NA SOM SABAI DEE SERVICE - High School Summer Programs (800) 321-4353

Sabai Dee and Welcome to Laos
As the sun sets over the jutting limestone mountains and brilliant green rice fields that ring Na Som village, villagers head home after a long day in the rice fields. You stop at a crystal clear
stream to swim with friends after a satisfying day of service work. Welcome to Laos, one of the hidden jewels of Southeast Asia. People here like to say sabai sabai, or all is good, and Laos embodies and exemplifies this national slogan. This simple country is rich in beautiful landscapes and friendly people who throw open their homes and their hearts to visitors. Come join us for a fun week of Laotian life and rewarding service in the rural heart of this beautiful country.

Onward and Upward
Your trip will begin in Vientiane, Laos’ laid-back capital city. After a tour of the city’s most famous sites – which will include Wat That Luang, Pratuu Xai Gate, and the fabulous morning market – you will hop in one of our vans and head to Na Som. Winding your way north, rolling hills will give way to a mountainous landscape composed of thousand-foot-high imestone formations rising up above miles of vibrant green rice fields. The picturesque Rustic Pathways Service Base in the Hmong village of Na Som sits in the midst of this dramatic
landscape, and this place will be your home for the coming week of service and inspirational cultural immersion.

At Home with the Hmong
Ethnic minorities are common in Laos, and over 50 different tribes dot the countryside – each with its own language and traditions. The Hmong are the largest of the groups who live among the jagged, limestone peaks of the north. Rustic Pathways has adopted this village, and the kind people of this lovely
village have adopted Rustic Pathways. We now have three fulltime employees and a 40-acre Rustic Pathways Base set
alongside the stunning mountains that form the natural perimeter of this beautiful village.
Families in Na Som will happily welcome you to their village, and you will participate in several meaningful service projects centered around the village school. The school has dirt floors, roofs that leak, and walls made of woven mats. Students wear threadbare uniforms but sport bright smiles – their excitement and joyful nature is contagious. We have a long-term vision to completely rebuild this school and revolutionize the academic
opportunities for these children. Your service projects will focus on providing essential school materials and clothing for the children as well as completely rebuilding one of the old school buildings. Get ready to learn how to build walls and raise roofs as you work to improve the quality of life for the children of Na Som and change their whole learning environment. You will also work on a village health project that will impact both local students and the elderly people in your village.

A Little Rest and Relaxation
Just down the road from the Rustic Pathways Base is a crystal clear stream that flows out of a cave at the base of a majestic limestone peak. This is the perfect place to cool off on a hot afternoon – jump from the rope swings, leap from the rock platforms, and bask in the wonderfully clean and fresh waters. It’s like a paradise! While you’re here, you’ll also have the chance to learn about Hmong history, culture, and traditions,and pick up a touch of colloquial Hmong from your peers in the village. Be ready to share a little about yourself as well because the village elders and all of the local students will be eager to learn about your culture and hometown.

Questions? Email laos@rusticpathways.com

Na Som Sebaii Dii Service Itinerary

Day 1, Tuesday
Relax and prepare yourself for your adventure on world-class Singapore Airlines. Meet other students, watch on-demand movies and unwind. A Rustic Pathways Flight Leader will accompany each of our escorted group flights from Los Angeles, making sure that your journey is easy and enjoyable.

Day 2, Wednesday
Ghost Day - After flowing through different time zones and passing the International Date Line today is ‘lost’ in the ambiguity of international travel. Don’t worry - you’ll be able to pick up a free day on your flight home.

Day 3, Thursday
The morning begins as you arrive into Singapore after midnight. You’ll be greeted in Singapore by Rustic staff who will show you the way to our coach bus which will take us to Hotel 81 not far from the airport. We’ll get you checked in and you’ll be able to get some well-deserved rest until morning. You’ll get a wake-up call to come down and enjoy a nice buffet breakfast outside at the pool. Go for an early morning swim if you’d like before packing up your things and heading back to the airport for the connection to Bangkok. Arriving in Bangkok early afternoon, you’ll be greeted by many staff and program leaders who have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. From Bangkok you will fly to Udon Thani on the border of Thailand and Laos and hop into Rustic Pathways vans for the trip across the “Friendship Bridge” to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. After getting checked into our guesthouse we will head to the banks of the Mekong for a delicious meal as we watch the sunset over the giant river. It is then time for a well-earned rest.

Day 4, Friday
The morning will be spent checking out Vientiane’s must see sites including the National Museum, Temples and a Laotian replica of the Arc d’ Triumph. You will also be able to check out the bustling Talaat Sao or morning market where everything from vegetables to antiques are sold. In the early afternoon we will head north stopping at Ngam Ngum reservoir for a quick boat ride and some picture snapping of the beautiful landscape. We will then continue up the road into the mountains of Vang Vieng, which will become your home for the following days. We will settle into our accommodations and get prepared for the big day ahead.

Day 5, Saturday
This morning we will head through the rice fields and between the limestone mountains into the village of Na Som to meet the community that you will be helping. They will be excited to meet us as we roll into town on small tractor wagons. After meeting the people of the village and having a look around it is time to get our hands dirty working on our service projects. We will spend all of the daytime working in the village today and you will be ready for a big meal at the end of it as the sun sinks over the mountains.

Day 6, Sunday
Today will begin with more hard work on our service project, working side by side with your new friends. As a reward for your hard work, in the late afternoon we will head into town to load onto tuk tuks armed with big inner tubes for a ride farther up the river. Once we get to the tubing put in point we will drift lazily down river watching the stunning scenery and waving children pass by. As we near town we will paddle to the shore, pull our tubes out of the water and head into town for dinner.

Day 7, Monday
This is our third day of working on our service project and we will really begin to see all the hard work pay off. The faces we see will have become faces of friends and we will feel quite at home in the little village of Na Som. We may take a break from the work site to head out into the fields to learn how to plant rice and till the land with water buffalos. Or, you may want to lend a hand with the women weaving traditional textiles. The villagers are also excited to be able to practice English with you so we will have a lesson in the late afternoon.

Day 8, Tuesday
In the morning we will head out for a walk through the luscious landscape and eventually make our way to some local caves that our friends in the village know well. They will lead us through beautiful caverns of limestone. We will probably be pretty muddy by the end of this excursion and a dip in a local spring will feel really good! After a fun swim we will head back into Na Som for some more rewarding work on our project. As the evening approaches we will have another chance to sit down with the villagers to learn more about their culture which we have slowly been immersing ourselves in for the past days.

Day 9, Wednesday
Today we will spend our final hours in Na Som finishing up work on our project and saying our goodbyes to our new friends and the beautiful place that has been home for the past week. In the late afternoon we will head out of Vang Vieng and back to Vientiane for one more dinner on the Mekong and a last chance to do some shopping for souvenirs and gifts.

Day 10, Thursday
Those who are staying in Laos to link with another program will have a day to explore more sights in the country’s capital while the rest of the group heads back across the border to Udon Thani to link up with other Rustic Pathways trips or else to Bangkok to begin the journey home. You will have had many fascinating and exciting experiences as well as helped a community that truly appreciates it. You will surely have a lot to reflect upon as you travel onward.

Packing List: Na Som Sebai Dii Service

Passport
2 copies of passport face page
4 passport photos for visa
Camera with extra memory cards, charger and batteries
Day pack
Wallet with about $100 for airport layover and pocket money
Headlamp with extra batteries
Journal
Shorts (not too short as they can be culturally insensitive)
T-shirts or button up shirts (females should have shirts that cover their shoulders)
Rain jacket (lightweight)
Pants or skirt that cover the knees for going to temples. Lightweight is best.
Footwear: a good pair of sandals (Chacos/Tevas) and flip-flops should be enough. For those people that like to go jogging or are more comfortable in sneakers those are fine as well. Make sure that they are lightweight, breathable and that they dry easily. We will be doing a lot of walking so make sure that you have tried out your footwear before you travel.
Swimsuit
Sunglasses and hat
Laundry bag
Sleeping sack
Bug spray
Toiletries
Sunscreen
Prescription medicines
Hand Sanitizer
Photos of family and friends to show friends and locals
Small gifts for villagers: Pens, notebooks, crayons, toothbrushes etc.
Suggested Reading: “Shooting at the Moon” by Roger Arnold, “The Mekong” by Milton Osborne, “A Short History of Laos: The Land In Between” by Grant Evans and Milton Osborne

*We will be moving over a lot of land and packing as light as possible will make your trip much more enjoyable. Check in luggage should not be over 15kg or 30 pounds, overweight luggage will be assessed a fee by the airline.