Escape the bustle of downtown Bangkok by taking a boat down the Chao Praya River into old Bangkok—where you will see traditional Thai homes by the river and even the occasional monitor lizard. Located on the Bangkok Yai Canal is the Amita Thai Cooking Class, conducted by Tam. An extensive herb garden, individual cooking stations, warm instructors and the intermittent greetings from the pet parakeet Basil—it’s a delightful place to learn simple, albeit authentic Thai cooking. We learnt how to make pad thai, stir fried chicken with cashew nuts, chicken in coconut soup and jewel-coloured water chestnuts in syrup with cold coconut milk. Tam also made vegetarian variants of all the dishes.