EVENT REPORT: Amazing Thailand 2006

Submitted by Krista P., Age 15, Lougheed Area

Upon hearing of my acceptance to the trip “Amazing Thailand”, I was ecstatic, yet a bit apprehensive. I had never been away from my family for more than a couple of days and was a little worried about traveling half way around the world with people I’d never met before.

With finding some comfort in the sisterhood of Guiding, my parents dropped me off at the Guide house in Vancouver at 4:30 on July 30th. After we got to know each other a bit over dinner at Boston Pizza, we headed off to the airport at 11:00 pm in a limo. Our flight took off at 2:00 am on July 31st and we were set for a 12 hour plane ride.  After transferring in Taiwan we were on our way to Bangkok, Thailand. We landed at 11:00 am Thai time (14 hours ahead of Vancouver) on August 1st.

As we stepped out of the airport and got our first breath of Thai air, all of the girls were surprised by the humidity and heat. Our Bangkok hostess, Oh (short for Boontharika Thepphithak) led us to a truck to deposit our gear and we clambered into our 12 seat van. During the drive to our hostel we gazed in awe out the windows, finding pictures of the King everywhere, and noting the differences between old, run down houses and the new, contemporary buildings. Then we arrived at our hostel in the heart of Bangkok.

The next few days were busy and eventful, visiting the intricate works at the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, marveling at the vastness of the Royal Vimanmek Mansion, swimming at our pool at the hostel, shopping at the malls and taking sky trains, taxi’s, our van and chaotic buses to get to where we wanted to be. Our meals were delicious with new food and tastes that were very different from Canadian dishes. At our hostel we all slept in one large room which was great, for everyone really got to know one another and bonded over the first few days.

Before long we were at another airport to take Thai Airways from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (about an hour long flight). When we arrived at the hostel we lugged our gear up stairs to our new home-away-from-home. We then had a welcome lunch where we met with some of the Thai Girl Guides and Girl Guides from England who were also staying at the hostel for a couple of weeks.  One of our hostesses in Chiang Mai (who also accompanied us to Chiang Rai), Una, spoke fluent English so we learned a lot from her about the Thai language and culture.

That night we had a blast shopping at the night market.  Prices were very low and learning to barter was a lot of fun. We even tried using some simple Thai phrases (such as, ‘how much?’, “Tao rai ka”, and ‘that’s too expensive’, “Pairng pen noy ka”) although a lot of shopkeepers also spoke some English. Most girls came back fully loaded with shopping bags and we had a show and tell before heading off to much needed sleep. The next day we were up early and headed off to spend 7 hours tiling bathrooms and painting tiles for our service project. The day after that we went to the Mae Sa Elephant Camp and the Mae Sa Snake Farm. At the Elephant camp we were entertained by an elephant show and then an hour long ride atop the elephants through a jungle paradise.

Within a couple of days we were set for a long ride up to Chiang Rai. We stopped at a few places on the way, including a fish hatchery, orchid farm, dragon fruit farm, and visited Pat (a Girl Guide lady with Polio whose only source of income for her mother and herself is sewing the Girl Guide scarves). Through many songs (supplied by CD’s from our driver, Tommy, and our talented singing voices) and some short power naps, we finally arrived in Chiang Rai. After settling into our two rooms in our cabin some of the girls went exploring around our hostel. 

While we were in Chiang Rai we visited an Opium center, to learn about the once-popular opium trade in Thailand and also visited the Akha Hill Tribe and Princess Mother’s Mansion. We also went up to see the Golden Triangle, the river that separates Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand and did some shopping up there. 

A few days later we headed back down to Chiang Mai, visiting schools on the way where we played with the kids, teaching them some games and having them teach us some crafts. Back in Chiang Mai we visited another temple, the Chiang Mai Zoo, and an Umbrella Factory, where people made sun umbrellas and painted what we wanted on anything we wanted (bags, shirts, wallets etc). The next day was relaxing, getting manicures and pedicures while it poured rain outside and the streets started flooding.

Soon we headed back to the airport and flew back to Bangkok for a couple more days. In our last days in Thailand we went shopping at the malls, swam in the pool, shopped at a very busy Weekend Market (a huge market outside) and headed out to the Floating Market on the outskirts of Bangkok. On our last night we went for dinner at the Hard Rock Café and then took Tuk Tuk’s back to the hostel. Tuk Tuk’s are a Thai styled taxi with three wheels and 2 – 4 people can fit in the back. On our last morning we went for one final shop at the Fashion Mall near our hostel, had dinner at our favorite pizza place (the Pizza Company) and then headed out to the airport. Finally we boarded our plane and were on our way to Taiwan and then on the long homeward stretch.

This trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I’m so glad that I got to spend it with the other girls that were selected. We formed a lasting bond and shared many once-in-a-life-time experiences. The leaders were awesome and the trip was brilliantly planned. One of my lasting impressions of Thailand is the friendly atmosphere and how every Thai person we met was friendly and very accommodating. I’d like to thank the BC council and everyone who helped make this trip a success!