gunmajet.net

Calling all Gunma JETs interested in a holiday with a difference!

My name is Laura, and as well as being an ancient fourth year in Hiroshima, this year I am volunteering as the AJET special interest group president for the PEPY,a registered NGO and non-profit tour operator in Cambodia, which was started by JETs and continues to have lots of support from the JET community. A few moths ago, I was sitting at my computer on a slow day at school when I received an e-mail from PEPY about their rural experiential tour in August. Interested in the idea of a holiday off the beaten tourist track, I visited the website and three months later found myself in the rural community of Chanleas Dai (just outside Siem Reap, Cambodia), waking up under a mosquito net to the sounds of cows and roosters, eating homemade coconut sweets for breakfast, working each day with the community to help renovate their classrooms, and taking bike rides across the flat green plains to visit educational projects in the area. I travelled by tuk-tuk, soaked up the sights of Siem Reap and the Angkor temples, and
met some fantastic people (local villagers as well as PEPY staff and fellow participants from all over the world). All this meant the trip was inspiring, educational and memorable - an experience I'd recommend to even those most slavishly devoted to their hairdryers and hot showers.

If you think this sort of trip is up your alley or if even if it isn't but you feel up to a challenge of trying out something new, check out pepytours.com - if you're still thinking about what to do with your winter vacation, sign up for PEPY's Classic Experiential Tour NOW while there are still places left!
All the best,
The PEPY AJET SIG
ajetsig@pepyride.org
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TRIP DETAILS

Date: December 27th 2009 - January 2nd 2010.

Potential Itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrive in Siem Reap, check into your hotel and then we'll
gather for our welcome dinner with a trip review and intro to Cambodia – and one another!
Day 2 - Visit the world-famous Angkor temples and share the excitement with students from one of PEPY's schools on their first ever trip to the temples
Day 3 - Adventure day! We’ll visit Banteay Srei and Beng Mealea temples after a sunrise bike ride.
Days 4-5/6 (the length of stay depends on the community project needs at a time but usually it's one night) - Experience the beauty and serenity of the daily life in rural Cambodia by traveling out to the PEPY Ride school by truck, visiting PEPY projects in the area and sleeping on the school grounds all the while learning about sustainable development and responsible tourism challenges in Cambodia.
This educational aspect of PEPY Tours is highly valued amongst our past participants and will certainly open your eyes to the daily challenges faced by the villagers and their children. It will also give you a unique chance to 'go where your money goes' and oversee the power of your contribution.
Day 6 - Free Day! Suggestions: explore the local markets, visit the Landmine Museum or Angkor National Museum, visit the flooded forests on Tonle Sap Lake.
Day 7 - After breakfast together we say our good-byes as participants get ready to return home.
For those of you interested in visiting the dynamic Phnom Penh we offer a 3-night Phnom Penh extension tour.
Cost - $750
Fundraising - $500 (this is much easier than you probably think, and there are lots of fundraising ideas on the PEPY website)

This is just a brief snapshot of what you can hope to experience - for a full itinerary, information on responsible tourism, facts and pricing, please visit http://pepytours.com/tours/pepys-classic-volunteer-tour.