If you love air-conditioned lodging, luxury tour buses and your idea of a perfect trip involves navel gazing on a beach or designer mall hopping, this trip is NOT for you. This is a down-to-earth, hands-on, educational adventure in which you will work with a small community to refurbish a local school in rural Siem Reap province as well as learn about contemporary Cambodian culture, customs and present-day issues in Cambodia. This trip is ideal for travelers looking to escape the well-trodden tourist path and experience the everyday lifestyle of rural Cambodia.
Description
The adventure will begin in Siem Reap, where participants will spend the night and have their orientation to Cambodia, PEPY, and a chance to meet the rest of the team.
We will then spend the next five days in Chanleas Dai Commune, about an hour away from Siem Reap, made up of 11 villages and home to over 170 families, many of whom have children studying at one of the PEPY-supported schools in the area.
You will experience the day-to-day life of a rural Cambodian village: being sung to sleep by the chirping of the insects outside (or the sound of a local wedding party!), being woken up by a cow mooing as it wanders around your yard, rushing indoors as the rainy season’s daily downpours give a cool, refreshing break from the blistering sun, and admiring the brightness of a sky filled with a million stars, untouched by the light pollution of a big city.
Over the next few days, participants will have the chance to help renovate a school. As the time conveniently falls during summer vacation, we will not be interrupting school though many local children and their parents will likely come out to lend a hand in refurbishing their school. Activities might include touching up the paintwork in the classrooms, tiling floors, and generally making the school a nicer, brighter place to study. And, if physical labor isn’t your cup of tea, there will be plenty of other jobs to keep you busy – sorting books in PEPY’s library, making math cards, and labeling school materials are just a few examples of what might be available at the time. These are the types of little things, which are difficult to get done during the school term but will make a huge difference to both the teachers and the students in class.
The week will have a capstone community day, during which participants will have another chance to do some fun activities with local teachers and students as well as enjoying a lunch with other members of the community. This is the perfect opportunity to chat with the local residents about PEPY’s presence in the area, identify what their experience has been working with PEPY, and to reflect on the week’s adventures.
Throughout the trip, PEPY staff and tour leaders will provide insight into the work of development agencies in Cambodia, current issues facing the industry, and lessons learned about responsible tourism. The tasks accomplished this week will help improve the school’s learning environment while the fundraising portion of the trip will support on-going educational programs throughout the commune thereby extending your impact long after you leave.
Responsible Tourism
Throughout the trip, PEPY staff and tour leaders will provide insight into the work of development agencies in Cambodia, current issues, and lessons learned about responsible tourism. The required fundraising contribution will be channeled to programs visited on the tour, thus allowing participants to help to continue the work they visit far after they leave. The dollars spent within the tours themselves will also be bringing support to Cambodia since all PEPY Tours are built around locally owned restaurants and guest houses as well as groups working with and funding sustainable development programs. This translates into delicious dining and comfortable sleeping, and all for a good cause! Join us on this tour and experience Cambodia the PEPY way.
Highlights:
The fundraising component required for each of our tours provides schools with vital educational support and funds our other educational projects as well as select projects of several partner NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations).
Tour profits help cover the operating expenses of PEPY Ride, our sister NGO.
Each PEPY Tour offers a first-hand educational experience where participants learn about the work and role of local and international development agencies in Cambodia, while familiarizing themselves with issues involving contemporary Cambodia and the importance of responsible tourism.
PEPY Tours supports locally owned restaurants and guest houses as well as many other responsibly managed businesses in the tourism industry.
Trip Facts
Group Size: 8-15 people
Grade: Easy – no strenuous activity involved, any level of fitness is welcome
Accommodation: While in Chanleas Dai, participants will be staying at a (wealthy) local Cambodian home with basic shower and toilet facilities.
Transport: tuk-tuk, pick-up truck
Length: 6 days
Dates: September 21, 2009 - September 26, 2009 (evening)
Start/End Location: The tour starts and ends in Siem Reap unless the participant is continuing on to the capital on a Phnom Penh extension tour.
Additional Options: On the last day of the tour, depending on flight time arrangement, participants can visit the world-famous temples of Angkor on their own time. We'd be happy to arrange the transportation or a local guide at participants' request.
As with most PEPY tours, participants have an option to sign up for a Phnom Penh extension where you can learn more about the history and culture of Cambodia while visiting Tuol Sleung prison museum and the Killing Fields.
Pricing
Tour Price: $400
Fundraising Fee: $500
Inclusions: The trip includes all transportation while in Cambodia, accommodation, and all meals.
Exclusions: The trip does not include international flights to/from the start and end points. Visas are available upon arrival and cost $20 for most foreign nationals. Also excluded is an international airport departure tax of $25. Additionally, participants are responsible for purchasing their own international travel insurance.
Cancellation Policy: If six people have not signed up for the trip four weeks before the start date, PEPY staff may cancel the tour and any deposits will be refunded in full (This trip already has more than 6 participants, so it will not be canceled). If a participant cancels for any reason, their $200 deposit is non-refundable.
Refunds will be made for the remainder of the tour fees (excluding deposit and fundraised money) on this schedule:
