Cathy said:

‘Thank you so much, we had such a wonderful day. Rosa and co were open and warming, the children played so well right from the beginning (don't you just love kids !!!!). We had a look around the orphanage and had a meal then we all went off to the beach which was just great. I'm going to keep supporting them as much as I can, they were all so happy it was so lovely to see’.

posted by Andaman Discoveries @ 11:22 AM | Permalink | 4 Comments

The 5-minute walk from the pier to the school led through a muddy road with some deep puddles accumulated from the constant torrential downpours typical for this time of year. Upon their arrival, the School Director T-Saw welcomed the tourists.

The kids were all in their tiny classrooms, some without a teacher. As the main purpose of the visit was to help with the preparation of the kids’ lunch, some of the Veg Voyagers went straight to work in the makeshift kitchen/dining room, helped by the Burmese ladies.A chopping and peeling frenzy ensued and soon the appetising aroma of the garlic and spices was wafting through the air.

The Veg Voyagers were all gathered to hear what Karen from AD had to tell them about the Learning Center, and to answer their questions regarding the funding and upkeep of the school. Some of the group made donations and enquired about setting up direct debit as they were touched by the plight of the little Burmese kids. After some emotional and heartfelt hugs and goodbyes, we were all on our way back to Kuraburi.

posted by Andaman Discoveries @ 11:22 AM | Permalink | 1 Comments

Hi everyone I’m Nia Donovan and I have been with Andaman Discoveries for just over 2 months now and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Having completed my degree in Tourism Management at Oxford Brookes University in England I have always felt genuine passion for travel and community-led tourism. As an adventure seeker I started traveling quite young and so far have been fortunate enough to have lived and traveled in the UK, USA, Spain, Brazil and Thailand among others. My aim is to roam the planet in a responsible way, soaking up different cultures, tasting different flavors, exploring paths less trodden and where possible giving something back to the communities I visit. I came to Thailand for the first time in 2010 as an exchange student and after spending 6 months living, studying and travelling in this beautiful country I knew I will come back one day. While studying at Mahidon University in Bangkok I came to learn about Andaman Discoveries and was immediately fascinated and inspired by the work they do and decided that I really want to “become part of the story”.

Working closely with Karen I have the rare chance to get a glimpse of how a small organization such as AD can make a big difference and every day spent in the office or out in the field provides me with a new learning experience. Although my responsibilities are primarily centered around the management of client bookings and volunteer coordinating so far I have had the chance to write stories for the blog and newsletter, update the social media sites, wrote a case study which will be featured in a Tourism textbook, visited projects and worked on new program development. I am also using my past experience gained in the tourism sector to try and improve systems and process in the AD office. I am truly grateful for having this wonderful opportunity and look forward to the next 4 months as part of the AD team.

posted by Andaman Discoveries @ 3:13 PM | Permalink | 3 Comments