Winner of the Award for Outstanding Performance at the 7th Thailand Tourism Awards 2008

Day 1 - Bangkok arrival transfer ( -/-/- )

Upon arrival our well experienced guide will provide you with some useful tips for exploring the city and give you ideas of what you could do on your tour.

Today you will also have a group meeting for project orientation. We will give you information about Thailand in general, cultural differences, the school, and village and discuss how your skills can benefit the community. You should prepare a copy of your passport, insurance and emergency contact numbers to give to us during the orientation.

Those who arrive later should check with the reception for our message regarding the following day’s schedule and their orientation information will be given next day.

Day 2 - Orientation tour and Thai language lessons ( B/-/- )

Today is a tour on foot. The aim is to ensure that you see as much as possible of the everyday life of Bangkok and its people and what better way to do that than to combine your walk with as many different modes of public transport as possible. Stops on the tour will normally include some interesting temples, a flower market and Little India or Chinatown.

Then spend time to learn Thai in an informal atmosphere. You will have lessons that start with simple words and conversation, just enough to get by, and then more specific words that you will need according to the project you are joining. Then go out to try it in real-life situations, such as a local market, taking your own transport and trying to bargain for things by yourself.

Day 3 - Bangkok to Angthong ( B/-/D )

Morning departure to the project. We will also take you to visit the town, so that you can locate the bus station, shopping areas, market, internet shops, post office, bank, etc. and generally find your way around. You will then come to the village where the project is located. The first day is an orientation day to get to know the village, your hosts and the local people. You will learn where to buy things, how to get around the area, how and where to spend your free time, etc.

You will be allocated to your host families, 1-2 persons per family.  All houses have a communal area where you can eat, relax and meet the members of your Thai family. Most of the houses have screened doors and windows (to protect you from mosquitoes). There are fans in the rooms and most rooms have a lockable wardrobe and drawer. Please also not that most houses have Asian-style toilets. 

All meals are included. Breakfast and dinner will be served by your host.  Feel free to join your host for some cooking experience. Lunch is either provided at the school or at your home.

Project Location:

Angthong is located 100 kms North of Bangkok. It is a small town but there are banks, a post office, shops, internet shop, etc. Only 30 kms away there is also Ayutthaya, a much larger town that has much more to offer.

Angthong rests on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River (North of Bangkok).  It is a small province that had served as an essential frontier outpost of Ayutthaya when fighting against the Burmese in former times. The province is divided into seven districts and is rich in agricultural products, interesting temples and beautiful villages.

The area you will be staying in is rural and has not been affected by tourism. The village is situated about 1 km from the town of Angthong and it’s where you will be staying in most of the days in the program.

Days 4-13, Your village experience      ( B/L/D )

You will have 10 days of teaching and joining in the village activities. During the weekend you can choose to share more activities with the children (such as joining their Thai music practice, cleaning the temple, helping to grow vegetables for the children’s consumption) or you can go out with the teacher or villagers to visit Ayutthaya and its historic ruins and the elephant village. Alternatively you can gain experience in meditation or learn some Thai cooking with the villagers.

Programme highlights include:

§   Helping the community by teaching English to the children.

§   Learning about Thailand, its people, culture, attitudes and customs.

§   Thai language lessons 

§   Joining in the village activities such as learning how to prepare Thai food, Thai dancing, giving food to the monks (“Takbart”) and playing soccer with the children, etc.

§   Learning the ways of the village, seeing its monuments and temple.

§   Visiting the Elephant Pavilion.

§   Learning from the local monks about Buddhism, how to meditate and introducing you to their way of life. 

§   Exploring the local countryside.

Day 14 - Return to Bangkok      ( B/-L/- )

After the last morning class it will be time to say farewell to your kind host, the teachers and your children friends at the school. There will be a farewell function and you will receive a certificate to show our gratitude for your kind heart. Then transfer back to Bangkok.

Day 15 - Bangkok to Ko Samet     ( B/-/- )

Travel to Ko Samet Island for beach time and relaxation.

Days 16-19, Ko Samet     ( B-/-/ )

There are many options for you to choose from, to match your interests and budget, such as a boat trip around island, banana-boat ride, island exploration, etc.

Day 20 - Ko Samet to Bangkok    ( B/-/- )

Return to arrive back in Bangkok in the late afternoon.

Day 21 - Departure transfer   ( B/-/- )

Days at leisure until time for departure transfer for your flight home. Perhaps you can spend your last day to finish your shopping in Bangkok, shoppers’ paradise.

Tips - What to prepare for being a volunteer:

To be a volunteer it is not necessary only to do language teaching - but this is the easiest activity and the most useful one. The volunteers  do not need to be officially trained in teaching English as a foreign language, but you must have genuine love of children, particularly the poor and the disadvantaged, and an interest in different cultures. What volunteers need to do is encourage the local children they met to communicate in English where possible, and enhance their listening and speaking skills through practical lessons and fun-learning activities such as games, songs and art activities (painting, drawing, crafting etc.). It is also a good idea to prepare some simple presentation about your country. Take some books, CDs, dolls, flash cards, teaching materials, maps, photos, postcards, stickers, etc. from your country and leave them as gifts.  Sometimes the villagers or the host might arrange some get-together function and this will be a good chance for the volunteers to give some simple performance that represents their country in exchange for a performance by the villagers.

Price :

Trip	Schedule	Price US$, P/P	High season		Compulsory Dinner		reservation
			Date	Price	Date	Price
	01 Oct 11 to 31 Oct 12	Adult - US$ 1,222 Child rate: 75%			•   24 Dec 11 •   31 Dec 11	38 38

Remark :

Please note the school holidays.  § Mid-end of March until mid-May § 12 – 17 April – New Year § End of September - beginning of November If you are on the programme during this time or during any examination periods you will be teaching English informally to the local village children rather than in a school/classroom environment.  Your day-to-day program will be adjusted to match with children’s schedule.

Services included in the price :

§ Accommodation: tourist-class hotel or hostel on shared dormitory basis with breakfast. Single room with private facilities is available for those books for single supplement. At the homestay is in guest rooms of the villagers’ houses. Each room has 1 or 2 beds or mattress. Each house can accommodate 1-2 volunteers. The shower and some with Asian-style toilet, is shared, not en suite. § Meals: Daily breakfast and full board at volunteer site. § Transport:  Air-conditioned/non-air-conditioned in remote areas § Misc: Orientation / Excursion with an English-speaking guide / Language training / Services of local English-speaking assistants during the transfer to the volunteer site.

	Services not included in the price:
	§ Drinks and meals not mentioned in the itinerary § Travel arrangements during your free time, weekends and holidays. § Entrance fee that not included in the program. § Email, telephone calls, personal expenses, etc

	Preferred accommodation list:
	Budget class Bangkok           Buddy Boutique Inn Project Site      Homestay or project’s guesthouse. Samed Island   Vongdeuan Resort