Life-a learning experience: Putting theory into practice

After departing Laos, Jon and I made our way toward Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand.

Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city, is dynamic and modern. Despite its growth in recent years, the city maintains strong cultural ties to tradition and religion. There are more then 300 temples in and around the city. I have seen my fair share of temples over the past couple of months and while each location is unique, it is not always significant to me. Although each temple is beautifully built and laden with hand crafted detail, the temples I enjoy the most are the ones that offer more then just aesthetics. Some temples have the power to envelop you with their presence, becoming so much more then just another pretty building.

On the first day of exploring the old city section of Chiang Mai, Jon and I were able to see a number of the famous temples located in the city center. Each temple held historical significance for one reason or another, unfortunately though, they did little to hold my interest...I couldn't feel a connection.
Recognizing we had done as much of the central sights by foot as possible, Jon and I hired a driver to escort us to the outer limits of the city the next day. And here's where the interest-holding stuff started to happen.

Wat Pa Dara Phirom is a newly renovated royal Buddhist temple that is easy to visit enroute to Tiger Kingdom and other attractions North of the city. Although the gate of the temple is guarded by statues of giant lions, the temple grounds have an unassuming presence. Once on the premises, you can observe the footprint of Buddha on the Chedi as well as other valuable gemstones, jewels and artifacts. What affected me most about this temple was not what I saw, but what I felt as I walked around. I felt at peace from the moment I went through the gate. Almost as if I was surrounded by a soothing, dream-like energy during my entire visit to this temple. As a result, Wat Pa Dara Phirom became my favorite Temple in Chiang Mai.

Having done the whole elephant thing while in Laos, Jon and I decided to focus on tigers, snakes and monkeys while in Chiang Mai.

Upon arriving to Tiger Kingdom, we were quickly greeted by a sales representative asking us which picture package we wanted to take....the large, medium, small or smallest tigers. Wow, she was going in for the hard sell pretty fast. Unbeknownst to us though, you can't enter Tiger Kingdom unless you commit to a photography session with a tiger. This is not a zoo, the sole purpose of Tiger Kingdom is for tourists to take their photo with tigers.

So once we got with the program, Jon and I decided to go big or go home. Sure the baby tigers sounded cute, but you don't have your photo with a tiger to look cute...you do it because it looks cool, scary and tough.
Before entering the cage with the big cats, Jon and I were asked to review a safety sheet emphasizing the Do's and Don'ts of our visit. Most notably...no flash photography, no sudden movements and always approach the tiger from behind. It all sounded easy enough, until putting theory into practice resulted in a couple of close calls.

While moving backwards to take a photo of Jon, I was more focused on framing the picture instead of where I was walking. I tripped on a bump and nearly fell down (that whole sudden movement thing) in front of the big cat before righting myself. Close call number one successfully averted.

After photographing Jon, the tiger handler motioned for me to get into the picture with him so he could take a few shots of us together. I handed my camera over and headed over to get into position. After about two steps it became clear to the handler that I had forgotten one of the important don'ts. So he side-checked me right as I was about to walk directly in front of the tiger's face. Close call number two successfully averted, although outside intervention was required in this instance.

With some amazing pictures in hand, Jon and I made our way over to the Mae Sa Snake Farm next. After paying the entrance fee and passing through the make shift gate erected from old wooden pallets, it quickly became apparent that the Mae Sa Snake Farm was nothing more then a family's back yard filled with cages of various species of snakes. Apparently it is easy to start a business and tourist attraction in Thailand.

As we lamented over the misrepresentation of the farm, Jon was quick to comment that at least they should offer some daring show to make the visit worthwhile. And bamn, we turned the corner to see a sign advertising The Cobra Show. Things were starting to look up. The snake family put on a nice show. Each family member seemed to have a gift with a particular snake. The grandfather with the python, the eldest son with the water snake, the youngest son with the cobra and the grandson with the snake-like microphone as MC.

After leaving the snake farm we asked our driver Eddie what he thought of the monkey training school we we supposed to visit next. In his opinion it was ok, but the snake farm was much better. It took Jon and me two seconds to reply in unison, "ok, then we won't go."

Crossing the monkey school off our schedule allowed us to leisurely make our way back to the city center and enjoy the beautiful mountain landscapes that surround Chiang Mai.

At the entrance to my favorite temple in Chiang Mai, Wat Pa Dara Phirom.