Bridge Over River Kwai and Tiger Temple

On Sunday we hired a driver and guide to take us to Kanchanaburi, the site of a museum about the infamous Thai-Burma railway line constructed during World War II. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the inhumanity that nearly 200,000 POWs suffered at the hands of the Japanese while forced to construct the railway. An estimated 80,000 of them died from disease, malnutrition, and injuries and the bodies that were recovered have been laid to rest in this cemetery.

We drove on a little farther to the River Kwai Bridge, made famous in a 1957 movie. It was bombed by the Allies to cut off Japan's supply lines.


We hopped on the train to take a 90-minute ride through the countryside and the scenery was pretty amazing. Big muddy rivers, rice paddies, tapioca fields, mango farms, huge termite mounds, and lush hills all around.


Ben was crazy about our tourguide Nina. She played with him nearly all day because she had seen the sights many times and was much more interested in a kid who wanted to sing songs for hours. She tried to get him to nap on the train but he would have nothing of it.

The final stretch we rode was built right on the side of the cliff...not for the fainthearted.

We stopped for lunch at a local place overlooking the river and enjoyed phad thai and sweet curry and as much pineapple as Ben could stuff in his mouth.

Then it was off to the activity we were most thrilled about - the Tiger Temple. Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua is a buddhist temple that has taken in stray animals for years. They had fowl and pigs, but once someone brought in an orphaned tiger cub and it became known as a home for tigers. They have about 10 adult tigers and at least 6 cubs right now and we got up close and personal with all of them!

It was after lunchtime and these guys were all sacked out. They are only fed boiled meat and dry cat food so they've never tasted blood. That hopefully calms their killer instincts but we didn't test the theory by letting Ben poke at their eyes or anything.

It was unbelievable.

The volunteers in the yellow shirts escorted people from one tiger to the next and took all the pictures for us so it was really organized and there weren't too many people crowded around any of the tigers. That way we could enjoy the moment and not jostle for pictures or wait in lines.

The tigers spend their afternoons sleeping in a rocky canyon with the visitors, then later the monks or volunteers walk them back to their cages.



The cubs were just adorable! They are slowly being socialized to the crowds so a few were grumpy and had to go back home. They have a separate area from the big cats and the monks are taking donations to build new habitats for all the animals and visitors.

This little guys was really playful.

This cub was like a little housecat - he loved being rubbed behind the ears and rolled around like a domestic kitty.

Ben was having a great time playing with Nina while Matt and I took pictures and played with the cubs. There were cows, pigs, peacocks, water buffalo, deer, and chickens wandering freely in the temple.

Ben loved the cubs! They weren't monitored the way the adults were so we got to spend a lot more time with them and Ben got a closer look.


"Hi kitty!!" I had to keep friendly Ben from sticking his hands in the tiger's face because the little cub still has a mean set of teeth and claws.
It was an unforgettable day, especially for someone who loves cats as much as I do. I only wish Ben was old enough to remember the visit but we'll always have pictures to show him. It was a 2-hour drive back to Bangkok and we all took a long nap in the car after all that excitement.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. It was fun that we planned the whole thing 2 days before we left so we know we can still be a little spontaneous, even with 2 kids! I don't think any of us got much sleep because nap times were messed up or nonexistent and we got to bed late each night. Ben still went to sleep around his normal time in our bed and we'd join him later. Thank goodness he had no trouble going to sleep in a different bed, but the problem was that he'd wake up at 1 or 2am and find Momma and Daddy in bed with him....what fun! I woke up the first night to a little hand wiggling on my back and "tickle, tickle", along with his entire repertoire of songs. Really cute in the daytime...not as easy to enjoy in the middle of the night! But we're back home now and catching up on our sleep. Now we're thinking about Halloween and how to convince Ben to wear his costume so we can take him trick or treating!