Author: nburke

TLC Pagodas – Day 6 – House Build finished and Chiang Rai Here we come!

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Day 6 Chiang rai and house build
Today the sound of roosters woke us up to our last day of work in the village as we were near finishing the house that we started the two days previous. Everyone worked extremely hard to finish the community project as the group wanted the house to be handed over completely finished so that there was no need for the locals to complete the construction. As we neared the end of the construction, the group came together to show persistence and teamwork in a way we all had never seen before. As we all became tired, we created a human chain to transport concrete for the floor from one side of the workspace to the other. This was great to see as we worked efficiently and hadn’t experienced this co-operation within the group. The family expressed their deep emotion and gratitude towards the group for building their new home for their family. Even though the handing over of the house ceremony was small it was humbling to us and very meaningful to the family. The family was so overwhelmed they didn’t know what to say. They thanked us graciously and we gave our kind regards. The village people were also grateful for the donation of 5 pigs. The group contemplated buying a cow for the village, however the village community would benefit more from pigs and also feel more confident in raising them, as this community farmed corn and pigs. 

After the ceremony we left to go to the closest restaurant, which was 40 minutes from the village and ate lunch. We then continued along our trip on a four hour bus ride to Chiang Rai. We arrived at Wangcome hotel and was very thankful for the comfortable beds and warm showers. This allowed the group to understand how grateful and fortunate we are to be living in Australia and to have access to resources such as running water, beds and having a formal education. After refreshing ourselves we headed out to have dinner at the local Chiang Rai night markets. This was very pretty, although much smaller than Chiang Mai. The trees were covered in fairy lights and on the stage there was a silver temple which set a lovely atmosphere and gave us an insight into the small amount of Chiang Rai we get to see while on our journey. This night market also gave people another opportunity to hone our bargaining skills that we created in Chiang Mai. We’re looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow (for the first time yet!) and enjoying a buffet breakfast as well as continuing the trip to Chiang Khong.

-Zara C and Dante S


The family who will be residing in this house

TLC Pagodas – day 5

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The fifth day of the TLC Pagodas trip began with the screeching roosters as the sun rose above the Chang Dao village. After a breakfast consisting of not so traditional Thai food such as toast, marmalade and milo, we continued building the existing structure of the house. As the day went on, the 30 of us became exhausted and slowly we shifted our focus on playing with the local children. 
Despite language barriers, the Pagodas and the village kids were able to play together through universal games and sports such as soccer, thumb wars and tag. It has been observed that the kids of the village are given a lot of freedom due to the safety of the surrounding communities. To our advantage this has allowed us to explore and understand the culture and environment of the Chang Dao region. Seeing how happy the children are despite how little they have has made us realise how lucky we are and made us truly grateful. Simple items such as a ball can bring smiles to the underprivileged kids of the village and fulfil them with excitement for hours on end. Luckily a few of us Pagodas play soccer on the odd occasion and were able to give the locals a challenge. 

We began building at 8:30am to get the most out of the day. With a slow start, we gained momentum and powered through the construction. The Pagodas split into 3 “teams” to maximise efficiency – cement mixers, brick layers and go-fers. As the walls gained height, scaffolding was put up so that we could continue to lay bricks to the roof. Although at first it felt like a “Worksafe” ad, the unorthodox work environment proved to be effective and trustworthy. Noticing the progress of the house, and remembering the reason why we were building, gave us the motivation to continue on. Knowing that our efforts would give a family a solid home was truly inspirational. Our two guides, Hung and Mr. Chan, provided valuable experience and advice as we worked together. Certain unexpected individuals went above and beyond on what was expected of them. By the time all the tools had been dropped, it was obvious our efforts had paid off and the sense of achievement was felt heavily amongst the group. 

After a filling dinner, we got to witness and immerse ourselves in more of the traditional Thai culture. Whilst wearing their cultural clothing, the local kids and families treated us to performances including music and dancing around the campfire. After their performance, we played a game between the local people and us which resulted in someone of either culture singing a short song. We heard the children sing beautiful Thai songs, and we sang Aussie nursery rhymes, including baa baa black sheep in return. 

Now that we have experienced a proper understanding of rural Thai culture, the group has come to appreciate the importance of building a home for the people of the village. We will continue tomorrow to finish our building of the house, and must sleep early, as we heard to chickens can wake us up at a very early time.

Sarah and Heff     

  


TLC Pagodas – day 4

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This morning we checked out of our hotel at around nine o’clock, to board the bus for the village. We stopped midway at a local market and got a taste of an authentic Thai market place. Instantly we were confronted by the expansive range of the local goods, some of which were the fried maggots as well as the live eels and water beetles, this was something we would have never experienced back in Australia, let alone from aisle eight of Coles. This would really have did indulge us to an insight of what the locals see daily.
After the three hour bus ride to the village, we were greeted by the local villagers which made us feel even more passionate about building the house, and once we settled down and unpacked, we began the house build. While the first twenty minutes were chaotic and challenging, then next two and a half hours ran smoothly as we fell into a rhythm. Although the frame was set up for the walls, there was not much else – it was almost a blank canvas for us to get started on. We were motivated even more by the villagers watching through the windows of the neighbouring houses. We were fascinated by how frustrating it could be trying to get the bricks straight and aligned, even after many attempts. However the sweat and loss of energy did not make us lose sight of the end goal, which was making a house for the villagers. We were surprised by how different the village was compared to our expectations.Although the house build was a lot less complicated than what we prepared ourselves for it was still challenging. The girls were not amused by the steep walk up the hill to get to our temporary homes, while the boys’ lodge was at the bottom of the hill only a few metres away from where were dropped off. But it would be an understatement to say that the view from the top is something that cannot be beaten. The children of the village were a definite highlight, and despite the language barrier, we found communication quite easy and were still able to have loads of fun with them such as through something so simple as playing football as well as the card game Uno.

Having completed three hours of straight house building, we began to relax as we sat down for diner on tables overlooking the neighbouring mountains where the scenic view was breathtaking, especially when the sun began to set and the moon began to rise. We will continue the house build tomorrow and focus on finishing the outer walls.

Issy M and Dylan Y

TLC Pagodas – day 3

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Today was an insight into the importance of culture and presence of religion in Thailand. We started off the day by taking an hour long bus ride to the north of Chiang Mai – the Hill Tribe region. As we drove, our tour guide Hung told us his journey of how he got to where he is today, which was really eye opening and explained how everybody has a different story and and how the choices you make can impact your future. He studied 8 years at university and his aim was to “break the cycle” of his family’s somewhat difficult way of life. He gave us a good insight of what it’s like in South East Asia, compared to Austraia as it is far more difficult to educate oneself in a country with such a large divide between socio-economic circumstances.
We then traveled an hour north of Chiang Mai and met with the Hill Tribes of Thailand and were greeted with smiles and happy faces. The hill tribes of Thailand have indigenous Thai people here as well as refugees from other neighbouring countries. Their way of life was intriguing and it was fascinating to see how open they are about every aspect of their life. This demonstrated the differences between Australia and Thailand as we do not often see people sharing their homes, workplaces and interactions with their families with total strangers. It became evident that they relied on tourists or “furrung” to earn an income. A number of us interviewed a lady from the Karen Hill Tribe – adorned with golden rings around her neck – and were fascinated to find out that her favourite part about living in that area was all the tourists that visited them and their homes. Each of the hill tribes had different clothing and patterns that defined what hill tribe they were involved in. They used different colours and patterns to represent their tribes various characteristics.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

On the way back to the hotel we stopped for lunch at a local Thai restaurant. We were served traditional green curry, noodles, steamed rice and a few other traditional dishes. After lunch we travelled to the Doi Su Thep Temple which was a spectacular experience. Our tour guide Chan explained how valuable the landmark was to both the locals and foreigners and said “you haven’t seen Chaing Mai if you haven’t visited the Doi Su Thep Temple”. It was a long walk uphill, but culminated in a spectacular view of a gold covered temple, surrounded by  Buddha statues and monks distributing blessings. This whole experience enabled us to understand the importance of Buddhism in Thailand.

We returned to the hotel to freshen up and get our bargain on at the night market – the same market as yesterday although we were better prepared for the challenge and the antics we would face this time. We ate dinner in a small Thai restaurant which was conveniently close to where we were going to shop and tried Tom Yum, which is a spectacular traditional Thai dish. We enjoyed bargaining and shopping for an hour and a half and then headed back to our hotel for a good nights sleep, before we head off to the village tomorrow to start working on the house-build with the local community there

Jesse P & Caitlin P




TLC Pagodas – Day 2

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Before the sun arose over the mountain top horizon in the far distance, the Pagodas were awake and preparing for an intense, sweaty Muay Thai Boxing class. For us, it was an energetic class, but as we learnt – for the instructors and fighters a way of life. In the ring, on the mats, and by the bags – hard working fighters were training and enjoying a cool, rainy morning beating the bags and training with each other. Certainly within our own group many unexpected boxers revealed their true colours, by doing power kicks, fast punch combos, and the signature Muay Thai elbow manoeuvres.

After our exhausting Muay Thai session we came back to our hotel for a quick buffet breakfast. After breakfast we set out for our white water rafting adventure. Driving down the dirt road with beautiful elephants alongside us and under the canopy of thick green trees, we drew closer to the white waters as nervous energy passed over the group. With the humid atmosphere sticking our clothes onto us, the fast flowing water came as a relief. The further we travelled down the river the views became more extraordinary and lively, as if the environment was speaking to us. From start to finish, we disembarked the rafts and climbed the stone cut stairs to the greatest and immense view yet. There’s nothing in Australia that resembles the calm, rural Panasonic view. Later in the day we hopped in the pool for a quick, relaxing splash – a more familiar aquatic environment to our group than the rapid, rushing, rocky river.  

As the sun set and the streets cooled down, the group was introduced to the aspect of the busy rush of the night markets, the very cultural essence of Thailand. The whole experience of the markets was eye opening and lively as wooden frogs were played, cheap polos shirts were sold, and fish nibbled at the feet of a few of us. Existing prices were soon changed with competitive negotiation to more affordable items. Through bargaining a new experience was given, as bargaining is expected in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

The day was exhausting both physically in the ring and in the rapids, and mentally in the close quarter battlegrounds of the night markets. Despite the exhaustion the day was full of new experiences! Can’t wait for a more comforting and relaxing day tomorrow meeting the indigenous peoples of Northern Thailand provinces. 

Bailey E and Claudia V O