We flew at midnight from New Delhi with great anxiety and had a connecting flight from Bangkok to Chaing Mai. When we reached there we were in for a shock as we got to know that our luggage was missing. We were then driven to Doi Ithanon Resort where after having lunch we instantly dozed off. The lunch consisted of some strangely cooked stew with rice. We got our luggage back by the evening and were much relaxed by then. By dinner all the group members had arrived. Our group consisted of 7 boys and 17 girls from about every corner of the world.

The ride to the village took 3 hours on the backs of pick-up trucks. It was rugged but still enjoyable. The village was really beautiful with only 14 houses. It was inhabited by the Karen tribe. We boys got an unfinished house to us and the girls stayed in the school building. We also found company with insects which hovered over us and dogs that never left our sides ensuring we couldn’t sleep early. The roosters used to wake us up early in the morning and we felt like shooting them.

We started work by carrying water pipes on a hill towards a natural water spring 1.5 km deep into the forest. It was a difficult task as the hill was steep and path was narrow and slippery. To make it even more difficult we had to carry the pipes on our shoulders. We had our lunch in the forest itself and after that dug a path for the pipes. We also made a small dam near the spring.

In the afternoons some of us used to teach village children some basic English, painting, some English songs and give them balloons and toys to play with. The evenings after work used to be fun. We used to light a bonfire and sing songs. ‘Hare Ram Hare Ram’ was one of the most popular songs. Sometimes we also used to play cards.

Now we had to transfer cement, gravel, sand, logs of wood and rocks up the hill to the site of the tank. We made a human chain to do this task. When we had enough materials we used to mix cement, gravel and sand with water to make concrete. First we made a base for the tank and then completed two levels of tank in six days before going for mid-project break.

The mid-project break came as a delight. After a week we could again enjoy the luxury of comfortable beds and hot showers in the beautiful city of Mae Hong Son. Their night markets were very similar to the Pushkar market where they sold handicrafts. On the break we enjoyed bamboo rafting which was slow but beautiful and a ride on Thai elephants through the forests. It was a really amazing experience.

For the last part of the construction we had to stand on the scaffolding and pour concrete in the moulds to make third and forth layer of the tank, create a roof and plaster the tank from inside and outside.

After rendering the tanks and posing for group photographs we had finished the construction of the tanks and it was time for us to bid farewell to the villagers. On the last night in the village, the villagers sang and danced for us and presented all of us with beautiful hand made bags. We left the village and stayed for a night in Doi Ithanon Resort where we bid farewell to the Pakanyor staff and thanked them for letting us be a part of this project.

Now we had a week left in Thailand and the best part was that the work was over. During this period we celebrated Christmas in Chaing Mai. On the eve members from every nationality had to perform something. We Indians tried to do something funny and composed and sang a song titled ‘Diarrhea’ which was very appreciated by everyone. We also visited Golden Triangle and stayed in Chaing Mai for 3 nights.

We came to the end of the journey and there were tears in everyone’s eyes, hugging each other for the last time. Though such projects are hard and    exhausting, they leave you with a sense of accomplishment. They help you make new friends, establish global contacts and let you discover a new you!