Hero Holiday

Please go to www.heroholiday.com for our current blog.

That sounds like it should be a song title... "Night Train to Bangkok."

Anyhow, We have left northern Thailand and headed south. After 14 hours on a train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok we jumped inot vans and ended up in Pattaya - a massive tourist area.

We visited a children's home where we cleaned the building, did some yard work, and most importantly, played with some really great kids!

Right now, as I type this our participants are checking out some night markets and, of course, eating. I am sitting in one of dozens of internet cafes here in Pattaya enjoying a nice cappucino.

The rest of our time here in Thailand will be spent in this area. Time is growing short and we are starting to realize this trip is almost over. It's bittersweet because we miss our friends and families, but we have fallen in love with the people of this country.

Hope the weather is good back in Canada!

Hi again everyone,

Sorry we haven't posted anything in a couple of days. We've been traveling across northern Thailand and have had limited access to internet.

We have been having a lot of fun visiting children's homes and drop-in centers. We took a group of about 50 kids to a local swimming pool where they received bathing suits, ice cream and a great meal, and where they had lots of fun being tossed into the pool.

It is amazing to be around children that have experienced such a vast amount of pain and suffering and yet can still have fun like any other child. There is still hope in their eyes. After playing with these kids it is impossible to understand how some say and act as if they do not exist. They are real. We have seen them, touched them and loved them.

Hello Canadians,

Imagine, St. Paddy's Day and not one Irish Pub in sight!

We spent the day teaching English at a school in Chiang Rai. We taught everything from sports terms (goooooooooooooal!) to how to find a hospital. The kids had a great time and we have already been invited back again. We made some great new friends and even learned a little Thai.

After class we went we to the swimming pool to cool off. It is sooo hot here in Thailand. Just thought I'd leave you with that thought (especially those of you on the East Coast, where I hear you are having a really nice snowstorm!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Thailand.

I know you've been wondering about how some of our participants did in their Rambo auditions... well, it seems that the movie was not Rambo. It was a docu-drama about an elephant who wanders into the city. Sounds pretty cool, but definitely not "Rambo" cool. But several Hero Holidayers did get to be extras in the elephant movie.

Day 3 of Hero Holiday Thailand was a day of learning about Thai Buddhism and how it is woven into the fabric of Thai culture. It is said that "to be Thai is to be Buddhist." We visited two Buddhist temples outside the city of Chiang Mai. The first was set high on a mountain and was decorated with precious metals and crowded with tourists. The second was far less crowded and relatively simple and peaceful (if you like the sound of crickets).

It wasn't all temples and tranquility. We also visited a large shopping mall where we ate lunch and, of course, had Starbucks.

Sa-wad-dee kaa & Sa-wad-dee khrab,

We have made it safely to Chiang Mai, Thailand! We arrived on Tuesday, March 13, after about 24 hours of constant travel.

Instead of going to bed when we arrived, we went into the city on a wild scavanger hunt where we had to try to learn how to barter very quickly. We had to find things from flowers to carrot peelers and do things from climbing a city gate to riding a tuk-tuk (it's kind of like a taxi... or a bicycle... or both, I guess). Everyone had a great time, and we met some really great people.

Day two consisted of mopping and dusting (and some of us even swept the lawn... yes, swept) at an amazing mansion that is being used to help give young women an alternative to dangerous occupations. They run a culinary school and help these women find jobs at local cafes and resturants.

In the evening of day two some of our participants had a great opportunity to try out as extras in the new Rambo movie which is being filmed nearby. We'll let you know if they made the cut.

The rest of our group went shopping at the night market here in Chiang Mai. Streets are lined with vendors selling everything from hand carved candle holders to Thai boxing shorts to "rolex" watches (we're not so sure they're real). I won't tell you how much these things cost because you're probably going to get something from this market, and we want you to think that gift was expensive!

For all the family members and friends that are reading this, be sure that your loved ones are safe and having an awesome time. We'll keep you posted.

Here is the direct link to the latest video incase you need it:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-6493866880143832966

If you are new to this blog, here is a link to all the videos:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22hero+holiday%22

Footage from the second week of Hero Holiday 2006 in Dominican Republic.

Dear Heroes,
Thank you to those of you who have uploaded some of your photos already, when you talk to other holiday heroes, please remind them too! If you haven't uploaded your photos yet, it is very easy to do:
1. Sign-up for flickr
2. Join the Hero Holiday photo / discussion group
3. Upload your photos
4. Click the "Organize" button in flickr and select your photos and click "send to group" to send them to our Hero Holiday group

Here is a handy link for anyone who wants to view a slideshow of the Hero Holiday photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/heroholiday/pool/show/