Tiger Kingdom

Today we visited the controversial Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai.  After hearing that the tigers were drugged and posed for tourists, we did some reading and research.  Now, whether what we read was accurate or not, we'll never know...  Apparently the tigers are trained from the time they are "kittens" to interact with humans and obey many commands (much like a dog would be trained).  We were also encouraged that it was an opportunity not to be missed.  So we took the bait and spent about 30 minutes with 8 different tigers.  It really was an exhilarating (and somewhat scary) experience.  The kittens were sweet and playful when awake...the 3 largest were just intimidating (for me anyway).  All in all, a once in a lifetime experience...

2 month old kitten

2 Month Old Kitten

Awake and Frisky 2 Month Old

Belly Rub

More Playing

4 Month Old (Much Bigger)

...And Lazier than the Little Ones

Someone wanted to play...Wake Up!

15 Month Old

I kept Dre between the big ones and me!

Now that's a cool Picture!!

A Day of Thai Cooking

Fresh Market before Class

Today we embarked on a full day of Thai Cooking lessons at Siem Rice Cookery.  What a wonderful experience!!  We were part of a group of 9 chefs-in-training, and each prepared 7 dishes (including dessert).  We learned the art of thai soup, wok cooking, carving vegetables, making curry paste and simple thai desserts.  We left with a certificate of completion and a cook book - and we can't wait to share what we learned when we get home. (we may need to install an outdoor burner/wok station) :-)

Machine shaves coconut into Coconut Cream

 

First Dish, Spring Rolls

Frying the Spring Rolls

Wok Firing Ginger Chicken

Thanks to the Teacher, my flame is bigger!

Andre's Pad Thai

Mortar and Pestle Green Curry Paste

Carving Carrot Flowers

Early Whittling

 

More Chiang Mai

We have decided to settle in here at the Eurana Boutique Hotel until next Tuesday, although we aren't sure where we will go next.  But that isn't important right now, we have almost 1 week to figure it out!

Koi Pond in the Lobby of our Hotel

Garden area in Hotel

Hotel Lobby

Another pond/garden

Prep for our Thai Massages

We found a small spa across the street from our hotel and both enjoyed Thai Massages yesterday.  It was a very different experience, but for around $5, no complaints!!  The Night Bazaar was an intriguing experience...the market was about 2 blocks squared, filled with stalls selling "discount" wares.  If you were in the market for a watch, handbag or a new Tiffany piece...JACKPOT!!  There were also some beautiful carvings and paintings, but mostly knock-offs.  There was also an indoor Night Market just across the street, which we didn't participate in.  There isn't enough room in my pack for anything, so we left empty handed, but enlightened.

An evening of pool at Chiang Mai Saloon

Day 5: Chiang Mai

I have to admit, it is nice to be out of Hong Kong, and we have spent one night in Chiang Mai.  We only touched down in Bangkok long enough to change planes...but we will go back and stay a little longer down the road.

Bangkok Airport

Bangkok Airport

We are staying in a nice little hotel in the old city of Chiang Mai.  This morning we did some exploring and found too many massage spas to count and had to indulge in a pedicure (about $5!).  We found a nice, local restaurant for lunch and then spent some time by the pool.

Massage "rooms" at nearby spa

The moat surrounding the Old City of Chiang Mai

We haven't decided how long we will stay, but the list of things we want to do is starting to grow.

Day 4: Depart HK for Thailand

This morning we are leaving HK...a happy departure...on our way to Chiang Mai, Thailand.  We have only booked 3 nights there so far as we familiarize ourselves with the area and negotiate longer-term accommodation.

More from Thailand soon...

More from Hong Kong

Last night we took in the Avenue of the Stars (waste of "tourist" time)...and got some great shots of Hong Kong Island across the water.

This morning we found a 24-Hour western diner, The Flying Pan, to have breakfast.  It was true to our standard of diner food, and filled with more tourists than we have seen the entire trip. 

We visited the Ladies' Market in Mong Kok...handbags and Ed Hardy gear were plentiful, and we left all of it there!!  We also found ourselves in a sneaker suburb, I think we were in and out of nearly 30 stores, and Andre found a pair of Nikes (legit) he couldn't leave behind in the second last one.  A successful day of shopping!

Our stay in HK

Our hotel is the nice gold building sandwiched between apartments...The WiFi Boutique Hotel! Haha!

When space comes at a premium, a large hotel room, in our budget, is not easy to find.  The glass bathroom walls clearly make the space "appear" larger!!