The water is close, but I’m not looking at it. Instead I swing in the shade of Thailand’s national flower, Cassia fistula, also known as the golden rain tree because of its canary yellow blooms.

In fact, it is the national tree of Thailand. The Amaltash tree is a medium-sized tree, growing to up to 35 ft tall. The leaves are deciduous, six to eight inches long, and pinnate with three to eight ...