Colliding Continents

For The Adventurer Within

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Big Cats Need Love Too

Thailand has enough temples to keep any temple-seeking traveler busy for months on end. None of them, however, have tigers as occupants, some free to walk about, except Wat Pa Luangta Maha Bua Yannasampanno. Colliding Continents’ Director of Photography, Tara Kocourek, was fortunate enough to travel two hours outside of Bangkok to the tiger temple, as it is commonly known.

Starting out in Khao Sarn Rd, our intrepid photographer begins her journey on a small air-conditioned van with four other passengers. The B500 fare includes a stop on the River Kwai, where the other travelers had intended to go, and the tiger temple. According to Tara “Originally, everyone else was headed for the River but found out where I was headed and came along for the ride.” The very idea of Thai monks walking tigers around the temple is a sight no one would want to miss.

The tiger temple is only open during the afternoon hours after the tigers have been fed and prefer to lounge around lazily in the afternoon sun. The stop at the River Kwai allows to fill up the time until the tigers are ready for their audience.

Naturally, there are some rules involved when dealing with such large felines. No red or orange is to be worn, it is important not to have any cologne or perfume on your skin, and women who are menstruating are forbidden to visit the tigers that are roaming about. Abbot-Pra Acharn is the head monk in charge of the temple. Civilian volunteers help him and his fellow monks to care for the tigers all of them being rescued from abandonment or mistreatment.

The tigers are presented to the public for pictures and, for a small donation, personal shots with the tigers in what is called the canyon. The canyon looks like a very large quarry where the tigers either roam free or are chained. Do not be fooled - the chains are very long and provide for ample roaming space. Visitors are taken into the canyon by one of the many volunteers and posed with a tiger for a couple of pictures. Some tigers are taken for walks and while not outside enjoying the sun, they are taken to their enclosures.

Conversing and genuine interest is always a traveler’s best tool for an authentic experience. Tara talked to Abbot-Pra Acharn and was let into the enclosure to take more pictures of the tigers, which the average visitor is not normally allowed to do. According to Tara, being around such large cats beyond their enclosures is very nerve-wracking. Yet, being allowed more ‘exclusive’ access was not the best part of the trip. During the ride to the temple, Tara befriended another traveler who decided to go along with her after hearing about the tigers. “The best part of the trip was seeing the look on the face of my new found travel friend as she took in her surroundings. It was the kind of look that a serendipitous travel experience could create; that sense of accomplishment when following one’s intuition.”

If you are interested in volunteering or for more information go to http://www.tigertemple.org