Farewell Dinner

This is our last night in Thailand.  We took the students to a nice dinner with traditional Thai dance stage show. 

Macy, Lexie, Shae, and Natalie before the dinner.

Jordan and Raechel.

Mor Mark and his date.

Now that's a delicious Thai meal.

It's 3:30 a.m. and everyone's in the hotel lobby packed up and waiting for the vans to take us to the airport.  Sadly, we leave the warmth of the Land of Smiles and head for the Midwestern tundra.

I had to finish the blog with this selfie of me, Mor Mark, and Ajarn Wayne looking up at the central spire of Wat Arun.

Mizzou and Thai students

This is the first year that we've been able to meet up with Thai undergraduates.  It is possible now because of the new Thai semester timing that more or less corresponds with ours.  As a result, 20 Thai education majors met with our students to engage each other culturally and strike up friendships.  I think this day was wildly successful.  You judge….  

Natalie and Raechel on the sky train on the way to meet the Thai students.

We all wore our program t-shirts so the Thai students would be able to distinguish us from conventional tourists.

We waited for the Thai students in the courtyard at Wat Pho.

When the Thai students arrived, there were plenty of smiles but some uncertainty about what was to happen today.

This is a "before" photo at the beginning of the day.  Notice the segregation of Mizzou students in the back and Thai students in front.

The ice was broken when the Thai students presented the Mizzou students with Jasmine & Orchid leis that they hand made the previous night.

Ajarn Aea (a Mizzou alumna) explains what she has planned for the students:  They will work together to learn to make a flower necklace, fold a lotus flower, learn traditional Thai dancing, cook lunch, conduct a bilingual photo hunt, and shop for and build gingerbread houses.

The following are general photos taken throughout the day...

Here is the "after" group photo at the end of the day.  Who's in front and who's in back now?

Elephant Trekking

During our return travel from Phi Phi to Bangkok, we stopped at the Siam Safari elephant camp for a chance to ride elephants through the tropical forest overlooking the Andaman Sea.

On our way from the parking lot to the elephant camp.

A brief orientation session was given by Eye.

Here are Jordan and Mikayla.

Ajarn Wayne and me shooting a selfie.

Raechel and Shanon's elephant showing off.

Mor Mark and Zach with a beautiful vista of the Andaman Sea and banana trees.