Thailand Journal – Entry 2 – Bangkok Bound

Mood: Content

Well, I arrived safely, though the trip to Chiang Mai was a tiring one. I still have not slept in a real bed, but my spirits are high. I love traveling, especially when there is no pressing agenda.

Takeoff from Pearson International in Toronto was...uplifting. I had a permanent smile on my face due in part because of the feeling of soaring into the air at high speeds, but also because it was another one of those “first step” moments. The flight was short and uneventful.

Chicago saw a small level of stress as I had to run around frantically to figure out how to get my plane ticket within a couple of hours. I wasn’t taking American Airlines, but Japan Air (Sugoi!) My seat was situated at the top deck of the plane and after ticket-holders got settled, I was able to move to spot with ample leg-room, a window seat and a whole row to myself. Unfortunately, I couldn’t lie down and I never got any sleep on that 12+ hour flight. I did, however, get to see a number of cool things out my window.

The flight route took us into Manitoba, Northern Saskatchewan, up to Alaska and down the Bering Sea and Northern Pacific to Tokyo. I took solace seeing many of the pristine areas down below – there was nature, seemingly free of human influence (besides climate change, airborne pollutants and the occasional sound of an aircraft jet). I even saw glaciers and mountains...for the first time in my life! Down there was wilderness where wildlife could function and persist in an environment all their own...harsh, but full of life. I find it disappointing that such a concept seems incomprehensible for the majority of humans – something only has value when it is relevant to people and a world without people is godless, empty, irrelevant and dead. I see life in more than just humans and I find such places to be sublime for their own intrinsic worth.




My day would eventually last about 30 hours after less than 3 hours of sleep. As time wore on, I began to get extremely tired, though it was nothing I wasn’t used to at school and during the flight from Tokyo to Bangkok the kind Japanese waitresses happily bombarded me with smiles and caffeine. Spirits were high throughout the journey as everything was fresh and new. I even got to watch the new Indiana Jones movie on the plane (which was quite enjoyable). I also found myself watching the in-flight maps and seeing just how close I was getting to places with actual wild tigers! I wondered if there was a tiger somewhere on the prowl below while we were passing over Vietnam and Cambodia.

I would to first like to admit that I am a sufferer of “warm-fuzzy-feeling syndrome”. This condition usually arises when I am around tigers, looking at photos of tigers, feeling strong emotions about tigers etc. Symptoms include a feeling as if your heart is on fire, but engulfed in a pleasant, tingly warmth rather than pain. If you think this is weird, you are not alone: I think it is weird as well. I’m not sure what it is, but it is absolutely euphoric...it is another one of those “things” that make up the connection between me and tigers which others seem not to care for or understand. These symptoms began to manifest as we got close to landing in Thailand and eventually reached an apex when the plane was touching down. I’m sure it had something to do with finally being in “tigerland” and although I was in a city, I knew that this was a place where tigers had once roamed, a place I had not yet been in this life.

I finally arrived.

I exited the plane at a fast walking pace, fuelled by the warm and fuzzies in addition to the last cup of coffee. I knew I wasn’t going to run around in the jungle quite yet, though I was still anxious to get going. I was happy to see posters at customs warning visitors about the illegal wildlife trade and though they could have been more visible, I was calmed by their presence: there are many hard working conservationists in Thailand after all. My sense of urgency diminished and soundly silenced after claiming my luggage and I was able to enjoy the rainy sights of night-time Bangkok from the taxi taking me to the hostel.



I awoke after a deep, restful sleep to a muggy morning. The Thailand Year Abroad coordinators eventually gave us a tour of the city, which included a boat ride down one of Bangkok’s canals and a visit to the famed Grand Palace. I was awed by the incredible detail in the palace architecture, though I was mildly disappointed that tigers didn’t feature more. I was able to visit the much respected Emerald Buddha which was housed in a Sistine-Chapelesque golden building where the air was full to bursting with reverence. I found myself thinking about the story of the Buddha and the tigress: one of Buddha’s incarnations saw him a young wealthy price, but after coming across a starving tigress with cubs, he decided to offer his own flesh to her in a gesture of ultimate sacrifice and selflessness. The spot where the noble act occurred is marked with a temple called the Namobuddha in the mountains of Nepal where tigers still persist, perhaps due to the ultimate love of Buddhism for all creatures. The story is inspiring for someone like me and though I seek to do help tigers more in life, I am not afraid of personal suffering or death for this greater good. After all, as conservationist Eric Dinerstein said in his “Tigerland” book, “Every endangered species needs...at least one valiant person determined to turn the tide, at whatever personal cost”.