Thailand fact file
Country name: Kingdom of Thailand (formerly Siam) 
Area: 517,000 sq km
Terrain: mostly low, flat plains; mountains in the north
Population: 65 million
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22%, 15-64 years: 70%, 65 years and over: 8%
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years
Ethnic groups: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Religions: Theravada Buddhist 95%, Muslim 5%
Literacy: 93% of population
Capital: Bangkok (pop 8.5 million)
Languages: Thai
Government type: Democratic constitutional monarchy
International airports: Bangkok & Phuket
Currency : Thai Baht
Climate:
Thailand is sub tropical and has three seasons.
Location facts
The centre is located 160km south of Bangkok in the Petchaburi province. The centre is built on temple grounds which are generously donated by the local Abbot - Conservation of nature and wildlife as well as animal welfare, compassion with all living creatures is an important part of Buddhism. The local village is called Kao Look Chang and has fast internet access, shops and bars. It is a small village unaffected by tourism like many places in Thailand, so you will be able to experience authentic Thai culture and lifestyle. The centre is next to a beautiful lake, surrounded by dense forest and near some of Thailand's least visited National Parks. Cha Am is around 40 minutes away by car, it has a sandy beach, many bars, shops and restaurants. Cha Am's tourist are mostly Thais who travel from Bangkok to visit the nearest beautiful beach. Volunteers can visit the town on evenings to frequent the restaurants and bars, as well as shopping trips to the night market. Days off in the town can be spent on the beach and cheap accommodation can be found throughout the town. Hua Hin is less than an hour from the centre and is busier and livelier than Cha Am. The town has a sandy beach, nightclubs, bars, restaurants and many shops as well as cheap accommodation for overnight stays. Hua Hin is frequented by foreign tourists, and volunteers can find most of their needs catered for here.
Accomodation
A guide to local expenses
| 1000 Baht = | UK £14 US $27 Euro €21 |
| Local transport | Tuk-tuk = less than 50 Baht for short trips Taxi = Half hour fare approximately 150 to 250 Baht |
| Food |
Meal at market = Less than 60 Baht
Meal in restaurant = 200 Baht
|
| Keeping in touch | Internet cafes = 50 Baht per hour Telephone calls = approximately 6 Baht per minute to most Western countries. If you are spending a long time in Thailand then many people bring their own mobile cellular phone and purchase a sim card locally for around 200 Baht, making text messages a very affordable and versatile option for communicating. Post offices are located in Cha Am and Hua Hin.
|
| Money | You will need enough cash for your needs whilst at the centre as there are no banks or ATMs in Kao Look Chang.
ATMs can be found in Cha Am or Hua Hin.
Travellers cheques are also a good option in Thailand. Visa withdrawal and money transfer facilities can be found in Cha Am and Hua Hin.
|
| Laundry | Laundry services are available at the centre for 5 to 10 Baht per item. |
Health and safety
Emergency services - Kao Look Chang has a police station, nurse and chemist. A 15 minute drive away is a hospital capable of handling emergencies and illness. Bangkok has international standard hospitals.
Embassies - All international embassies are located in the capital of Bangkok.
Getting to the centre.
Most visitors will arrive at Bangkok airport where we will pick you up free of charge and take you directly to the centre. Most volunteers decide to acclimatise to the climate and time difference (GMT +7 hours) before heading to the centre, you can do this in Bangkok or Cha Am and we will pick you up from your hotel at a pre arranged time. To get to Cha Am you will need to go to the southern bus terminal in Bangkok and take a 3 hour bus ride to the town. There are many hotels and guest houses such as "the Cha Am perfect house" (phone 032433918) for 600 Baht per room with all facilities. Once you need picking up you can call the centre and we can send a car to get you. Not many people know where the centre is located so it will be very difficult to make your own way there by taxi although the taxi company that we use regularly will be able to help (phone 09 9195362).
Visas
A passport with at least 6 months validity is required. A 30 day tourist visa is available on arrival at Bangkok international airport. We recommend that you arrange a visa before you arrive for the duration of your stay, this is often easily done through a travel agent. You only need a tourist visa, as volunteer work does not require a business visa. It is better not to confuse immigration officers by telling them you are working, as volunteer work does not require a special visa, just state you are visiting Thailand for tourism. Once your visa expires you must leave Thailand and re-enter to get another visa.
Buddhism
The predominant religion in Thailand is Buddhism. Buddhism is a rather flexible religion which teaches that nothing is eternal and everything in the world is subject to change, only aging, sickness and death are certain and unavoidable. Buddhism has no unique creed, no single authority, no single sacred book. It focuses on the potential of the individual to obtain enlightenment or “nirvana”.
Buddhism was founded from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, born in 566BC on the Indian - Nepalese border. He was from a privileged and wealthy family but became disillusioned with his life and left home to embark upon a life of wandering on a spiritual quest. As he sat meditating under a tree he had a profound experience called Bodhi or “awakening”. He had a deep understanding of the nature of suffering, its cause and a way of stopping it. The Lord Buddha then devoted his life to teaching the way to cease suffering. By his death at the age of 80 he had a considerable following and a well organised community.
The eightfold path teaches the moral principals that all Buddhist should practice. Following this path helps a person realize that greed and selfishness cause all earthly suffering, with this understanding ones own suffering may end. Buddhism is a very peaceful religion that teaches morality, meditation and wisdom.
Conservation of nature and wildlife as well as animal welfare, compassion with all living creatures is an important part of Buddhism.
A brief history of Thailand
Founded in the thirteenth century, the Kingdom of Thailand was known until 1939 as Siam. Referred to as Siamese, the people of Thailand are now called "Thai", which itself mean 'Free', Thailand being "The Land of The Free."
If we trace the origins of the Thai we find their ancestors were a people of southern China called T'ai who slowly migrated throughout the area, some settling in what is now northern Thailand and establishing a fledgling Thai kingdom at Payao in 1096.
Spurred by the Mongol conquest of China, the northern Thai kingdoms grew in size and numbers, with Lanna Thai and Sukhothai becoming especially important. Mengrai, a tribal leader who founded Lanna Thai, " A Million Rice Fields", named his Chiang Mai city which still today serves as a bastion of traditional Thai ways.
Meanwhile sukhothai rose to pre-eminence under King Ramkhamhaeng who is thought to have invented the Thai writing system and established the basis of the Thai nation. By the 14th century the seat of power was transferred to Ayutthaya under King Ramathibodi. The Ayutthaya period was to last for some four hundred years, during which time the organization of government and a strong tradition of art and literature were firmly established. The Portuguese, who were especially influential as traders, also introduced firearm technology.
Ayutthaya finally fell to the Burmese in 1569. The young Prince Naresuan taken by the invaders, returned to defeat his formers captors and to rebuild and expand the kingdom of Ayutthaya.
Sadly Ayutthaya, then rich in culture and with a strong economy, fell for the second time to the rapacious Burmese who, in 1767, burned the city to the ground, and took thousands of prisoners as slave labour. Their reign was however, short-lived. Under the inspired leadership of General Phya Taksin, The Thais once again drove out the Burmese and re-established the capital at Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river. Taksin's mental health ultimately deteriorated, and when he was finally put to death, his successor, King Rama I, founded his new capital on the opposite bank of the river in 1782 at a small trading centre called "Krung Thep". In Thai the words mean "City of Angel" and refers to what is generally today, called Bangkok. The derivation of the word "Bangkok" gets a little tricky here. It stems from the transliteration district where Krung Thep was situated, "Ban-gog" or "Bang-magog" - a place full of olive trees.
Earlier, from 1809 to 1851, during the reigns of Rama II and Rama III, Bangkok developed rapidly with the whole country benefiting from the opening up of international trade.
King Mongkut, Rama IV, who reigned from 1851-1868, initiated the modernization of state institutions and dialogue with Western nations. His successor King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, expanded the process and maintained Thailand's independence. His reign, from 1869-1910, is considered by many to have been one of the most important in recent Thai history.
King Vajiravudh, Rama VI who succeeded King Chulalongkorn and reigned from 1910-1925, continued the reform process with the introduction of compulsory education. He also aligned Thailand with the allies in World War Two. His successor, King Prajadhipok, Rama VII,1925-1935, was to be the last of the absolute monarchs.
After a bloodless revolution in 1932 which changed the system to a constitutional monarchy, King Prajadhipok, abdicated and lived for six years in exile in England. On his death, his nephew, King Ananda ascended to the throne. When the young King Ananda died in tragic circumstances in 1946, he was succeeded by his brother, Thailand's much loved present day monarch, His majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. His majesty is the longest reining monarch in the world today.
Further resources
Travel books such as lonely planet or the rough guide give great advise about travelling in Thailand.
"Mai pen rai means never mind" by Carol Hollinger. The author was a housewife, mother and teacher, and her book is a humorous, often hilarious account of her experience in all those roles during her stay in Thailand, where her husband was stationed in the US foreign service.
"Phra Farang: An English Monk in Thailand" - Peter Robinson had tried to find meaning in his businesses, his material possessions and his relationships but nothing made him feel complete. At the relatively late age of forty, Peter went on a package holiday to Thailand and there, unexpectedly, became fascinated by the feeling of tranquil purpose he found in even the most humble working monasteries. On his return to England he became determined to find out more, and this journey of discovery led to him to his ordination as a Buddhist monk five years later. At his ordination he was given the chaya or religious name of Phra Peter Pannapadipo - light, or lamp, of wisdom. But it was after the ceremony took place that the real metamorphosis occurred. With gentle humour and compassion Phra Peter Paddapadipo writes of his transition from agnostic Westerner to Buddhist monk and the rewards and pitfalls for the Westerner who chooses to follow this path.