Mangroves

We left Bangkok at 8:00 and headed southwest along the coastline to a mangrove conservation area at Samut Songkram.  Here is where the students got first-hand experience in mangroves after learning about this ecosystem in our fall class. 

We went out into the Gulf of Thailand in a longtail boat to the mangroves for two activities.

The first activity was to kayak through the mangroves to observe the wildlife and growth patterns of mangrove trees.

Here's Ajarn Wayne and Shanon.

Grace and Elena.

Maddie and Sabrina are back in the vegetation getting a close first-hand encounter with the mangroves. 

Maddie and Sabrina.

Long-tailed macaques watched as we kayaked through their habitat.

Dani and Kelsey 

Someone should tell Julia that we don't stand up in kayaks or canoes.

After the hour-long kayaking, we found a spot where we could plant mangrove saplings in a mud-flat area.  This female macaque with her baby watched as we approached.

Getting out of the boat and across the mud to plant the saplings was an adventure.  Dani is enjoying it.

Elena.

Ally and Cam.

Ally showing the mangrove sapling that she is going to plant.

Shanon got out of the boat briefly for the photo op.

Dani, Ally, and Cam.

Here come Kelsey and Liz, after feeling peer pressure to join the rest.

Ajarn Wayne keeping his distance from the group.

Dani is heading back to the boat as quickly as possible because the inevitable mud-slinging began.

Maddie.

Hannah and Grace.

Charlie.

Alexis.

Elena.

Claire.

Elena and Alexis.

Back in the boat to head for lunch.  We probably did more damage to the mangrove than we helped by planting the saplings.  However, the point was to make the kids aware of mangroves by giving them first-hand experience in this critically important system that provides protection for the shoreline and habitat for young marine fish to grow up.

Off in the distance is an open-ocean platform on which we will have lunch.

We had a delicious meal of sea bass, tom yum soup, phad thai, cashew chicken, stir-fried vegetables with shrimp, and more.