An Amazing week at Ban Hatkhai

---

I am truly lost for words. I should have written things down on a daily basis but have been to busy & unable to get to an internet connection.
After arriving in Laos, the first port of call was Ba Na to the wild elephant viewing tower, were we all spent the night waiting........ but no Elephants, but a good 2 hour trek back to the villiage the next day. Then we left to go to our village.

Ban Hatkhai is a village of about 50 families, mainly subsistence farmers, about 3 hours from Vientiene, and 15km from the main road. It is situated within the boundary of the Pho Kaou Khuay wildlife sanctuary. Surrounded by beautiful countryside, & fabulous trekking. They have had Guides here for 4 years, but only 1 can speak a little english. Our objectives here are:

1] Teach the 14 guides english
2] Write a report to help raise funding.
3] Look at ways to develope tourism in the area to bring income into the local community.
4] Train homestay families how to look after tourists & basic English skills.

The first thing that we noticed was how eager everyone is to learn English. I guess in many respects the future of the villiage will be dependant on this. It's not an easy task, but is so rewarding. Have a look at the pictures & you will see what I mean.

The food here is very basic. Mainly sticky rice for every meal, suplemented with various fish, chillie & meat sauces, with some meat & fish + vegetables & herbs gathered locally. It's amazing to see how the local people live at one with their surroundings, and nothing goes to waste.

---

Photos

Class room
The school has 3 classrooms, but only 2 teachers. 50 pupils in total. There are no computers here.

Basket Making
The villiage women supliment their income by weaving baskets for steaming stickly rice.

The hom nam (water room)
This consists of a stand up toilet with no flush. A large urn is kept topped up with river water. A saucepan like scoop is used for flushing the toilet & for providing a refreshing cold shower! A bit of a shock to the system first thing in the morning, when temperatures can be quite cold.

Drinking water comes from the well
This is then boiled with tree bark to add an earthy taste to the water.

The villiage shop
Here you can buy luxury items such as bottled water, a can of coke & Beer Lao, a local favorate. Oh and I nearly forgot, Lao Lao (Whisky Lao), The local moonshine that usually comes in recycled Coke bottles.

Comments

[Sissy]

Wicked Shamus xxxx

[sharon Toms]

Ban Hatkhai
Looks Amazing ....what an adventure!! The wash room looks like it was the work of Aqua Domestic!! Have Fun and Take Care X

[ST100mph]

Aqua domestic
I am glad to say that the facillities far surpassed anything that Aqua domestic could ever build. At least the manual flushing mechanism was reliable! Love you always XXX

[ST100mph]

Hi Jan & Bozenka
It's good to hear from you both. I am having an amazing time as you can see. I've meet so many good people & the volunteering has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. If you ever get the opportunity to do something simmilar, go for it! I will be back into the wilderness again this afternoon, so will not be on the internet again for another week at least. Keep in touch Shaun