A WORLD of Opportunities

Caves

ashleynicholesmith — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:34:00 GMT

On Tuesday all of the volunteers taught English in the morning then we took the afternoon off to explore the caves that surround Mae Sai. We hired a Song Tao (a red truck that eveyone piles into the the back of it). We had to bring our own flashlights because there are not any guides that take you on a tour, you are pretty much on your own. It is crazy how they do not have any safety regulations! They just let you walk into the caves and climb over the rocks and feel your way through the deep entry ways! As we were climbing you could hear the bats flying above! It felt like something from a scary movie! The deeper we went into the caves the more we started to second guess our routes! We also began to worry about our batteries in our flashlights as they seemed to be getting dim. After a few akward climbs we found ourselves in a chamber filled with crystals! It was gorgeous! We took a few photos but of course they did not do it justice.

Once we managed to find the exit we jumped into the song tao to head to the national park to explore a few more caves. The heat was intense as we climbed up the massive mountains! I have to admit I was begining to think that I wouldn't make it. I went to put my hand on a mossy rock to gain my balance and found dead animal skull staring back at me! Need less to say I did not take this well! I let out a bit of a scream and the others came running! We definitely had a good laugh about it!

We then ended the day by heading back to Na Na Buffet for showers and a relaxing evening. All in all it was a good day!

School time!

ashleynicholesmith — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:13:00 GMT

School started so we finally had the opportunity to teach English. I chose to teach grade 1. These kids were fantastic. Although they have an attention span that lasts only 5 minutes they did seem keen to learn.The very first day my teacher was not in my classroom so I was left all alone to try to entertain/teach the 17 kids in my class. We went around the room and each kid told me their name. When I repeated them the classroom filled with little giggles. I guess I need to practice my Thai! The lesson started off with the children being well behaved but once they found out that they could probably get away with a bit more than usual, chaos reigned! Some kids were fighting with one another while others were sticking rulers down there throats...hmm...it was a lot of work! The second day I decided to plan out a lesson and include quite a bit of games, this worked a lot better! :) After each day of school we would do our usual and visit the orphanage to see the kids that are not in school. Although most of the children are in school it is nice to see the others and let them know that we do care and try to teach them a little bit to get by. I definitely have a greater appreciation for teachers!!

Golden Triangle

ashleynicholesmith — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:52:00 GMT

Today Nicole and I decided to teach at school in the morning and then head to the Golden Triangle! This is where you are able to see Myanmar/Burma, Thailand and Laos! When we arrived we were in awe! There was a massive Golden Buddah, the Mekong River and various shops. We took tons of photos and then decided to cross over to Laos! We jumped into a small wooden boat that sat really low to the water and sped off! It was wonderful to feel a cool breeze in our face for once! When we arrived in Lao we were at the Laos Market! We were very excited to shop...that is what we do best! :) The first stall that we visited had bottles of snake whiskey! It actually has real Cobras inside the bottle! (Dead of course!). The man offered us a taste and since we were feeling very adventurous we decided to try it! It was very strong but not as bad as I was expecting! After the snake whiskey we visited each stall then headed back to Thailand. On the drive back we stopped off by the opium museum for a drive around the fields. It was a huge complex! Sadly, opium is still very popular in Northern Thailand, especially with the hill tribe villages. Finally we reached our guesthouse and chilled out for the rest of the night in Mae Sai. I can't believe how much I am getting to see of Asia in just three weeks! By the end of the journey I will have been to Laos, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam...not bad!

Chiang Mai

ashleynicholesmith — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:22:00 GMT

This past weekend Nicole and I travelled on a 4 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai. It is the second largest city in Thailand with only 200,000 population. The first being Bangkok with about 7.5 million! When we arrived we ran into two Americans that were traveling around! It was nice to be able to have a full conversation with English speakers and to learn about Chiang Mai. We didn't have a hotel booked so the first task was to find accommodation. We ended up finding a gorgeous hotel right next to the very popular night markets! It cost us the equivalent of 30 USD a night! This was a 4 star hotel! I can't get over how cheap it is! After we settled into the room we headed downstairs to organize a tour that would take us into the hills to meet the Northern hill tribes! The next morning we headed in a big van with two other Austrailians, Nicole was happy to hear her people as she would say! :) We fist stopped at the Karen tribe, or the long neck tribe. They are known for their brass ringed necklaces that they stack to give the impression of a long neck. Each year starting at age 5 they add on more rings. Usually 7 at a time, the tour guide said the most one woman fit was 71! Obviously they have to stop at some time! ha. Along with the Karen long neck tribe were the long ear tribe. This tribe has very big "plugs" in there ears that strecth over time. I couldn't believe how much skin can stretch! This was definitely a sight to see. After the Karen tribe we treked to the Choi Don cave. This was a beautiful cave that had various stalagmites. ( Pardon the spelling?) Following this we visited four other hill tribes. At one of the tribes we talked to a very small 68 year old man who was washing his medicine leaves in a tap. He told us that he has a son who lives in California! Small world! Finally we ended the day with the butterfly and orchid farm which to be honest was a bit lame. Not many butterflies but some pretty flowers. To finish the night we enjoyed some cocktails back at the hotel and headed to the night markets for some shopping. Saturday morning we hired a private car to drive us 2 hours to Lampang where we visited the elephant conservation center. The drive was very relaxing! I would suggest this over the bus, although it is a bit more money it is well worth it! At the center we took a 1 hour elephant trek through the rainforest! Funny thing is that the 2 Americans that we met at the bus station were at the center too! Once again, small world! Following the trek we sat down to watch the elephant show. Here they bathed the elephants then the elephants played instruments, built structures and then painted pictures! They even paint self portraits, it is amazing how these massive creatures can move and learn all of these skills! I would suggest the center because the elephants seem to be cared for very well and they seem happy! We also had the chance to visit the hospital and see the baby elephants! It was a great day. On Sunday I slept in a bit then we headed to the bus station to ride back to Mae Sai.

For the upcoming week, we will be teaching English at school and then helping with the orphanage a bit in the afternoon. I will be teaching grade 1. YIKES!

Keep you updated soon!

first day at the orphanage! Mae Sai

ashleynicholesmith — Mon, 5 May 2008 22:17:00 GMT

So today was the first day at the childlife mae sai orpahanage. www.childlifemaesai.org

I cant even begin to describe it! We started off by jumping in the back of the truck and rode out to the project. As we rode through the muddy roads there were roosters, dogs and cows walking next to us!! Once we arrived the children were very happy to see us. A little girl name Aga ? took a liking to me and Nicole. She ran up to me and grabbed my hands and wanted me to spin her! There was an oler girl named nam who had been living at the shelter for 5 years. She spoke great English and was very happy to learn. She would teach us Thai and we would teach her English! I still find the language very difficult to learn but I am getting a bit better I would like to think! :)

After we left the project we headed back to the main street in Mae Sai and walked through the outdoor markets then made out way up to the top of a Buddhist temple. The view was amazing! We could see for miles. Since we are on the border of Burma we got to see both Thailand and Burma at once! I have taken so many photos and will have to post them when I get home.

Nicole and I have desided that we are going to go to Chiang Mai to the Elephant Conservation project and to visit the Karen hill tribe this weekend. I cannot wait! The children at our project are mainly the Acca tribe children. They are absolutely beautiful!

I will have to write more in a few days, however at the moment we are headed to dinner. Gotta love the Pud Thai!

First night in Bangkok

ashleynicholesmith — Sat, 3 May 2008 03:25:00 GMT

I arrived in Bangkok with a bit of panic since I could not find my ride but after a bit of wandering I met up with Tong. She was very sweet and seemed to speak little English. the city was dark but I was surprised at how many people were still out. The night markets were still open and lots of people were having dinner. I would love to stay in Bangkok for a couple days to experience the city...maybe next time. I wish I would have arrived a bit earlier so I could have met the other volunteers but I will just have to wait until the morning. I have a few hours to get some rest and then I am headed on an overnight bus to Mae Sai. The humidity is very intense as it is hot season and I am begining to think that I packed way too much, especially long sleeves. I am excited for the adventures to come.

The night before the big adventure!

ashleynicholesmith — Thu, 1 May 2008 10:19:00 GMT

Hi all,

I just wanted to write to not only say bye but also to test out my blog. I am starting to feel a bit of nerves but I am sure everything will be alright! I am not looking forward to the long flights ahead but I will do my best to notify you all once I arrive!

More to come,

Ashley