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Formerly known as Siam, Thailand is a country rich in culture and natural beauty. Blessed with forested mountains, fertile plains, and beaches washed by turquoise waters, Thailand offers an array of spectacular landscapes. The country’s natural diversity is mirrored by its people, who comprise a mix of Thai, Mon, Khmer, Laotian, Chinese, Malay, Persian, and Indian ethnicities. Thailand has an expansive network of national parks and more visible historical evidence of past cultures than any other country in southeast Asia. Yet of all the riches Thailand has to offer, what visitors remember most from their time in the country is the friendly people.
Our program in Thailand takes you beyond the boundaries of a typical vacation on a cross-cultural journey to the hill tribes of northern Thailand and the fishing villages on the Andaman Sea. The hill tribes are threatened by environmental, economic, and social pressures to change. During your days in the north you will be interacting with the hill tribes and working with our a local non-governmental organization on community service projects such as a program to combat sexual slavery, a missing-persons locator, arts and crafts e-commerce projects, and a virtual museum. In the south you will live and work with the fishing villages along the Andaman Sea. Here the local people are still recovering from the devastating tsunami of 2004 and have developed a community-based tourism program to bring much-needed money and jobs. We will spend time replanting mangrove swamps destroyed by the tsunami. There will be plenty of time in the afternoons to visit with your hosts, go fishing, visit waterfalls, and experience the local customs, culture, art, and food. This is a very special opportunity to get to know these amazing people and contribute in a meaningful way to the rebuilding of their communities.
Before and after our village stays we will take the time to visit the ruins of Ayuthaya, the medieval capital of the Thai kingdom, and explore the bustling modern capital city of Bangkok. |
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Hill Tribes
& Andaman Sea
Program length: 14 days
Dates:
04 Nov to 17 Nov, 2008
Grade: Easy
Price: $2,395 plus airfare
Sample Itinerary (PDF)
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for Thailand! |
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Highlights!
Service project w/ Hill Tribes
Optional Hill Tribe homestay
Andaman Sea fishing village
Development project
Homestay w/ fishing village
Medieval capital of Ayuthaya
Explore Bangkok |
