Golden Triangle Service

Arrive into Chiang Rai International Airport (CEI) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Head to the hotel and settle in, relaxing after your long flight. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture before exploring the city on foot with a delicious dinner and a chance to peruse the stalls selling handicrafts at Chiang Rai’s Night Bazaar.

Head into the mountains to begin your village immersion and service project. Past projects in this region have included constructing communal water systems and tanks, repairing schools, teaching English, and planting crops. Your specific service project will depend on the needs of the villagers and time of year.

Meet the head of the village and your host families before taking a tour of the village and learning about the issues they face. Jump into your service work alongside the villagers. For lunch, enjoy delicious homecooked meals and a short siesta heat before continuing work until the late afternoon. Spend evenings playing with village children or take part in the evening pick-up soccer game. For dinner, eat together as a group and reflect on everything you’ve experienced and learned.

Say goodbye to your village hosts as you embark on your journey to the Thai border town of Mae Sai and cross the bridge into the Shan States of Myanmar. Arrive in the town of Tachilek, where you’ll have lunch and prepare for the trip into Myanmar. Set out on a scenic drive and feel the elevation steadily rise and the air get progressively cooler as you approach the Yunnan province in southern China. Stop in the village of Ba Hote, where previous Rustic Pathways students built the water system in this village and support the local school children here, who travel from eight nearby mountain villages to study at a makeshift boarding school. Meet the head of the village and share some tea at his house before hitting the road again.

By late afternoon, arrive in Kengtung, a picturesque Shan-style town. Explore Kengtung city and sample delicious Burmese cuisine. Visit Yat Taw Mu, the Standing Buddha, watch local arts and crafts being made, buy them directly from the artisans, and see Shan-style houses and colonial buildings.

Take a short journey outside of the city to an Akhi village, where you’ll visit with a local family and discover the lives of hill tribe youth and the pressures and choices that they face. Climb up the mountain to a stunning monastery with a view of the entire valley. After lunch, sit down with the local abbot to learn about the importance of Buddhism in Myanmar and the issues facing this rapidly changing country.

Your next stop is the childhood home of Chit Oo, one of our amazing full-time Burmese staff members. Meet Chit Oo’s family, who will treat you to some home-cooked gyat tha hin (chicken curry) and myin kwar uat (vegetable salad). Over dinner, hear stories about how life has changed in this area. Join your group for a mid-trip discussion where you will begin to reflect on what you’ve experienced and learned so far.

Drive across the spectacular Kengtung valley and trek into villages, stopping along the way for tea with local villagers. Visit one of only a handful of An villages left in the world. The animist An people are best known for their bead-laden dress and stained black teeth. Interview the village shaman and have tea and lunch in his house overlooking the fertile valley below. Ask your own questions and learn about the fascinating customs of these people who are still living as they have for thousands of years.

Trekking further, stop in an Akha village for more tea and visit a Lisu village and the local school that teaches students from the diverse surrounding villages. Back in Kengtung, sit down for sunset at one of the many tea shops surrounding the central lake, a favorite pastime of residents of the sleepy town. Discuss all that you have seen today while tasting the many snacks on offer, including milk tea, green tea salad, and Burmese-style French toast. At night, feast at the local Chinese restaurant, one of the best meals in Southeast Asia!

Stroll through the Kengtung market one last time for a chance to try the Burmese staple breakfast, mohinga, a delicious bowl of noodles mixed with fish, chicken, and other goodies. Hit the road back to Tachilek and Thailand, where you’ll stop again at the Ba Hote village to see Ahi Kham and Boon Mee, two students sponsored by Rustic Pathways. Make your way down to Chiang Rai city and relax with a foot massage, enjoy a Thai feast, and peruse the Chiang Rai Night Bazaar.

At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your departure as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure.