Spring 2005/2548 - volume 3, issue 11

‘Sawasdee Krup’ from hot and sunny Thailand.

In this issue we’ll fill you in on some up and coming SA adventures, introduce you to our latest community outreach program to benefit tsunami victims, share some incredible photos, give you a Thai recipe to wow your friends with, have the chance to win something neat with our latest contest and you’ll learn about Scott and Daniel’s upcoming promotional trips to North America.

April, the hottest month of the year in Thailand has come and gone and with it the Kingdom’s biggest holiday - Songkran. Be sure to visit our ‘Songkran’ photo gallery to see how the SA team celebrated.

Thanks so much to all the fine folks who traveled Thailand with us over the past few months. You showed us a great time! Remember, there’s simply no better moment than the present to enjoy the adventure holiday you’ve been dreaming about and deserve. We operate our trips year-round, so whenever you can find the time, we’re eagerly waiting to show you the time of your life.

Visit www.smilingalbino.com in the next couple of weeks to see our revamped ‘Adventures’ section. It will feature lots of extra travel info, an outstanding series of new trips including a biking/hiking themed trip, specialized cycling adventures, a motocross adventure, an unescorted homestay to Highland Farm & Gibbon Sanctuary and a number of cozy beach packages. Get ready for more reasons to get out of the office and adventure with Smiling Albino.

Hiking the hills near Myanmar

Our innovative ‘Volunteer Adventure’ is set to take off August 5, 2005! This once-per-year, 17-day trip combines signature SA adventure excursions with many of our community outreach programs. You’ll see the ins and outs of Bangkok, visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ayutthaya, explore the kingdom’s northernmost province Chiang Rai, as well as spend time at a Bangkok orphanage, teach at an elementary school and enjoy a home-farm stay at Highland Farm Gibbon Sanctuary. Space is limited so sign on now!

It’s that time again; SA co-founders Daniel and Scott are on their way to North America for their annual promotional tour. If you would like to meet up for a beverage or host an in-home or in-office ‘Travel Thailand’ show, send us an email and we’ll make it happen. Presentations are fun, non-salesy and sure to wow your friends/co-workers. We’ll be in the following cities:

We’ve launched our latest community program to benefit kids who lost a parent during the December 24 tsunami. We’re accepting donations to create lifetime scholarships for young students, which will take care of their educational costs until the end of high school. Donators will also receive a beautiful t-shirt featuring an original painting by longtime SA friend Sa-ngiam Yarangsee. Get yours today and help some brave kids at the same time.

Sa-ngiam's t-shirt painting

Smiling Albino apprentice Lori Gray, a fourth-year Eco Tourism student at Mount Royal College in Calgary, AB, recently returned to Canada after a great tenure with SA at the Intergalactic Headquarters in Bangkok. She spent three months working with us here and did an incredible job. Lori willingly got her hands into almost everything we do and is dearly missed. More importantly she managed to make it the entire three months without getting voted off the continent at our weekly SA Team council meetings. Thank you Lori!

Cheryl-Rae Borecky, also a fourth-year Eco-Tourism student at Mount Royal College received the first annual ‘Scott Coates … Smiling Albino’ scholarship. Well done Cheryl-Rae.

The SA team joined forces with Darren and Joshua from Visua Design Group to create a brand new website for our friends at Highland Farm and Gibbon Sanctuary in northwestern Thailand. Visit their new online home at www.highland-farm.org.

This is a really nice, mild soup that can be enjoyed with plain rice and is the perfect way to round out your Thai meal. For a vegetarian version, simply substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock and triple the tofu.

• 2 tablespoons - vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup - mouse-ear mushrooms
• 1 cup - ground or minced pork
• ½ cup - soft tofu, cut into cubes
• ½ teaspoon - fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cloves - garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 cups - chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon - salt
• 1 cup - soaked mung bean noodles, cut into short lengths (glass noodles work too)
• 4 - coriander roots
• 1/3 cup - lily buds
• 2 teaspoons - fish sauce

Directions:
Pound the coriander root, garlic and pepper into a paste using a mortar and pestle (bowl and wooden spoon will work too). Then heat the oil and fry this mixture until its smell fills the kitchen. Next, add the pork and fry it on medium heat until cooked. Now, add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Finally add the other ingredients and simmer for five minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Recommended music: ‘Café Del Mar Vol. 6’.

Green tea has recently swept the nation. We even saw ‘Green Tea Flavoured Popcorn’ in northern Thailand last week - the trend has clearly gone too far.