Program Itinerary
2010 Itinerary – Ricefields and Rural Laos
Day 1 (Tuesday):
Relax and prepare for a world-class trip on Singapore Airlines. Prior to your departure, you will have received your pre-departure packet, which will include your Rustic T-shirts, airline tickets, and important contact information.
Once you arrive at your international departure city, our Flight Liaison will help you get checked in to your international flight. Working with our Flight Liaison will be your Flight Leader, who will escort you all the way to Thailand! Our Flight Leaders are most often school teachers or good friends of our organization who happily fill this role for us each year. Once you’re checked in, feel free to relax and get acquainted with your new friends before boarding your flight to Thailand!
Day 2 (Wednesday):
Today is lost as you cross the international dateline. Fear not – you will get this time back on your way home.
Day 3 (Thursday):
Sawat dee and welcome to Thailand! Rustic Pathways staff will welcome you into Bangkok and fill you in on the game plan when you land. They’ll have cold drinks and a beautiful assortment of Thai food and fruit to keep you happy until your flight up to Udon Thani. In the meantime, stretch your legs and enjoy one of the world’s nicest airports for a couple hours. Soon you will be boarding another plane headed for The Ricefields Base.
Dozens of Western and Thai staff will welcome you into The Base when you arrive. Your new staff will help you find your room, or hong, and get a sense of your surroundings. Once you have had a chance to meet your new hong mates and hua naa hong, or room leader, you can grab a snack, jump in the pool, or take a long-awaited shower.
In the afternoon, you’ll have orientation, during which you’ll get a run-down of everything you need to know about life at The Base, including the basic daily schedule. You’ll have the rest of the afternoon to make yourself at home, make some new friends, play a game of pick-up soccer or Frisbee, or chill out by the pool. Welcome to life at The Ricefields Base!
Day 4 (Friday):
Days begin early in the village of Chiang Yuen, and you will likely wake up to the sound of the morning gong calling the monks to begin collecting alms throughout the village.
After a hearty buffet-style breakfast, you’ll begin the formal introduction to life at The Base. You’ll learn about how things work around here and get acquainted with the key staff members who manage this cool place. They will explain the community service projects that operate each week, and our Thai staff will help you learn the basics of the local culture. You'll also get a quick tour of The Base so you will know where to find the Internet cafe, the gym, the laundry facilities, and the neighborhood temple – located just across the street!
Lunch will be served at The Base and will introduce you to the exotic and diverse flavors of Thailand, plus a few reliable American staple foods. After lunch it will be time to dive right into your afternoon service project. Typically, you’ll get to choose from five or six different projects each morning and afternoon (twelve options total are offered each week), and they generally vary a bit day to day.
Our students really love the service projects here because of how involved they get with the surrounding communities. The projects will also give you the chance to work alongside students from across the United States as well as our Thai staff. Depending on the project you choose, you might teach English, art or music to the kids from the local primary school, work alongside local villagers in the rice fields, or help vaccinate the village dogs. Whichever project you choose, everyone will be excited to meet you and show their appreciation for your hard work. For more information about each service project, please see the bottom of this section.
Evenings at The Ricefields
Evenings at The Ricefields are full of fun. While each night will differ, there will always be supervised activities and time to relax with new friends. Learn Thai dancing, sign up for a traditional Thai massage, or sit down with the local monks and learn about Thai Buddhism. There is always plenty of buzz around The Base. If you are tired from the day’s work, you can always chill out by the pool with new friends.
Each week, there will be several evening outings built in to the schedule. These outings will include a trip to the local market, bowling night, a visit to the Udon Thani Night Bazaar, and one Hong Night Out when you can choose (with the rest of your roommates) what you’d like to do for the evening.
The days are always busy here, and students always sleep easy after a hard day’s work. Lap fun dee, na! (Have sweet dreams!)
Day 5 - 6 (Saturday - Sunday):
You will wake up in the morning and, after fueling up for the day with a hearty breakfast, head out into the villages surrounding The Base. On weekends, the entire Base will do a service project as a larger group, giving you a chance to meet staff and students you may not have had a chance to work with during the week.
Weekend service projects will vary, but you may find yourself volunteering at the local orphanage for playtime with the kids, helping Chiang Yeun farmers plant rice, or lending a hand during a community trash pick-up. You will be amazed how much a large group can accomplish in a short amount of time.
After doing service in the morning, it will be time to relax at The Base or head out on an excursion. You may choose to depart with other students to do some touring in the Udon Thani area, round up your new American and Thai friends for a game of pick-up soccer or ultimate Frisbee, or just relax by the pool and work on your tan while listening to some tunes.
Saturday night, you’ll head in to Udon Thani to try your luck at a Thai bowling alley (you’ll be impressed at how they rock it out at the lanes!) and visit the city’s largest mall.
Sunday’s excursions will include a crazy scavenger hunt that will bring you to places you’ve never imagined, silk weaving lessons, and many other surprises. Then, after a feast of delectable Thai food for dinner, you will want to rest up in preparation for the week of service ahead.
Day 7 - 9 (Monday - Wednesday):
On Monday, you will get back to working on the service projects you began on Friday. You will continue to work on some combination of the twelve projects offered at The Base for the rest of your time here.
After breakfast, you will break off into your service groups and head out into the community. While the exact schedule may vary, generally the following projects will be offered during the morning hours: Buddhist Life & Service, Swing Sets, Coloring Books and Kiddies, the Village Health Project, Welcome Homes, and Hands in the Dirt. After the morning projects, it will be time to return to The Base to fuel up on freshly cooked local cuisine and share the morning’s experiences.
After lunch you will jump right back into another service project for the afternoon. The normal afternoon service projects will be: Teaching the Children, Language Exchange, Bobbing and Floating, Orphans & Open Arms, Meals on Flip-flops, and Veterinary Assistance. At about 5:30, you will wrap up work for the day and head back to The Ricefields Base for the evening’s activities.
Tuesday Night Bonfire!
Tuesday nights are your chance to shake it out a little bit and let loose with your new friends. Weather permitting, the staff members will set up music outside and start a bonfire. You can expect to learn a few Thai dance moves from the local staff and hear some of your favorite tunes as you dance the night away around the fire.
Day 10 (Thursday):
After a week of dedicated service at The Ricefields Base, today will offer a well-deserved day off from community service projects and a chance to do some touring in the area! The activity will vary from week to week, but a popular destination is Nong Khai, a town on the Thailand-Laos border that sits on the banks of the mighty Mekong River, the heart and life of Southeast Asia. Here you can take a walk around the Smuggler’s Market in search of the perfect souvenir, enjoy a cool drink in the shade by the riverside, or watch as long-tail boats skip from shore to shore.
Then you will head to Sala Keaw Ku to explore a sculpture garden with intriguing Buddhist and Hindu influences. This statue garden is always a hit with students because it offers the perfect backdrop for great photos. Another popular event that we usually mix in to the day is the Rustic Mystery Tour, a new favorite activity at The Ricefields Base that will show you the truly unseen side of Thailand. After a full day of adventure, you will return to The Base and greet all of the newly arrived students who you will share the next week with.
Week Two – Getting into the Groove at the Base
One of the real pleasures of The Ricefields Base is settling into the groove of the laid-back lifestyle of rural Thailand. After your first week, the schedule will remain much the same, but your relationships with the Sanboon family, your fellow students, the Rustic staff, and the village of Chiang Yuen will grow stronger – you will be a part of the big family here before you know it!
The coming week will also offer the opportunity to pick a new focus project or continue to work on the projects you began last week. The same goes for the evening activities – you can try something new that you may have missed out on last week or return to your favorite Ricefields activities. Students consistently report that the ability to customize their stay here allows them to create their ideal experience – it is this flexibility that makes The Ricefields one of our most popular destinations.
Weekend Side Trips!
We’re proud to offer Weekend Side Trips for students staying at The Ricefields Base for two weeks or more. These trips offer students the chance to get off The Base and see a little more of the country. Whether you choose to join a Muay Thai camp, take a trip to Bangkok, or just hang out at The Base, your weekend will be action packed and full of fun! Please be sure to check out our four Weekend Side Trip options at http://www.rusticpathways.com/thailand/sidetrip.php.
Wednesday Night Good-bye Party!
Tonight will be your last evening at The Ricefields Base, and the Sanboon family always makes sure that each student who visits The Base receives a heartfelt farewell. Tonight, all of the Thai staff and the whole Sanboon family will line up and tie ceremonial strings on your wrists for good luck and safe travels. Students often find this tradition very heart warming, and many are blown away at the sincerity with which each of the Thais wish them the best for the future. This is also the ideal time to swap emails and say good-bye to your new friends.
Want to know more about our Ricefields Base?
The Ricefields Service Base has grown into something truly special over the past several years, and you have to see it to really get a feel for it. Please be sure to check out the VIRTUAL TOUR to learn more about this special place. http://www.rusticpathways.com/ricefields/virtualtour.htm
Day 16 (Thursday):
Today you’ll have a relaxing morning and a chance to catch up on a bit of rest before your adventure across the river. Other students joining you on the excursion to Laos will arrive in the late afternoon. Once the whole group is together, you’ll head straight to the border and cross the Friendship Bridge to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. After getting checked into the guesthouse, you will head to the banks of the Mekong for a delicious meal and sunset views over the river.
Day 17 (Friday):
In the morning you will check out Vientiane’s must-see sites, including the National Museum, many glittering temples, and a Lao replica of the Arc d’ Triumph. You will also visit the bustling Talaat Sao, or morning market, where everything from vegetables to antiques are sold.
In the early afternoon you will head north, stopping at Ngam Ngum Reservoir for a quick boat ride and views of the incredible landscape. You will then continue up the road into the mountains surrounding Vang Vieng, which will be your home for the rest of the program. After dinner at a local restaurant, you will head back to bed for a good night’s rest in preparation for tomorrow’s busy schedule.
Day 18 (Saturday):
This morning you will head through the rice fields and between the limestone mountains into the village of Na Som, where you will spend the next week doing service. The local community will be excited to meet you as you roll into town on a small tractor wagon. After meeting the people of the village and having a look around, it will be time to get your hands dirty on the service projects. You 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 19 (Sunday):
Today you will dig into the service project early in the morning. As you work alongside your new friends and members of the community, you will begin to learn a little about this village and the history of Laos. The people who live here are Hmong and practice an animist religion that is quite different from the Buddhism that most people in Laos practice. The more time you spend here in Na Som, the more you will learn about the Hmong people and their fascinating history.
As a reward for your hard work, in the late afternoon you will head back into town, grab an inner tube, and take a ride farther up the river. Once you get to the tubing put-in point, you will drift lazily down river watching the stunning scenery and waving to children as they pass. As you near town, you will paddle to the shore, pull your tube out of the water, and head into town for dinner.
Day 20 (Monday):
Today will be your third day working on the service project, and you will really begin to see all of your hard work pay off as the project nears completion. By this time, you will feel quite at home in the little village of Na Som, and the children will recognize you as you roll into town each morning on the tractor.
You may take a break from the work site today and head out into the fields to learn how to plant rice and till the land with water buffalos. Or, you may want to help the women as they weaving traditional textiles. The villagers will also be excited to practice English with you, and the group will hold a lesson in the late afternoon.
When the day’s work has come to an end, you will head back to Vang Vieng for dinner and a relaxing evening.
Day 21 (Tuesday):
In the morning you will head out for a walk through the lush landscape and eventually make your way to a series of caves. Your new friends from the village grew up in this area, and they will be your local guides through these beautiful caverns of limestone. You will probably be pretty muddy by the end of this excursion – a dip in a local spring will be the perfect way to clean up and cool off!
In the afternoon you will head back into Na Som for more rewarding work on the service project. As the evening approaches you will have another chance to sit down with the villagers and learn a little more about Hmong culture and history.
Day 22 (Wednesday):
Today will be your last morning with the village of Na Som. You will put the finishing touches on the service project, say good-bye to your new friends, and take one last look at the incredible landscape here before heading back to Vientiane in the late afternoon. Tonight you will have dinner by the Mekong River and do some final souvenir shopping.
Day 23 (Thursday):
Those students who are connecting to another program in Laos will have the day to explore more sights in the country’s capital. All other students will cross the border back to Thailand to link up with another Rustic Pathways trip or fly back to Bangkok to begin the journey home! Sabao dee, and we hope to see you again soon!
An Important Note about Schedule Changes:
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.
From Thailand to Laos and Back 
Across the Mekong
Come as a Farang Leave as a Local