We spend one afternoon on an egg-shaped island a few miles from shore (named, appropriately, Koh Kai, or Egg Island). We are, for the most part, inexperienced snorkelers, but once Mustafa has fixed the masks and tubes to our faces, the rest comes naturally; we glide across the still surface of the water, in random darting bursts like the fish below.

During our time here, we have learned a great deal about the communities. We visit fishing boats in the middle of the ocean, we indulge in the local cuisine, we harvest cashew-nuts and smash open their blackened shells with blocks of wood. In these tiny increments, we live their lives. That, in essence, is the allure of a homestay program: the interaction, the sense of inclusion.

Jarad, Tung Nang Dam village

I was the only Westerner in village and I felt a million miles away from Phuket. I was welcomed into Ban Talae Nok village and made to feel like a member of the family. It's good to know that there are still place like this left in Thailand. I wouldn't normally do a trip like this, but I'm so glad I took the plunge. It's been the best trip of my life and I'll not do a typical resort holiday again.

Linda, Ban Talae Nok