Del had a surprise for us—we were going to have lunch at an orchid farm! We arrived after a short drive to a place that looked more like a nursery or garden than a restaurant. We were all given beautiful orchids to pin on our shirts and then were led through a maze of flowers to our tables. I quickly ate the buffet food and tried tempura vegetables for the first time. They weren’t bad, but I had other things to do besides critique food. I snatched my camera to head out to the covered gardens, but after a few steps, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me behind a bush.
“Look!” Jess hissed. We peered out from behind our camouflage to spot an entire table of monks eating lunch! Jess knows my fascination with the monks, so we are constantly in search of them. I snuck behind some flowers and stuck my arm out in the open air to take a picture. I snickered as I stalked away, flipping the button to “play” to view my success. I strolled among some flowers, taking a photo every time I saw a different color or shape. I meandered into the shop, and looked at all the orchid jewelry they were selling. At first, I thought nothing of it, but then I saw a sign that detailed the process of turning the live orchid petals into lacquered jewelry:
1. Fresh orchids are taken and dried in resins, which dehydrate the moisture in the flower
2. The dehydrated orchids are lacquered to harden the petals and sepals to protect them
3. The back of the orchid petals and sepals are painted with bronze and decorated
4. The orchids produced in steps 1-2 are taken to be coated with copper. Then they are immersed in sulfamate and nickel. Finally, the petals are rimmed with 24-karat gold.
I paid 300 Baht for a pair of purple and white petal earrings, and after taking one last look around the beautiful farm and inhaling the sweet air, I climbed the stairs back onto the bus.
2. The dehydrated orchids are lacquered to harden the petals and sepals to protect them
3. The back of the orchid petals and sepals are painted with bronze and decorated
4. The orchids produced in steps 1-2 are taken to be coated with copper. Then they are immersed in sulfamate and nickel. Finally, the petals are rimmed with 24-karat gold.
I paid 300 Baht for a pair of purple and white petal earrings, and after taking one last look around the beautiful farm and inhaling the sweet air, I climbed the stairs back onto the bus.
