Day 36: Ups and Downs. Jungle feasting.

Day 36: Khao Sok - Jungle Cuisine

The day began with a battle of wills as we tried to tackle schooling and work. The children were their most resistant and belligerent selves, behaving in ways they would never dare with actual teachers. It’s a stark reminder of the challenges of this family journey—balancing work, clients, the children, and a semblance of formal education in maths, English and writing, all while offering them amazing alternative learning opportunities.

I want this blog to be honest. It wasn’t plain sailing. What should have been 90–120 minutes of focused work stretched painfully over four hours, leaving no one feeling particularly efficient or patient. But we persevered. Other worldschooling families we have met on the road have confessed to giving up formal schooling altogether for the sake of sanity, but today we pressed on—cajoling, reassuring, and revisiting tasks to rebuild confidence and alleviate stress. Eventually, they got it done, in between some swimming breaks, and I felt some learning was actually achieved. In addition to our formal classroom sessions, we are constantly asking the girls to do quick maths on restaurant bills, conversions, we play word and number games on the move as well as repetitive times tables (Lorne and I have never been so fluent in our tables drills!) to keep fluency up.

A refreshing dip in the pool reset everyone's hard-pressed buttons. Then came the afternoon—a different kind of lesson that I knew would excite us all. After a quick bite, we were collected and driven about 30 minutes into the jungle near Khao Sok to the home of Chanin Juntan and his family for a unique jungle cooking experience.

We were greeted warmly by Nin and his wife, who told us about their serene patch of jungle land, which lies under the awe-inspiring shadow of a massive limestone karst. They explained how land in the jungle was claimed by locals before the formation of the National Park in 1989, which ended sporadic land-grab and widespread deforestation.

This wasn’t your typical Thai cooking class. Nin described it as a lesson in jungle survival cooking—how to cook and eat with what the jungle provides. Simple flavours, basic techniques, and a connection to nature.

Cooking in the Jungle

The experience began with an introduction to the uses of bamboo and coconuts in food preparation and cooking. The al fresco table was beautifully set with plates and cutlery fashioned from coconut shells, adding a rustic charm. They had already foraged jungle ingredients that morning—impressive, given that we’d only booked a few hours earlier! Shrimps, chicken, and watermelon (sourced from a local farm) complemented the jungle bounty, giving us a good variety of ingredients to work with.

At the prep table, the real fun began. The girls got properly stuck in, listening carefully to requirements, watching the demos and then rolling their sleeves up and cracking on. Our tasks included:

• Chopping garlic, turmeric, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves.

• Picking jungle leaves for vegetables.

• Shaving fresh coconut with a sharp tool aptly named the Rabbit (for its "teeth"). My heart was in my mouth watching them do this. It is an easy way for the unskilled to lose fingers!

• Rolling washed rice into banana leaf parcels.

• Skewering marinated chicken onto bamboo "traps" for grilling over an open fire.

This was open-fire cooking—no gas, no electricity. We steamed rice in freshly cut bamboo tubes, grilled chicken over flames, and stir-fried jungle vegetables with egg, garlic, and soy sauce over a brazier of hot charcoal. The smoky aromas of the fire mingled with the fragrant smells of lemongrass, garlic, and kaffir lime, creating a sensory temptation for hungry travellers.

The children had their first taste of fresh coconut water and coconut flesh—a hit with Francesca, though Sienna was more cautious. They also helped make fresh coconut milk, squeezing grated coconut into the creamy base for our shrimp soup.

The Feast

As the food came together, sizzling, bubbling, simmering, infusing, we took a short walk around the family’s jungle plot. We listened to the sounds of unknown creatures stirring and played with mimosa plants, whose leaves curl up when touched. It was fascinating and felt like a science lesson in disguise.

Back at the fire, the rice parcels bamboo-steamed to perfection, Francesca declared it the best rice she’d ever tasted. The chicken skewers, jungle vegetables, and coconut soup were all incredible, but the star of the show was the tempura jungle leaf, coconut, and shrimp fritters, crispy and golden. Dipped in sweet chilli sauce, they were utterly delicious, and we couldn’t resist going back for seconds.

As the sun dipped below the towering limestone cliffs, casting silhouettes against the darkening sky, we feasted on watermelon—sweet and refreshing, the perfect end to a unique and satisfying meal.

As night fell, the jungle came alive with hundreds of fluttering moths drawn to the lights in our outdoor kitchen, adding an unexpected frenzy to our serene experience. It was definitely our cue to make a hasty retreat!

On the drive back, we all agreed it was a brilliant last-minute decision family activity. The combination of culture, cooking, and hands-on learning was a perfect example of worldschooling done right. Domestic science and survival skills modules: complete!