Kaya Responsible Travel

My first week has flown by; I am not sure where the time has gone! I have slowly settled in as everyone here is very friendly. My project coordinators, Ester and Odessa have been so helpful. I am a nutrition volunteer here in Tacloban City. To get to the feeding center which is near the town of Santa Fe, the main mode of transport involves taking a jeepney (usually you are packed on with very little space to move or see where you are going as they are designed for the petite Filipino size). I feel like a giant in comparison! Before arriving at the nutrition project, the volunteers visit Palo marke...

So its June and time has just been passing me like a flash! I booked the placement in november and already it has been 6 months since then! It feels like yesterday haha. So i booked my flights last month and my travel insurance, so they are all payed for :) I still need to raise 2000 though to actually finance the placement, should be alright though, i dont work this much for nothing hehe. I also just started an animal behaviour level 3 course which I am very excited about, it will definetely be useful when in Indonesia to be able to understand the animals a bit better :) I must say that, although i am...

This time tomorrow I will be on my way to the Philippines! I am feeling slightly nervous of course but at the same time I am getting excited. I can not wait to get away from the rubbish weather here in the UK! At the moment, It is around 31 degrees C in Tacloban City. I love the sun! I have almost finished packing, which has been a nightmare, my suitcase is bulging! Mum has had to restirct me to ensure my case is not overweight as it usually is. So I am all set to go! I have had all my vaccinations and have prepared a few nutritional activites for the children and parents when I am on...

So here we go! First entry and about 3 months late as I am already half way through my trip! Time has gone unbelievably quickly, it’s hard for me to think that i have been here for 3 months already!!! Now where to begin… Thinking back to my arrival it was just after midday when i arrived as my flight from Manila was delayed by 4 hours so i had a long wait in internal flight terminal with almost no services so by the times i arrived to my destination i was absolutely shattered, although thanks to my nocturnal lifestyle at home i had no jetlag at all which was pleasant. Walking thr...

"Same, same, but different" is a slogan printed on t-shirts sold in tourist shops all over Thailand' and it perfectly sums up the cultural differences between east and west. Whilst Tesco Lotus, Starbucks and McDonalds abound, the plastic life-size Ronald McDonald standing outside the fast-food joint in Krabi has his hands in a traditional Wai - like he's praying. On my arrival at the Surin Project (surinproject.org), Osha, one of the volunteer co-ordinators, ran through a few "no nos" for visitors to Thailand. They are: no pointing with your feet at anyone or a...

Sue the team leader meet me when i arrived in Punakaiki took me to the accomodation and gave me all the info i needed ... Volunteer accommodation -was two houses 2 bedroom in each and bunk beds , internet, wi-fi, washing mashine and also dryer!!!. Food and accommodation was included so it was  a really  good deal :)  James, the project manager meet us at the office and told us what we were doing on monday  our  first  week . James also gave us a half hour orientation about the project and safety. The first week we were Planting trees, potting , pro...

This week is going to be different..... There is only four of us and we are to help out in a Kiwi Sanctuary!!! We are the lucky ones :) to see baby Kiwis in the wild :)

I have decided to return to Thanda in March as a researcher having been involved with the photography course the first time. The Thanda project offers so much variety, with regular views of the big 5, game drives, bush walks, conservation, good photographic opportunities throughout the trip, and the potential to become involved with the community by visiting local schools and assist in teaching. The weekend trips to such places as the Drakensburg, St Lucia, and Rocktail Bay etc are well worth the money and a contrast to the experiences during the week. I have searched the web without success to find anyth...

Getting ready for Peru, all pumped up just have to get my visitor visa now!

As I type this, I'm sitting in my study at home in front of my getting-old-but-still-adequate p.c. and wondering, when I go volunteering to Thailand, do I need a laptop/notbook/ipad/ipod, or not? Part of my plan whilst volunteering was to escape all the demands of technology. Having to keep a check on my inbox, reply to texts, figure out which of the 3 remote controls for the tv turns up the volume. I imagined myself with a paper notebook, sitting on some beautiful location watching the elephants do their thing, whilst I wrote. Using a pen. Yes, it does still happen. However, my fr...