Durian and Panon Choeng

We started out today in Ayuttayah with a visit to Wat Panon Choeng. After a barge accident with a small ferry vessel earlier, we tested our luck in boarding another a small ferry.

Here we are crossing the river.

At Wat Panon Choeng, people applied gold leaf to the Buddha statues.

Here is a 3 story high Buddha statue in the wat.

On the way to Khao Yai, we stopped at this produce market.

We found durian, the king of tropical fruit.  It is widely reputed to have an un pleasant aroma.  Reactions to it vary. We found durian to be pleasantly fragrant; whereas others find the aroma overpowering and revolting. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as dead animals, rotten onions, turnpentine, and gym socks. The odor has led to the fruit's banishment from many hotels and public transportation in Southeast Asia.  But if you can get past the smell and the pasty consistency, the taste is a delicate medley of almonds and other rich flavors with a finish that lasts indefinitely.  The English novelist Anthony Burgess famously said that dining on durian is like eating vanilla custard in a latrine.  Mmmmmm.

Our objective was to find durian so our students could determine if the wives tales about this it smells and disgusting tastes are true.

This woman graciously cut some up for us.

A bunch of students tried it:   Jess isn't so sure...

Dana likes it...

Kelly likes it while Jess still evaluates.

Anna likes it.

Sara likes it. 

Perhaps they would prefer a little pork!