Boat cruise

Lights on the river.

Tonight was not the last night of the program -- indeed, we still have two days of lectures and hospital/lab tours to go -- but it was Dr. Loike's last night in Bangkok, so the BIOCEP crew definitely needed to celebrate.

Dr. Loike + me

We did so by taking a dinner cruise down the Chao Phraya River. After stuffing ourselves with the most lavish spread of amazing food I've seen my entire time here -- including the most heavenly taro ice cream ever -- we oohed and ahhed as the temples and palaces of Bangkok floated by, their glittering rooflines recapitulated in the water below.

Roomie love!
Jen + me

This would be such a cute shot if my
hair weren't all over the place.
My good friend Pao finally wore me down and
I did the Asian finger pose. Don't hate.

Mostly, though, we spent time with each other. Although we still had two days of BIOCEP left to go, a feeling of nostalgia pervaded the evening. This was accentuated by a mock "awards ceremony" we held on the boat's upper deck, as the "social crew" of Gwen, Liz, and Carrie listed superlatives for each member of BIOCEP (mine: "Least likely to look disheveled in a jungle in Thailand") and we all thanked Brian, Coco, Dr. Loike, and the Thai students for all they had done for us.

The "awards" are read out!
Gwen + Liz + Carrie

We took many pictures, hoping to capture the memories and fun we'd all had together during these two weeks in Thailand. I'll miss it!

Me + Risa

Liz + me