Thailand 2009 - lucy3119
I spent a month in Thailand with International Student Volunteers: two weeks was spent volunteering at Moo Baan Dek orphanage in Kanchanaburi district, followed by two weeks' adventure tour around...

Same old country, brand new friends
London, United Kingdom
6:00am. So today the greatest adventure of my life was about to begin, but I wasn't thinking about Thailand...I was preoccupied by the fact that, in less than an hour, a girl who I'd never met (if you don't count chatting on facebook) was going to turn up at my front door so that we could drive to Heathrow airport together. Her name was Lauren, and it was the ultimate coincidence that we'd both happened to have applied to International Student Volunteers' Thailand programme at the same time...and that we lived ten minutes away from each other. We could have passed each other in the street so many times, never realising that the other existed, but now we were about to spend a month together in a foreign country, sharing everything from running jokes and tears to medical details and photographs. Starting with this car journey.
We spent the journey getting to know each other and speculating about the other four British volunteers, who we'd be meeting at the airport. As we all gathered together with our huge backpacks at Terminal 3 and introduced ourselves, we six Brits - Sarah, Andy, Jenny, Julia, Lauren and me - had no idea what lay ahead. I wish I'd known then that the month to come would change my life...maybe I could have prepared a bit better!
To Be Continued (one very VERY long plane journey later...)
Longtal boat again
Me and Lauren on a longtail boat (first week)
Siam Niramit cultural dinner show
Lauren and I at the Siam Niramit cultural dinner show (last day)
written by  lucy3119 on August 7, 2009 from London, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Thailand 2009

From Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
We Brits arrived at Bangkok airport around 9am, wondering how we were going to get through another day without crashing out...particularly since the day turned out to be so eventful.
We hardly had time to recover from the flight before we found ourselves making yet more introductions - to the other half of our volunteer group: five Canadians, an American and another Brit. Steve, Jessi, Megan, Maddie, Paige, Callie and Emma respectively. And, of course, to our lovely project leader Claire, a native Thai who lectures at Bangkok university and who would, over the next two weeks, show us the Thailand tourists hardly ever get to see.
The minibus journey to Kanchanaburi gave us our first culture shock - the fearless bikers who weave in and out of traffic with their motorbikes impossibly loaded with everything from planks of wood to small children kept us occupied for some time, while the hair-raising 'exploits' of our driver (overtaking on a bend with a car coming at top speed in the other direction, anyone?) triggered motion sickness all round.
Bridge over the River Kwai
Our first stop in Kanchanaburi was, pedictably, the bridge over the River Kwai, where we had our first taste of the local cuisine and marvelled at the complete lack of health and safety regulations while crossing the bridge and attempting not to fall through one of the gaping holes or get mown down by the train.
Now, for the moment we had been anticipating the most: our arrival at our two-week volunteer project, based at Moo Baan Dek (translated as 'Children's Village School'), a school and community for orphaned, abandoned or unwanted children. Our role at the village would be to teach the kids basic English, play games and generally give these children the love and attention they desperately need. I'll write more about Moo Baan Dek later.
Outside the school
At the entrance to Moo Baan Dek (a little bit sunny...)
The village is built in the jungle - but it has been tamed by volunteer workers over the years and also by the kids themselves, who have quickly taught the more terrifying jungle creatures such as spiders, snakes and scorpions to keep their distance for fear of dissection! The schoolhouses and dormitories are basic but strangely beautiful wooden structures and our volunteer house is no different: the downstairs dining area is open and the bedrooms and bathrooms are functional: our beds were thin mattresses on the floor but we had flushing toilets - the ultimate luxury! The best thing about our house, however, was the fact that it was built on the bank of the River Kwai. The view of the river, jungle and mountains was just incredible, and one I will never forget. Photos (below) just don't do it justice.
Our house at Moo Baan Dek
River Kwai after rain (view from our house)
So after settling into our house we set out to explore the village. The kids came to greet us right away, mostly to get their hands on our digital cameras! We walked down to a jetty on the river: there is a calm pocket of water where the kids are allowed to swim. Our first day at Moo Baan Dek was truly surreal, but it was about to get even more so...
The swimming jetty on the River Kwai
First encounter
Exploring the jetty, and first encounter with the kids
written by  lucy3119 on August 8, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand
from the travel blog: Thailand 2009

Demonic cows and curious giraffes
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Hellcow
Our first night in Thailand was...eventful. Highlights included one of a local farmer's cows - which I decided to rename 'Hellcow' - escaping and spending a good half hour circling our house and ringing the VERY loud bell around its neck, followed at 4am by some early-rising rebel playing traditional Thai music at top volume for atleast two hours. Add to that a very hard mattress and a humid night and you have, you guessed it, another 24 hours without sleep to get through.
Luckily, the eventful day ahead soon woke us up. On getting up we got our first taste of the Thai rain: it feels great to stand barefoot in the downpour when it's so hot. Our breakfast was an interesting mix of rice and chicken, bread and jam, Thai fruits and chocolate milk, which we would come to both love and hate over the next two weeks.
Our first stop of the day: Kanchanaburi Safari Park where, once again, health and safety regulations went out the window as I was allowed to hold a baby leopard which decided to make a quick snack out of my arm. Ah, bless. The safari tour itself was something else you'd never see in England: the animals, particularly the giraffes and deer, decided they would rather be in the bus with us and the food.
Curious giraffes
"Mmmm, arm, nom nom nom"
Don't support elephant shows like these
The trip took a bitter turn, however, when we saw painted elephants performing in a show, balancing on impossibly narrow bridges and being forced to stand on two legs. As International Student Volunteers we would later learn the dark, secret side to Thailand's most popular tourist attraction: domesticated elephants are often abused and irreversibly injured as a result of shows such as these. More on elephants later.
Shrine at Erawan National Park
Lunch at Tesco Lotus (we sadly caved and bought KFC, eating it with our fingers as we are used to before looking around and realising that in Thailand KFC is eaten with cutlery!) was followed by a trip to Erewan National Park, famous for a seven-level waterfall. Although the lower levels are most popular for swimming, some of us decided to hike up to the top levels. Unfortunately, we discovered that the path was steep and very, very muddy - several falls and broken flip-flops later, we were hiking barefoot and covered in mud. On the way, we found this shrine (see pic) made up of robes tied to a tree. Our swim in the waterfall (to clean and cool off) was cut short by a shoal of hungry fish intent on giving us a full-body massage.
Erawan hike (pre-mud)
Erawan trek
Safari park
^The whole group at Kanchanaburi Safari Park
written by  lucy3119 on August 9, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand
from the travel blog: Thailand 2009

The day I discovered I'm worse at art than a six year old
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
We began our first ‘work’ day at Moo Baan Dek with an orientation talk in the school assembly room with the vice principal. Enlightening as it was, our attention was firmly fixed on the progress of a huge tarantula clinging to the ceiling in front of us…sure enough, it soon lost its grip and plummeted to earth as though in slow motion- it was our very own epic introduction to the month of madness that lay ahead.
But, just to prove that I did pay attention that morning despite the efforts of the attention-grabbing arachnid, here’s a bit about the workings of Moo Baan Dek. It was set up in 1979 as an alternative to mainstream Thai education, having seen so many struggling pupils dismissed without attempts by teachers to discover the root of the problem. Moo Baan Dek focuses on vocational subjects such as music and art, which the children can make money from, although they are always encouraged to further themselves academically: one of the older kids we met is planning to go to university next year. The kids aren’t forced to attend lessons: they go because they choose to, they want to learn. Punishments for misbehaviour are decided in a council meeting every Friday, which all the kids attend: they are each given a democratic voice. Punishments are usually just chores such as cleaning or litter picking. Most importantly, however, Moo Baan Dek is not just a school: it is a surrogate family for kids who have none, and the principal Meh Aew (‘Meh’ meaning ‘mother’) is seen by many of the kids as a foster mother. For more info visit the website: http://www.ffc.or.th/mbd/history.html
We took a tour of the school and saw the library, the outdoor dining area where the kids eat all their meals, the art rooms and the gift shop, where the kids get to sell their handiwork to tourists and keep the profits. We joined the kids for some batik painting, where I sat pretending to be creating my own masterpiece while actually letting my little helper do all the tricky parts for me.
My little helper
My other little helper
Batik
How to do batik painting:
1) stretch white fabric tight over a square wooden frame
2) sketch a design, usually floral, onto the fabric using pencil
3) using a special tool, trace the outline in hot wax, then wait to dry
4) when dry, paint canvas: the wax should form the outlines to shapes, and water can be used to blend colours
5) leave to dry, then treat to remove wax and preserve colour
6) the finished product should be a colourful picture with white outlines
The day wasn’t over yet: after being used as human climbing frames by the younger kids for far too long we moved on to the football pitch to challenge the older local boys to a game of football or, as the Canadians would say, soccer.
Volunteers vs locals
written by  lucy3119 on August 10, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Lesson planning and Thai massage
First thing today we joined in with the morning activities: after meditation, the children play games and, despite having been up since 5am for chores, they are little balls of energy, fighting for our attention and demanding cuddles and treats. Afterwards, we planned a simple lesson on prepositions (under, over, etc) for Thursday, while trying to fight off yet another child invasion. If I remember rightly, this is the point at which Steve, having surrendered his camera to one of the little terrors, discovered that his photos had been completely deleted. We were a bit more protective of our belongings after that.
Morning 'meditation'
Human climbing frames
In the afternoon we travelled by songthaew (see pic below) into Kanchanaburi town for a Thai massage, discovering that it's not so much relaxing as, well, torture. My particular favourite part was when my masseuse sat me up, grabbed hold of my shoulders and twisted my whole upper body round so that every single bone along my spine cracked.
We were joined by Nicole, another British volunteer travelling alone who happened to be staying at Moo Baan Dek at the same time as us ISV-ers. Nicole was sharing a House with Tess, an 18-year old Burmese student who had spent a month at the orphanage already and was totally and unconditionally adored by all the kids.
Songthaew

Mother's Day, Thai style
Today is Mother's Day, a celebration of the Queen of Thailand and of mothers in general. The problem was, most of the children at Moo Baan Dek either do not have, or do not see, their own mothers. Despite this, a big ceremony is planned each year and the eleven of us ISV-ers were about to experience something that hardly anybody who visits Thailand ever gets to see. It was both heartbreaking and inspiring and it's a day that I'm pretty certain I'll never forget.
The ceremony began with each child writing a note - either addressed to their surrogate mother the principal Meh Aew, or their own absent mothers - and hanging it on the branches of a tree. These would later be read out, sending us volunteers into yet more floods of tears.
This was followed by a play, based on a Thai nursery rhyme about a rabbit who asks the sun to help him sleep, performed by younger and older kids as well as one of the teachers. Our project leader Claire translated the whole thing for us, and told us that they would be going to Bangkok to perform the play at a festival next week.
The most moving part of the ceremony came when one of the girls, aged around fourteen, attempted to read a poem she'd written thanking Meh Aew for everything she has done for her pupils. The girl was so overcome with emotion that she couldn't finish her poem, and that was enough to turn us volunteers into blubbering wrecks, as we realised how much Meh Aew and Moo Baan Dek really mean to children who would otherwise have nothing and no-one.
Finally, each child in turn lined up to pay tribute to Meh Aew, hugging her and bowing to her in the most sincere way. We volunteers also took our turn to thank the principal for all she has done for the children.
Meh Aew
That evening, to recover from the emotion of the day, we made a campfire outside our house so that the Canadians could teach the Brits how to make s'mores. Later, some of us lay on the veranda, stared at the stars and listened to the sound of mating gekkos.
Around the campfire
written by  lucy3119 on November 30, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Teaching hyperactive children is no picnic
Our first lesson with the kids went well: nobody died, although I think somebody cried. We used all sorts of increasingly desperate measures to teach the kids their prepositions: "under", "over", "in" and "out". We started off with the tried-and-tested Hokey Kokey (or Hokey Pokey, if you're Canadian) but then gradually descended into ball games, relay races and limbo, although the latter should probably be renamed "several clueless volunteers attempting to stop a seven year old running around poking other children with a big stick".
The under-over game (we made it up, don't you know)
Later, we took a large songthaew into town with some of the kids and teachers for their daily fruit and veg shop at the local markets: the journey was unbearably hot and cramped and the market itself didn't improve things, the smell of meat and fish was overpowering.
Well, we had to get ill some time.
written by  lucy3119 on November 30, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Doing it for the kids
Well, today was a relaxed day. In the morning, we tried our hand at bracelet weaving in the school's weaving room (weaving clothes is a skill that could earn some of the kids money later in life)...it's more tiring than it looks and takes forever! Well, for us novices, anyway. In the afternoon we settled down with the kids in the assembly hall to watch 'Slumdog Millionaire'. It was in English, without subtitles, but the kids sat riveted nonetheless. Although the triplets were more interested in examining each others' hair for lice (as Claire, our project leader, forgot to mention, most of the kids have lice, a fact which the Canadians appeared to be disgusted by and the Brits couldn't care less about!)
This is probably a great opportunity to talk more about the kids themselves. Although they appear perfectly happy on the outside, always smiling and playing and desperate for attention, their early childhoods have been anything but happy. As Claire told us the stories of how the children ended up at Moo Baan Dek, we realised how much they have had (and still have) to overcome.
Lunchtime
Toto
Children at Moo Baan Dek range in age from 3 years old to 6th grade level, although many of the older kids stay on to help out, grateful for the opportunity MBD has given them. 18 year old Toto is one example. When we visited, he'd just been offered a place at university but was staying around to help out at the project over the summer. He tried to scare us volunteers with stories of ghosts haunting our house, so there was no love lost between us and him!
Cheeky triplet
This is one of the seriously mischevious triplets, Mei, Tam and Muay (no, I never could tell them apart, especially since they shared clothes). They lost their home when their mother remarried: their step father didn't want to care for some other man's kids, so the triplets were sent to Moo Baan Dek. Apparently it is common in Thailand for single mothers to have to choose between their children and a new husband, and it is often the husbands who win that battle.
Jop
Jop became attached to Steve while we were visiting, and Steve treated him like a little brother. Jop has cataracts in both eyes and there's a good chance that he will some day (sooner, rather than later) go completely blind. While we were there, he was having treatment, but who knows if it will be successful.
Sleepy Mei
This is Mei: she may look like a little angel but her friendship with the Trouble Triplets means she's become just as mischevious as they are. She was given away by her mother, who did not want her. It's incomprehensible to many of us but for the poorest families, an extra mouth to feed is just not welcome.
Other heartbreaking stories of the children at Moo Baan Dek include:
- one of the older boys came to the school after his father was murdered in front of him by his mother. When he first arrived, he refused to speak, but has gradually recovered from his childhood ordeal and made many friends. He joined in to play football against us volunteers.
-a little boy, infamous at Moo Baan Dek for having tortured one of the kittens that live at the school, certainly has reason to be volatile. He was abandoned in the jungle as a baby, forced to fend for himself until he was found by a monk. However, the monk could not cope with his behaviour and sent him away to Moo Baan Dek. We hope that one day he will be able to put his past behind him and become the boy he should have been.
-another musically gifted boy had the odds stacked against him from the very start: his mother attempted a DIY abortion which resulted in him being born disfigured and missing a leg. Nonetheless, he is one of the most positive and friendly people at Moo Baan Dek and entertains everyone with his musical performances.
Although these stories are heartbreaking, seeing the children now is truly inspiring: despite the odds, they're making the most of everything they have been given at Moo Baan Dek, and live every day to the full. We were warned that the children would be distrustful of adults as a result of their ordeals, but we found them welcoming, loving and positive. They will never stop inspiring me.
More pics of the kids:
Bubbles!
My little photographer
Nap time
Best friends
Siblings
Monkey child
Balloons!
Helping in the garden
written by  lucy3119 on December 1, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand

A very busy day off
On our day off from teaching (well, I say teaching, it's really more project leader Claire took us on yet another whirlwind tour of Kanchanaburi district. We began with a very speedy longtail boat ride (they use the propellors from old helicopters, apparently) up the River Kwai to visit a labyrinth of caves, each with its own shrine. Far from being cool below the ground, it was closer to a sauna in temperature, so this part of the day is all a bit of a haze to me now.
Longtail boat
Longtail boat ride
Second stop was the war memorial, commemorating those who died in Thailand during WW2 - many of them during the construction the Death Railway that connected Thailand and Burma. The POWS were mainly British, Australian and Dutch: it was odd and moving to see such familiar names all the way out here in Thailand.
The highlight of the day was a visit to a pretty amazing waterfall flowing down over a strange type of rock: we expected it to be smooth and slippery but it was actually rough like sandpaper, so that we could climb all the way to the top and sit under the water flow. It was a much needed chance to cool off and relax. For some reason, at this point we became tourist attractions ourselves, with a group of school kids asking to have their photos taken with us! (See below).
Who are the tourists here?
We also stopped off at a pretty awesome site (not sure where exactly) with a fantastic view of the Death Railway carved into the side of the mountains. We walked along the tracks a short way for some amazing photo opportunities.
At the death railway
Death Railway
Death Railway again
Then the monsoon began. We'd planned to go into town to finally sample a Chang or four...so that's what we did anyway. We stopped to pick up a very, very drenched Nicole and Tess along the way, extremely grateful for the songthaew that was keeping us dry. We spent the night at Tony's Bar, a little live music venue run by, you guessed it, Tony. We listened to the good old rock classics (and, for some reason, 'Achy Breaky Heart') sung in Thai, only interrupted by a group of very drunk Frenchmen who went and chatted up the Canadians (or was it the other way around?)
When we finally got back to the house, we found the monsoon had knocked the power supply out, which is pretty entertaining when you're drunk.
Tony's Bar
Tony!
written by  lucy3119 on December 1, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Hot springs, Hellfire Pass and yet more waterfalls
We spent the morning at the Hindad Hot Springs, used mostly by locals for its health benefits. You have to spend a few minutes sitting in the cold River (while trying not to get swept away by the current) and then hop right into the hot (and when they say hot, they mean HOT!) springs. It probably took me about 10 minutes to lower myself into the hot springs the first time. But you get used to it. Sort of.
Towards the end, we met a friendly old woman who offered us coffee powder to rub all over our bodies...apparently it's great for cellulite! Not that I'm trying to find an excuse to post a bikini pic or anything, but we did look pretty funny covered in coffee.
Coffee treatment! (Not an excuse for a bikini shot!)
We also visited the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, set up in memory of all the POWS who died during the construction of the Death Railway during WW2. Visitors to the museum should definitely go outside to the balcony, the view is INCREDIBLE! Yet again my camera couldn't capture that scene well enough. I guess I'll just have to go back there some day. The strangest part about visiting local attractions such as museums is that you have to take your shoes off to go inside...there's something so liberating about wandering around museums in bare feet!
Later, some of us ended up back at the Waterfall we visited yesterday (the one with the odd rock), and we had a great time trying to climb as high as we could (well, I couldn't be bothered, so I took the photos). Claire (who gets funnier everyday) took us to some stalls selling snacks: fruit and veg is sliced, fried and then coated in salt or sugar...but be careful or you might end up with salted Banana and sugared taro (a type of potato)...Thai food always seems to involve making sweet things taste saltier, and salty things taste sweeter!
Lauren on the rockiest bridge ever
Salty or sweet?
You can't tell, but this is really, really high
Back at the waterfall
written by  lucy3119 on December 1, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Back to work...we spent the morning teaching the kids their alphabet, giving them chalk so that they could practice by writing on the floor. We each worked with a two or three kids, but despite the individual attention some of the kids were soon off running around or napping in a corner...after all, they're not forced to learn!
Learning the alphabet
Our captivated audience
Balloons!
In the afternoon, we set about planting trees and flowers to brighten up the forest (yes, we were planting trees in a forest...). We were soon joined by some little helpers, and everything was going well until someone uncovered a nest of scorpions. Since they're poisonous they had to be carefully removed so that the kids wouldn't get hurt (although I'm pretty sure the guy who took them planned to keep them as pets!)
Planting
Scorpion!
We had a quiet but fun evening playing card games and chatting. I don't know how many times we played Uno while we were there...probably too many to count.

Brushing, cooking and dancing
Today our mission for the kids was...teaching them to clean their teeth properly! We gave them all their own tooth brush, but our attempts to write their names on them failed as the kids kept rubbing the pen off so that they could come back and get us to write their names all over again!
The brushing song
"Brush to the left and brush to the right, brush in the morning, brush at night..."
In the afternoon we decided to bake chocolate chip cookies for the kids, forgetting that in Thailand, people much prefer savoury to sweet. The suspicious and doubtful looks we got from the kids when we offered them the cookies were hilarious, and we ended up having to eat a lot of them ourselves! Meanwhile, Lauren, Sarah and I scrubbed up on our batik skills, and everything was going well until I tried to rescue a falling paint pot and ended up dumping paint all over my best batik so far...
Batik experts :P
My batik! (Background's black because I spilled paint all over it)
Later, we visited the gift shop and bought t-shirts, cakes, postcards and batiks, all made by the kids: half the money goes directly to the kid who made it, the other goes into maintaining Moo Baan Dek.
The kids are just going to love us...
We spent the evening practising a dance that we would be performing for the kids at the farewell show they had planned in our honour...inspired by watching 'Slumdog Millionaire' a few days ago, we decided to go with 'Jai Ho', the Bollywood dance at the end of the movie.

Just when we felt like we'd been here forever...
Our penultimate day at Moo Baan Dek. We planned to redecorate one of the classrooms with new activities, displays and our own special ISV touch, so we took a trip to Tesco Lotus to buy everything from alphabet posters and floor mats, skipping ropes, writing boards and stencils. Below is a photo of the finished classroom:
The ISV corner
Our special ISV touch
In the afternoon we took another trip into town by songthaew (via a beach) for a bit of pampering after all our hard work: foot massages and pedicures all round (well, apart from the guys)…they’re so cheap, we just couldn’t resist! Another thing none of us could resist was the adorable kitten that lives in the salon we visited: even Steve, a self-proclaimed cat hater, had trouble ignoring it, although he did later blame it for giving him dengue fever…
Plus, I couldn’t resist taking a sneaky pic of project leader Claire having a bit of time off…
Steve, secret cat lover
Claire having some time out
We thought these were meant for food...
At the beach
For our last night in town, we had dinner and far too many cosmopolitans at a restaurant and then moved on to good old Tony’s Bar.

Sad goodbyes
Our last day at Moo Baan Dek! Just when we were really starting to feel like we belonged there, it was time to start saying our goodbyes.
First, however, some of us set to work repainting some old ping pong tables while the others decorated a classroom. I don’t know quite what was in that paint but we all soon started to feel a bit…trippy, until somebody noticed and fetched us some masks. You know, the swine flu kind. Not sure how effective they are against paint fumes, but wearing fabric masks in the heat of monsoon season is…not something I’d want to try again.
Ping pong painting
Now, for the big finale…a big leaving show and traditional thank you ceremony for us volunteers by the kids and teachers. It was an emotional night, but also really interesting and a lot of fun.
We began with games, including the kids’ favourite relay race…I seem to remember I let my team down by tripping over my own feet half way through.
Next up, a speech by Meh Aew (the principal) and the thank you ceremony: we volunteers all had to line up while each kid moved along the line tying thin white string bands onto each of our wrists and supposedly making wishes (although I guess some of the younger kids were probably just wishing they could tie a proper knot!) Apparently, we had to let the bands fall off by themselves over time, so that each wish would be granted. With so many kids, our wrists were soon completely covered in bands.
Next up: the talent show. The girls showed off their dancing skills in colourful outfits and quite a large amount of make-up, followed by some of the boys doing a hilarious rap and break-dance. Then…it was our turn. We took to the stage and performed our ‘Jai-Ho’ dance, to much laughter from the kids, and then jumped down from the stage to dance in the crowd. It was two minutes of mayhem but the kids loved it and so did we.
Now for the emotional part: a goodbye song from the kids, a hug from everyone, and plenty of tears. Our stay at Moo Baan Dek was officially over, but I know quite a few of us were already thinking, “I’ll be back soon.”
Ready for the farewell show
Last night

The adventure tour begins!
Khao Sok, Thailand
But first...a whole day of travel. We had to take a van (cue bad karaoke) to Bangkok airport (where we said goodbye to project leader Claire and, randomly, met her mum) and an internal flight south to Phuket, followed by another van journey to Khao Sok National Park and our accommodation, Art’s Riverview Lodge. We just had time for an orientation, where we met our hilarious adventure tour leaders Steph and May, as well as the two other volunteer groups we’d be touring with, making 26 of us altogether: they’d been volunteering at the Gibbon project and Elephant Nature Park.
Our accommodation was a real jungle lodge, surrounded by thieving monkeys and impossible to find at night without a torch! Lauren, Sarah and I were lucky enough to share one of the rooms with an open-air bathroom and a freezing cold waterfall-style shower. But who cares if it’s cold, it’s a waterfall shower!
Waterfall shower at Art's
Art's Riverview Lodge
written by  lucy3119 on December 2, 2009 from Khao Sok, Thailand

Khao Sok National Park and reggae night
Khao Sok, Thailand
We set out by songthaew (after an amaaazing English breakfast buffet…baaacooon…) to the longtail boats that would take us to the rainforests of Khao Sok National Park. Each time we took the boat, I managed to be the one person to get soaking wet, despite consciously trying to pick a seat away from the spray.
After a ‘baby’ hike through the forest - we were all ready to pass out after about five minutes – and a visit to some coral caves via a very rickety bamboo raft, we had yet another awesome meal (fish and curry) by the river. Sarah, Lauren, Steve, Andy, Jenni, Julia and I went for a kayak on the river while the rest of the group chilled in the water – the river was so calm and quiet, it was a stunning experience.
Lunch!
Outside the coral caves
Bamboo rafting
River huts
In the evening some of us set out for the little village nearby for a pizza (on a side note, proper cheese is very hard to find in Thailand…getting a pizza with more than a speck of cheese on it is a cause for celebration). We then moved on to a ‘reggae’ bar (‘reggae bar’ in Thai meaning, ‘has-large-painting-of-bob-marley-on-the-wall-but-plays—techno-music-that-can-in-no-way-be-categorised-as-reggae) where we ordered Sex in the Jungle cocktails that looked completely different each time we bought one.
'Reggae' bar
written by  lucy3119 on December 2, 2009 from Khao Sok, Thailand

Railey Beach, interesting shrine, M.I.N.E
Krabi, Thailand
Another travelling day – to Railay Beach. The Sand and Sea Resort, which we got to by longtail boat, was luxury compared to what we were used to, a real tourist resort with – yep – air-conditioning! We hit the pool in the afternoon followed by a walk around the island, stopping at one of the five most beautiful beaches in the world (unfortunately it was getting quite gloomy at this point and we only stayed for a few minutes). Worth a mention is the ‘penis shrine’, which you suddenly stumble upon unawares as you walk along the beach. Apparently they’re in tribute to some goddess or other, yes I should have paid more attention.
Penis shrine
Railay beach
In the evening some of us walked into town to eat, then took advantage of having a TV in our rooms for the first time this trip by watching a film with the guys. I don’t remember what it was…but it was good. Oh, and meanwhile, Jessi broke her foot.
Railay Beach bar
It was around this time that we invented the M.I.N.E game. There was just one rule: if you say the word 'mine', you have to hit the deck wherever you are and perform 10 push-ups as penalty. Of course, we were soon trying to catch each other out - "Who's bag is this?" "Mine!"..."Can I have this seat?" No, it's mine!" - in the most awkward places, such as on planes, rocking boats, half way up a mountain...
A scenic M.I.N.E penalty at the Lahu Outpost
Tour leaders Steph and May caught out at the airport
Penalty at the massage parlour
Andy's penalty at Elephant Nature Park
written by  lucy3119 on December 2, 2009 from Krabi, Thailand

Choppy seas and friendly fish
Krabi, Thailand
We spent the day on a boat on a very choppy sea – cue much seasickness and scrabbling around to rescue belongings threatening to fall overboard. Today was our full-day snorkelling adventure: although we had to switch diving sites due to the rough sea we eventually got to dive with the seahorses and other bizarre looking creatures of the not-so-deep.
Paradise
Me and Lauren under the sea
Snorkelling
The guys tried scuba diving
After one of the best lunches we’ve ever had – a sailor’s lunch is the lunch for me – we returned to the sea for our second snorkel. I soon found myself totally surrounded by a huge shoal of angel fish, which must have been starving because they mercilessly started nibbling every bit of me they could reach. Apparently they were attracted by the bait of the (illegal) fishermen moored there.
In the evening at the Sand and Sea Resort, we forked out on the most amazing meal at a classy restaurant: I had Chicken stuffed full of real, yes REAL, GENUINE cheese. I was in cheese heaven. Many people were jealous. I offered them my leftovers.
written by  lucy3119 on December 2, 2009 from Krabi, Thailand

Kayaks, mangroves, BBQs and boxers
Krabi, Thailand
We set off early for our two day sea-kayaking adventure. The morning kayak took us through mangrove swamps, which were incredibly still and calm, almost eerie, with monkeys and immense lizards watching our every move and bats hanging in huge groups from the trees. Well, it was calm until a particularly sharp bend left me and Lauren wedged among the roots of the mangroves until we had room to reverse and try again.
After yet another amazing sailor’s lunch we spent the afternoon jumping into the sea from the top of the boat, trying and failing to pose in mid-air for photos. The kayak guides invented a game which I shall name ‘’, which was pretty fun until all the seawater we swallowed started to take effect. Also…did you know that there are such things as sea lice? And that they bite like mad? Well, now you do.
And...freeze
Aaand...pose (I said pose, Lauren!)
We arrived at Koh Yao Noi, a small Muslim island, for the night – Lauren and I managed to bag ourselves a two-person seafront bungalow complete with hammock while the other girls found themselves sleeping ten to a hut. Oh, how we laughed. We spent the early evening on the beach, followed by an incredible BBQ. We ended the night by watching young trainee Thai boxers practise their moves, and having a go ourselves. Sarah showed off her two years of lessons, making the rest of us look slightly inadequate.
BBQ on Koh Yao Noi
Trainee Thai boxers
Beach Bungalow, Koh Yao Noi
Koh Yao Noi
written by  lucy3119 on December 2, 2009 from Krabi, Thailand

Koh Yao Noi to Chiang Mai
Phuket, Thailand
No time for breakfast on the island: instead, we had it on the boat, and set out kayaking again. I somehow ended up in a single kayak this time, which was slightly scary to begin with but turned out to be surprisingly easy: it’s great when you only have to try and move your own body weight around…I recommend it! Being in my own kayak was particularly exhilarating today, as we were kayaking through pitch dark caves with only a few head torches and shouts of “Argh, rock!” to guide us.
Mangrove swamps
We stopped off at a little Sandy inlet, so that we could paddle through a series of tunnels and caves and emerge onto another hidden beach surrounded by mangroves. Mangroves are awesome: I can’t believe the government ordered them to be cut down, only to find that they’d been the only thing stopping tsunamis from wiping out the islands. Fact of the day.
On the hidden beach
After lunch on the boat, we flew from Phuket to Chiang Mai. This meant getting on the plane wearing, essentially, bikinis and sarongs. We like to set a good example…
Our hotel, the Parasol Inn, is modern, stylish and amazing.
written by  lucy3119 on December 2, 2009 from Phuket, Thailand

Spa days and cooking class chaos
Chiang Mai, Thailand
We spent a divine morning at the luxurious Legend Spa, built in a stately home. After a full body massage I ill-advisedly chose to have a mineral mud body mask which involved stripping, being covered in mud and wrapped in cling film, unable to move for twenty minutes while desperately needing the bathroom. Meanwhile, Jenni next to me was having a pretty amazing looking facial.
Jenni at the massage spa
Cup of tea?
Afterwards, we checked out a shopping mall, but the chances of me fitting into any of the Thai-sized clothing in those shops was…nil. Especially since I’d just scoffed a large Dairy Queen.
In the evening at our cooking class we cooked and ate five Thai dishes – pad Thai (mine was pretty delicious if I say it myself), Spring rolls, something with cashew nuts, Thai green curry and sticky rice with mango. Meanwhile Steve, in an attempt to woo Sarah (in the absence of Tess), bought her a rose from a street seller, then felt guilty and bought the rest of the girls one too. Such a gentleman.
Thai cooking class!
The finished product
written by  lucy3119 on December 2, 2009 from Chiang Mai, Thailand

Elephant Nature Park, Hill tribes
Chiang Mai, Thailand
We spent a full day at Elephant Nature Park, helping out with the feeding and bathing of the elephants and learning how they ended up at the park.
The park is a sanctuary for elephants who have suffered as a result of the tourist trade in Thailand. Elephant trekking, for example, often ends up crippling elephants: their backs are surprisingly weak and aren't meant to take the weight of tourists. Elephant shows, which require them to perform dangerous tricks and stunts, often end in disaster, while elephants used for work (eg logging) are often injured or abused by their owners. The process of domesticating elephants can be traumatic too: the fastest but most brutal way to train elephants is to 'break their spirits' by starving and torturing them for days on end. This is the hidden side to the elephant tourist industry: although elephants are respected and sacred to most Thais, they are unaware of the suffering many of them face.
Nom
Elephant Nature Park
Elephants!
We then spent one night at the beautiful and tranquil Lisu Lodge, run by the Lisu hilltribe, before setting out on our hilltribe trek the next day. I felt a little sorry for a couple of honeymooners whose quiet holiday was interrupted by 26 students, but atleast it was just for a night! During our dinner buffet some of the Lisu kids appeared to perform some dances for us - it was very touristy, but still fun.
Lisu children
Musical instrument
written by  lucy3119 on December 5, 2009 from Chiang Mai, Thailand

Shamans, spirit gates and a lot of sweating
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Before our two-day trek into the hills began, we stopped off at the Lisu shaman's House for some lychee wine and a bit of a sit-down. Our trekking guide, Charlie, also showed us the giant swing, which represents freedom to the tribe, and the spirit gate, which we were forbidden to touch in case we released evil spirits into the world: the punishment for touching it is "to buy a pig and sacrifice it", as our tour leader May put it. Since pig slaughter wasn't on the intinerary and our budgets didn't really cover the purchase of livestock, we stayed well clear of the spirit gate!
Lisu giant swing
Lisu spirit gate
Hilltribe children
Lisu shaman
The trek itself was uphill torture until lunchtime. I've honestly never sweated so much in my life, it was pretty much free-flowing for the first hour. Talk about attractive. Luckily, we had a chance to recover during our eco-lunch, packed in woven grass baskets and wrapped in Banana leaves. We all felt slightly guilty eating our cooked Chicken in front of a bunch of live Chickens...until they turned cannibal and tucked into our leftovers.
After lunch, the temperature dropped a little as rain seemed to be on the way, making the going a lot easier, but I was still very glad to reach our camp, the Lahu Outpost ,at the top of our third hill - even if it had no electricity!
Eco-lunch
Recovering at the Lahu Outpost
Lahu Outpost
written by  lucy3119 on December 5, 2009 from Chiang Mai, Thailand

White water rafting back to Chiang Mai
Trek: day two took us downhill, past a waterfall and through a Field full of cows that decided to follow us for the last leg of the journey. We were all relieved to see the songthaews waiting to pick us up at the end of the trek, but also really proud of ourselves for what we'd achieved in the last two days.
Trekking
Awesome bug
After lunch, we were rewarded with white water rafting: one of the highlights of the tour! I shared a raft with Team We're Not Going to Die, which included tour leader Steph, Lauren, Kirsten and Ginny. Sure enough, we didn't die, but there were some pretty hairy moments when we had to hit the deck to avoid being thrown overboard...On a calm stretch of the river, each boat tried to take as many hostages from other boats as possible: we quickly lost Lauren and had to initiate a sea Battle in order to get her back.
White water rafting!
Back at the good old Parasol Inn, we hit the walking street Sunday market, a huge market that spans several streets around the hotel, much less touristy and tacky than the daily night bazaar. At one point, the Thai national anthem was played from speakers in the street: everybody froze where they stood, in silence, until the song had finished. It was a surreal moment but just demonstrates the huge amount of respect people in Thailand have for their royal family.

Canyoning!
Today was a free day to spend as we liked: most of the others took part in a tour of Chiang Mai's temples while four of us - Andy, Lauren, Sam and I - went canyoning. This involved sliding down waterfalls, wading and jumping into pools, and rapelling 100 metres down a huge waterfall! This turned out to be one of the most exciting activities of the trip, particularly since a morning downpour meant the water was nice and high, and the small group size meant we didn't have to wait around for long. It was challenging - the rock was wet and slippery during the abseil and I got some impressive rope burns on my hands - but completely worth it.

Caving and yet more 'reggae' bars
Caving and abseiling today - although after our incredible canyoning adventure yesterday Lauren, Andy, Sam and I found it a bit of an anticlimax. The best (and most terrifying) part of the day was a tyrolean traverse across a huge, deep cavern followed by an abseil (we were pretty much suspended in mid-air for several minutes) down to the cavern floor. I somehow drew the short straw and ended up going first, and despite having just yesterday abseiled 100 metres down a waterfall with no problems, I felt a bit too queasy looking down into the abyss today!
After lunch came rock climbing, when I managed to get myself stuck just a few metres from the ground, as all the strain of the last few days' activities finally caught up with me and my muscles completely gave out...half way up a rock. Couldn't go up, couldn't come down. Great timing, muscles.
For our last night in town we went out for dinner and then some of us hit the Rooftop Bar, yet another one of those supposed 'reggae' bars with the pictures of Bob Marley but the music of a dance club. The best thing about the bar, though, was that it was, as the name suggested, on a rooftop and open to the stars. My personal favourite part of the night was when I discovered a cockroach...on Kim's back.
Last dinner in Chiang Mai
Rooftop Bar
Last night in Chiang Mai

Sleeper train to Bangkok...or is it?
This morning, Lauren, Andy, Sam and I decided to check out the temples of Chiang Mai: we'd missed the temple tour the other day while canyoning. We discovered a really ancient-looking temple right next to our hotel, which was pretty interesting.
Ancient temple guards
Ancient temple
In the afternoon we were meant to be boarding an overnight train to Bangkok...but things didn't run quite according to plan. We should have known something was going to go wrong when, as we boarded the coach to take us to the station in the middle of a storm, there was a huge bang and a flash of light as a lightning bolt struck a building directly across the street! It was a warning that we foolishly ignored...
Outside the Parasol Inn
No sooner had we boarded the train with all our bags than we had to get right back off again. Turned out ISV had booked tickets for the following night by mistake...as we watched another group of students taking what should have been our seats, we wondered if we'd be getting to Bangkok in time for the cultural dinner show the following night...
Of course, ISV got it all sorted, hiring a nice coach and even organising a stop-off at a fancy hotel for dinner! We got to our hotel, the New Siam Riverside Guest House, earlier than planned and had time to catch a few hours sleep before morning.

Is it really the end?
Bangkok, Thailand
Our last day in Thailand! And we definitely packed a lot in!
We spent the morning touring the city, first by boat - we visited the royal barges, which for some reason, you had to pay to photograph - and then on foot. We spent a couple of hours at the Grand Palace, a huge area full of beautiful buildings decorated with gold leaf and coloured glass tiles. We ventured into the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which holds a Buddha statue so sacred it can't be photographed...I think I must have gravely offended the Buddha when I burst into uncontrollable hiccups that might have disturbed the spiritual energies of the place a bit...
At the Grand Palace
Guard at the Grand Palace
Grand Palace
We also visited the huge Reclining Buddha, a statue so large it doesn't fit in a single photo. Although the pillars that surround it don't really help...
Giant reclining Buddha
With hardly any time to breathe, we were off to the Siam Niramit cultural dinner show, a very touristy, big-budget spectacle that takes you through the history of Thailand, with an absolutely huge dinner buffet thrown in.
Siam Niramit
Farewell dinner
Back at the hotel, reluctant for our last day to end, some of us searched desperately for somewhere to have a Chang or two. We ended up at a tiny little bar with pink walls and a slightly questionable drinks menu...as Andy found out after ordering a glass of whisky and coke for about £1, what he actually got was a whole bottle of rum.
After this, we all got a little emotional during our goodbyes, jumped on a plane for a very boring 11-hour flight, and ended up back where we'd started a month ago. Lauren and I were once again sitting in a car, driving back to our hometown, only this time we knew a hell of a lot more about each other, had a lot of in-jokes and anecdotes to share, and a lot of memories.
written by  lucy3119 on December 5, 2009 from Bangkok, Thailand

Siam Niramit

Longtal boat again

Longtail boat

Siam Niramit cultural dinner show

Bridge over the River Kwai

The swimming jetty on the River Kwai

Outside the school

Our house at Moo Baan Dek

River Kwai after rain (view from our house)

First encounter

Curious giraffes

Safari park

Shrine at Erawan National Park

My other little helper

My little helper

Volunteers vs locals

Batik

Hellcow

"Mmmm, arm, nom nom nom"

Morning 'meditation'

Songthaew

Human climbing frames

Meh Aew

Around the campfire

The under-over game (we made it up, don't you know)

Erawan hike (pre-mud)

The brushing song

Goodbye wishes

At the beach

Sad goodbyes

Erawan trek

Coffee treatment! (Not an excuse for a bikini shot!)

Death Railway again

Team Mischief

Death Railway

Lunchtime

Toto

Sleepy Mei

Cheeky triplet

Monkey child

Learning the alphabet

Jop

Balloons!

Helping in the garden

Nap time

Bubbles!

My little photographer

Best friends

Siblings

Tony!

Longtail boat ride

Who are the tourists here?

Tony's Bar

Back at the waterfall

Lauren on the rockiest bridge ever

You can't tell, but this is really, really high

Planting

Our captivated audience

Scorpion!

My batik! (Background's black because I spilled paint all over it)

Batik experts :P

The ISV corner

The kids are just going to love us...

Last night

Our special ISV touch

Ping pong painting

Claire having some time out

We thought these were meant for food...

Ready for the farewell show

At the death railway

Waterfall shower at Art's

Art's Riverview Lodge

Lunch!

Outside the coral caves

Bamboo rafting

River huts

'Reggae' bar

Railay beach

Penis shrine

Tour leaders Steph and May caught out at the airport

Paradise

Me and Lauren under the sea

Snorkelling

The guys tried scuba diving

Elephants!

Lahu Outpost

Recovering at the Lahu Outpost

Musical instrument

Nom

Elephant Nature Park

Lisu giant swing

Lisu children

Lisu spirit gate

Eco-lunch

Lisu shaman

Hilltribe children

White water rafting!

Railay Beach bar

Last night in Chiang Mai

At the Grand Palace

Outside the Parasol Inn

Last dinner in Chiang Mai

Rooftop Bar

Farewell dinner

Grand Palace

Guard at the Grand Palace

Giant reclining Buddha