What is a vacation without excitement? Along with some relaxation, one would also want to answer the call of adventure.
This summer, my family decided on a trip to Thailand. Besides the thrilling experience of visiting floating markets and the Grand Palace, the highlight of the trip was playing with tigers.
The adventure begins
We drove down to Kanchanaburi, a place with the best of that nature has to offer. We checked into a riverside hotel — the River Kwai Resotel.
If there were any place to feel relaxed, our chalet would be this. The next day, our adventure began.
In the quiet of the countryside, there is a Buddhist temple which shelters wild animals, especially tigers.
This is also the main attraction for tourists. What started off as a rescue of an orphaned cub has now blossomed into a haven for these creatures.
Every afternoon, the monastery allows in tourists to take pictures with the tigers. These creatures sleep 15 to 20 hours a day on an average, so most tourists get to see them when they are resting.
But our family had the opportunity to talk to one of the volunteers about their morning programme. We came to know that during that time of day, the big cats are active.
My sister and I eagerly looked forward to joining the four-hour programme.
Starting at 7am, our family of five and the volunteers sat in the temple while the monks and visitors had breakfast.
And soon, we had tiger cubs crawling and playing around us. Some even fell asleep on our laps!
A walk with the wild
Then came the time for our tryst with some bigger cubs. We had the opportunity to walk them down to a canyon, which had a large pool and a few boulders. Each day, the tigers are allowed to roam here and play in the pool.
The coordinators let them tire by playing as much as they want, so that they sleep in the afternoon when most tourists visit the temple.
We had a great time watching the tigers play with each other, jump around and have fun.
Before we took the tired tigers back up the walkway, we were even allowed to give them a bath. But then we let the instructors handle them.
Next, they brought out the adult tigers. Huge and weighing over 300 pounds each, the tigers had to be walked by two handlers to the canyon.
There they set up an umbrella and drew a circle with a 2-metre radius inside which we were asked to stay.
Breathtaking sight
We watched the tigers play in the pool. The big cats played for about an hour and as soon as they seemed to be taking an interest in us — unfamiliar humans watching them — the handlers made them come out of the pool and back up the walkway.
It was a memorable experience. If anyone is open to trying out new adventures, Thailand is definitely the place for them.
— Roshdyna Ahmad is a 11th grade student at American School of Dubai
