Chapter 5 - Something for Nothing

When we first decided to trade in our creature comforts for life on the road with a tribe of backpacking nomads, it was a given that part of the journey was going to be spent volunteering. If we were going to tread the already well trodden paths of Southeast Asia for an entire year trying our utmost to spend as little money as physically possible, there was no question we were going to have to give something back.

So we started to do some investigating into the world of volunteering. Given the fact that we had been apprehended on the streets of London by many a desperate do-gooder determined to deliver Asia’s cries across the globe, we thought it would be pretty easy to find an organisation that would be grateful for the offer of our willing and able hands somewhere along the way.

How wrong we were.

Finding the people, animals and parts of the planet in need wasn’t the problem. There are plenty of those. Finding an organisation that didn’t want to charge us an arm and a leg for our free hands was. Yes, you did read that right. Volunteering organisations charging you to volunteer. (Is that some form of an oxymoron?)

And I’m not just talking about dropping a penny into the donation box on your way out kind of charge. I’m talking, hand over your hard earned £999 first, and only then can you feed the monkeys and clean the shit out of their cage. I shouldn’t be so harsh, you do get “3 meals a day and accommodation throughout your stay on a shared basis with en suite western bathroom,” after you’ve paid for your own flights of course.

But before you start to think I’m beginning to sound like a worthy cow, I do see the advantages of “guilt-free” travel packages like these for people who don’t have the luxury of travelling for a year and want to get more out of their annual holiday than a cocktail induced one night stand and tan lines. It just wasn’t what we were after. That’s all.

So our search continued until we eventually came across Volunteer Teacher Thailand volunteerteacherthailand.org and Fun 4 Kids fun4kidsinthailand.org

Volunteer Teacher Thailand (VTT) is a small non-profit making service, run by volunteer staff who provide free English lessons to children and adults in the Phang Nga province of Thailand.

Now teaching English may seem like a pretty lame way to go about saving the world. But what you have to understand is that tourism is a huge source of employment in Thailand. Euros turned into Bhat that pale bellied foreigners throw around like monopoly money is what puts food on the table. And having the ability to communicate with tourists in English in order to get that money, makes a Thai person more employable.

The thing is, that over 75% of the Thai English speakers in Khao Lak were killed in the Tsunami in 2004 as the majority of them were working in beach-front resorts when it hit. VTT’s free classes give adults the chance to secure jobs as restaurant staff, taxi drivers, shop worker etc. so that they are able to send their children to school, and they give children the opportunity to master English at an early age, so they may have a more promising future.

We were fortunate enough to have spent some time with VTT while in Khao Lak taking the adult classes. These lessons were held in massage parlors, restaurants that had offered up their premises during their quiet hours, and makeshift tables on the street. The students were anyone who wanted to learn. One day it could be a one-on-one session with a petrol attendant wanting to break in to the food industry, the next, a family of masseurs wanting to boost their business.

What amazed us was the appreciation. How grateful they were for our time. It was an incredible experience to teach people who wanted to be taught.

During our stay in Khao Lak we were also able to spend some time with Fun 4 Kids, a volunteer organization that strives to improve the lives of local children by building and installing playground equipment in underprivileged schools, Burmese learning centres and orphanages.

Steve, an English ex-pat who runs the organization, picked us, and the rest of the volunteers, up every morning and took us to the donated workshop just out of town. Here we got to play with paint brushes and some pretty hectic power tools, with the Thai electrics always adding a bit of excitement into the mix. We grafted until the midday heat got that bit too much to bear and then Steve would take us somewhere local (aka cheap) for lunch. The rest of the day was ours to do with what we wanted.

We loved it here. I got to shed a bit of London poundage (or at least I think I did) and we both met some fantastic people, all whilst contributing to the community. It was definitely a win, win situation.

Both VTT and Fun4Kids have become incredibly attached to a local orphanage, Home & Life www.homelifethailand.net, which was established to house children whose parents were unfortunate victims of the Tsunami. At the moment it’s home to about 25 children, and as the schools were on holiday when we there, we got to spend a decent amount of time doing activities with the kids and helping out around the property.

This was probably one of our favourite volunteering experiences. Given the circumstances, we were literally wowed at how happy this place was, and how forward thinking Root and Rasa, the couple who run it are. They’ve recently been given two commercial ovens and have now opened a bakery on site which helps pay for the upkeep of the orphanage. They’re also planning on opening a ‘family’ business, a travel agency, guaranteeing the children a job (if they so wish to take it) when they finish school.

It’s been a pretty intense month, but incredibly rewarding. There’s no doubt we both learnt more than we taught, and experienced more than we thought possible. The next part of our journey won’t be the emotional rollercoaster the first part was, but I have no doubt it’ll be every bit as challenging. In a very different way of course.

We’ve posted some pics on flickr for your viewing pleasure. Check them out here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43679192@N07/sets/72157622760620057/

Chapter 4 - Open Water

The Similians. 9 islands each covered with tropical jungle and surrounded by snow white beaches and crystal clear water. A diver’s paradise. This is the main reason why people come to Khao Lak.

700 hp speedboats whip you across a 60km stretch of the Andaman Sea and just 90 minutes later you’re there. The east coast (land facing) dive sites are hard coral reef dives, with some soft corals interspersed. Whilst the west coast (sea facing) sites have incredible rock formations, with huge granite boulders and giant fan corals.

This place is definitely in my top 5 dive sites. Our average vis was about 25 meters, which, for those who don’t dive, is pretty damn amazing. And I’m told it averages around 30 meters, so it wasn’t even at its best. It’s like swimming in a pool with loads of fish. At one stage we had a school of barracudas circling above us, with moray eels looking for lunch below us, and if that wasn’t enough we saw 2 turtles on the same dive!

As you’d expect with such an awesome dive site just off the coast, there are heaps of dive shops on the mainland. And the thing with diving is you don’t just want to dive with a professional shop, but a place that is fun. And not that try hard sort of fun, but real fun. So it’s like looking for that special diamond ring in Hatton Garden, London. As it’s the stories, beers and friendship that make the dive experience after all.

We visited over 10 dive shops, and eventually settled on Khao Lak SCUBA Adventures (KSA), not because they are the only locally owned dive shop in the area, but because of the people. Kate completed her Open Water Course in just 4 days thanks to her awesome Swedish instructor, Maria. (No she didn’t pay us to write this. And yes, she is probably going to read this post.)

In the words of Maria, Kate is now not just a qualified diver, but a good diver. Because she was taught by a f’ing good dive instructor (also in the words of Maria). She even fended an agro Trigger fish in attack mode off of Kate on her first dive. But it’s not because she saved my fiancee from death by Trigger fish that I count her and her crazy boyfriend John as good friends, it’s because they are great people.

The diving mixed with the people is making it hard for us to venture on to our next destination, but we’ll be back to share another Tiger or 7 outside the dive shop next year.

K&M

For more pics see - http://www.flickr.com/photos/43679192@N07/4067650328/in/set-72157622714890266/?addedcomment=1#comment72157622590605745

Chapter 3 – Eaten Alive

Dracula’s spawn live here. Little blood sucking creatures sent from the depths of hell to torture us ‘till insanity. They’re not just after a drop or two here and there. These tiny Thai mosquitoes are evil, and they’re out to suck us dry.

I knew they were going to be bad. Having grown up in South Africa, I’ve been the victim of the little beasts’ bites before. So I came prepared, with bags loaded with Peaceful Sleep, Rub Away, Patches, trendy Bangles that make you look like you’re an avid supporter of a charity, even a nifty little clicker device that’s supposedly meant to ‘shock’ the itch out of the bite. You name it. I packed it.

Well, all I can say now is what a waste of backpack weight. Why? I’ll tell you why...

It was our very first evening in Thailand. We decided to enjoy it sitting on our veranda with a much anticipated, ice-cold Tiger beer. Before doing so, I made sure we did the necessary repellent application - on the ankles, behind the knees, the back of the neck and the arms. Light, but thorough, just like the bottle said.

No sooner had I sat down than the first bite appeared. Small, red, and perfectly round slap bang in the middle of my calf. I put it down to the little bugger’s stealth. He must have got me before I applied the ‘Natural Rub Away with added Citronella Extract’. Or so I thought, until another one appeared, and then another, and another, all within seconds of each other.

Obviously my weapon of choice wasn’t strong enough to ward off this little troop of nasties. So I put one of our super stylish repellent bangles to the test. But its ‘pleasant smelling, insect repelling vapours’ proved more of an attraction to the little suckers. I should have seen it from the start. The thing looked too good to be effective. So I grabbed a patch. But it was useless. They were everywhere. Their bites were everywhere. And by then it was clear I was under attack.

Half an hour later and I was in a state of frenzy. My body was one big itch. My two hands torn between scratching, lathering, shocking and squashing. But still they came, like little kamikaze pilots, their sights locked on any piece of skin that didn’t already resemble a piece of bubble wrap. And there I sat, a lone soldier fighting a war that had been declared on me.

Something had to be done.

So I started lathering myself in every form of repellent we had. Until every piece exposed flesh was covered, and then recovered with one or another rub on stick, cream or spray. I kept at it until it stunk so bad I didn’t want to be near myself. The only place I didn’t apply the stuff to, for fear of actually blinding myself, was my eyelids.

Where did the little sucker bite me? You guessed it, my eye lid.

It sucked the blood from the only piece of flesh that protects my precious eyes from the hostilities of the outside world, and I didn’t even see the damn thing coming. It was the itch that first drew my attention to it. A little irritating itch. And then it began to swell. And it kept on swelling until it became the size of gross. The size you don’t want to look at but you just can’t help yourself.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, they struck again, their target this time, my ear. Not the soft dangly lobe, no, inside the hard little pointy-outy bit right before the hole.

That’s when I knew I had no choice but to surrender and retreat to the air-coned, mosquito-free indoors.

I had lost the battle. But I am here for a year, so the war will continue, and victory will be mine.

You just wait and see.

The Second Chapter - The Ins and Outs

We're here. Safe and sound. The entire journey took us a full 24 hours and the last stretch was every bit a struggle, but we made it, and so did our bags thankfully as those 26.3 kilos are all we possess between us.

We're staying in a small resort called Cousins. We've got a nice size room with air-con, a king-sized bed, a fridge, cupboards too big to hold the contents of our backpacks, and an en suite bathroom.

The resort itself is lovely. Lush foliage line the little paths that divide the bungalows, of which there are 30. There's a pool, although we're a mere 100 metres from the beach, and a little rustic bar and dining area.

The staff are brilliant. Monte, who I guess can be called the manager, has quickly become our friend and 'go-to guy' for all things local. And Mieu, the resident ladyboy (who seems to have taken quite a liking to Marc) provides us with much daily entertainment. I swear he tries so hard to be a woman I almost think he deserves my boobs more than me.

The resort is brand new. In fact, most of the places here are, as the entire area was swallowed by the 2004 Tsunami. The swimming pool and three palm trees were what remained of the original Cousins. It's incredible to think that right where I'm sitting writing this post now, passed a wave 8 meters taller than the top of my head less than five years ago.

I can't say we did much when we first arrived. A well-timed tropical downpour confined us to our room for two days, where we got some much needed sleep. I think we've now officially made up for every hour we missed due to work, large nights out in London, and the general day to day stress that comes with trying to survive in the western world.

But on the third day the sun rose, and so did we.

Our first few days pretty much revolved around meal times, as we had little else to do but laze on the beach until our stomachs told us it was time to move.

The food here is amazing. Thai like we've never tasted it before. Every dish is fragrant and delicate and carries a kick that still allows each ingredient's flavour to live. A big bowl of Tom kha kai (a coconut and lemon grass chicken and noodle soup) will set you back about 80 Bhat (£ 0.80) in a restaurant, and 30 Bhat if you go local.

As we're on a backpacker's budget, we've allowed ourselves one restaurant meal a day, which is usually dinner. At our own peril, this has forced us to really explore the real local cuisine which has, at times, proved rather interesting due to a pretty extreme language barrier and the use of ingredients very foreign to us foreigners, or faranges as they call us here.

The only way to really deal with this tiny little glitch, is to eat what you get without thinking about it too much. It all tastes good, it's when your mind starts to wander that it becomes a problem.

It does make for a more interesting day though. It means flagging down mobile 'food bars,' motorbikes ingeniously fitted with a mini kitchen if you like, driven by local Thai people. Depending on who stops, you're able to get anything from ice-cooled fresh fruit on sticks, to filled Thai pancakes and the staple Phad Thai.

It means adventures to the local market, which is always an experience. We bought fresh prawns, calamari and monk fish from there on Wednesday, and Monte was good enough to cook it for us. Despite the fact that it tasted amazing, it was probably the closest thing we're going to get to a 'home-cooked' meal in a while, so we were incredibly grateful.

It means frequenting the street-side BBQs that do a mean grilled chicken on a stick (they put a lot of things on sticks here) and Green Papaya Salad.

It means being brave and bold and open minded. Until we get the dreaded 'Bang Niang Belly' or suffer from severe bum burn. Then we'll probably have to rethink.

But believe it or not we haven't just been eating and sleeping since we arrived, although by this blog it might seem so. We've met up with both Ken from Volunteer Teacher Thailand and Steven from Fun 4 Kids, and are hopefully starting to get involved with some of the projects they have running from Monday. More on that when we have more.

I've also done my Open Water Diving course and was fortunate enough to do my first 2 dives in the Similan Islands, one of the top 5 dives sites in the world. It was incredible. I'm hooked. And my father, I'm sure, will be delighted to know that I have finally, after all these years, found my version of his love for birding, although a tad more dangerous and only slightly more expensive.

Maria, my dive instructor, has introduced us to the expat community and their local watering holes, so our faces are starting to become familiar, and we're slowly seeping into the woodwork. There's a few Swiss, some German, a couple of Aussies, some Americans, a few poms and a token Saffa, who's house we're going to for a Braai this week.

Other than that, we're acclimatising. Our lobster red bodies (yes, we got burnt, badly) have cooled to a crisp golden brown. Our sweat pores that have lain dormant for the past 4 years are functioning once more. We're hot. We're happy. We're back in summer. And we're loving it!

Until next time.

K & M.

PS We've posted some photos on http://www.flickr.com/photos/43679192@N07/sets/72157622625214124/ for your viewing pleasure.

The First Chapter

Tomorrow we begin the journey that many have called brave, a few irresponsible and the rest crazy.

It’s true; we’ve had to be brave. We’re leaving our friends, our families, our lives. And they’re right. It is slightly irresponsible. The money we’re using to fund this trip could have been a pretty healthy deposit on a house. And yes, it is a bit crazy. We’ve quit our jobs and given up our only source of income in the mists of one of the harshest economic climates we’ve ever encountered.

But we considered all these things. We thought about them long and hard. And we decided to do it anyway.

So tomorrow we board a plane to Singapore, where another will take us to Phuket. There we’ll find a bus that'll drop us off in a little place on the south west coast of Thailand called Khao Lak.

Here we’ll spend a month or so ridding ourselves of the baggage of the western world, and volunteering in some independent charity organisations still battling the destruction of the 2004 Tsunami.

When we get sick of the monotony of the tidal change, we’ll head north to Chiang Mai, then to Laos, onto Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, The Philippines, New Zealand, Australia and finally home, to South Africa.

We hope that a few of you will come visit us somewhere along the way. If not, we’d love you to follow our epic journey on this blog.

Stay tuned.

M&K