| Volunteering
and hilltribe village
homestay program (5 days)
Travelling with Mirror ensures that the bulk of the money you pay for the
experience ends up in the pockets of the hilltribe people you are visiting,
and not ours (Some companies will charge many 1,000s of baht, and the family
you stay with may receive as little as 20 baht per person).
Day
1
Arrive in Chiang Rai, pickup and transport to Mirror.
Day
2
Morning
Join morning meeting
Orientation about hilltribe and organization
Volunteering
Afternoon
Volunteering
Evening
Thai and hilltribe language lesson
Day
3
Morning
Cook breakfast
Explain do's and don’ts for village homestay
Receive water bottle and T-shirt gifts
Travel to Karen tribal village Baan Ruammit
Elephant ride
(If you wish, you can have a picture taken with a python (not inc. in price)
Travel to Huay Mae Sai waterfall and swim (Girls, no bikini's please - T-shirts
and shorts, to be polite)
Afternoon
Eat banana leaf lunch
See Baan Jalae hilltribe museum and traditional Lahu temple
Trek to another Lahu village (Baan Jafu)
Evening
Enjoy Lahu dance
Lahu village homestay
Day
4
Morning
Breakfast in the village
Visit the small local school
Go to fields on the mountain and collect vegetables for lunch
Afternoon
Bamboo cooking for lunch
Demonstration of making a bamboo cup
Trek to Akha tribal village (about 1hour and half)
Evening
After dinner, enjoy Akha dancing
Akha village homestay
Day
5
Morning
Breakfast in the village
Mirror car picks up at village and returns to Mirror Foundation
Volunteering
Afternoon
Volunteering
Leave Mirror for Chiang Rai
Visit Wat Pra Gaew and the local market
Eat dinner at restaurant
Evening
If applicable, accompany you to the bus station/airport for departure
Cost
7000B/person
This includes, meals, accommodation fee, pick up fee, transportation fee,
elephant ride, trekking fee for hill tribe villages, volunteering support
fee and volunteering arrangement fee
(note: dancing in the village is not included in the fee)
Services
Available in Homestay Villages
Some of the villages you visit in the Mae Yao area offer the following services
for visitors:
Handicraft
Sales
Small traditional handicraft items are sold in all the villages. The woodcraft,
weaving and other skills show the knowledge and ability of each of the tribes.
When buying the items you can have fun negotiating a good price. By purchasing
some handicraft you encourage the hilltribes to keep their handicraft skills
and be proud of them, and also you enable people to make a small income from
their village without the need for them to travel or migrate to the cities.
Traditional
Dance
Each tribe has their own traditional dances. Some of these dances were once
performed quite often, and others just at special occasions. They were a way
for the villagers to regularly get together and enjoy themselves. TV, radios,
electric lights, working in cities at night, etc have all seen a decline in
the performance of these dances. Typically the elders of each village are very
interested in continuing these traditions and passing on the knowledge of these
dances to the younger generations. By paying for a traditional dance performance
(in which you can also take part) you help promote an interest in these traditions
and through your contributions the knowledge of these dances will continue.
Typically you or your group should expect to pay 500 Baht or a little more for
one of these dance displays.
Massage
In some of the villages you may be able to purchase a massage. These massages
are not so traditional, but they are a way for the local people to make a little
bit of money from home, whilst also helping you to relax and unwind. When people
can make money from their own villages they are better able to keep aspects
of their traditional way of life and unique culture, whilst also getting some
of the benefits of modern life by having some money. Typically you should expect
to pay about 50 Baht for a 30 minute massage and 100 Baht for an hour.
Other
information
We strongly recommend that you have travel insurance before you arrive, because
we do not bear the responsibility of sickness or accidents.
We can issue a certification of volunteering/internship when you finish your
time with us.
Please bring
some shoes that are easy to put on and take off and some clothes that are polite
but casual. You will need your own towel and toiletries. And you should be ready
for some cold nights and mornings in winter. Please bring a sleeping sheet and
some insect repellent.
Please
send us your transport details in advance so we can organise collection.
We can pick you up at Chiang Rai airport from 9am to 8pm Mon-Thurs, 9am
to 5pm Fri. (If you arrive later, please organise your own accommodation
in town for the night).
We suggest volunteers arrive in Chiang Rai at the weekend, so we can pick
up on Monday morning (Many of the Mirror staff go home at the weekend for
a well-earned rest).
For more
information ,
please email mirrorartgroup@yahoo.com,
and write the subject as "Volunteering Short Program"
Mirror
Telephone Numbers
- 053-737-412
(office)
- 053-737-413
(office)
- 053-737-425
(office)
- 053-737-616
(office)
- (Thailand IDD:
+66)
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