Trip Itinerary

Perth, Australia
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Mae Tuen, Thailand

Travel Log

Week 1

At the end of a busy first week of exploring, cultural development, visiting our peers at Payap University in Chiang Mai and discovering how Om Koi and Mae Tuen hospitals operate, we finally started our very first clinic in a small remote village near the Myanmar boarder called Mae Toey. 

Mae Toey is inhabited by 30 families consisting of 150 people and it was wonderful to see those who turned out to visit us.  Ailments ranged from chronic back pain, heartburn to high blood pressure and diarrhoea.  The children had lots of fun with the health promotion team and enjoyed the toys and stickers which were donated to us back in Australia.  Access to the village took over an hour to travel a short distance from our base in Mae Tuen via unsealed dirt roads which can become flooded and encounter mud slides in the wet season – luckily for us we are visiting in the dry season.  Our expert drivers had to navigate round pot holes and steep inclines in which I would have been a challenge for even the most experienced of 4x4 enthusiasts.

Our first weekend is finally upon us.  The group explored the local conservation centre and visited the waterfalls.

Week 2

This week the coughs and colds that plagued Camp Murdoch in week one, finally said goodbye and we were ready for a busy week of clinics in the rural community.  We were able to help residents with coughs and colds of their own, back pain related to the work they do and indigestion due to the spicy food they eat. Although we had some more serious problems come through– A lady in respiratory distress, a gentleman with suspected kidney failure and a child with a necrotic finger were some of the cases which were referred on to the hospital in Mae Tuen.

The health promotion teams were busy teaching children why and how we wash our hands, correct tooth brushing techniques and stretching before physical exercise to children and adults alike.  They also helped many girls and young ladies by distributing the “Days for Girls” packs and answered their questions on changes to their bodies.

We have seen some of Thailand’s poorest this week, we not only hope they have benefited from our visit, but hope they understand how much they have taught us.

As we head into our final week, we are reflecting on how humbled we are to meet people who live in such basic conditions but seem to grumble about so little.  The wait time in the clinic for some may have been most of the day, but not one person complained.  Maybe we could take home some of their values and morals?