While it was still technically a free day, I appreciated that most of the group found ways to spend the last day together, whether it was in a large group or smaller groups.
After breakfast, Han and I took most of the students to the Chatuchak weekend market, the world's largest weekend market. If you can dream it, you can buy it at this market. From the website:
Field Marshal Plaek Pibunsongkhram was the third Prime Minister of Thailand who first came into office in December 1938. During his tenure, he decided that every town must have a flea market of their own to make it easier for locals to trade and boost the local economy. Bangkok was high on his agenda, so it was declared that a flea market would open up in Sanam Luang, which would become the city’s first market in 1942. In 1982, the market was moved as a permanent feature to Chatuchak. Five years later, the iconic Clocktower was built to celebrate King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 60th birthday and the market was finally renamed, Chatuchak Market. The popularity of the market has grown substantially since its relocation from Sanam Luang. The market regularly accommodates 200,000 tourists each weekend and has over 15,000 stalls making it the World’s largest weekend market.
Naturally, I forgot to take any pictures of the market itself. We did buy a beautiful sculpture for our mantle (the one on the far left) so that I will get to remember this experience daily.
sculptures by JC Ganning
Bangkok has a free butterfly garden and insectarium that was a short walking distance from the market, so a group of students and I took a nice walk through Wachirabenchathat Park to tour the grounds. As it turns out, butterflies are quite fast and difficult to capture on photo unless they land, so I didn't get great photos, but trust me, there were many beautiful butterflies and they weren't all brown!
Students walking through the park on our quest for butterflies
Look at that camouflage!
Wish I could tell you what type of butterfly this was
See above.
We returned to the market for another hour after the butterfly garden and came home with my absolute new favorite piece of carry-on luggage: the "North Face 30L Fuse Box." I have this in quotes because it's a replica, but I'll be damned if it isn't the most well-constructed replica bag I have ever seen. We saw the actual bag retail for anywhere between $100 and $150 at the airport. We got it for...much less :)
We came home from the market and I put in several hours' worth :) of admin work (scanning journals, updating our trip report, etc) before reconnecting with the group for dinner and farewell karaoke. The group was too big to host in a single room, so we split the group in 2 so that one group could eat dinner while the other was karaoke-ing and then we switched. Good, clean fun, even if the group did choose to sing "Defying Gravity" and it is still stuck in my head to this very day.
How many Westminnies can you fit in an elevator?
Our group decided to do collective singing and dancing rather than having anyone feel like they needed to be put on the spot as a solo performer--it was a ton of fun!
After the second karaoke session, the groups reunited for a final get together/farewell before parting ways. It was a nice evening that felt very celebratory. And a little sad. Hard to say goodbye to the group and to Thailand. About half of the group stayed after to visit other countries, meet up with family and friends, or head to Ko Samet for a few days of beach time. I flew home with about 6 students on the 15th and am happy to report that we had no travel issues.
Given my role and responsibilities on campus, it is unclear whether or not I'll have an opportunity to participate in this program again--I certainly hope I do. While the year-to-year itinerary may have similarities, every program and every group is very different, and they are all special in their own unique way. This group had tremendous creativity, silliness, and thoughtfulness. This group demonstrated independence and curiosity. They really leaned into forming relationships with our Thai hosts and collaborators, and they consistently demonstrated gratitude. While this group and program weren't without some challenges, on-the-whole, this was a tremendously positive experience for me personally and I am so fortunate to have gotten to know and strengthen relationships with the folks on this program. Thank you for being a part of it.
To Han, I know this trip looked different than previous years, but I have complete trust in you and our ability to manage challenges as a team. Thank you for what you do to support students and this program. I appreciate you.
With that, I'm signing off--next planned experience is a return to the Camino de Santiago in Summer 2026, but who knows what spontaneous opportunities may crop up before then.
To the folks that took time out of their busy lives to read some or all of this blog, thank you. If you are a member of a students's support network (partner, parent, family member, roommate, etc.), thank you for sharing your person with us.
Source: ChatGPT
With that final robot-overlord-dressed-like-Willy-Wonka-holding-a-banded-krait, I'm signing off.
And remember, when life gets tough, keep clipping.
I'm writing this on June 27, so we've been back for nearly two weeks, but don't worry, I still wake up at all weird hours of the night and my stomach will never be the same. ;)
Now I have the challenge of piecing together the last few days of the trip from memory--making a note to prioritize blogging in real-time for future adventures. Okay, let's give it a whirl.
6/13 Bangkok Day 2
With our Thai support team/drivers officially off the clock, our group was truly on their own for the next several days. We were thrilled to discover that two students had signed up for a Muay Thai training class and several others bought tickets to another Muay Thai fight (a much larger spectacle compared to the one we witnessed in Chiang Mai).
Keller and Lawson at their Muay Thai training class (photo credit: Keller)
The must-do activity on my list this morning was the Red Cross Snake Farm. I have had a weird little obsession with snakes since I was a wee little lass. I was obsessed with Rikki Tikki Tavi* and the cobra scene in The Black Stallion even though I could not for the life of me tell you the plot of this film or book.
*note: as an adult, I now understand that Rudyard Kipling and many of his writings perpetuate harmful imperialist and racist views. I can appreciate a snarky little mongoose going HAM on a cobra, but most of his works and philosophical stances should be challenged.
Okay, back to snake farm--
The snake farm "has served as educational organization about snake for public, tourists, government and private organization, school and university in order to understand snakes habit and improve attitude on snakes." HELL YEAH!
Located in the very cool Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, the snake farm conducts research, provides educational outreach, milks snakes for antivenin (note--that is the correct term, although "antivenom" is also used interchangeably even though it's not a real word), offers snake handling demonstrations, offers an exhibit of snake skeletons and cadavers and explains biological processes, and the farm houses a variety of venomous and non-venomous species of snake.
Credit to Andrew "Megas' Russell for my oft-repeated anecdote about handling snakes:
We may be familiar with the saying:
"Red on yellow kills a fellow
Red on black venom lack"
However, people mess this up all the time. For example:
"Red on yellow seems pretty mellow
Red on black might attack"
So what do we learn from this? Here's an updated saying:
"Whether it's green or brown or purple--DON'T TOUCH SNAKES."
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Also, this is not the first time I've dropped the "don't touch snakes" mantra in the blog--apparently I've been singing this tune since Colombia in 2019... If you've ever wondered how long it takes to run out of original blog content, the answer is apparently about 20 years.
Okay, back to the snake farm. I could really spend like 15 blog posts just about the snake farm but there are a few other adventures to cover, so I'll try and limit it to pictures and a video of the snake milking.
Video of monocled cobra being milked
Chris, Kellie, and Cory at the snake farm
Banded Krait - member of the cobra family
Danger noodle being milked
Finished process of extracting venom
Skeleton of a king cobra, which can grow in excess of 17 ft!
King cobra with its skeleton on the inside
If you find yourself in Bangkok and are not terrified of snakes, I would highly recommend this experience!
Okay, what did we do after snake farm...
It was raining pretty heavily when we finished up at the farm, so we sheltered at the institute for a little while to let the weather clear up. Chris headed back toward the hotel, but I wanted to take Cory to Thipsamai, the oldest Pad Thai noodle house in Bangkok--we put the invitation out to the whole crew but no one took us up this time. As every student on the trip will tell you, I'm incredibly ambivalent about pad thai as a dish. It's...fine. Pad see ew is better. That said, this restaurant is worth the visit and their pad thai is objectively better than most.
Pad thai
View of the restaurant
View of the restaurant
After lunch, we checked in with folks to get updates on their adventures --folks had spent their day touring wats, visiting cafes, and enjoying the sites and sounds offered in Bangkok.
Students at a cafe
Students at Wat Pho (known for its giant reclining Buddha)
(this photo might have been from 6/12) - enjoying the sunset
Cory and I tried to catch the group that was touring Wat Pho, but we just missed them. I cover Wat Pho extensively in this post, so check it out. That said, the last time I was at Wat Pho in 2023, I didn't realize its significance related to Nuad Thai (traditional Thai massage).
Added to Unesco’s Intangible Culture Heritage of Humanity list in 2019, this ancient healing method practised by Buddhist monks at the temple uses a blend of stretching, yoga and acupressure techniques to relax the body. Unlike Swedish massage or Hawaiian lomi lomi massage, where the patient is a passive participant, in Thai massage, the patient – who remains fully clothed – bends, stretches and moves their limbs with the help of the therapist to boost flexibility. Some therapists in Thailand will even step on the patient’s back to more deeply massage the muscles, although it’s not a technique used by all.
Chiselled into the marble on the Wat Pho plaques are representations of sen lines – crisscrossing energy paths on the body that therapists follow when placing their hands, feet or elbows on a person – which are believed to be conduits of “life force”. Each plaque features the outline of a human figure with features such as a rib cage or spine, and the network of thin black lines is intersected with dots, depicting acupressure points. Each acupressure point is annotated with a label noting which ailment it corresponds to. In Nuad Thai, it’s thought that the body comprises four elements (earth, water, wind and fire), which the therapist rebalances by manipulating the acupressure points to remove any energy blockages from the sen lines.
In the mid-19th Century, before the introduction of modern medicine in Thailand, the 16th-Century temple served as a centre for medical education, which included Nuad Thai as part of its therapies. A more formalised traditional Thai medicine school was opened in the grounds in 1957, and when King Bhumibol visited the school in 1961 he suggested Nuad Thai become a separate curriculum at the school, which it did in 1962. Today, students from all over the world come here to study the practice; and while Nuad Thai can now be found in spas across the globe, the soul of the therapy hasn’t changed much from its humble beginnings.
Pretty cool stuff. We opted for a 30 minute foot massage at Wat Pho before returning to the hotel, and it was quite nice as you might imagine.
Okay, last thing on our agenda for this day was a Dinner and River Cruise along the Chao Phraya River aboard the Chao Phraya Princess. We opted for the Indian buffet cruise instead of the international buffet, and we would make this decision again 100% of the time. While this is arguably the most "touristy" thing we did the entire trip, I would actually advocate for this to become imbedded in the MTSE itinerary. It was a really nice way to get to see various cultural sites in Bangkok, the company took care of all hotel transportation, the food and entertainment were **awesome** and the price was about $35 USD per person. You can hardly eat a non-buffet Indian dinner in SLC for that price, and it doesn't come with a ship or dancing! We made some friends with folks visiting from India who were celebrating their honeymoon and they taught us dances (which I replicated poorly) and it was truly one of the highlights of this trip.
Our new friends!
Cruising down the Chao Phraya river
All you can eat, baby!
Okay, that wraps up the penultimate day. One more day to cover and then we put this puppy back into blog-hibernation for another year!
Greetings from Bangkok on our penultimate day. Since my last post...
6/11 Khao Yai Day 2
Started the day off with a morning jaunt. Some students peeled off to to hill sprints (respect but no thank you)--it was fun to look over and watch Keller run a sprint and then use the zip-line (designed for kids but could hold a full-sized human) to return to the starting point on the hill.
Everyone had a relaxed start to the day because being in Khao Yai is all about being in nature and appreciating the surroundings. I don't remember if I linked this post in my last post, but it gives more info on Khao Yai, the Rain Tree, and PB Vineyards.
The resort advertised a picnic in the garden, and while we invited the entire group, Cory and I were the only ones who took the bait. It was truly one of my favorite experiences of the trip. To quote almost every student on this trip, “So cute so cute” or “NARAK JANG!” (thanks for the new Thai vocab, Kale). The standouts from the picnic were the deep-fried pork larb balls and the fruit punch. Cory actually asked for the recipe for the fruit punch, which includes orange, lemon, lime, strawberry syrup, and pineapple.
So cute so cute picnic
Rambutan, oranges, melon balls, ham wraps, larb balls, and cake!
Delicious fruit punch
We gave students the option of participating in a vineyard tour of PB vineyards, which is about a five-minute drive from the Rain Tree resort. Nearly everyone opted in for the tour, and it was their first opportunity to tour a vineyard. I cover PB vineyard in the aforementioned post, so check it out. I appreciate that this particular vineyard had options for grape juice for those who didn’t drink or weren’t of age.
Table grapes at PB Vineyards
After the tour, we all sat down to dinner. It was our last formal group dinner on the trip, so it was a nice opportunity to think about how the students are driving team and to create a little bit of closure to our shared experience.
Students enjoying the grounds at PB Vineyards
6/12 Return to Bangkok
We bid farewell to Khao the following morning and embarked on our journey to our final destination: Bangkok, where we would spend a few free days exploring the city. This is also when we said goodbye to Noi, Lek, X, Bird, Nu, and Boy (drivers). They were an integral part of our trip and we missed them immediately. Thank you for everything you did to support us and our program.
Saying goodbye to our Thai support team
Thank you birds and clips :)
Han and I offered various Bangkok city experiences that students could choose from. Many opted to join us on various excursions while others decided to venture out on their own.
On our first night in Bangkok, Cory and I ventured into the local parks in search of an indoor basketball court. After consulting with a local, we were directed to a community court located on the backside of Benchakitti Park. Once we signed up as members (for free), Cory had the opportunity to shoot around for a while, and he's quite the baller! Isabel and Lily, I hope y'all can shoot around together in SLC. We ended up having a very late lunch or dinner at an Indian restaurant across the street from our hotel. It was an absolute delight and, in my opinion, one of the best meals I’ve had on this entire trip.
After dinner, we sent out invitations to everyone to join us in Chinatown to immerse ourselves in the sights, sounds, and smells of this unique aspect of the city. It was also an opportunity for many students to experience public transportation for the first time in Bangkok. As we boarded the Metro, we engaged in a discussion about clipping, which we found to be an excellent preparation for being vigilant in public spaces. We also discussed the new challenge of "put pocketing," where you insert a clothespin into someone’s bag.
Dang. Clipped on the metro.
Looking down one of the main streets of Chinatown
Since we had had such a late lunch or dinner, Cory and I weren’t particularly hungry, despite the abundance of delicious food options in Chinatown. We grabbed a cup of coffee and did some people watching, but Chinatown is a little overstimulating for me, so after about a half hour, we were ready to call it and back to the area closer to the hotel. The real dilemma of the evening was whether to buy a fried scorpion on a stick and eat it. I decided against it because I’ve already been experiencing gastrointestinal mayhem for about half of this trip. However, if I encounter another one, I might reconsider.
We got stuck in a major deluge on our way to lunch at Pino Latte, so props to our *legendary drivers* for driving up ridiculously steep roads that were sheeting water to get us safely to lunch. Those fellas are unshakeable.
This photo does not to the rain or the grade of the road justice
Photo credit: Cory
Mr. Bird, our driver, absolutely crushing.
Photo credit: Cory
View of the wat in the storm
Photo credit: Cory
View from lunch at Pino Latte as the storm cleared
Our dessert was served first, so we rolled with it
The group enjoying the views
After we finished lunch, we went to my favorite wat and one of my favorite sites on this trip--Wat Pha Sorn Kaew, which translates to "Temple on a Glass Cliff," in English. It was founded in 2004 as a Dharmma practice center and formally recognized as a temple in 2010. If you're a Gaudí fan, you'd love this temple. I love it more now that I've seen some of Gaudí's architecture in person. There's no clear affiliation between this Wat and Gaudí, but it's hard not to make comparisons.
I've covered Wat Pha Sorn Kaew in previous posts, so I'm going to hold off on the slinging-of-facts in this post, but it's worth doing a deeper dive on this wat because it's one of the few truly modern wats we visit on this program. My previous posts speak to the significance of the 5 stacking buddhas, etc., so I'll let the photos speak for themselves:
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Photo credit: Cory
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Photo credit: Cory
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Photo credit: Cory
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
From the wat, we went to the Imperial Phukaew Hill Resort for the evening. This resort is very "Shire-esque." The grounds are incredible. And it's on a very, very steep hill.
Entrance to the resort
Photo credit: Cory
View from our room
Photo credit: Cory
View of the grounds
Photo credit: Cory
One of my favorite parts of this resort is the walk to a *weird little park* (Phukaew Peak) that's nestled on the top of an adjacent hill. Optimal photo taking opportunities:
Westminster Wings!
Annual bird's nest photo
Han looks thrilled to be in the nest
I look like a gecko but not in a cute-gecko-way
6/10 Phetchabun --> Khao Yai
We are now at the Raintree Resort on the border of Khao Yai National Park. The Rain Tree is another crowd favorite of this trip, and it's nice that it's happening at the end of the program because it feels like a celebration of sorts. I've covered Raintree in this post previously, but here's a quick summary:
The Raintree Resort was founded by two book publishers who live in Bangkok, so each room is individually themed to an international writer/thinker of some sort of significance. It's a very kid-friendly resort (although we have yet to see a kid), with a beautiful library, dinosaur room (yep, it's got its own room dedicated to dinosaurs), a variety of science stations, and incredible grounds for neature-walking.
Speaking of neature walks, we went for a good one today and students re-enacted the fellowship while landing the much-sought-after-but-rarely-actualized triple clip of Cory.
Frolicking on neature walk
The fellowship heads south
The fellowship heads south
Students, if anyone has evidence of the triple clip, please send me a picture so I can post it here :)
To be fair (Chris, cue the song!), Cory pulled off an epic prank against me this afternoon. I am both deeply impressed and deeply shamed.
The prank was cold as ice and hidden inside of an elephant made of towels.
I just did a search of my blog and realized I never really covered clipping. I reference it in this post on the Camino. Here's how it works.
Buy clothespins. Like, a lot of them. We brought 50.
Distribute clothespins to consenting participants.
Clip them on people without them noticing. But don't be mean about it (e.g. don't bully or target folks).
Body parts, including hair, are off limits. Use your judgement and be respectful.
Backpacks and hoodies are cheap. They're not off limits, but you have to go to sleep at night knowing that you made a cheap shot if you clip a backpack or a hoodie.
Shoe slips and front clips are legendary.
We're here for another day so I'll cover Raintree/Khao Yai tomorrow.
