Tokyo Fox (東京狐)

TF Top 10……Most Romantic* Filming Locations

Posted on February 13, 2014 by tokyofox

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner what better way to celebrate the most romantic date (or what we’re told should be the romantic date!) on the calendar than taking a look at some places which have provided the backdrop for some scenes of affection being shown between lovers. Of course these images are helped on the silver screen with clever editing, added studio footage, CGI and musical scores which all add to the occasion. Basically, what we’re saying is that what you saw happen on screen may not transfer itself to your visit! This Tokyo Fox list features a mix of the good, the obvious, the bizarre and the plain wrong! So here without further ado is our Top 10……Most Romantic* Filming Locations…

(* The Tokyo Fox definition of romance!)

1. Villa Del Balbianello, Como (Italy): ‘Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones‘ (2002) & ‘Casino Royale‘ (2006) – A double dose of romantic action to get us started. Anakin and Padmé got secretly married here in the former and Bond recovers from his beating and then declares his love for Vesper in the latter. More details here and here.

2. Royal Exchange Building, London (UK): ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary‘ (2000) – Bridget catches up with Darcy here and is relieved to see him present her with a new diary so that they can make a new start together as one. More details here.

3. St. Mark’s Anglican Church Darling Point, Sydney (Australia): ‘Muriel’s Wedding‘ (1994) – There’s surely got to be a church somewhere in this list and so its this one! Muriel finally realises her dream here…or does she?! More details here.

4. Bocca Della Verita, Rome (Italy): ‘Roman Holiday‘ (1954) – Providing the films most famous scene where Joe pulls his hand out of the ‘mouth of truth’ with his hand up his sleeve astonishing Ann. More details here.

5. Maya Bay, Phuket (Thailand): ‘The Beach‘ (2000) – Leo not only stole the heart of the beautiful Francoise here but he stole her from “French boy” too! Don’t expect to have this place to yourselves is all I’m saying! More details here.

6. Katz’s Deli, New York (USA): ‘When Harry Met Sally‘ (1989) – “I’ll have what she’s having!” is the classic line delivered at this sandwich shop following Sally’s fake climax in response to Harry’s boast that none of his one night stands had faked an orgasm. More details here.

7. Tiffany’s, New York (USA): ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’ (1966) – The image of Audrey Hepburn in her black evening gown and sunglasses with a pearl necklace around her neck and a coffee and croissant in her hand is an iconic one. She gets out of a yellow cab as the morning light breaks and gazes up at the famous jewellery store sign. All girls love Tiffany’s and who would’ve thought that 18 months after visiting this place with my girlfriend I’d be presenting her with a Tiffany’s engagement ring! More details here.

8. Whittier High School, Los Angeles (USA): ‘Back To The Future‘ (1984) – Marty went back to the past to change his future by getting his parents together in the first place at the ‘Enchantment Under The Sea’ dance at this school. More details here.

9. Imperial Palace, Las Vegas (USA): ‘Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery‘ (1997) – Alotta Fagina’s penthouse suite where Austin shagged her rotten to use his exact words! More details here.

10. Tiki Motel, Los Angeles (USA): ‘The Terminator‘ (1984) – John Connor was conceived here in what is perhaps the most pivotal point in the whole Terminator franchise. You could stay in the same room where Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese did the deed! More details here.

Posted in Movie Locations | Tagged alotta fagina's suite, bocca della verita Roman Holiday, katz deli, most romantic filming locations, royal exchange building bridget jones, tokyo fox, villa del balbianello, where was john connor conceived?, whittier high school | Leave a comment

TF Top 5……Australia Filming Locations

Posted on February 12, 2014 by tokyofox

On 12th February 2001 I stepped onto Australian soil for the first time ready to spend a years working holiday travelling around the huge island. Over the years I’ve returned for a couple more visits but it was that original trip which gave me the travel bug and was actually where I visited my first filming locations. To commemorate that visit exactly 13 years on (everyone celebrates 13th anniversaries right!!) we here at Tokyo Fox present you with the TF Top 5……Australia filming locations.

1. Pin Oak Court, Melbourne: ‘Neighbours‘ (1985 – Present) – I’ve now racked up four visits to this famous soap opera street in South Melbourne and it has to be said there’s something exciting about going to a location which features so regularly on our screens. More details here

2. Palm Beach, Sydney: ‘Home & Away‘ (1988 – Present) – This northern beachside suburb has provided the backdrop for so many of this soap’s memorable moments and is a great place in its own right whether you’ve seen the show or not. More details here

3. Bare Island, La Peruse, Bottany Bay: ‘Mission: Impossible II‘ (2000) – The films most iconic image, with Cruise riding his motorcycle through balls of fire as he escapes from the fort, was shot here. More details here

4. Pitt Street Waterfall, Sydney: ‘The Matrix‘ (1999) and ‘Superman Returns‘ (2006) – A double-dose of movie action took place at this circular fountain. There was the distracting woman in the red dress as part of combat training in the former and Superman saves Lex Luthor’s henchwoman Kitty Kowalski in the latter. More details here & here.

5. Kings Canyon: ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert‘ (1994) – Yes, its a very famous landmark and I don’t usually go for them as such but given its isolated location in the middle of such a vast land I feel it justifies inclusion. More details here

Posted in Australasia Travel, Movie Locations | Tagged adventures of priscilla queen of the desert, home & away filming location, kings canyon, mission impossible 2 filming locations, neighbours street melbourne, superman returns martin place, the matrix sydney film locations, when is home & away filmed? | 2 Comments

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt XI: Bridge On The River Kwai

Posted on February 9, 2014 by tokyofox

One of the things I really wanted to do in Bangkok this time was take a day trip to Kanchanaburi to see what provided the backbone to a story which is part of movie folklore and widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever.

Now I don’t have too strong an interest in a lot of history but I was very intrigued to learn more about this fascinating bridge which featured so memorably in ‘The Bridge On The River Kwai‘ (1957). Believe it or not I only watched this classic film for the first time last year and of course I knew before our visit that the bridge seen on the movie screen was actually a far more aesthetically pleasing one shot in Kitulgala in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, despite the title there wasn’t even a bridge over the River Kwai until they changed the name of another river nearby which did have a bridge crossing it.

As the film has been around through seven decades I don’t really need to explain too much of the plot but basically it stars Obi Wan Kenobi who says he’ll pay someone or another 2000 credits in advance and a further 15000 credits on completion of the bridge….or am I mixing up my movie plot lines a bit?!!

The day started at 6:30am when we were picked up at our hotel and we then had to endure the tedious nature of picking up other passengers and getting out of Bangkok which took over two hours to do! The first stop was a brief 15 minute one at the Allied War Cemetery; the final resting place for the POW’s who died building the railway.

Our next destination proved to be the main one but you wouldn’t have thought so given our allocation of time there! I couldn’t believe it when they said we only had 40 minutes at the place which was the focal point of the trip! History should have taught me this as back in 2008 our “James Bond Tour” actually only included thirty minutes on the island so maybe we were doing quite well to get forty! However, this time there was the JEATH museum, picture displays, a market and of the course the bridge itself which could’ve merited the whole time.

As a result, I had to skip the museum and pretty much photo-bomb (quite apt, possibly inappropriate, to use that word maybe given what happened to the bridge back in 1944!!) the bridge. I rushed around getting my shots and as I was lining up one shot and waiting for the timer to take my own picture the lens on my cheap glasses fell out and typically dropped through the gap in the bridge.

Just before boarding the bus I saw the chance to get a shot of me with a Leopard. It was 100 THB ($3.5) which is a little expensive by Thai standards but with not much time and very little chance of such an opportunity coming up anytime soon I splashed the cash and gave the young cat its food and drink in return for a photo or three!

Typically the bus didn’t move on to the next destination for about ten minutes so I guess I could have used that time more productively but its never a good idea to miss deadlines on these tours. The next stop was some very local railway station where we boarded a train to take us along the Death Railway.

The real highlight of the train journey has to be at Wampo Viaduct (Wang Po) where the train passes through some wonderful scenery. With the majority of the passengers onboard leaning out of the windows snapping away or at least standing over that side of the carriages you have to worry about the stability of the train as it slows down a bit and carefully crosses the creaking viaduct.

We had lunch on a boat once we disembarked from the train and even that seemed quite rushed! Sai Yok Noi Waterfall was the final stop and we had about 30 minutes there which was nice enough but fairly unnecessary in the scheme of things. It’s not as if it was even a place with loads of souvenir shops or whatever which tourist buses are often dragged to!

I would’ve much rather had a bit longer at the bridge and if I’m ever in Bangkok again I’ll certainly consider just taking a train to the station near the bridge. I would’ve done that beforehand but fear of the unknown stopped me from doing that!

Posted in Asia Travel | Tagged allied war cemetery, Bangkok day trips, be wary of thai tours, bridge on the river kwai, Death Railway, JEATH museum, obi-wan kenobi, Sai Yok Noi Waterfall, where was bridge on the river kwai filmed? | 9 Comments

James Bond Filming Locations In Bangkok

Posted on February 6, 2014 by tokyofox

Thailand’s capital city has featured in a couple of James Bond films; ‘The Man With The Golden Gun‘ (1974) and ‘Tomorrow Never Dies‘ (1997), although Bangkok was used to portray Saigon in Vietnam in the latter.

I think I’ve mentioned on here before that ‘Tomorrow Never Dies‘ was the first 007 flick I actually saw in its entirety and I haven’t looked back since. This film not only opened up my eyes to Bond but to Asia too which, at that time in my life, was a continent I was still very ignorant of.

Many websites state that the skyscraper which Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) descend (above) on 77 minutes on a banner is the Westin Banyan Tree Hotel (21/100 South Sathorn Road, Sathorn) BUT it is actually the Sinn Sathorn Tower on Krung Thonbrui Road, a kilometre down the road, where they make their escape on motorbike (below) leading to what provided the films most memorable action scenes. The building is used as an office and as I looked up at the 44 floor tower to compare it with the screenshots on my phone I could see that it was the same albeit with a little CGI treatment towards its peak. Although, I’m still not 100% sure that it is the building which they jumped off, I have no doubt that it was used for the ground level shots.

Over two decades prior to that, the Bond production team were in town in 1973 working on ‘The Man With The Golden Gun‘ (1974) in and around Bangkok and perhaps more famously Khao Ping Gan a.k.a. James Bond Island, which first appears on 95 mins, and is where I visited on my last trip to Thailand in 2008.

This ninth 007 movie sees Bond on location in Macau, Hong Kong (see those locations here) and Thailand where he’s on the trail of Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) and after his plan to pose as the villain backfires, he is captured and placed in Thai entrepreneur Hai Fat’s dojo where the fighters are instructed to kill him. This was filmed at Muang Boran a.k.a. Ancient Siam (formerly known as Ancient City) in Samut Prakan province. This place, which is the worlds largest outdoor museum, is first seen on 52 minutes and sticks around for some action scenes lasting about six minutes. It was quite amazing how similar this place still looks given the number of decades that have passed since it was filmed. I guess the flagstones in the screenshots (below) were laid by the production team and a huge plant feature now stands in the way of creating a better match-up.

To be even more precise these scenes were shot at The Dvaravati House which is #18 on the map given when you purchase your ticket. There was absolutely no information on the net about which part of Muang Boran was used in the Bond film so I was well happy when I noticed the building just as we were on our way towards the exit. There is no wooden bridge going over the moat so maybe that was just added by the props department. Who knows? 40 years is a long time so it may have been there back in the 1970s for all we know!

Bond escapes from the Karate School at Muang Boran with the aid of Lt. Hip and his martial art expert nieces and the ensuing boat chase continues on to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (below) which is over 100km away! From there it goes down Klong Dan (60 minutes) with just about everyone apart from Bond ending up in the water.

It’s at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on 65 minutes (below) where Bond is reunited with his British assistant Mary Goodnight. They share dinner but inevitably their evening is interrupted. Anders (Maud Adams) tells Bond that she wants him to kill Scaramanga and will pay him at a boxing venue the next day.

Many internet sites say that the Boxing Stadium featured on 74 minutes, where Bond discovers Anders dead and meets Scaramanga, was Lumpini Stadium but as 007 exits the place you can see a sign saying that its Ratchadamnoen Stadium. Other sources say that the fighting scenes were shot at Lumpini but the filming was done at Ratchadamnoen but I’m not sure which one. I only had time to visit the former and of course it wasn’t open when I was there so its just more exterior shots I’m afraid!

The car chase which follows from outside the stadium was shot in the car park at Royal Turf Club and sees them briefly driving with Giant Swing (below) and Wat Suthat in the background.

The dual with Scaramanga on James Bond Island takes place on 105 mins and is perhaps the films most iconic image. Near to Siam Center are a few signboards giving basic details of how Thailand has featured in movies over the years. Of course there was one for ‘The Beach‘ (2000) and there was also one for James Bond giving brief details of what you’ve read in this entry!

See other James Bond filming locations by clicking on the links below:

Tokyo London Prague Venice Como Istanbul Las Vegas Phuket Vienna Hong Kong New York Panama Skyfall

Posted in Asia Travel, James Bond, Movie Locations | Tagged 007 filming location, bangkok movie locations, James Bond filming location, muang boran, Sinn Sathorn Tower, The Man With The Golden Gun bangkok filming locations, tomorrow never dies filming locations, where was The Man With The Golden Gun filmed | 19 Comments

The Hangover Part II Filming Locations In Bangkok

Posted on February 4, 2014 by tokyofox

This 2011 sequel was yet another typical example of scriptwriters being lazy and cashing in on the success of the original. In this case, the plot was very similar to the 2009 ‘Hangover‘ movie but with one difference; it was shot overseas in an exotic location which is the classic fallback when ideas are lacking.

Personally, I can’t say I ever really understood what all the fuss was about regarding the original ‘Hangover’ film. I thought it was okay but not as funny as everyone else seemed to think and it has to be said that ‘The Hangover Part II‘ (to give it its full title) was really lame and needless to say that I didn’t even bother with the third one last year! However, Tokyo Fox has a job to do and that’s to provide you the reader with as much detail as possible for tracking down its movie locations. Besides, its still fun seeking out these places whether you like the film or not!

So basically The Wolfpack are in Bangkok to celebrate Stu’s (Ed Helms) impending wedding and a typical aerial shot of the city at night appears on 24 minutes and that’s pretty much where the story begins. The gang, along with Lauren’s younger brother Teddy, wake up in a dirty hotel room alongside a chain-smoking monkey and with Stu’s face tattooed like Mike Tyson’s. They all congregate on the roof of the Lebua Hotel (below) 35 minutes in and try to fill in the gaps to see what happened the night before.

A couple of minutes later (37 mins) and they’re in Chinatown on Thanon Plaeng Nam (below) which is a lane where you can get famous dishes like shark fin and bird’s nest. It is nowhere near as hectic as its depiction on screen. If you see the red and white Rubber Stamp sign then you’re on the right street and the blue road sign above Phil’s (Bradley Cooper) shoulder is for Soi Phiphaksa 1. The nearest station is Hua Lamphong MRT station and from there its about a ten minute walk.

A clue leads them to Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 (below) near Nana BTS station (41 mins) where they are, to their surprise, given a hostile reception. They come across the place in which Stu got his face tattooed the previous night. Sadly this tattoo parlour was purpose built for the film so there’s not too much to see on this street.

Hoping to return the mute monk in a wheelchair they acquired by accident they take a songthaew truck to Muang Boran (Ancient Siam, formerly known as Ancient City) on 45 minutes which doubles up in this film as a Chinese temple. This is the same place which featured in ‘The Man With The Golden Gun‘ (1974) but unlike that movie, this one is recognised in the reception area where there’s a wall display informing the public of what has been filmed there. The Phra Kaew Pavillion (below) is stop #30 on the map (given as part of the entry fee) and an open pavilion was added to create the atmosphere although no stick-wielding Chinese monks were on hand to greet us on our arrival! The Phra Kaew Pavilion was built to represent Ayutthaya as a centre of Buddhism in the past. Encouraged by the head monk to meditate before they leave results in Alan (Zach Galifianakis) having a juvenile vision which leads them to their next location.

That place happens to be a strip club which is on Soi Cowboy (50 mins). They stand at the entrance to “Siam Sam’s” which in reality is Cactus Bar (below) although the interior shots were filmed elsewhere.

Sirocco restaurant on the 64th floor of Lebua State Lounge is seen on 62 minutes and again on 76 mins. Since filming wrapped the restaurant and the adjacent bar have been offering Hangovertini cocktails for 490 BHT ($15). Be aware that if you want to enter this restaurant that there is a strict dress code which must be adhered to.

The hotel is really using the Hangover fame to its advantage as they also offer a special two-night “The Hangover Part II” package priced at $2,200. Furthermore, there is the opportunity for rich fans to stay in “The Hangover Suite” which is a three-bedroom luxury room accommodating up to six guests with a fully-stocked mini-bar and ample party space.

A single small tree marks the traffic circle known as Wat San Road roundabout which appears on 69 minutes as the place where they encounter the drug dealing monkey which they subsequently steal before a car chase ensues which culminates in a ridiculous stunt which sees the car manage to jump over a river! The seven streets leading out from the roundabout had to be closed for filming. To get there yourself you have to take the Chao Phraya Express boat to Ratchawongse and hang right at the first turning and then its nearly a ten minute walk.

The wedding between Stu and Lauren takes place after that in Krabi at Phulay Bay Resort which is owned by Ritz-Carlton. It has 54 one-bedroom villas with private pools, outdoor baths, butler service all available at sky-high prices!

Posted in Asia Travel, Movie Locations | Tagged bangkok chinatown, hangover 2 filming locations, lebua hotel, muang boran, soi cowboy, the hangover part II bangkok, The Phra Kaew Pavillion, Wat San Road roundabout | 8 Comments

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt X: Snake Farm Etc. In Bangkok (Thailand)

Posted on February 1, 2014 by tokyofox

We returned to Bangkok after a fantastic four nights away in Chiang Mai over the New Years period. This time though we stayed in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok rather than Silom as we wanted a change of scenery and a slightly better hotel. We had four full days back in the capital city with a bigger focus on day-trips out of town this time.

There was still time to squeeze in a few highlights though and do some of my more geeky stuff. Of course there was a lot of eating, shopping and just walking around but perhaps the most noteworthy thing we did was the Snake Farm in Silom which was a short and sharp 30 minute presentation of a variety of snakes to the audience in both English and Thai language. What most people were looking forward to though was the opportunity to have their photo taken with one of the huge snakes (below) draped around their neck. I must have done such a thing five or six times before but still couldn’t resist the opportunity.

After one of the best meals of the whole trip (made all the better for its incredible cheapness!) at a dining hall next to our hotel we went and met up with Will one night who eagle-eyed viewers may remember from my trip to England last Summer! He’s been living there since November and we met up for a few beers in the sophisticated surroundings of Nana!

One morning with my other half lying in bed I went out alone in search of a few things. Firstly, I went to National Stadium station hoping to find the stadium where the Thailand national football team play. I took my photo (tripod and timer!) on the pitch (above) at what I thought was the correct place but in hindsight maybe the much bigger stadium next door is actually where they play!

After that I visited the hotel which was used for many scenes in ‘Only God Forgives‘ (2013) starring Ryan Gosling and Kristen Scott Thomas. On her arrival in Bangkok, following the death of Gosling’s on screen brother, she is seen checking in at the reception (below) of Emporium Suites (622 Sukhumvit Road) which is close to Phrom Phong BTS station on the Sukhumvit Line. Finding the reception area was a task in itself but once I located it it was instantly recognisable which isn’t too surprising for such a recent film!

Back in Part VI of these travel tales we met up with Mostyn just before he shot off to Mumbai and Goa. His return to Bangkok also coincided with our time there and so we met up yet again along with my ex-colleague Dean who I finally got to meet up with after sending many mails back and forth to each other. He invited our ex-Principal Richard along too which was a surprise. Over the years our paths crossed a fair few times; most notably on Big Red Bus Day (2007) and an observation of an observation lesson in 2008. We had a great night out starting at Flann O’Briens Irish bar and finishing on Soi 4.

Posted in Asia Travel, Food & Drink, Movie Locations | Tagged bangkok movie locations, Emporium Suites, Only God Forgives filming location, silom, snake farm, sukhumvit, where do the Thailand football team play? | 7 Comments

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt IX: Muang Boran (Ancient Siam) In Bangkok (Thailand)

Posted on January 27, 2014 by tokyofox

The worlds largest open-air museum, formerly known as Ancient City, houses 120 duplications, reconstructions and creative designs to educate modern people about the history of the ancient Siam with the layout of the place supposedly corresponding pretty much to the shape of the Kingdom of Thailand.

I really wasn’t too sure about visiting this place but feeling the need to get out of the city centre for the day I decided that we’d take a day trip here. I’d located it on Google Maps beforehand and could see that it couldn’t be reached by train directly but the BTS train did go as far as Bearing from where we would take a taxi the rest of the journey (30km) and just hope that it was a reasonable price! As it was, it only cost 120BHT ($3.6) although the 500BHT ($15) entrance fee took me by surprise! Thats the same price as entering Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace in Bangkok!!

The place was way bigger than I imagined (for I really didn’t know too much about the place prior to our visit) but free bicycles were thankfully provided and you can hire golf-carts too to get around the vast area where each of the monuments lies at its correct places geographically. Some of the buildings are scaled down whilst others are life-size replicas of existing or former sites constructed with the assistance of experts to ensure historical accuracy.

I had an ulterior motive for visiting this place of course as the ninth James Bond film ‘The Man With The Golden Gun‘ (1974) as well as ‘The Hangover Part II‘ (2011) used the place for filming but you can read more about that as each movie will get its own separate entry on Tokyo Fox very soon. My Lonely Planet guidebook also reassured me that this was an architecturally sophisticated place rather than the kind of tacky replicas seen in Las Vegas for example. I tend to think its a blend of Nihon Minka-en in Kanagawa and Tobu World Square in Tochigi.

Being able to cycle around the area was quite delightful as the place was fairly empty and of course free of all the exhaust fumes that are very much part and parcel of daily life in the centre of Bangkok. There are too many places to go into detail on any of them but overall they was a great number of wide and diverse mix of constructions.

The night before I saw on Facebook that my number one Chinese friend Yayu was in Thailand too and so I mailed her to see if meeting up was possible but with us relying only on wi-fi (usually only available in our respective hotels) to access the internet I had pretty much given up on the idea. I guess you know what’s coming next though as why else would I mention this?!!

We’d just left the place where we had had lunch (very nice, cheap and Thai style with no westernised restaurants in sight!!) at Floating Market when I heard my name called after cycling past two ladies who I didn’t recognise!! I was most shocked to see her and her Filipino friend Alain given how far we had come from the centre of Bangkok and all the attractions it has to offer there! Seems we’d all been at the same New Years Eve event in Chiang Mai but of were of course unaware of each others presence which was a shame but at least we did get to meet up in Thailand.

The place is a photographers paradise with so many beautiful constructions in one place but of course there’s always that doubt in the back of your mind that its just not authentic enough.

I’m quite surprised that more tourists don’t make their way down to this part of the country whilst they’re in Bangkok but I guess its never a priority and, due to the relative difficulty in reaching the place, it often gets left off one’s itinerary but I’d definitely recommend giving this place a day if you’ve done all the other major city sights.

Posted in Asia Travel, Movie Locations | Tagged Ancient Siam, bangkok daytripper, day trips from bangkok, hangover 2 filming locations, how far is Ancient Siam from Bangkok?, how to get to ancient city, muang boran, train to Bearing and taxi to Ancient City | 7 Comments

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VIII: Tiger Kingdom In Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Posted on January 24, 2014 by tokyofox

When it comes to new experiences on a trip I think its fair to say they don’t come too more unique than what we encountered on one of our days in Chiang Mai.

Tiger Kingdom is located about 10km from Chiang Mai’s centre and on arrival in the car park you are given a card to keep with a three digit code on it. The reception area has machines displaying the options available, a counter where you actually choose the package you want and a checkout where you can finally pay!

There are four different sizes of tigers; Smallest (2-4 months), Small (5-10 months), Medium (11-15 months) and Big (16-36 months) which unbelievably you can play with and touch whilst using your own camera to capture the moments. We opted for a package ticket of Big and Small which cost 840 BHT ($25); a bargain for such a priceless activity if you ask me. For the record, just one tiger costs 420-620 BHT depending on size and you can do all four for 1480 BHT ($45).

Even without the hands-on aspect of the place its still pretty amazing that you can actually watch some of the tigers without there being a glass window in the way which is the usual style for viewing such animals in most zoo’s in the developed world. You can see a white tiger, a lion and a few other tigers and poke your camera through the fence to capture the animal well on photograph.

The whole system seemed very efficient as outside the cages for each size tiger is a monitor displaying all the numbers of each visitor so can see how far down the list you are. We had to wait 45-60 minutes at the most to spend about 15 minutes with the small tigers followed not long after that by the big tigers for the same amount of time. It was all definitely worth the wait.

The tigers are hand raised and trained and over time they are used to being around humans. Of course when you go in the cage there is a trainer with you who basically does whatever it takes for the consumer to get their photos which some like and some don’t!

You’re told to approach the tiger from behind rather than head-on and to cuddle and stroke the big cats firmly which they find comfortable. However, gentle stroking is ticklish and irritating to the tigers, especially if they are sleeping which seems to be a very common activity for them! I’m told that some of them sleep up to 18 hours a day which of course leads many visitors to wonder, given their wild status, if they’ve maybe been drugged. Tigers daytime vision is supposedly similar to humans but their night vision is six times stronger and thats when they tend to hunt their prey meaning they’re more active at dusk which can explain why they’re sleeping in many of our pictures.

I know I said in a recent post that the elephant adventure we went on just a couple of days prior to this one was great and it really was but to get up this close and personal with one of my favourite animals was absolutely awesome and something I never even realised was possible until I saw some friends pictures from this place a few years ago.

I felt like young Pi; the Indian boy in ‘Life Of Pi‘ (2012) as we were allowed to rest and pose in all kinds of positions with the tigers not that such scenes ever happened in that movie or the book that it was adapted from!

We were on a bit of a high after experiencing such an incredible thing and had lunch (yet another green curry for me!) in the Tiger Kingdom’s restaurant which overlooks the cages where you can see all the other tourists spending their time with the big tigers.

Posted in Asia Travel | Tagged are the tigers at tiger kingdom drugged?, Chiang Mai, How much does Tiger Kingdom cost?, how to get to Tiger Kingdom, photographer service, playing and touching tigers, tiger kingdom, tiger kingdom vs tiger temple, where can I touch tigers in Thailand? | 4 Comments

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VII: Elephant Training In Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Posted on January 21, 2014 by tokyofox

The elephant is the national symbol of Thailand and wherever you go you see them whether it be elephant souvenirs, stone elephants outside temples, posters of elephants being used to promote tours (even if they’re nothing to do with the animal!) and of course the ubiquitous bottles and cans of Chang beer. Chang is the Thai word for elephant which gave me an idiotic eureka moment! Of course it seems so obvious now!

Our first mission on arriving in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand was to book an elephant tour for the following day which was New Years Eve. My first choice place was booked up for the next week so we chose another company called Jumbo Elephant Camp which was booked through ‘Kunt Tours‘ and believe it or not I didn’t actually notice that unfortunate name till we had stumped up the cash!

One of the first stops was at Elephant Poopoopaper Park and yes you did read that correctly. This was a fun outdoor museum park where we learned all about how, as the name suggests, elephant dung is used to make paper. Dye is added to the poo, made into balls and then spread out to form a sheet of paper which is then used to make greetings cards, postcards, notebooks and so on which can naturally all be bought in their gift shop otherwise known as “The Poo-tique!!” No, it didn’t smell at all and was an interesting warm-up to the main event which followed on.

Once at the elephant nature park, 40km away from Chaing Mai, our tour party of six (an American family of four and us) met and fed the elephants before we had to change into special elephant trousers and bright yellow t-shirts. Our elephant training tour guide then ran us through the four short words and instructions needed to control the elephant which we put into practice on a short test-run albeit with a mahout (trainer) always on hand as reassurance.

The keywords were as follows; Pai = Forward; How = stop; Toy = Backwards and Pe = Turn left or right *. This latter instruction decides the direction by way of how you use your stick on its head. For example, you tap the elephant on the opposite side of the head to the way you want to turn….or something like that! I wasn’t particularly accomplished at it but I knew that you really didn’t need to be!

* The spellings of these Thai words may not be correct!

Following the short trial run, there were baskets of bananas waiting for us to feed to them. They generally took the fruit from our hands by way of curling their strong muscly trunks around the food but we could also just place the bananas directly into their mouths which was a pretty awesome thing to experience.

As there were only four elephants, the American family went first on the main ride whilst we had a very nice chicken and rice lunch. A while later and the roles were reversed and it was our turn to ride these huge animals through a jungle course which was immense although a bit nervy at times, given the high position at the front of the elephant in which you sit as well as the gradient of the landscape.

The finale was the bathing of the elephants which was similar to what I did in Laos just over five years ago not that I can really recall that too well. This was great fun actually and needless to say we got a good soaking doing it all.

Whilst it was my third time to ride an elephant it was my girlfriends first time to get up close and proper with the elephants and she found it an incredible experience. Its no wonder this is a such a popular thing for all travellers who make it to the north of the country.

Posted in Asia Travel | Tagged 1 day elephant training, Chiang Mai, elephant bathing, Elephant Poopoopaper Park, feeding elephants, how to control an elephant, Jumbo Elephant Camp, jungle ride, Kunt Tours | 5 Comments

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VI: Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Posted on January 18, 2014 by tokyofox

The curtain came down on our 2013 (and indeed 2014 began) in the lively mountain city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Our time in the city coincided with the Winter Fair around the Tha Phae Gate area, where we were staying, which was great as it meant there was an abundance of northern Thai food being sold and we spent two nights there sampling all sorts of things with each one only costing around a $1 each. I was keen to try Thai sausage (oo-er!) which was way spicier than I expected.

During our time in Chiang Mai the sky was full of specially lit lanterns (above) every night, particularly New Years Eve, which many people were setting off whilst making a wish for the new year. This was actually something I had never seen and it was quite a spectacle to watch.

On New Years Day we did a walking tour of the town loosely based on yet another Lonely Planet walking tour; my third time on this trip to follow in the footsteps of the travel guidebook giants! First up was Wat Chedi Leung which proved to be an interesting start and not just for the appearance of the place. As much as the elephant sculptures (a mix of original and restored) were impressive the highlight was a young Thai girl who ran up to me saying “photo”. I just assumed she wanted me to take a picture of her and her friend but she wanted a picture with me! At the time I was wearing both my hat and glasses which I nearly always take off for photos but I decided to keep them both on as that was how she had spotted me and I didn’t want to risk her changing her mind once I’d removed them! Its not often I get called “cool” or “handsome” but this girl said so which made my day and my girlfriend was happy too as she was relieved to know she wasn’t the only one!

Wat Phan Tao was pretty much next door and quite an interesting little temple in appearance with all its outside features like the little red umbrellas seen below.

Continuing on down Ratchadamnoen Road via a lunch-stop we arrived at Wat Phra Singh which would be our final temple for the day. I think three Wat’s is enough for anyone in one day! This one was much busier and with the buddhist chanting being piped through speakers dotted around the place it wasn’t exactly a peaceful and tranquil place so we left.

One of the quirkiest things to do in the city is visit Chiang Mai Womens Prison to receive a massage from a prisoner. Strange but true. However, the place was full when we got there so we sadly never had the chance to rub shoulders, or indeed have our shoulders and the rest of our body rubbed by a criminal.

Anusawari Sam Kasat (Three Kings Monument) was pretty much next door and is a bit of a power spot for locals who could be seen leaving flower offerings at their bronze feet in the hope that they get blessed in some way by the three kings.

After a fair bit of walking we treated ourselves to yet another ‘Dr Fish’ fish-spa as part of a package which also included a very nice foot massage.

Before returning to Bangkok we checked off a few more Thai delicacies and walked around the night bazaar, just off Chang Klan Road, which was more of the same for me but I’m not a woman nor a shopping lover! In fact the majority of Thailand seems to just be one big open market!!

Next: Elephant Training In Chiang Mai. Click here.

Posted in Asia Travel | Tagged Anusawari Sam Kasat, chiang mai walking tour, chiang mai Winter Fair, Chiang Mai women's prison massage, lonely planet walking tour, wat chedi leung, Wat Phan Tao, Wat Phra Singh | 8 Comments

Tokyo Fox (東京狐)

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SE Asia 2013/14 Pt X: Snake Farm Etc. In Bangkok (Thailand)

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt IX: Muang Boran (Ancient Siam) In Bangkok (Thailand)

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VIII: Tiger Kingdom In Chiang Mai (Thailand)

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VII: Elephant Training In Chiang Mai (Thailand)

SE Asia 2013/14 Pt VI: Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Tokyo Fox

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