Martin's Travel Journal Just a few photos and ramblings from my trips.

<p>Mixed feelings about today. Currently I am on a minibus headed back towards Bangkok as yesterday I decided that I wanted to get out of the capital for the day. It is a fascinating city but I don't think you can sound too long here, so I booked a tour for the day out to the floating market and the Bridge over the River Kwai. Some of the sights I saw today were amazing and I will never forget, though it is the desperate attempts to attract tourists that left me feeling slighter more bitter.<p><p>I boarded the minibus and by coincidence, a group of girls from the UK I had been chatting to in a bar the night before had booked themselves on the same tour, as we discovered to our surprise when we got on the same minibus.<p><p>The first stop was at the floating market in Ratchaburi. Boarding a long boat we were taken on a journey through the rural waterways and into the town, where we disembarked and changed to a paddle boat that guided us through the hustle and bustle of the floating market, with tens of boats carrying fruits, hot food and other goods and attempting to sell to both passers on foot and by boat. It was great to see how the traders have adapted to this and the tricks used to stop the passersby and entice them into buying something. I grabbed some food though feel we stayed in the area too long. After I established there was little I wished to buy and just wanted to be out of the sun I was ready to leave.<p><p>So the bus continued and the group stopped for lunch before heading north to the Bridge over the River Kwai. This, of course, has been made infamous by the eponymous war film but as you arrive the bridge is surrounded by yet further tacky stalls and tourist traps. We walked across the bridge and gazed and the view at the halfway point. Despite it's historical significance the bridge is nothing too spectacular and has arguably been ruined by what is around it. We again boarded the bus and headed towards our final destination, Tiger Temple.<p><p>I already had reservations about the tiger reserve before we got there. From the outset it looks like an abandoned zoo with several species of animal wandering free, such as boar and wilder beast. The attraction here though are the tigers. After seeing a cubs playing happily in the water and another with a keeper I happily had a photo taken with a tiger, but I was then directed down the hill.<p><p>At the bottom around a dozen adult tigers were sat in an area where tourists could have their photos taken. I instantly felt guilty when I saw the beautiful creatures sat in the boiling sunshine simply to be used in photographs.<p><p>After reading some more about the sanctuary it seems that the tigers are rescued and brought here to be cared for and I would suppose the owners would argue that without funding then the tourist attraction is must to be able to care for the animals however I left feeling angry that I had allowed myself to be taken into such a place and was quite happy when the minibus pulled out of the car park.<p><p>So. Very much mixed feelings today and I will be looking up some more about the Tiger Temple to see exactly what their record is like when it comes to animal welfare.<p><p>Tonight I am due to meet some guys from the UK I met last night to watch the football. It is my let might in Thailand befit heading to Vietnam tomorrow - something which I am very excited about.<p>