tmvolunteers.org

The last two months in Thailand has absolutely flown in. It only feels like i have been here about two weeks. You are always kept busy. You can be organizing lessons for the following week, going little weekends away to various destinations close to Thai Mueang, perusing the local markets or simply sitting at the beach.

Myself and the other volunteer, Eileen. Organized a weekend away to Ao Nang. It is in the Krabi Province about two or three hours away from Thai Mueang. Getting there is very easy. You just need to speak to a Travel operator in Khok Kloi (20 min from Thai Mueang) and your transfers are done. I would recommend a website called Travelfish.com. I organized our accommodation there and it gives various choices of accommodation all over Thailand.

Once arriving you will see it is set amongst huge cliffs touring to the sky, Ideal for rock climbers.  A Golden beach laden with Longtails waiting to take you to copious islands and little hideaways. It is like any Western beach resort. From the Costa Del Sol to Cancun to Lanzarote to Bali. It has an assortment of restaurants and bars ranging from Italian, Swiss, German, Thai and Irish. The prices will vary but almost all restaurants and bars will be double what you pay in Thai Mueang. Market Stalls lining the road wanting to sell you bracelets, bags, clothes, pictures and sunglasses. It is all very nice to see but it is all the same after 10 min.

On the Saturday morning we had arranged a 4 Island Speed boat trip. It leaves from Ao Nang early. You will see Maya Bay, made famous by the world renowned film The Beach. Phi Phi Island is also on route; here it is nearly four/five times the price of Thai Mueang. You will also see Chicken Island and when you arrive at Bamboo Island its nice just to go a walk around after the long Speed boat journey. It is definitely worth a visit. There is loads to do in the area. I never done it on this trip but on a previous visit I done Kayaking, seen the world famous Thai Boxing and seen a couple of waterfalls.

Back in Thai Mueang you have a market there which is always interesting to visit. You have the Thai Fishmongers that have fish caught from the Andaman Sea that morning. Fresh fruit and vegetables which you never see at your local Tesco or Wal-Mart. Bakers selling loads of little Thai cakes. Curio stalls selling traditional Thai Jewellery and artefacts and loads of clothes stalls selling the Thai fashion and the fashion you will see back home.

In and around Thai Mueang you can go little adventures. I loved to jump on my Moped and just decide on a road and see where I ended up. Travelling through little villages amongst the Rubber and Palm Oil Tree Plantations definitely appealed to my British nature. We always love to see new and uncharted territories where the locals stare at you as if you are from outer space. Coming across a deserted beach with not a person in sight was always highlight. Sitting there with your thoughts, watching the sunset and listening to some Ben Harper, Explosions in the Sky, Ulrich Schnauss and Groove Armada on the I-pod made me realise that I needed a change in lifestyle. Thai Mueang or experiences like this is what I need.

If you come here for the beach, food, Thai culture or to get away from your nine to five. Always remember that the teaching is reason we are here. These kids do need our help and we can make a difference, however small.
It made every day here worthwhile. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Please visit tmvolunteers.org for more information about my volunteer experience.

Cheers

Dave

Friendly Bongalows - Ao Nang, Krabi

About 99% of our volunteers, the trip to Thai Mueang starts with a flight from their home country.
Unfortunately flying is not always a particularly pleasant affair. Rising oil prices and increased demand for low prices have in recent years led many airlines to cut down significantly on the service, legroom and serving on board the airplane.
Service varies considerably from airline to airline, so it is always a good idea to check before booking a flight, what kind of serving there will be on the plane. Of course on long haul flights there will be food served, but sometimes on short flights there is no serving at all, and some airlines in Europe charge you extra for bringing e.g your laptop computer as hand luggage.
Here is a list of tips you should consider before boarding an airplane.

1. Avoid corks in the ears (barotraumas).
Corks and pain in the ears can occur during take-off and landing and can be very annoying. To offset the pressure yawn, swallow, drink, chew gum or suck on a piece of candy.
Are you suffering from a cold or an allergy, blocked up noses nose make the symptoms worse, in this case a nasal spray is a good idea. If you have a cold, a nasal spray like Otrivin can be a good idea. If the blocked up nose is because of allergies, you should use a nasal spray containing glucocorticoid (for example Flixonase and Rhinocort). You should of course consult your local medical facility or your doctor before using these products.
You can also buy specially designed pressure equalizing earplugs, but I have not found any evidence on the web that proves that these work.

2. Bring water on the plane.
The atmosphere on board an aircraft is very dry, and it can be annoying – even on short flights. Bring a bottle of water on board – buy it either at the airport shops (expensive) or bring a bottle from home, just remember that today’s safety rules do not allow fluid containers which contain than 100 ml.
Avoid alcohol – no matter how short or long the flight is, alcohol should be avoided. It increases the risk of jetlag and dehydrates your body. Also if you suffer from fear of flying, alcohol can reinforce your anxiety.

3. Use the restroom at the airport.
Use the restroom at the airport before boarding the plane. Then you can stay out of the aircraft’s small toilets, and the environment is spared from the extra CO2 emissions, as a toilet visit in the high altitudes entails. If the hygiene at the airplane-toilet is not meeting your standards, you may want to use a disinfectant gel, like “Care Plus Clean”, which does not require running water to use.

4. Keeping the blood circulation going.
The longer you are sitting still, the greater becomes the risk of having a blood clot in your legs. Special flight socks can be used which help keeping the blood circulation going, and they are strongly recommended. They also reduce the risk of arriving at the destination with swollen feet and avoid that your shoes no longer fit.
Alternatively, it is good to move your feet from side to side, twisting the ankles and generally keep the blood circulation going in your legs during the entire trip.

5. Eat before departure.
It is a very good idea to eat before and after the flight, remember when you eat at high altitude; the food in your stomach expands, while at the same time your digestion is working slower. And it does not help that much “plane-food” also belongs in the fatty end of the food scale. Skipping the meal on the plane and instead eat on the ground, the body becomes somewhat less stressful.

6. Pack sensibly.
There is rarely a lot of legroom at your seat, so put your hand luggage up in the hat shelf above the seats and make sure to only have the most necessary in the seat pocket in front of you. This way you give yourself a little extra legroom and avoid accidentally trampling on your stuff if it is in front of you on the floor. You can learn more about how to best pack your luggage at onebag.com

7. Bring warm clothes.
On the longer trips – and this applies especially if you fly at night – it may get cool in the cabin. Many airlines provide pillows and blankets, but the blankets are often small and synthetic, so it is good to supplement with warm socks – like special aircraft socks as mentioned earlier, a light warm sweater and possibly a thin scarf. Choose a sweater with a little extra length to avoid it slipping up creating a cold piece of bare skin when you try to find the most comfortable sleeping position in your seat.

8. Be sure to get a good night’s sleep.
A sleeping mask and a pair of earplugs can be worth gold on the longer flights, where dimming the lights is beyond one’s control, and the other passengers are still chatting.
On longer trips, a pair of noise reducing headphones can be a very good investment – so you can listen to music without hearing the engine noise in the background while they are also good to shut out the world around you when you need to rest.

9. Pack your toilet bag with care.
On longer flights it is a good idea to bring a good moisturizer, one which can be used on both hands and face. The relative humidity in an aircraft is 20 percent lower than at ground level, and it can be hard on your skin, so use it regularly.
The air in the cabin is also hard on your eyes if you use contact lenses, so you might want to use glasses for the flight or take out your contact lenses before the flight. Remember to be aware of the safety regulations for liquids, when you pack. Max 100 ml. per container, all of your liquid bottles must be in a transparent plastic bag of maximum one liter, which must be closed.

10. Change the time.
On long flights it is a good idea to change the time on your watch to the destination time, as you will be flying across multiple time zones, and there is nothing more annoying than to spend the first week fighting jetlag.
Set yourself up mentally to the new time zone you are flying to, once you are on the plane you can adjust your eating and sleeping routines to your destination, if possible of course.
I hope that this information is useful to our future volunteers and other people who are going on a plane trip.
If you have any questions about volunteering with Thai mueang Volunteers, please go to our ‘Contact Us’ page and send us an email. Also check out the links below.

Smiles

Anders

Links to check:
Otrivin
Flixonase
Rhinocort
onebag.com
Phuket International Airport
Suvarnabhumi International Airport