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January 12, 2007
Kanchanburi Province, 120 kilometers on a motorcycle in half a day, one local hitchhiker, two museums, a few tigers and some other wild animals.
Today I planned to visit the famous Tiger Temple. I was not sure whether to take an organized tour for 120 baht, not including entrance fee (300 baht) or get there by myself. Renting a motorbike for such a ride is relatively expensive because it requires a considerable amount of fuel. A short conversation with a nice Thai girl at a local traveling agency convinced me to go by my own. The ride went through road number 323, but instead of going straight to Tiger Temple, I turned left to Ban Kao. This is where Ban Kao National Museum is located which is an historical museum of human kind four thousand years ago. I planned to go from there to Prasat Muang Sing Historical Park, which is the old city of Muang Sign. This detour would bring me back to road 323 directly to Tiger Temple.
Rural Way In Kanchanaburi Province
The way from Kanchanaburi (the town) is rural and pleasant to drive in. There’s a good view and landscape, and almost no traffic at all. Once in a while some cows show up on the side of the road, and in a hidden spot on the road I found a lake with a sheep herd nearby. On the way I stopped in a golf course. It wasn’t active that day, but it’s a sport that interests mainly the upper class in Thailand.
The ride went as planned until I reached Ban Kao. I stopped near a small shop to ask if I’m going in the direct direction. An old woman answered me in good English how to go to the National Museum while asking the owner who couldn’t speak English. When I started driving, the old woman told me that she also needs to get to that area and asked to join. I was a bit shocked from the question, although it’s common to see hitchhikers on a motorcycle in that region in the form of a motorcycle-taxi or a father driving his two kids. I was a little concerned at first. It is after all an old woman, and it was just my second day riding a motorcycle on the left side of road, or riding a motorcycle at all for that matter. But after an experience of over one hundred kilometers I said what the heck, and invited her to come. The Thai woman, whose name is Tida, as I found out later, sat lightly on the side of the motorcycle. I found out very quickly that there’s nothing special about giving a ride to someone else on a motorcycle, especially if they are experienced in hitchhiking.
Tida’s Secret and Bank Kao National Museum
During the ride I asked Tida where she needs to go. She answered it’s a secret. The counter winds was strong, so it was difficult for me to hear what she was saying. We came to a sign pointing to the museum, so I asked Tida again where she wants to get off. My first surprise was she wanted to wait for me near the museum and go on to the railway station close to Muang Sing. I didn’t feel too good to leave her at the entrance so I told her to wait outside. I went in and paid (30 baht). Tida was going after me. The guard in the entrance let her go inside for free, an old woman. You can skip this museum. The place was completely deserted. I saw there a couple of bones thousands of years ago, some hunting and cooking tools The guard tried really hard to explain to me about every item while Tida was waiting outside the room.
Twenty minutes later I came out and we continued driving. We talked a little and I asked Tida where she really needs to go and why is it a secret. She answered it’s a secret because she doesn’t know where she goes herself. The matter was even more mysterious.
We got close to a sign pointing to Prasat Muang Sing Historical Park. On the way there was a sign directing to a railway station. I told Tida we arrived at the station and asked her where she wants to go. Tida answered she wants to go where I’m going. That moment I finally realized what was Tida’s secret.
I stopped on the side of the road and explained to her that I’m going to stay a couple of hours in the park, and she shouldn’t wait for me. It didn’t really help. She asked me where I’m headed and I told her Laos. She asked if I’m going by airplane and I answered by bus and train. As I found later, Tida was a nice homeless that moves around from a place to place so no matter where I take her she always wants to go on. Tida sat on the side of the road and continued doing nothing. It’s probably what she was doing before I met her.
Prasat Muang Sing Historical Park
I arrived in the park which shows exhibits of the old city. The place is very big and I’m already out of fuel. Unfortunately during the entire tour I haven’t seen any gas station so I was in a problem. I asked the guard in the entrance where I can find some fuel. He explained to me in Thai and sign language that they sell fuel in the supermarket. I went back and saw Tida still sitting there. I arrived at the supermarket which looked like a hybrid of a small mini-market and a garage. The owner did not understand a word in English, so I pointed to the fuel tank. He nodded his head and brought me from one of the shelves a Pepsi bottle full with a yellow liquid. This Pepsi bottle reminded me that the owner of this motorcycle (who also holds my passport) asked me to fuel with only Octane 95. The contact I signed earlier obligating me to pay for all damages to the engine didn’t make me feel better as well.
The salesman wrote in his calculator the number 30 and showed it to me as the price I have to pay. It didn’t really help when I signaled with my fingers or saying 95 in English. He just kept saying the word Turbo, Turbo. I took a paper, wrote the number 95 and showed to the salesman. He smiled, pointed at the Pepsi bottle and said again “Turbo”. I signaled him to fill up two Pepsi bottles into the fuel tank, paid 60 baht and drove back to the park.
The Historical Park of Muang Sing is a nice and quiet place. In it was a group of Thai students who were so happy when I asked them if they want to take a photo. Within seconds they all arranged themselves with a smile from ear to ear and thanked me in the end together.
All the exhibits are outside.Temples and antiquities in a Cambodian style, similar to what you can see in the Angkor temples. You should also visit the barriel site where you can see the beautiful landscape of the river which goes in the shape of the letter U. There’s also a guest house in this place.
After being inside for two hours I left Muang Sing Historical Park. Tida was waiting for me at the entrance. She asked to join. I explained I was in a hurry and went on without her.
Tiger Temple
An old Thai man stood with his vehicle in a junction. I approached him to ask which way to Tiger Temple. He did not understand a word of what I was saying but asked to see my map. The place doesn’t show on the map, so I took out a piece of paper and wrote the word TIGER. He looked at it while mumbling something in Thai. A few hand signs followed by many words in Thai, and I went on driving. It seems like the instructions I got in sign language were accurate.
Tiger Temple is known as a place where tigers are drugged so you can take your photograph with them. The tigers are being held every day in cages. Opening hours are limited to 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Entrance fee is 300 baht. You basically pay 300 baht for a photograph with a tiger.
The place is pretty big. There’s a number of attractions out of which the main one is the Tiger Canyon. About ten tigers are laying on the ground while visitors are waiting in line to be led close to the tigers. A camera is a must. I was taken to four different tigers. They were very big and looked quite awake. One of them looked at me suspiciously when I got too close to him. You can put your hand on the back of each tiger and the locals take your photograph using your own camera. The girl who took me, yelled at me when she saw I was petting the tiger too much.
Petting a tiger is like petting a very big cat. There’s a huge element of danger, but I couldn’t notice it dealing with those tigers. Perhaps it was because they were drugged.
I walked from there to the cages. There was a female tigers and her cubs behind the grates. The compound itself is very big. Wild animals are walking around freely. There are chickens, many wild boars are playing in a mud pool. There are also foals, bulls, lambs and even a few Yaks and two deers and walking around with no boundaries, swimming in a small lake, and you can get close to them as much as you like and take their photograph. In the compound you can also find a Buddhist temple and a few monks. The free animals walking freely got more photographs than the tigers.
At 4:00 PM I wanted to go back to the tigers, but it was too late. The tigers were being taken back to their cages. Three or four girls were holding each tigers using chains, leading him from the Tiger Canyon to the cages. It’s a half kilometer walk and not so safe. When I got closer to take some photos, they started shouting at me to go away while using warnings that included hungry tigers and food.
I left the place, went back to Kanchanburi, said goodbye to the lovely Jolly Frog, and took a local bus back to Bangkok. The ride lasted about two hours and a half. I arrived there after 9:00 PM. I had two options: go to Khao San to sleep over and continue the next day to Pak Chong, or catch a late train and get there at the same day. The taxi driver told me that the price for driving to the train station or Khao San road is the same, 350 baht. We went to the train station. Price dropped to 250 baht after some bargaining.
On the way to Pak Chong
An express train left to Pak Chong on 9:50 PM (186 baht for third class). It arrived late after more than three and a half hours. The train was full with Thai people. I was the only tourist. The car in which I sat had a fan, and there was smoke coming from the windows. The plastic seats are not comfortable. Even though trains are usually top priority for me, in those conditions, a government bus is better.
I arrived in Pak Chong at 1:30 AM. Inside the railway station a few Thais are sleeping on the benched. I went outside and everything was completely dark. No one is seen nowhere. Two minutes later a sleepy man comes from the train station with a coat, and says “Taxi”. I asked me to take me to a good guest house. We go on a motorcycle, the bags are very heavy, the motorcycle swings from side to side, it’s freezing cold out there, and I just hope the ride will be as short as possible. Five minutes later the driver stops on the corner, says something in Thai and picks some guest houses brochures from his pocket. I see Garden Lodge for 450 baht, too expensive. Green Leaf with an unknown price and another brochure of a traveling agency. There are not many options. I took a bet on the Green Leaf and we went on driving. Eventually the driver stopped by a truck, parked his motorcycle and we drove in the truck toward Kao Yai National Park. There was complete darkness on the roads and the gauge is showing 150 km/h. It felt like 90 km/h, maybe it was the car.
At 2:00 AM in the morning we arrived at the Green Leaf. Nothing but darkness and no one is there. The driver started knocking on the doors and five minutes later someone wakes up. I got a double room with a fan and showers for 200 baht a night. I paid 150 baht to the sleepy taxi driver and went to sleep.
This article was originally written in Hebrew. It was translated to English at a later time.
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