Life on farms as wwoofers, it turns out, really agrees with us. We knew that we would enjoy being outside and physically active, however we didn’t account for the people, the learning, or the animals. The daily chores, gardening, harvesting, feeding and milking provided routines and purpose. And, we also struggle to find the words to describe how valuable it has been for us to leave a legacy - like replacing fence posts, building sheds, or storing preserves.
Over the first weekend at Turtle Cove, we had the opportunity to go snorkeling with many camp mates at Nosy Tanikely- a small, close by island. Our experience snorkeling on the reef at camp was not great, so our expectations were low. As the boat slowed on our approach we actually could see the fish and the colours in the crystal blue water. It was a new world when we jumped in. Neither of us had seen fish so numerous or varied that combined with the vivid colours resulted in an adrenaline rush complete with increases in heart and respiratory rates!
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When most of us travel, we use hotels or BNBs that offer little or now interaction with others. Our Home-Stays have allowed us to enjoy life-immersion experiences in ways that we did not expect. We learned about life style culture, politics, history and religion. We are also more confident than ever that teenagers are quite the same, worldwide. Whether staying at the homes of old friends or adjusting to new routines and languages with strangers, we are so grateful for the generosity, acceptance and openness that everyone showed us.
When organizing our trip, we purposely put less structure into our time in Thailand. In March we chose to add a jungle hike to our time in Chaing Mai. The “company” had no website or other online presence, but the reviews for the guide and owner, Kalu, on trip advisor were very good. We booked an overnight trip with him on WhatsApp - very unusual. The whole thing seemed sketchy. He showed up exactly on time and we had amazing jungle hikes (except for the leeches), ate fresh meals, stayed in a remote village, rode a bamboo raft and bathed elephants! Incredible!
As part of the Forest Conservation program at Turtle Cove headlamps were on the mandatory gear list for the night hikes. We weren’t terribly excited about trudging through the jungle at night, however, we quickly learned from other volunteers that the night hikes would be a highlight. Hikes attracted many volunteers from other programs. After our first one, we knew why! We were so fortunate to be able to go out for three different hikes to see and hear life in the jungle.
