Sawadee ka, I am Lilia, the newest member of the Andaman Discoveries team! I wanted to introduce myself, and let you know I will be bringing you the newsletter and blogging for the next few months.

A little bit about who I am, and how I got here:

Last year I decided to travel to Thailand, but I wanted to do it while also giving a little something back to the communities I was to visit. One of my main destinations early on was Southern Thailand – famous for its beautiful beaches, rainforests, islands, spicy food, and of course its hospitable people.

I did what anyone would do: I Googled it: “volunteer southern Thailand” and landed on the Andaman Discoveries website. Seeing all of the amazing programs with the orphanages, villages, and schools, I was excited to get more involved. I applied for one of their internships in July of 2010, since I had extensive experience in tourism and interactive marketing, and happened to be in the process of starting a certification program through TIES (The International Ecotourism Society) in Sustainable Tourism Management. By April of 2011 I had arrived in picturesque Kura Buri and had met the wonderful folks at this organization.

Now, one month later, I am completely enchanted by the region’s ecosystems, landscapes, sunsets, and people. I’ve visited Moken villages, national parks, beaches, islands, slept in a floating bungalow on a lake, and seen traditional tie dying – I can’t wait to see what unfolds as I spend more time here.

What’s to come?

One of my main focuses will be to engage you, our dear readers, more by bringing you stories and videos from the field to share the beauty and adventures surrounding this coast!

Please feel free to contact us and let us know what you would like to see more of, as I have come from California with my trusty HD video camera! If you haven’t done so already, please head over to our Facebook Fan Page and “like us” so we can keep you up to date on all of Andaman Discoveries’ recent happenings.

Thanks and hope to hear from you!

Lilia