He feels soft and like an animal you would like to have as a pet. But, he is wild. He eats people and other animals. He is not a pet. Yet, I pet him.

After checking in to Sams' River Raft House this morning I took a truck taxi to the Tiger Temple .

It is a beautiful Buddhist Temple that keeps and cares for numerous animals. The most popular are the tigers that can be stroked by visitors. As adult tigers were killed by poacher, the cubs were given to the temple. There are a little more than a dozen tigers here now.

It was a fun ride in the truck taxi out of town. We travelled for about an hour. I talked with couple from Norway on the way. Upon arrival we had to sign waivers, just in case we get eaten by something. Then we are own our own for the afternoon.

The women cannot have any shoulders or knees showing. If so, they are given skirts to put on over their clothes and something to cover their shoulders. This is just to get in the area, not just the temple itself. A number of women are lined up to get skirts so they can enter the tiger grounds.

As I walk though the grounds there are wild boar and water buffalo as well as deer and a few other animals that roam freely . Then, I come to an area where a trainer is playing with a tiger cub. They chase one another and wrestle around. I wish I knew how to take movies with this camera. It is new and I know if I had a few minutes I could figure it out. But, in taking that time I would miss even the still shots. I will be ready next time. But, this would have made a really good video for you to see.

There is a Buddhist Temple that I go to see. I take a few pictures and start walking down the steps. Coming up the steps are about three water buffalo. They turn their head to look at me and I try to stay far to my side. I have to take my shoes off each time I enter a temple, but do they get to wear their hooves in?

Eventually I come to the place where the tigers are that you can have you picture taken with. You cannot wear caps, sunglasses or any dangling jewelry or any bright clothing. I'm not sure why, the tigers are sedated and hardly know you are there . I didn't know this before hand.

I have a few photos taken with the tigers. One of them flops his tail around and raises his hind leg. Please, don't get up for me, I think.

You can stay to help exercise the tigers. I would have like to do this but did not know in advance and my truck taxi is just reserved from about 1-5 p.m. So, I cannot stay to do the exercise with the tigers today.

I return to my river raft house for the night. An older man, I later learn he is 70, starts to chat me up, as my new English friends say. We are sitting on the dock overlooking the river.

I tell him I am from U.S. He doesn't understand. I say "America" and he smiles (his front teeth all missing) and says, "yes, America, very nice." He stays to chat a while and asks me in his broken and sometimes hard to understand accent about America. "How is America, now?" he asks. "Good country? Can find job?" I tell him and he wants to know if any one can buy a house. I say with a job to pay for it, yes.

He is very likable and fun to talk to. He wants to give me 30 baht for an American dollar, the going rate right now. I just give him a $1 bill and he smiles his toothless smile and is so happy. I never can understand his name.

I go to sleep in my raft house with the sound of gentle waves all around.