We're back in Bangkok, and I'm writing this post on June 4th, which means that the "official" trip is officially done! We did it!
As of this post, 9 of our 11 students have left the hotel and are making their way to various spots around the globe, ranging from SLC to London to other parts of Thailand/Southeast Asia. Han and I will be leaving reeeeeeeally early tomorrow for Hanoi (Vietnam) for a few days on some school business before we make our return to the U.S..
Backing up a few days...
June 2 - the drive from Mae Sot to Bangkok took the better part of a day. We left at 7:30am and pulled into our hotel around 3:30pm. The rest of the day was free-time for everyone. Some students grabbed Khao Soi for dinner while others went to a show. Han and I took advantage of the night off and had a delightful Indian dinner where the *very attentive* servers cut, poured, and plated every morsel of food for us. Han and I had a good laugh in that we had absolutely no idea what the guest decorum was/should have been in the restaurant ("Can I put this sauce on this thing?" "Do we eat this first?" "What's this? Can we mix it?") but we did our best. We had a great time.
(For my own future reference, the restaurant was Tandoori Junction in the Hotel Nikko).
June 3 - if I've learned anything about myself on this trip, it's that my activities-of-preference generally focus on food. Visiting restaurants, gatherings of people around food/drink, and cooking classes were definitely my personal trip highlights. As such, for our free day on June 3rd, I booked ANOTHER cooking class :) and put the option out there for anyone to join me. Kelsey and Masami expressed interest, so the three of us hopped on the BTS Skytrain to meet other guests and staff of the Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy.
There are quite a few cooking classes/companies to choose from in Bangkok--my criteria was as follows:
- Relatively close to our hotel/accessible via public transit
- Included a tour of a local market
- Allowed participants to select what meals they cooked
- Hosted/taught by local Thai residents
Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy fit that bill perfectly. I went in with some assumptions that the cooking class would have a similar format/flow to the cooking class that we took in Chiang Mai, which in some ways it did (e.g. the market tour was fairly similar, the staff make it very user friendly when it comes to actually cooking the meals), there were some distinct differences between this class and our class in Chiang Mai that made both experiences valuable and worth it. And for Kelsey and Masami, it was their first and only cooking class, and they both expressed a lot of excitement and gratitude for the experience.
Key differences:
- Rather than being part of our own private group, the three of us were mixed into a larger group of 16--this was really fun and made for a cool shared experience with travelers from all over the world.
- Rather than having a fixed menu, each participant got to select 4 dishes from a list of 30 (plus a bonus of mango and sticky rice dessert), which meant that:
- I could cook different meals from the other members of my group based on our preferences and dietary restrictions
- I could cook different meals from my last cooking class (no repeats!)
- I didn't have to cook Pad Thai because I think it's boring. Sorry, y'all, but it truly is the least interesting of the foods I've had on both of my trips to Thailand. But ironically, more on Pad Thai later...
- The vibe and flow of the class was a little different, but I can't really put my finger on it. Some of it may just come from a smaller/private group versus a larger/mixed group, but nevertheless, the vibe difference wasn't a bad thing. Just...different.
Each person got to select one soup or salad, one chicken + curry dish, one noodle dish, and one stir fry
For my meals, I selected:
- Tom Yum Goong - sweet, sour and spicy soup with prawns
- Green Curry - my *favorite*
- Minced chicken with spicy basil
- Pad See Ew - thick, flat rice noodles with a sauce based with soy sauce
Everything was delicious.
Kaffir limes at the market
Live...eels? at the market
Local produce at the market
My prep station at the cooking class
Me, Masami, and Kelsey getting ready to cook
Our head instructor explaining when to add pandan leaves to sticky rice
Minced chicken with spicy basil
Tom Yum Goong
Pad See Ew
Green curry
The whole spread
Our new friends!
Han put out the option to visit the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, which I did last year, and I think one student took him up on the offer and then a few other students joined their group for some city wandering later in the day. Other students used the last day to max and relax and pack their bags.
We got back to the hotel around 1:00 and had two hours to relax before the whole group loaded into vans one last time to travel to Noi's house for our farewell dinner. Noi, her family, and her housekeeping staff cooked us a delicious meal of Khao Soi and mango and sticky rice, and I got to meet Noi's husband, Doug, who has spent decades working and training others in medical care in remote and rural settings. Doug had fascinating stories and valuable advice to share--I hope we can add one of his talks to a future trip.
We presented our hosts and drivers with thank-you's from the group, and the students surprised Han and me with very thoughtful personalized gifts. The students gave me a BEAUTIFUL journal with watercolor paintings and history of Chiang Mai, and each student had written a thoughtful note, and best part was that they ADDED PUNS throughout the journal. Thank you, students, I love love love it.
Han finally joined the "party shirt crew." He chose a good one!
The entire group at Noi's house
Three of our 11 students had late-night departures that night, so we said the first of our official farewells and headed back to the hotel. Some students expressed interest in seeing a rooftop restaurant, and since it was Visakha Bucha Day (major Buddhist holiday - no alcohol sales), we felt good about taking them up for some fancy alcohol-free mocktails and appreciating a view of Bangkok from the 38th floor.
Saturday night farewell
June 4 - By lunch on the 4th, we were down to 3 students as another 5 departed early in the morning with flights to various destinations, so we had a relaxing morning at the pool and a nice farewell breakfast at the hotel. Around lunchtime, the remaining folks took the subway (for future reference: Sukhumvit to Sam Yot on the blue line) to Thipsamai, the oldest Pad Thai restaurant in Bangkok, dating back to the WWII era. There was a rice shortage at the time, and rice noodles were a way to stretch the limited quantities of rice. As it turns out, Pad Thai became pretty popular. It was a cool restaurant with an old feel to it. The Pad Thai was...fine. I mean, it was good for Pad Thai. I still think Pad Thai is boring.
Thipsamai
Eating Pad Thai at Thipsamai
After lunch, we said goodbye to Makena, and the remaining 2 students (Isabel and Lily) and Han and I toured Wat Saket, the "Dome of the Golden Mount" temple, which was really, really cool! Also on the way to the Wat, we passed "“Monk’s Alms Bowl Village," where a local family continues to make hand-made alms collection bowls that monks traditionally use for food offerings.
Monk's Alms Bowl Village
Hand hammering alms bowls
From tourismthailand.org:
This Landmark, on the only hill in Bangkok, is of great significance for all followers of The Lord Buddha. 320 stairs take you up to the top for panoramic views of the Rattanakosin Island...It is an ancient temple of the Ayutthaya period, which is a first-class royal temple of the Ratchawora Maha Wihan class. Originally, it was known as Wat Sakae then later the whole temple was re-established in the reign of King Rama I the Great and given the new name of wat saket. The Golden Mount chedi began to be built during the reign of King Rama IV the Great. The King used the model from the Golden Mount of the Ayutthaya period, and construction was completed during the reign of King Rama V the Great. It was bestowed the name Suwanbanphot and is 77 metres tall. On the top of Suwanbanphot is the chedi that enshrines the Buddha’s relics received from India, which were dug from the hill of the old chedi in Kapilavastu. It is a sanctuary and symbol of Wat Saket, and is also considered the navel of the city. Every year, during the Loi Krathong Festival, there will be a seven-day and seven-night celebration, which has become a tradition to worship the Buddha’s relics continued to the present time.
View from the ground of Wat Saket (before the 320 stairs)
A gruesome but interesting bit of history/lore: a bad outbreak of Cholera in early 1800s led to more dead bodies than what could be disposed of through burial or cremation. As a result, dead bodies were left outside the wat, which where devoured by vultures.
With that, I'm officially signing off on May Term Thailand 2023. Thanks to the students and their friends and family members who have been reading the blog to follow our group's progress. This was truly a delightful group of students who were gracious and curious travelers. I'm very grateful to them, our Thai hosts--especially Noi, Lek, Bright, New, and Bird--and to Han for allowing me to be a part of this very special program. I very much look forward to continued involvement in this program.
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