Episode 5: Travelling With A Cause
First telecast: 6 October 2007

Elephant Nature Park - Chiangmai, Thailand

Off the beaten track in Muang District of Chiangmai, elephants roam freely in a sanctuary in their natural habitat. The Elephant Nature Park, established in the 1990s aims to provide a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants.

This is where elephants are not shackled by chains, the mahouts are not allowed to use hooks and the elephants are not made to perform stunts. Tourists being able to play with the elephants in such close proximity are definitely a draw of this sanctuary. More visitors are signing up for this unconventional tour and to see the elephants in their natural environment.

Set in a natural valley, bordered by a river, and surrounded by forested mountains the area offers a timeless glimpse of rural life. The Elephant Nature Park is located at Sridom Chai Road. The park can facilitate small numbers only. For safety reasons, and to protect the elephants, the park is not open to casual visitors and all visits to our park must be pre-booked.

With the profits earned from these daily visitors to the park, the founder, Ms Lek and her volunteers are one step closer to returning these gentle giants to the wild.

Houey Hong Vocational Training Centre – Vientiane, Laos

Since 1998, hundreds of Laotian women have taken to share the beauty of their culture at the Houey Hong Vocational Centre. The centre is situated at Muang Chanthaburi in the capital city of Laos, Vientiane. It is located some 300 metres off the Dong Dok Road in an area of some 5,000 square metres.

The Houey Hong Centre empowers under privileged women with silk and cotton weaving skills which they can use for extra earnings. The effort engineered by local volunteers revives and preserves traditional weaving and natural dyeing methods.

Houey Hong is best known for the elaborate method of ikat weaving. Silk threads are first tie-dyed with colours from natural sources. It is then woven with a foot loom in free-style. The weaver follows no blueprint but works instead from memory and imagination.

Visitors curious about the art of weaving are warmly welcomed in the centre. A few hours or a full day in front of the traditional loom will yield a hand-woven mini masterpiece.

In 2002 trainees from the Centre won sixth prize in an ASEAN Skills Competition. The Centre includes a small shop where textiles and other crafts are on sale.

Dwarika’s Hotel Wood Workshop – Kathmandu, Nepal

Nestled majestically within the Kathmandu valley; stood Dwarika's Hotel which was conferred as a world heritage site. At every corner of the hotel you can feel the spirit of the past echoes within its courtyard where elegant crafted antique woodwork stood still in time. Dwarika's Hotel is single handedly trying to revive the dying art of turning old wood into furniture pieces and art decor.

In 1952, the owner, the late Dwarika Shrestha Shrestha's philosophy of conservation and preservation is cast in brass plaques in the hotel's conservation room. The man and his family devoted their lives to lovingly preserve Nepal's history, architecture, culture and the art. It all started when the late Mr Dwarika chanced upon carpenters using ancient wood carvings for firewood. He put a quick stop to it, exchanged fresh wood for the antiques and opened a workshop with restoration in mind.

Today craftsmen carry on his legacy. They operate in a workshop within the hotel compound and fondly restore antiques that date as far back as the 13th century.

Dwarika's Hotel is not only a transient but also a museum where the present owner would like to share Nepalese woodwork conservation and restoration with the world.

Yak Cheese – Geza, Shangri-La, China
The Geza Township in Shangri-la County has some 334,000 acres of green pastures and 14,000 yaks.  Situated 3000 metres above sea level, the air in this scenic place is exceptionally clear.  Most of the herdsmen rely on yaks for a livelihood, using yak milk to produce butter and milk dregs.

But transporting fresh milk in this far-flung place is difficult.  So yak milk has to be processed before shipping out. A non-profit organization engaged specialists to teach the herdsmen how to make yak cheese instead to help them break out of poverty.

In 2004, the China Exploration and Research Society introduced the University of Wisconsin cheese manufacture technology into the local production process. The aim is to raise the quality and quantity of the local products.

Ventures in Development, an NGO or VID started a specialty shop selling cheese to the market. The result is encouraging for the new venture. Many tourists are game to try the unique yak cheese. VID hopes that this project can serve as an example for other herdsmen to follow and to establish their own cheese factories. At the same time, give a boost to the local tourism industry.

Marine Sanctuary Eco-Tourism – Cebu, Philippines

In the ever popular tourist attraction of Cebu, Philippines with its crystal blue waters, a group of volunteers is combining a diving holiday with doing their bit for the environment in a marine sanctuary.

Almost every month, a combined group of local citizens, domestic and foreign tourists gather at the Shangri-la Mactan Hotel grounds. They take part in a campaign spearheaded by the hotel, which aims to clean up the marine sanctuary in front of the resort.

Beyond educating their guests, the hotel is inviting them to actually get involved in preserving the sanctuary. That’s why this group of holiday-makers has taken it upon themselves to dive into the waters and get rid of the trash that has accumulated there over the years.

Sirubari Village Home stay – Syangja District, Nepal

Sirubari Village in Syangja district of Annapurna region is home to a totally unspoiled Gurung settlement. This sleepy village rise 1700m above sea level. It takes a rocky 3 hour on a 4-wheel drive round winding hills and jagged mountains to reach the village from Kathmandu.

The trail to the village is steep but this does not deter intrepid tourist that traveled 200km west of the capital to stay with the Nepali villagers and learn about their daily routines and culture.

Accommodation is simple but comfortable with good bedding and clean toilet facilities. Local Nepali meals are served and you will be eating as one of the family.

It is the first village of its kind in Nepal to introduce home stays since this tourism plan was started in 1996. Whatever little these locals earn from hosting tourists which is about 2,500 Nepalese rupees or US$40 goes into Sirubari’s community development like the installation of the underground sewage system or new village facilities.

Each night there will be entertainment provided by the community. This will be in the form of traditional Gurung and Nepali dancing and singing.

More than 10,000 tourists have visited the village to experience the Nepalese way of life and this has become the main source of income for the community.