Pre Trip: Baan Peuteaw (small village 30km from Khao Lak)

Khao Lak (Thai: เขาหลัก) is a seaside resort area located 80 km north of Phuket in Takua Pa district, Phang Nga province. We will be working in Baan Peuteaw with Pastor Wasan, approximately 30km from Khao Lak.

Khao Lak was one of the areas of Thailand hardest hit by the tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Many people died including many foreign tourists. The final death toll was over 4000, with local unofficial estimates topping 10,000 due to the lack of accurate censuses and the mere fact that the Burmese population was not recognized as residents.

Our team will work at the Academy Community center teaching English and help local residents with building projects.

Pre Trip: Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (pronounced [krūŋtʰêːp máhǎːnákʰɔːn], กรุงเทพมหานคร or Krung Thep ( กรุงเทพฯ) for short. It was also ranked by "Travel and Leisure" as the best city in the world for the year 2008. The Bangkok special administrative area covers 1,568.7 km2 (606 sq mi), making it the 68th largest province in Thailand. Much of the area is considered the city of Bangkok, therefore making it one of the largest cities in the world

Current Issues:

The city has a reputation with the sex industry. Prostitution in Thailand is technically illegal, but can be found all over Bangkok in vast numbers of massage parlors, saunas, parks, and hourly hotels, serving foreign tourists as well as locals. Organized sex work in Bangkok alone involves a minimum of many thousands of workers, and possibly in the tens of thousands

Latest Violent Protests

Timeline: How the red-shirt protest developed and ended
By: BangkokPost.com, AFP
Published: 14/04/2009 at 07:44 PM

March 26: Thousands of Thaksin supporters in trademark red shirts begin rallying in Bangkok, calling on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his government to resign and allow fresh elections.
They are spurred on by Thaksin Shinawatra, who starts a series of almost nightly addresses to the crowd by telephone and video link.

March 27: Thaksin accuses Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, privy councillors Surayud Chulanond and Charnchai Likitjitta of being behind the 2006 military coup that toppled him.
March 28: Gen Surayud rejects Thaksin's claim, saying privy councillors are not involved in politics.
April 2: Red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan says a mass rally planned for April 8 is aimed at pressuring Mr Abhisit, Gen Prem and the privy councillors to resign.
April 3: Thaksin refuses an invitation by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to negotiate with the government, and calls on his supporters to come out in force for a mass rally on April 8.
April 7: Mr Abhisit's car is attacked by red-shirts in Pattaya as he heads back to Bangkok after a cabinet meeting. Thaksin's three children and ex-wife leave Thailand.

April 8: More than 30,000 red-shirts rally at Government House, their main protest site.
April 9: Taxi drivers block main roads and Victory Monument, bringing the city to a halt. Mr Abhisit vows tough action against red-shirts who break the law, but no action is taken.
April 10: Thaksin's supporters, already spread out across Bangkok, launch a separate protest in the beach resort of Pattaya, where 16 Asian leaders are to meet for a major Asean-sponsored summit, with Asean chairman Thailand as the host.
April 11: Thousands of protesters storm the venue of the summit, forcing its cancellation. A state of emergency is declared as foreign leaders are evacuated - some by helicopter from the hotel roof.
April 12: A state of emergency is declared in Bangkok and surrounding areas as new anti-government demonstrations spring up. Pattaya protest leader Arisman Pongruangrong arrested in Bangkok. About 50 protesters force their way into the Interior Ministry grounds while Mr Abhisit is inside. He escapes. Thaksin says he will lead an uprising if there is a coup.
April 13: Army cracks down on protesters in Bangkok. Two people die and 123 treated for injuries in army assaults on groups of protesters and several ugly confrontations between red shirts and local people who formed neighbourhood militias.
April 14: Thousands of demonstrators who had retreated to their main camp outside Government House agree to disperse in the face of an overwhelming military operation to close down days of protests.
Government extends the three-day Songkran holiday for two more days.

Pre Trip Research: Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai (เชียงราย) is the capital of Chiang Rai province, in Northern Thailand. The town has a population of around 62,000 and is the main commercial centre serving the Golden Triangle border region of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
Chiang Rai City is 200 kilometres northeast of Chiang Mai City, Changwat Chiang Mai; 62 kilometres south of Amphoe Mae Sai and the Myanmar border; 60 kilometres southwest of Amphoe Chiang Saen on the Mae Khong across from the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.

Who we are working with:

'Where there is not a doctor’ in the hill-tribes is headed by David Mar Naw, a qualified and experienced doctor with over 8 years training in the British medical and Indian Ayurverdic practices. He started with financial assistance from an NGO and is now reliant on donations from various volunteer groups and individuals. As well as offering expert medical advice and treating the local hill-tribes, David supports these communities by developing sanitation systems, supporting orphaned and needy individuals and raising funds for medical supplies and new school buildings.

The Projects we are working on and funding:

Building toilets ($200 USD each) and clean water supply system ($450USD) (to prevent future sickness from poor sanitation and contaminated water supplies).

We will only be working on one village, which will only make a small impact because 24 more villages need toilets and 9 more need a clean water supply system.

Some Thailand Research: Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai (เชียงใหม่) is the hub of Northern Thailand. With a population of over 170,000, it is Thailand's fifth-largest city. Located on a plain at an elevation of 316 m, surrounded by mountains and lush countryside, it is much greener and quieter than the capital, which have led many from Bangkok to settle permanently in this "Rose of the North". Also sometimes written as "Chiengmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, and is the capital of Chiang Provine . It is located some 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among some of the highest mountains in the country. The city stands on the Ping river, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya river.

We will be staying at Wat Suan Dok: a 14th century temple located just west of the old city-wall. The temple was built by the King of Lanna for a revered monk visiting from Sukhothai to spend the rains retreat. The name translates as "the field of flowers temple." There are several unique aspects to this temple. One is the temple's large ubosot (ordination hall). This is unusual not only for its size, but also that it is open on the sides instead of enclosed. The temple is also the site of Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya Buddhist University.

I will satisfy my consumer needs at the Night Bazaar. Chiang Mai has a large and famous nightly bazaar for arts, handicrafts, and counterfeit products of all descriptions. The night bazaar alone sprawls along several city blocks along sidewalks, inside buildings, and in open squares. In addition a handicraft and food market is held every Sunday evening on Rachadamnoen road (the main street in the historical center) which is then closed down for motorised traffic, attracting many local residents and tourists. It opens at about 5 PM, but many vendors open about 7 PM until 11 or so. It's not just a place to shop, but possibly Chiang Mai's largest tourist attraction, with products from Northern Thailand and neighboring countries, especially those associated with Thailand's hill tribes.

GYN McMaster TeamThailand Shirts

Before I go

Hey Everyone
I thought maybe it would be a good idea to set up a blog for the summer travels.
I will post info about the fun and adventures of the South East and you can tell me what you are up to.
Also this is a great way to update family and friends while away instead of typing out millions of emails and worrying if I forgot someone.

So to start things off I will explain this summer

I (Melissa) will be leaving for Global Youth Network (http://www.globalyouthnetwork.ca/)Team Orientation in Cambridge, ON on Friday May 1 with my interns Nadia and Mik
Our team of 7 other McMaster students will arrive on Saturday May 2 2009 to join in the orientation fun.
The 10 of us will leave Camp Shalom at 3am on Monday May 4 on a big yellow school bus and head to the Toronto airport.
Our flight to Bangkok, Thailand will depart Toronto at 655am on May 4
Arrive Dallas 925am
Depart Dallas 1010am
Arrive Tokyo 1310
Depart Tokyo 1850
Arrive Bangkok May 5 @ 2325 (Thailand time)

I will return home departing Bangkok June 1 arriving home to Toronto June 2

THEN
I will be home in Canada until July 6
On July 6 Darryl and I will be travelling back to South East Asia until August 31

You may ask Why am I flying twice?
My first trip to Thailand is with Global Youth Network, I am leading a team of 10 students to volunteer for the month.
During the month of May I will be working with different groups that I have listed below:
"Where there is not a doctor" http://wtinad.org/
Pastor Wasan in Baan Peuteaw (30 km from Khao Lak)
YWAM Thailand http://www.ywamthai.org/
MCU Buddist University Chiang Mai http://www.monkchat.net/?name=workshop

on my 2nd journey back to the South East Darryl and I are going for pure pleasure and adventure