Scavenger hunt and cooking class

Today's activities included a morning scavenger hunt in the vicinity of the hotel whereby the students had to find things and photograph them, and to interact with Thai people using their Thai language skills.  We separated the students into 5 groups of three.  While they were out, I tried to find them and take some candid photos of their adventure.   We then had a fried rice lunch at an open air restaurant, and then went to a cooking class downtown.  

Here is the scavenger hunt team of Shanon, Jessica, and Adam talking to a street vendor.

Landon, Raechel and Lexie finding some orchids for 20 baht (65 cents) on the street.  Landon is checking to see if it's on the scavenger hunt list.

Dom, Jordan and Shae found some unusual oriental vegetable on the list.

Natalie, Manoj, and Maria talking with a Thai woman.  Our students are remarkably eager to try using the Thai language skills that they learned in the fall class.  The Thai people are really happy and very willing to talk with farangs (white westerners) when we try to speak their language.

Mikayla, Macy, and Zach at the end of the scavenger hunt.  They thought they did pretty well.

We had lunch at a nearby restaurant.  To make things easy, we had the students order khao pad (fried rice), and they could add their choice of protein to the dish (shrimp, chicken, pork, or squid).  Here are Raechel, Shanon, Macy, and Landon finishing off their meal.

After lunch, we took the sky train to the Chong Nonsi station to the Silom Thai Cooking School.  It took us one hour to get from the hotel to the rendezvous point where we met the chefs.

On the skytrain in this picture are Shanon, Raechel, Mikayla, and Jordan.

The market was huge, but we were in one small section with important vegetables for Thai cooking.  Here, Chef Geeky explained the types of ginger and other veggies that we would use today.

The cooking lessons were really fun and entertaining, as well as informative.  Shanon and Zach are enjoying the instruction here.

Mikayla and Landon are pressing shredded coconut meat to squeeze out the milk for our red curry dish.

Chef Geeky is explaining aspects of Thai cuisine to Natalie, Macy, Raechel, Shae, and others.

Group photo #1.

Group photo #2.

Manoj, Adam, Mikayla, and Landon reacting to something Chef Oat said. These two chefs entertain as well as they cook and teach.

Raechel, Macy and Shae cooking their dishes.

Natalie and Lexie are rightfully proud of their delicious bowls of tom yum soup (made from scratch!).

Raechel, Macy, Shae, and Jessica listening to Chef Geeky in class as they prepare their next dish.  We learned how to prepare 5 Thai dishes today.

Mor Mark caught me taking a picture while he cooked his curry dish.

The last dish of the day was a lovely red curry chicken.  Shanon is proud of her dish.

A man has to be confident in his masculinity to wear a hat and apron like this, but Mor Mark pulls it off with ease. 

Maria as she finishes cooking her red curry chicken.

And the best is saved for last…   This is my favorite desert of anywhere I've been:  Mango and sticky rice.  O Mmmmmmmmm G.