The Adventures Through the Mangrove Forest

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Samut Songkhram is the smallest province in Thailand by size with its shores filled with mangrove forests and fishing villages.  Within these fishing villages are oyster and cockle farms that you can visit as part of a tour to learn about the indigenous animals and the oyster & cockle trade of Thailand.  Another great tourist attraction is the Amphawa floating market or Sunset floating market where shops retail souvenirs and clothes while merchants on boats offer food and deserts.

The mangrove forest is also home to a species of monkeys commercially known as sea monkeys.  One leg of every mangrove forest tour is to feed the sea monkeys which has caused them to be dependent on food from tourists. During low season, the locals work together to feed the sea monkey until a solution can be made on how to readapt them to be self-sufficient.  A couple crowd favorites are the mangrove trees planting on cockleboards and the late evening firefly canal cruise.  

## Learning About Oysters and Eating Cockles
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The price of cockle in Thailand shot up over 400% in the past year and I wanted to learn why.  Before I bring my grandkids on these types of nature adventures and activities, I always go and experience it first so I know all the ins and outs. I might have to wrestle a crocodile with two komodo dragon friends one day, you never know. Just kidding.  

We arrived at Home Krateng Resort and settled in quickly due to our healthy appetites.  The resort had more of a group and family theme with great amenities and would be rated a 2 or 3 star.  This resort's specialty is its delicious restaurant and oyster and cockle farm tours every morning.  All tours must be morning when the water resides to be able to farm for cockles ourselves after learning "how to" from the pros as part of the tour. 

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We had a superb dinner with some standout dishes like scallop salad and you guessed it, cockle curry.  There were a few cockle dishes but we were so hungry that they didn't last too long.  

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I also had their deep fried mackerel which is an unconventional way to cook it in Thailand but found it to be quite tasty.  We had a great night drinking Regency brandy as some of the staff kindly taught us about oyster and cockle farming and the tourism trade in the surrounding area.  We didn't make it too late because we knew we had to leave early morning on the cockle farm tour and didn't want to be hung over.  

## Appreciating the Mangrove Forest

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We woke up early in the morning and had breakfast together over the resort's delicious seafood porridge.  After meeting up with our boat driver, we had a very relaxing ride through the Klong Kone canals until we reached the farms.  I enjoyed the conversation with one of the farmers immensely as he taught us in-depth about the problems they were facing and why the cockle price has skyrocketed.  

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He even farmed some dead cockles to show us how sad it was that they died halfway through their life cycle.  

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We said bye to our new friend and started our tour of the mangrove forest.  We had a bag full of beets to find the sea monkeys and their babies.  As we searched for the sea monkeys, I couldn't help but admire the beauty of nature in this forest.  Mangroves are unique trees that strive in brackish water and are highly important to our ecosystem. Mangrove forests provide a home for numerous animal, insect and fish species and they are ultimate water filters.  

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We finally found the sea monkeys and to my surprise, there were countless. Most of them had their young hanging from them.  If we would have known, we surely would have brought countless beets but now I know what to do with my grandkids, nephews, and nieces.  I'm going to try to take a boat full of beets for the sea monkeys to eat and bring countless mangrove trees to plant. When we ran out of beets, we wished our new sea monkey friends great luck and continued on to a cockle farming area designated for people on the tour.  

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Rolling around in mud is more fun than I imagined it would be and the cockleboard was classic.  It reminded me of a skimboard you would ride on a beach just a lot longer.  

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It's needed because each step in the mud sets you knee deep in it but you can glide on top of the mud by crawling.  We had a grand time finding cockle to bring back to the resort for lunch as we planted a mangrove tree each.  After a while finding cockle, we rinsed ourselves off in the canal and got back on the boat to continue. 

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As we headed towards the oyster farms, I could see how the water routes were like roads for cars.  We passed and greeted numerous fishermen with smiles and hand gestures.

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Semi homes are built so the caretakers can stay out on water days at a time and we even saw some resorts.  Talk about off the grid!

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We arrived at one of the further oyster farms and our boat driver gave us a great informative oyster farm tour.  They farm the oysters for a year until they can reap the benefits of their labor. One whole year!

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We were told that they sold by weight that includes the shell at wholesale prices and most of the oysters being farmed were already reserved.  As we wrapped up the tour and headed back to the resort for lunch, the trip sure made me appreciate where the delicious oysters I eat comes from.  

## Lunch on Me

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We all showered the mud off us and had a marvelous lunch.  When we finished with many more cockle dishes, I asked our guide to cruise me around the canal to see some of the local properties.  As we circled nearby, I got to see how the people of Klong Kone, Samut Songkhram live and how much they still depend on the canal for their everyday lives.  I got to admire the homes on the canals and see in detail the great fishing villages.  

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It always impresses me the different ways people have survived and thrived on different terrains.  

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This time, I was impressed with the canals of Klong Kone and the beautiful Mangrove forest of Samut Songkhram.  


Authored & Photographed by:

## @stewsak


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