Chiang Mai and Tigers!

CHIANG MAI (OR CHIANG BY AS DAISY CALLS IT!)

Because we couldn’t get the overnight train, we flew with Thai Airways which although a relatively cheap airline compared with Ryan Air its like travelling first class! You get a meal included aswell!

Chiang Mai is the capital of Northern Thailand and on a welcome smaller scale than Bangkok. There was not a lot of waiting in traffic here, although it did seem to be busy with mopeds!

On a Sunday there is a walking street market where local artisans display their work and it’s a lot cheaper than the normal night bazaars. Unfortunately though, it poured down but we were determined to go.  We bought some thin rain ponchos for about £2 for all 5! We felt so sorry for the stallholders, some were packing up to go, some weren’t there at all but some were determined to stay, even though some were actually sat in a flooded street! It was great fun though.

TIGER FEET!

We went to visit Tiger Kingdom today where you can get in the cages with Tigers, big, medium and small and newborns! You had to do it as a package so I went in to the newborn ones with the children and a medium one on my own, then Richard and I went in the cage with the big tiger!

Before deciding to come to this place we did a bit of research into the welfare of these animals. Tiger Kingdom was one of the tiger sanctuaries with the best press. Some reports say the animals are drugged but this is certainly not the case. The large tigers Richard and I “met’’ were very much alive and kicking! Also tigers are nocturnal and sleep for 19-20 hours a day, pretty much like domestic cats. It’s a difficult one trying to get your head around these majestic animals being caged, but the cages are temporary during the day and at night they have a spacious purpose built area to roam around in. Also these cats are born into captivity so would not survive if released into the jungle.

Firstly we went into the cage with the baby tigers. We could hear them meowing as we approached. There was one that was a month old, one two months and the baby one just 2 weeks old! They were so cute. Richard couldn’t come in because he wasn’t on the package we had paid for but we asked if he could come in for just one photo to which they agreed. I asked if we could put one on our lap but they said no as you cant pick them up. Then all of a sudden, one just crawled on Olivers lap, followed by another one! So cute.

The window was open and the 2 week old one kept trying to escape!

The photographer came in the cages with us and told me to put my head on its back and to lay on it. That’s all very well, but I felt very vulnerable putting my weight onto its back, especially when at one point, I heard him growl – the tiger not the photographer!!

Altogether an awesome experience and we are so glad we were able to do this special thing!

We went to the night bazaar that evening. This was much more touristy and not as nice as the walking Sunday market. 


We saw some ladyboys and the children had some photos taken with them – I say the children, it was actually the girls, Oliver refused to go anywhere near them!

It rained again but we were ok as we were undercover. Some of the stalls had flooded so Daisy helped the stallholders sweep all the water away! We turned round and she was doing this!!

All in all a very fun 3 days before we head off on our Hilltribe tour.