In Ban Talae Nok village the soap making project ladies made us very welcome. We all got stuck in with ease to pricing and packaging the soap. Lunch was delicious — and a really enjoyable experience with the woman chopping and working right in front of us.

That evening we stayed in a local house. The evening was really enjoyable for me, even having no shared language we were able to communicate and have fun. Sitting of one of the villagers decks watching her husk a coconut with a machete virtually with her eyes closed was awe inspiring. We ate dinner in the house and spent the evening talking with the kids and singing karaoke! Have exchanged address details with the little girl so have a pen pal!

I did enjoy the experience and think that many people would really love to do home stays in Ban Talae Nok. The following day, in the afternoon we went back to the school and played with the children; football and drawing and a little English.

Laura, UK

When one is working in the village it is tempting to think, If I just gave some money to the right charity, then someone else could be paid to do this job. However, this thought is quickly banished when one realises the additional benefits that actually accrue by being there and showing the community that "strangers" are prepared to physically help in person. It is a real pleasure to meet the children in the Community Centre several times after you have seen them in the school as well. It is also a privilege to have been able to share some part of living in a Thai village. As a 70-plus guy I can vouch for the fact that, given a reasonable level of fitness, it is an activity which can bring personal satisfaction and a feeling of achievement to groups or individuals of all ages.

Dick, UK

Ive spent my life reading and watching on TV other people do these types of adventurous trips to exotic places, now Im here doing it myself, and its fantastic! A member of Andaman Discoveries staff was with me throughout my stay to ensure maximum enjoyment and engagement with locals.

Sixty-Year Old traveling with Phu Phiang "Craft and Culture" Group

Get beyond the beach; become enmeshed into the Southern Thai culture. This venture offers a chance to do more than just learn, but also to briefly live the rural Thai native life. This is the very best way to come to know and appreciate the special talents, traditions, cuisine and family and community structure and interactions of the Andaman Coast Thai people. This is also a way to give back to these communities beyond dollars, and with your own special talents and interests. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants an unforgettable, active experience that is outside the isolated Western-style resorts of Thailand.

Dayna