Travel Beauty Must-Have.

Coconut Oil. My new beauty must have regardless of whether your travelling or not, but especially handy if you are as it has so many uses. 

I suffer terribly with insect bites at home (I often end up on anti-biotics if I've had a particular bad reaction) so have been spraying deet like it's going out of fashion but unfortunately that doesn't seem to deter the gnats and Mosquitos hungry for a piece of me. It's not the bite itself, but the itching I can't handle. Thankfully now I'm staying near the coast they're not as bad but I was bitten badly whilst in the tiny mountain villages - but just a dab of pure coconut oil soon relieved that. 

Another top tip to stop itching is toothpaste. Trust me it works, it's something to do with the mint in it that cools the bite and worked a lot better than the over the counter creams I packed for insect bites. 

I purchased the Organic Coconut Oil at the Baan San-Fan children's orphanage. The product is handmade with help from the kids and all proceeds go towards caring for the children there. 

Other uses I've found for the coconut oil is aftersun, it's great for applying to sunburn. Scars, just like bio-oil coconut oil is also good for minimising scars (especially where I've been scratching my bites). As well as a great moisturiser (I'm a sucker for an oil massage) you can also use it for cooking too. Hopefully I will have some left to cook with when I return home! 

Week 2 - Children's Orphanage

Following my volunteer stint at the Elephant Sanctuary in the first week of travelling, I decided to volunteer for my second week at a Children's Orphange also set up and organised by PoD, who I can't recommend enough for their help in arranging everything. Becky and Ellie have both been great.(https://www.podvolunteer.org) 

You may have read about the Orphange and their coffee house dreams in my previous blog post. The Baan San Fan Orphange which literally translates to House Built of Dreams is located in the Phang Nga province in a village called Bang Wan and was set up after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami by a lovely couple named Sam & Gai. 

Their hospitality has been absolutely amazing, you are really welcomed and made to feel part of the family, I can't thank them enough. 

Accommodation is basic but clean. As the only volunteer par two days I pretty much had the volunteer house to myself... Well apart from a few Geckos that I can deal with but the real challenge came when I faced my second biggest fear - slugs. Somehow one had made its way in. Usually at home I would scream and cry, although I was swearing and had sweaty palms I managed to scoop it with a dustpan and get rid of it, even if it did make me feel sick. 

Coming from somewhere as busy as the Elephant Sanctuary to here I felt a bit helpless for the first day or two, looking for things to do whilst the children were at school. 

June who is 20, has been at the Orphange since she was 13 and now attends university on the weekends in Phuket, so during the week she runs the kitchen, so I couldn't even help there instead I would do the washing up after every meal. Her cooking skills are pretty good, and she even cooked less spicy food just for me! 

I got to attend the local primary school one day which was really special. I spent an hour in each class teaching reception - year 6 English. If you thought teaching was an easy job, it isn't. It has certainly put me off having children for a time too! But again it was an amazing experience that I'll probably never have the chance to do again. 

And the kids certainly seemed to love me... "Teacher, Teacher I love you". At the end of the day they all gave me drawings and cards and were hugging me so tight I literally had to peel their little arms off me. Below is how I left that day;  

On Saturday, Sam drove us all to the beach along with one of their Orphange daughters who has since grown up and left but still visits with her own two year old son. Gai told me she now has 10 grandchildren from her grown up children including a set of twins. Some have now moved far away but she still keeps in contact as much as she possibly can. 

Only five years old, the youngest at the Orphanage enjoying an ice-cream at the beach.

Out of the 12 children currently here, 7 have no family at all. I asked Gai if any of the children have contact with their birth parents at all, she said some do, but she prefers if they don't as it tends to make the children sad. In Thailand there is no child protection laws, if a child is given or brought to the orphanage the parent can come back to collect them at any time and there's nothing Sam or Gai can do about it, even if they know the parent isn't capable of caring for the child or if the child is in danger in anyway. 

That said, I have never seen happier children. Knowing some have come from difficult backgrounds you'd think there would be pyhscological effects but I didn't see any and I think that's kudos to Sam and Gai - the love and the family unit they provide. Everything they do, is for the children with a huge focus on their future. I also think it's alot to do with a simple life too - when I think of all the kids I know back home they just seem like spoilt brats compared to the Thai children. 

Running an Orphange isn't cheap. There is no such thing as free education or NHS in Thailand, plus the cost of feeding and clothing 12 children. 

After spending a week here talking to Gai and Sam these are some of the most important projects they would love to achieve soon; 

- Insurance (each child at the Orphange to have medical insurance for if they get sick) 

- Repair hole in roof (there's a small leak and hole in the roof of the girls house, situated close to the electrics they need expert help in fixing this, preferably before rainy season starts back up again) 

- Bathrooms (Plans are currently underway to build four new bathrooms attached to each house. With over 8 in some houses and one bathroom getting ready in the morning can be a struggle) 

- Coffee House (as mentioned in my previous blog. There is an out building that would make the perfect coffee shop / cafè, a place to sell their organic products. On Saturday morning, whilst we were eating breakfast two Canadian cyclists stopped as they thought we were a resturant. They were welcomed straight away for a break, breakfast and to use the toilet. So it goes to show it would work) 

- Swimming Pool (the children love to swim, and some previous volunteers began to dig a huge hole to make a pool but since then it's just been left. Sam would like to make it into a Natural Lagoon type pool rather than a tiled swimming pool) 

If you think you can help with any of these projects of would like to donate please visit; http://www.baansanfan.org

https://www.facebook.com/baansanfan?ref=ts&fref=ts

Ban Saan Fan Children's Orphanage Thailand

This week I am staying at the Bungwan children's home, Baan San-Fan orphanage which I found through Podvolunteer.org. Based in the village of Bang Wan, Pang Nga province in the south of Thailand it was one of the worst hit areas in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. 

Founders Sam and Gai visited the area to help with the devastation it caused and less than 9 months later they ended up opening the orphanage with 8 children as well as their own 3. 

There are currently 12 children housed and cared for here, they would love to take on more but money is an issue. There are hundreds of children in Phang Nga at risk from the prostitution and drug trades that blight the region. The orphanage runs on donations as well as selling products from their organic farm that the children help out with.

Speaking to Gai, you can tell how passionate she is about her orphanage. Calling everyone here her children, no one is treated differently, you are all part of the family and as the only volunteer here this week I have been lucky enough to be welcomed into the family fold with open arms. Yet she is desperately worried about the future. Sam and Gai have many plans and hopes for the orphanage but it all depends on funding. 

Their organic farm is becoming more successful, they now sell over 5000 eggs a week to two different stores, as well as organic chicken meat to markets in Bangkok. Sam has become an accomplished livestock farmer in recent years and has created a thriving business that he hopes will continue grow. The Chicken Farm is a reliable source of income which pays for the children's food, clothes and education.

They're also pretty tasty too! 

Priced at 120 Thai Baht for a dozen they're one of the best priced eggs in the country.

The orphanage also grow all their own fruit and vegetables that's mainly used for consumption here. Such as these juicy pineapples; 

However, the project I'm most excited about is the coffee shop! Sam grows his own coffee plants on the land and hopes to open his own shop. Situated on a main road, there would be lots of passing trade; it's the perfect business plan. All that's needed is the funding to make this possible. 

The coffee plant.

The proposed coffee house.

The coffee itself which is delicious!

Another source of income for the orphanage is the soaps and gifts they make, all from natural sources grown here on the farm. You can choose from Coconut Oil, Mangosteen, Coffee and Bamboo - all smell AMAZING. They also come in the cutest boxes and make the perfect gifts. There's even mini ones which they supply to hotels. 

Other products include honey, coconut oil, Christmas cards t-shirts and bags. All of which are available to purchase on their website or through Etsy. 

Everything Sam & Gai do here is to ensure the children and the orphanage have a future, something Gai is concerned about. Their eldest son is currently at university in Bangkok studying law, he helps selling their chicken and eggs in the market there and once he has graduated Gai hopes he will return to help support the orphanage. She wants someone to continue to look after and run the place long after she has gone. 

If you are interested in reading more, donating or purchasing any products please visit their website; http://www.baansanfan.org or their facebook page; 

https://www.facebook.com/baansanfan 

Week 1 - Elephant Care Project with Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand

One week in and so far so good! Actually it's been better than good, it's been amazing! Probably one of the most amazing experiences in my life that I will never do again but a story to tell for the rest of my life.

I've been volunteering at WFFT (Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand) set up in 2001 by a guy named Edwin Wiek. A huge enclosure it's home to 11 rescue Elephants and hundreds of other animals including Monkeys, Bears, Birds, Otters and even a Crocodile. However my time was dedicated to the Elephants, being up so close and personal with them makes you realise what magnificent creatures they truly are. 

Accommodation is pretty basic as I was told to expect and the work can be hard (I would advise you to get physically fit to volunteer here) but it is soooo worth it. 

I was placed in what is known as one of the VIP cabins, which is 3 to a room (only me and another lovely lady named Nicole shared for one week) with a porch over looking the lake which has some of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen. The bathroom is pretty grim but we did have hot showers unlike others. 

Pet cat is optional but we obviously encouraged it by petting and feeding it. We even named him Fred. 

A usual day would start with waking up at 6am to be ready for work at 6:30 and meet your team for the day. Each day you would be given a different Elephant and team to work with, however my favourite Elephant was Pai Lin whom I worked with on my first and last day. 

You'd then feed and compost, come back for breakfast then meet again at 9 or be given a special task such as harvest which is HARD work, especially in the heat. Harvest is when you collect all the banana trees which the elephants love to munch on. 

Working with Pai Lin in the afternoons was my favourite as that's when you got to shower and walk with her.

Pai Lin is over 60 years old, and like many of the Elephants she has been badly mistreated by humans in the past so the fact that she is so gentle and trusting around us still is pretty special.     

The majority of Elephants at the centre have either been rescued from the Tourist Trek Trade (You know when you see people come back from their holiday in Thailand and upload the photos of their elephant ride through the forest? DONT DO IT) or from street begging and logging. 

Pai Lin is also on her last set of teeth, in the wild once elephants loose all their teeth they die of starvation which is really sad. She has also lost the tip of her trunk so finds it hard to grab food so sometimes we feed smaller bits of food directly into her mouth. 

For anyone thinking about this project I cannot recommend it enough. However it is hard work (so get fit) and can be emotional. Personally I think a week was enough for me, but it has been an absolutely heart-warming, beautiful experience that I'll never forget. 

It also serves as the perfect detox/rehab. There's no wifi and only one tempremental computer but being cut off from the world and having something else to focus on is really therapeutic. (You can walk into the village which is about 10 minutes and use the wifi at the local Internet cafe). If you get the chance I would also recommend going to the Spa on your day off. It's so peaceful and the perfect way to relax, especially after a harvest day. 

Worse bits; 

- Cleaning elephant shit in the heat (which weighs a tonne if you were wondering) 

- Having no wifi connection (but my mum said it'd do me good to get back to basics) 

Best bits; 

- Working with such beautiful animals 

- Waking up to the sound of wild animals all around such as the wild gibbons (monkeys) living on the islands in the lakes. 

- Meeting new people, some of the people I met in that short week I'll never forget

- Having no internet (mentioned again because sometimes it's nice to be cut off from the outside world)

I write as I sit in Bangkok airport waiting for my flight to Phuket, looking forward to my next project at the Children's Orphanage. 

If I was worried about my decision to travel before then I shouldn't have been. I know it's only been a week but I can honestly say it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. X