just walk alongside the canal and look at the goods. Plus, in the traffic jam I saw someone trying to maneuver their boat around by swinging the propeller up and over the back of another boat, and smacked some lady right in the head. Luckily it was off. So, I was happy to walk. It was about this time that Stacy got yelled at for the second time by our tour guide. The first time was for asking to stop for coffee when Katie had already asked us earlier and we said no. Now, she needed a bathroom, and in classic Katie style, she barked, “Why you no tell me before! I already ask you if you need toilet, and you say no! Why you do this!” We all kinda laughed it off. It’s always funnier when someone else is getting in trouble.
After the market, we headed out to the Tiger Temple. This is a tiger sanctuary that is run by monks. One of my friends, Sachiko, told me about it before I left, and when I looked it up on the internet, I knew I had to go. There are 18 tigers here, and for a few hours each afternoon, the tigers are out for tourists to pet and hold. Now, I know what you are thinking: “Gee Leilani, isn’t touching a wild tiger dangerous?” Well, yes. But as I saw, the tigers are drugged out of their minds (you can see one drooling into a water bowl), so the danger is dramatically less then you would think. Plus, I have ALWAYS wanted to touch a lion’s paw, and this is close enough. I love to squish kitty paws!! As we waited in line, I saw that for an extra “donation” I could have my picture taken holding the tigers. So of course that’s exactly what I did. All the tigers here are alive, but very, very sleepy. I had a young man lead me around by the hand and tell me exactly where I could sit and place my hands. It was all very mechanical: walk, sit, click, walk, sit, click, but it was so surreal being surrounded by all those tigers. All in all, it was a good experience, and I have pictures with me and tigers!
On the ride home, we were all sleepy. This was New Year’s Eve by the way. We looked forward to going back to the hostel and resting for a little bit before heading out to celebrate the new year. So we were quite surprised when Katie had other plans for us. We all needed to use the restroom quite badly, and she decided to take us to a wholesale gem shop to use the bathroom. We had to take a tour and look at the all the gems. Then we hopped back in the van, and our next stop was to a tailor. Now, earlier in the day, Katie mentioned that she knew a tailor who could make cheap suits, I said that I thought that was interesting. She took that as, “Please take us to your tailor friend!” We were exhausted and just wanted to go back to the hostel. I told her that we did not want to shop here. That’s when Katie exploded. “Why you tell me you want to shop then! I no understand your culture! I ask you one thing, then you change your mind! Now, my friend thinks I made you come here. I look bad. You break my face!” Well, I’m sure you all who know me, know that this was not an acceptable reaction towards me. I told her that I didn’t appreciate being yelled at. I did not tell her that I wanted to shop there. Yes, we definitely are having communication trouble. Her yelling is making me uncomfortable, and that we want to go back to the hostel now. The rest of the ride home was in silence. Apparently this happens to many people who go on tours in Thailand. The guides take you on small side trips to places where they get some type of commission if you buy something. We all knew this going in, but of course didn’t expect it to happen to us. Of course I have heard of worse experiences, and 5 min after we left her, we were joking about it. Stacy does a great Katie impression.
New Year’s Eve wasn’t a big deal. We had a nice dinner, then watched a concert and the countdown. We tried to find a nearby bar, but they were a bit sketchy, and we were tired, so we called it an early night.