Mangroves and New Years Eve

We left Bangkok at 7:30 this morning and drove 1.5 hours SW along the coastline to Samut Songkram, a mangrove conservation area.  We planted mangrove saplings in a shallow muddy area, kayaked through the mangrove, and ate lunch at an open ocean platform.  After that, we made our way to Amphawa, a fishing village with a floating market that comes alive on New Year's Eve.

This resort provides the mangrove access.  While we were getting things prepared, the students took advantage of a giant crab for group photos.

Headed out to the mangroves.

We stopped at a mud embankment to plant the mangrove saplings.  Some areas were firm, others not so much.  Mackenzie found a not so much spot.

Nat battling the soft substrate.

There wasn't enough challenge to walking on mud.  It's so much more fulfilling to wade through shin deep water on very soft mud to find an even better spot to plant.

All the mangroves are planted, and Nat is trying to make her way back to the embankment under duress.

Bryce working his way back...

AT and Morgan just gave up trying to walk and went down on all fours.

Clarke heading back toward the boat.

Dixie talked some of the other girls into letting her paint the back of their legs.

Mizzou / Thailand / Study Abroad / 2018-2019

The boat crew was not pleased with our level of cleanliness.

So they washed everyone off when they got back to the boat.

A queue formed for the cleaning station.

After planting mangroves, we paired up and got in kayaks to paddle through the mangroves.  Here are Lyndi and Grace.

AT and Hannah

Morgan and Jacob.

Bryce and Clarke.

Schmidty and 4-12.

After all this activity, we were hungry, so we took the boat out to an open ocean platform for a nice seafood lunch.

An egret took flight from a post as we approached.

Here's the lunch platform. 

Fried sea bass, phad Thai, cashew chicken, fried & breaded prawns, and tom yum shrimp.

In the evening is the Amphawa floating market.

Then canal has lots of boats with people cooking (mostly seafood).

Schmidty, Addi, AT, Hannah, Dixie.

The market on the street had lots of foods that we just don't see everyday.  Here are some stir fried whole baby crabs.

Holy mackeral.

Fried quail eggs.

Huge prawns and other seafood.

One of my favorites is prepared by this couple...

Phad Thai nachos!  Mmmmm.

Fried fish and prawns.

OMG... stick rice and mango!  :-)

Squid.

There's a stage show with what is reputed to be the best singing group in all of Thailand.  I hope that's not true.

Suk sahn wahn pi mai!  (Happy New Year!)

Scavenging & Cooking

We had two activities scheduled for today.  In the morning we had a scavenger hunt in the broader vicinity of the hotel.  Then after a little down time, we got on the skytrain and went to have a class at a Thai cooking school.

For the scavenger hunt, students were divided into four teams and given a series of things they had to find and photograph.  Also included was to video record interactions with an older Thai man or woman which required that the students speak Thai to ask questions.  In this photo, Bryce and his team found a "funny sign."  This is a blue collar area of Bangkok, so there aren't any tourists.  Thus, the students were immersed in real Thai culture where the locals were just doing what they do every day to make ends meet.

Here AT, Mackenzie, Morgan, and Clarke are trying to find something on the list while perusing very odd looking vegetables that we don't see in the US.

There's a cool local produce & meat market down a side street near the hotel.  The vendors are always very friendly and happy to exchange greetings with us.

Entrails was not on the scavenger hunt list...

nor was live fish...

nor were fish-sticks.

AT found chicken feet, but they weren't fried.

Clarke tried to make a vertically-challenged dog feel better about himself.

The cooking class was really fun.  Our instructor was Chef Toom.  This year we were in a newly acquired facility so everyone was in the same room.

The students' faces tell you how the class went....

We learned to make tom yum soup, phad Thai,  and green curry chicken, and we finished it off with my favorite dessert: mango with sticky rice.  After each dish, we stopped to eat what we cooked.

What's that in Morgan's mouth?  She's holding her Go Pro camera to video record cooking her green curry dish.

Lyndi and Grace enjoying the cooking class.

I'm pretty sure this is Kristen's tom yum soup.

Here's Nat showing me her gang keyoh wahn (green curry).

And the best for last... khao neo mamuang... sticky rice with mango. Mmmmmm.  I don't see any reason why the students couldn't cook a Thai meal for the parents when they return home.