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Thailand Workcamp Story
by Dane Clapson

Mountain high

Hoping to get well off the beaten track, Dane Clapson spent two weeks living and working with hill tribe people in remote Northern Thailand.

“I wanted to do some voluntary work, love Thailand, and was after a travel experience that was off the usual tourist trail,” Dane says. So he volunteered for a work camp in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand, working on a project to support the local Akha people.

The Akha are well known for the women’s eye-catching silver headdresses and colourful traditional costume. Originating in Tibet, they have migrated to the mountains of China, Laos, Myanmar and northern Thailand.

They are subsistence farmers and prefer to live along mountain ridges at an altitude of approximately 1,000 m. Their houses are built on low stilts, with a large porch and good views over the surrounding countryside.

During the week the children come into Chiang Rai to go to school. They stay in a dormitory and return to their villages on weekends. “We were building a basketball court for the school dormitory, as well as teaching a bit of English,” Dane says. “Building the basketball court was a bit of a learning experience. I’d never done any work like that before.”

As well as learning how to mix concrete, Dane also had a good taste of the local culture. “I got great insights into the lives of people who are a minority group, with no money and few resources, yet still manage to be some of the happiest and friendliest people I’ve ever met. They’re pretty poor. There was one family surviving on only $70 a month for the youngest kids through to the grandparents.”

The accommodation was very basic. “For the first week we stayed in the dormitory and for the second week we stayed in a few different villages. It was good, because we really got to see how the villagers lived. But I wouldn’t want to live there. One village had no electricity and no running water. Everything just stops when the sun goes down,” Dane says.

And the food was, well, interesting... “Every meal was cooked for us, which was great. We had a mix of vegetables and rice - lots and lots of rice - and other Thai food. Once I unknowingly had a nibble on dog meat, which was not too good!”

“The other volunteers were from the USA, France, Germany, Japan and Holland. I was the only Aussie and the only guy. I made some friends who I travelled with afterwards. I still keep in touch, and I’m going to visit a couple of them in France.” Dane also keeps in contact with one of his Akha friends via email.

The volunteers had free time in the afternoons and on the weekend. They occupied themselves by shopping at the markets in Chiang Rai and getting to know the villagers. They also had a day trip to Myanmar, and were guests at a traditional Akha wedding complete with dancing and feasting.

“The best part of the camp was meeting people from around the world who all had similar interests, and visiting the villages in the most remote parts of Thailand,” Dane says. “Apart from eating the dog meat, I loved it all.”