Ban Soi - July 12 18:00

Today and tomorrow we are working on helping to keep a river from eroding its banks. There was a dredging project by the government there last year and it adversely affected the flow of the river, completely changing it by 45 degrees in some places. There is a very rare species of water lily that is protected in this area, but the dredging has caused problems from heavy water and sediment flow. Because the flower is so rare, there is also a problem with poaching or theft. I don't know what to call it when it is applied to a plant rather than an animal.

Some bamboo-like plants we already gathered for us to plant today, but first we got to tour the community garden and nursery. There is an abundance of plants that are seedlings that the villagers can come and take and replant. Almost everything in our guide's yard was edible. The water lily isn't but it has its own inherent value. This is what it looks like in the nursery before it is replanted in the river. In the river the leaves grow to 3 meters in length and look like they choke the river.

I tried mangosteen for the first time and it was wonderfully sweet and juicy. Now there are three fruits I want Dave to try, but one I have not found since I arrived in Bangkok and had it in a prepared fruit bowl. Our guide had mangosteen growing in his yard! Here is what the fruit looks like. It is sectioned and white inside. Actually, wikipedia has a good picture of it. They use a long wooden pole with a type of basket on the end of it to pick the fruit off the tree. Of course, it is another one of those things that they make look so easy, but when you try it yourself it doesn't quite work right. As, again, Andrew got to find out. It is good to always have a camera in my hand as I get to take pictures of Andrew trying everything. This is becoming a very picture intense blog, so I will just post that one on FB after I get home.

Part of his yard was also devoted to a rubber tree plantation and I got my first up close and personal experience with it. I have been seeing them from afar. It is very different to be right in it. The first thing I noticed was the smell. It is kind of sour and stinky. They slice of just a thin strip and let the tree bleed its white latex into a cup that catches it. As it is left in the cup, it hardens - if you can call it hard. It is actually squishy and kind of gelatinous feeling when it is dry. This rubber is sold and made into things like flip flops. Did I talk about the rubber trees earlier in my trip? Well, they have to mature for seven years before they can start tapping it. Then they can tap into it for 35 years, because the bark that they cut off gradually grows back. They likened it to our skin and how it replenishes its layers.

In some of the rubber tree plantations they are starting to plant other crops between the rows. I visited one of these plantations where they were growing mushrooms. They use the palm waste and keep it wet and covered with black plastic until it starts to mold. They put down compost in rows and top it with the moldy palm and then cover it again. Mushrooms grow in the dark, so they keep it covered until they harvest them. This pictures shows them growing on the palm.

Ok, so back to the actual project. We were supplied with the plants today. They just cut pieces off and then they sprout roots or already have sone growing out of where the sections meet. We walked along the river bank and dug holes in higher areas and covered it with the sand and some rocks to try to give it support unil the rooting takes hold. Late year's plantings mostly were washed away by the rushing water. Hopefully, the ones we are planting will stay put. The river is beautiful and clear. The water is cool and refreshing, coming from the mountains. This river provides the drinking water for Kuraburi. They capture it at a dam further upstream from where we were and store it in a reservoir and pipe it into the town. This is why the water here is safe. It is fresh water collected before it travels through the plantation areas, where chemicals are drained into the water off the rubber tree and palm oil plantations from the fertilizers and pesticides. Tomorrow we will be cutting the plant, taking it to the river and planting it again. I was eaten alive by mosquitos today, so I need to do something different tomorrow!