The Wild Side of Bangkok
22/07/2005
Well on Thursday I went for a ride along the river and canals around Bangkok. Yes, the same dirty rivers and canals mentioned earlier but the river wasn't so bad. At least it was quite a bit larger than a canal so you didn't notice the dirtiness so much.
There are heaps and heaps of Wats or Buddhist temples around Bangkok and all around the river. You don't have to go more than 500 metres until you see another one. Today was also the start of Buddha day holiday which runs from Thursday to Sunday. From what I can gather everything is pretty much the same with all the shops open but, presumably, business people do not go to work. And they probably go to the Wats as well during this time and there is a candle procession at night through one of the streets. The only difference I saw was that there was much less traffic and it was actually flowing more than not. A peculiar thing they have at the top of their traffic lights is a counter that counts down how much time before the lights change. Very innovative indeed!!
Along this river cruise there were some nice houses and some rather dilapidated ones as well. There were a lot that were hanging over the banks and built on top of stilts. There were some kids fishing in this river but I don't think I would dare to eat what they caught from it. Probably get heavy metal poisoning in 5 years...
Along the way we stopped off at a snake farm. This is not just a snake farm but is really a zoo because they have lots of other animals there as well including black bears and tigers! The conditions for the animals were pretty bad I must say, something like the quality of zoo's in the 1950's or something because it was just concrete and a few branches; that kind of stuff.
I got a photo taken with a huge python which aren't that dangerous because they're not poisonous but if they bite you, they have a vice-like grip and you would not be able to pull your hand out; you'd have to wait for the snake to let go. Anyway, even though this python was quite bit, actually very big, I knew it was used to people and had probably been in captivity for a while. They farm people take your photo and then try to sell you plates with that picture on it but I had my digital so there was no need to be 'plated'.
I've got pictures of Bangkok here so click on this link if you want to have a look at them:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=za0rna8.u603zq8&x=0&y=-dmhem6
(Click on 'View Photos without signing in')
They had this snake snow where the guys were just crazy! There is no other word for it. They go and provoke these cobras, vipers, jumping tree snakes and the like so that they'll put on a show! It was like nothing I've seen before. The cobras were spitting and striking andthe guy is within striking distance and just moves his legs out the way at the last second!
And the vipers were even worse! They were shaping their bodies like springs and going for his face! Then, because they have a blind spot behind the head, he grabs the first viper with the left hand, the second with the right and then for the third one he grabs it with his mouth! Oh, man, that was freaky stuff!! I was sitting right there in the front row with a mesh fence about 40cm high to protect me. And because it was so low, the jumping tree snake actually got part ofit's head above that measly fence!! The lady beside me shot up back to the fifth row but her husband had enough nerve to stay put. I was about to shoot off as well until the guy caught it's tail and pulled it back! Apparently, they're not poisonous according to the announcer because they move fast. In the wild it's their defence mechanism to evade danger however, I wasn't going to be one to test it. Now I know that snakes are nocturnal and they're a bit slower during the day, but if they bite you, they bite you so those guys really knew what theywere doing. Or so I hope...
That was a wild show, but the next one I went to which was about an hour out of Bangkok was even more daring. This was another zoo buttheir speciality was not snakes but crocodiles!
I was impressed with the number and variety of animals they had here though the quality of the enclosures were just as bad as the snake farm. There weren't many tourists here probably because it was a bit out of Bangkok but plenty of Thais about because of the Buddha day holidays. In the crocodile show the guy puts money in the mouth of the crocdile and puts his hand in to get it out! How wacked is that?! Not only that he puts his head in as well. I wish I could have taken more photos but my camera died on me and I only got a few.
I did get a photo with a baby tiger cub. I'm actually holding it and feeding it a bottle of milk in the photo! Amazing stuff really! Now, I know from a conservation and animal welfare point of view, these farms are pretty bad, but at the same time it was pretty cool!! Where else can you hold a real live tiger?! I could also have taken a photo with the crocodile but everything costs money and even though it was cheap,the crocs didn't seem dangerous enough at the end of it to warrant photos ;) Thailand really is like the wild west before public liability ruined everything! :)
They had a monkey show there as well and I did feel sorry for them and didn't stay for the whole show. They were basically dressed in dresses and so forth and they guy was doing a bit of a sitcom with them but because it was in Thai I didn't understand much of it.
Well it was quite a day and very enjoyable. I must admit that my first day in Bangkok was so-so and it wasn't until I did all those things that I thought it was turning out to be a much better and cooler place.
Until next time, God bless,
Bob
Well on Thursday I went for a ride along the river and canals around Bangkok. Yes, the same dirty rivers and canals mentioned earlier but the river wasn't so bad. At least it was quite a bit larger than a canal so you didn't notice the dirtiness so much.
There are heaps and heaps of Wats or Buddhist temples around Bangkok and all around the river. You don't have to go more than 500 metres until you see another one. Today was also the start of Buddha day holiday which runs from Thursday to Sunday. From what I can gather everything is pretty much the same with all the shops open but, presumably, business people do not go to work. And they probably go to the Wats as well during this time and there is a candle procession at night through one of the streets. The only difference I saw was that there was much less traffic and it was actually flowing more than not. A peculiar thing they have at the top of their traffic lights is a counter that counts down how much time before the lights change. Very innovative indeed!!
Along this river cruise there were some nice houses and some rather dilapidated ones as well. There were a lot that were hanging over the banks and built on top of stilts. There were some kids fishing in this river but I don't think I would dare to eat what they caught from it. Probably get heavy metal poisoning in 5 years...
Along the way we stopped off at a snake farm. This is not just a snake farm but is really a zoo because they have lots of other animals there as well including black bears and tigers! The conditions for the animals were pretty bad I must say, something like the quality of zoo's in the 1950's or something because it was just concrete and a few branches; that kind of stuff.
I got a photo taken with a huge python which aren't that dangerous because they're not poisonous but if they bite you, they have a vice-like grip and you would not be able to pull your hand out; you'd have to wait for the snake to let go. Anyway, even though this python was quite bit, actually very big, I knew it was used to people and had probably been in captivity for a while. They farm people take your photo and then try to sell you plates with that picture on it but I had my digital so there was no need to be 'plated'.
I've got pictures of Bangkok here so click on this link if you want to have a look at them:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=za0rna8.u603zq8&x=0&y=-dmhem6
(Click on 'View Photos without signing in')
They had this snake snow where the guys were just crazy! There is no other word for it. They go and provoke these cobras, vipers, jumping tree snakes and the like so that they'll put on a show! It was like nothing I've seen before. The cobras were spitting and striking andthe guy is within striking distance and just moves his legs out the way at the last second!
And the vipers were even worse! They were shaping their bodies like springs and going for his face! Then, because they have a blind spot behind the head, he grabs the first viper with the left hand, the second with the right and then for the third one he grabs it with his mouth! Oh, man, that was freaky stuff!! I was sitting right there in the front row with a mesh fence about 40cm high to protect me. And because it was so low, the jumping tree snake actually got part ofit's head above that measly fence!! The lady beside me shot up back to the fifth row but her husband had enough nerve to stay put. I was about to shoot off as well until the guy caught it's tail and pulled it back! Apparently, they're not poisonous according to the announcer because they move fast. In the wild it's their defence mechanism to evade danger however, I wasn't going to be one to test it. Now I know that snakes are nocturnal and they're a bit slower during the day, but if they bite you, they bite you so those guys really knew what theywere doing. Or so I hope...
That was a wild show, but the next one I went to which was about an hour out of Bangkok was even more daring. This was another zoo buttheir speciality was not snakes but crocodiles!
I was impressed with the number and variety of animals they had here though the quality of the enclosures were just as bad as the snake farm. There weren't many tourists here probably because it was a bit out of Bangkok but plenty of Thais about because of the Buddha day holidays. In the crocodile show the guy puts money in the mouth of the crocdile and puts his hand in to get it out! How wacked is that?! Not only that he puts his head in as well. I wish I could have taken more photos but my camera died on me and I only got a few.
I did get a photo with a baby tiger cub. I'm actually holding it and feeding it a bottle of milk in the photo! Amazing stuff really! Now, I know from a conservation and animal welfare point of view, these farms are pretty bad, but at the same time it was pretty cool!! Where else can you hold a real live tiger?! I could also have taken a photo with the crocodile but everything costs money and even though it was cheap,the crocs didn't seem dangerous enough at the end of it to warrant photos ;) Thailand really is like the wild west before public liability ruined everything! :)
They had a monkey show there as well and I did feel sorry for them and didn't stay for the whole show. They were basically dressed in dresses and so forth and they guy was doing a bit of a sitcom with them but because it was in Thai I didn't understand much of it.
Well it was quite a day and very enjoyable. I must admit that my first day in Bangkok was so-so and it wasn't until I did all those things that I thought it was turning out to be a much better and cooler place.
Until next time, God bless,
Bob
posted by boarderbob at
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