Mekong delta homestay: Difference between revisions

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A homestay is whereby a host family offers a guest, a private room or space at an affordable cost for a period of time.<br>Most of the guests at homestays are international students, foreign exchange students, and internships relocations, international scholars, landed immigrants, international volunteers, gap year individuals, and cultural tourists. The main purpose of a homestay is to provide a home away from home to the guest.<br><br>Homestay costs are a fraction of the cost as opposed to hotels and hostels. Homestays are a great way to experience the culture. As a volunteer you will get a new family to live with, in that you will have host parents, host brothers, host siblings and sometimes host nephews and nieces.<br><br>In the home you will be living in you can choose the amount of work or responsibility that you want to be given in the home. You can do as much or as little as you want. The activities that are normally included are cooking, washing dishes, clothes, and cleaning. In most occasions you will have a private room to yourself, but sometimes you will share the room with another international volunteer.<br><br>Most international volunteers remember their experience in the homestay other than their visits to tourist sites. To help you with your homestay, here are a couple of tips: Gifts A homestay at first is somebody's home, although you would be paying for accommodation and food, it is still a home.<br>In the home you will find a family who are willing to give you a room and much more to what you are expecting to pay for. As a token of kindness and to help break the ice, carry a small gift to the family members. Before you leave for the [http://www.mekongrustic.com mekong delta homestay] find out how many family members are there and who you will be living with.<br><br>While you are at home, look for cheap and inexpensive gifts which can only be found in your home country. The gifts could be sweets for the kids, cheap jewelry for the girls and a bottle of alcohol or liquor for the men in the home. Try to find out what is appropriate for them.<br>Giving gifts will make you look like a generous person and they will try and accommodate you longer. We are all glad to be given gifts. Open minded As you will be living in a new home and culture there are things that are bound to be different. The meals that you will be sharing will be totally different from what you are used to.<br><br>Try to be open and eat their meals without being rude. Although do not change your beliefs, if you are a vegetarian don't eat meat or if you are Muslim don't eat pork or anything that infringes on your conscience. Be kind and appreciative to whatever is served on your plate by eating.<br>In some countries and cultures insects are regarded as part of delicacies; and in some cultures all parts of cows and pigs are eaten from the meat to their tongues. There also could be habits which could be new to you like how they take a shower or how they raise kids.<br><br>Do not judge them by their habits, but try to [http://www.business-opportunities.biz/search/?q=understand understand] their culture and you will find their ways are different but they also work. Mornings In the mornings, don't be waking up too late in the morning. Don't be the first one to wake up or the last one to wake up in the morning.<br>You don't want to be seen as lazy, by being the last one out of bed. Most of the time you would be having something to do in the morning, and you won't have to wake up too late. But on the days you have nothing to do or have some obligation in the afternoon do not wake up to late.<br><br>Wake up in time for breakfast and if possible try to help with making breakfast. Some cultures find it offensive to still be in bed when everyone has woken up. Appreciate Be thankful for everything the family decides to give you or do for you. If the [http://Data.Gov.uk/data/search?q=host%20mom host mom] wants to wash your clothes do not refuse, just accept and be very grateful.<br>When they bring for you food and any other thing be kind, gracious and make sure to thank them. Leaving When the time for your departure has come, be kind and leave for them a small gift. Get for them a small token of gratitude to appreciate the time you had spent with them.<br><br>If possible go out for lunch or dinner with them to recount the good times you had with them. Most volunteers leave the homestay and they stop communicating with the host family. They send one email and make one call and they forget the host family from there. Try and keep up to date with the host family whenever you can. This way you would have formed lifelong friendships, and the next time you go to that country you can stay with them.
Ou Svay is a little village about 11km from the Laos / Cambodian border and about 46km from Stung Treng. The village can be reached by taxi or motorbike and makes for an excellent starting point to see the Irrawaddy Dolphins.<br><br>From Oh Svay there are two routes you can explore along the river one is North and the other is South and they offer very different experiences<br><br>North to Preah Rumkel<br>Take a boat ride with the villagers to see the Anlung Cheuteal dolphin pool. One of the last pools of Irrawaddy dolphins in the [http://www.mekongrustic.com mekong delta homestay tour] there are estimated to be only about 64 currently remaining. The boat driver will switch off his engine about 100m from the dolphins as so not to disturb them. After watching the dolphins stop of at the mainland which is the start of the trek up Vouen Nhang hill. The climb up the hill takes about an hour and is gentle, passing through forest which makes excellent shade.<br><br>At the top the views become clear, enjoy the views over the Si Pan Don area in Laos and see the lower Mekong. This area is right on the Laos / Cambodian border, many people would have heard of this waterfall from Don Khone but approaching from the Cambodian side is an awesome experience, and shows the other side of the waterfall created by the water eroding the softer rock basin downstream.<br><br>Take in the views, on one side of the hill you will have views of endless forests into Cambodia while on the other side you will have views over the Mekong making its way up north through fabulous rock formations in the Mekong that stopped the French from transporting their goods within the Indochina region.<br><br>After enjoying your picnic lunch start your return trip down the hill again. Going back is easy and you can continue to Preah Rumkel an Ecotourism Site which has been setup to promote sustainable tourism. Have dinner with the local community and spend the night in one of the homestays, the generators normally go out at 9pm so you can have a good nights sleep!<br><br>South to Stung Treng<br>The following day you can return to Stung Treng via Veun Kham the Laos / Cambodian border town or continue your adventure with a kayaking trip along the Mekong from Oh Svay.<br><br>Kayaking along this stretch of the river provides a unique experience unrivalled to any other trip, the experience is not difficult and they are no real rapids but the birdlife sustained by the Flooded forest is delightful.<br><br>Starting the trip at Oh Svay kayak down river and you will soon find yourself in the shaded flooded forests of the Ramsar wetlands, the trees are huge and there roots all appear out of the water, the water here supports a large variety of fish and is oxygentated by the waterfalls upstream which supports the whole ecosystem. Listen and watch the birdlife while you float downstream. A tranquil day not to be forgotten. After kayaking through the forest you will arrive at Koh Ky where you can then [https://Www.Flickr.com/search/?q=transfer transfer] to Stung Treng by vehicle ending the day with a shower at a nice hotel or for the more adventurous enjoy camping on a sandy island or stay at a nature lodge on the Mekong.

Revision as of 07:56, 19 June 2017

Ou Svay is a little village about 11km from the Laos / Cambodian border and about 46km from Stung Treng. The village can be reached by taxi or motorbike and makes for an excellent starting point to see the Irrawaddy Dolphins.

From Oh Svay there are two routes you can explore along the river one is North and the other is South and they offer very different experiences

North to Preah Rumkel
Take a boat ride with the villagers to see the Anlung Cheuteal dolphin pool. One of the last pools of Irrawaddy dolphins in the mekong delta homestay tour there are estimated to be only about 64 currently remaining. The boat driver will switch off his engine about 100m from the dolphins as so not to disturb them. After watching the dolphins stop of at the mainland which is the start of the trek up Vouen Nhang hill. The climb up the hill takes about an hour and is gentle, passing through forest which makes excellent shade.

At the top the views become clear, enjoy the views over the Si Pan Don area in Laos and see the lower Mekong. This area is right on the Laos / Cambodian border, many people would have heard of this waterfall from Don Khone but approaching from the Cambodian side is an awesome experience, and shows the other side of the waterfall created by the water eroding the softer rock basin downstream.

Take in the views, on one side of the hill you will have views of endless forests into Cambodia while on the other side you will have views over the Mekong making its way up north through fabulous rock formations in the Mekong that stopped the French from transporting their goods within the Indochina region.

After enjoying your picnic lunch start your return trip down the hill again. Going back is easy and you can continue to Preah Rumkel an Ecotourism Site which has been setup to promote sustainable tourism. Have dinner with the local community and spend the night in one of the homestays, the generators normally go out at 9pm so you can have a good nights sleep!

South to Stung Treng
The following day you can return to Stung Treng via Veun Kham the Laos / Cambodian border town or continue your adventure with a kayaking trip along the Mekong from Oh Svay.

Kayaking along this stretch of the river provides a unique experience unrivalled to any other trip, the experience is not difficult and they are no real rapids but the birdlife sustained by the Flooded forest is delightful.

Starting the trip at Oh Svay kayak down river and you will soon find yourself in the shaded flooded forests of the Ramsar wetlands, the trees are huge and there roots all appear out of the water, the water here supports a large variety of fish and is oxygentated by the waterfalls upstream which supports the whole ecosystem. Listen and watch the birdlife while you float downstream. A tranquil day not to be forgotten. After kayaking through the forest you will arrive at Koh Ky where you can then transfer to Stung Treng by vehicle ending the day with a shower at a nice hotel or for the more adventurous enjoy camping on a sandy island or stay at a nature lodge on the Mekong.

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