Students at our school are presented with a challenge each year to research, plan, organize and then carry out an independent low-cost trip based on the JTS’s action and service requirements. The challenge is known as Project Week…but actually is Fun Week.

For our project, three of my classmates and I had to plan a trip to somewhere in the region to help the less fortunate. Our budget for the trip was set at NZ $500 each and we had to plan everything ourselves, from our airline tickets and visas to accommodation.

After researching the organizations we could help, we decided on Nehemiah House, a shelter for girls who have been sexually or physically abused, in Malaybalay, Philippines. We went on our six-day visit last January.

Nehemiah House is located on a mountain, and it took us 18 hours to get there from the airport. When we arrived, the girls were waiting outside the house to greet us. Seeing them put a huge smile on our faces. There were eleven girls, aged 9 to 23. After introductions, we played some games to break the ice, and we also shared our plans to make over their rooms (the girls had told us they wanted their rooms re-decorated).

When our school described the trip before we left New Zealand, they said it would be a “life-changing experience.” At first I was doubtful, but now I completely agree. I left Nehemiah House with a totally different understanding of what it means to help the less fortunate. My trip made me realize that just donating money is not enough to ease the pain and loneliness of those in need; they also need a friend who can make them smile and give them hope. And love u all.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry observe a ten-day vegetarian or vegan diet for spiritual cleansing and merit-making.

Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines, temples and aesthetic displays, such as walking barefoot over hot coals, ascending ladders with bladed rungs, and piercing the skin with swords are performed by entranced devotees. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who observe the rite.

One of the most picturesque festivals in Thailand, Loy Krathong takes place each November on the full moon. The country is illuminated under a night sky as thousands of candlelit “boats” or kratongs are gently launched into Thailand’s waterways. The idea is to put all your misfortunes in the boat and allow them to float away. In Phuket, major hotels usually host a special evening so that guests can take part.

Another spectacular event is Phuket‘s Gay Festival at the end of March. Patong Beach comes alive with sequined, feathered, glittery participants, dancing, parading, and partying in the streets and on the beach. The festival has become one of the biggest tourist happenings on the island and its international reputation grows yearly.

Celebrated on 13 April, the Songkran Festival is the traditional Thai New Year event, when families and friends gather together to visit temples, sprinkle water in reverence on Buddha images, and on each others’ hands for good luck.

In recent years, the tradition of sprinkling water has become an excuse for water fights, and it is not uncommon to have buckets of water thrown at you by merry­makers. II you’re in a tourist area like Patong on the day, leave behind anything you don’t want soaked when you go out.

Attracting over five million visitors a year, Phuket, off the southern tip of Thailand, is the nation’s most popular beach destination for its balance of tourist amenities and authentic Thai experiences. These sites, shops and restaurants are not to be missed.

Shopping

You might associate shopping in Phuket with flea markets, which is what you’ll find in Patong, but this island offers much more than knock-off handbags and souvenirs. Fine art, furniture, clothing, jewelers and antiques abound. But the boutiques are scattered in unlikely, hard-to-find places, so you’ll need a driver and a plan.

Surin Plaza (5/50 Moo 3 Cherng Talay) near Surin Beach is a super- luxe three-storey mall filled with home accessories, art and clothes. Lamont, on the first floor, features stunning Chinese and Japanese antique furniture and decorative objects, but are just as pricey as they would be in Singapore. A few doors down, Lola is a fabulous girly shop filled with great resort-wear and accessories.

Dutch-owned art gallery Soul of Asia on the second floor houses some amazing work from artists such as Andy Warhol, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and a range of Asian artists at reasonable prices. Once you’ve finished shopping, grab a drink or a Thai meal at chic Silk on the third floor.

If you’re in the market for antiques and artifacts, a minute clown the road from Surin Plaza is Oriental Fine Art (106/19­20 Bangtao Beach Road), a multi-storey building filled with museum-quality pieces.

Fans of fabric giant Jim Thompson should head to Canal Village (Laguna). There are three Thompson stores at this alfresco mall, including an outlet with fantastic discounts on cushions, table accessories and more. Also in Canal, you’ll find suitable souvenirs, pashminas, sunglasses and jeweler.

Phuket City shouldn’t be a top priority, but if you’re on the island for an extended period, the Sino-Portuguese shop houses in this part of town are home to some pretty nice shops. Visit Golden Lotus, Fai Sor Kam and Oriental Origin.

On your way back, make a stop at Gems Gallery, “The World’s Largest Jeweler Store”, for an endless array of baubles. Bargaining is acceptable here, so you may just get a good deal.

You can’t go wrong with food in Thailand, and Phuket is no exception. The local cuisine and seafood is incredible at most places, but the following offer outstanding ambiance in addition.

Baan Rim Pa (100/7 Kalim Beach Road, Patong), perhaps the most well-known restaurant on the island, serves authentic Royal Thai cuisine in a beautiful cliffside setting overlooking the Andaman Sea. This fine- dining alfresco establishment is always fully booked, even in the low season, so make your reservations even before you arrive to get a coveted waterfront table.

In the same strip, Joe’s Downstairs for Western cuisine and Da Maurizio for Italian are also delicious and offer similar views.

Another waterfront favorite is Rockfish (33/6 Kamala Beach Road), serving contemporary Western cuisine and seafood alongside authentic Thai fare in a swanky two-story beach hut.

Finally, if you love fresh seafood, it doesn’t come any fresher than at Lotus (Moo 4 Cherng Talay, Laguna). Choose your live lobster, fish, prawns or crab from the tanks in front and then enjoy the feeling of sand between your toes while you wait at your table on the beach. Casual, tasty and reasonably priced.