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Randy has lived in Thailand since 1989 and, having travelled
extensively throughout the Kingdom, would like to share his wonderful experiences of
Thailand with others.
For more than three years, Randy lived in a remote area
of northern Thailand, at Wat Thaton temple; in the town of Thaton, on the Burmese border.
A Christian, Randy taught English to Monks, novices, high school
students, the Thai Army, locals and the tourist police. He also did hill-tribe programs;
buying clothes for the children, medicines and blankets for the families.
Randy financed the building of a bamboo schoolhouse and paid a teacher
to teach Thai at the school. Randy taught the villagers how to dispose of waste properly,
keep the children and village clean and to use spoons instead of their fingers, when
eating; which was a big source of their health problems. He also provided seeds, as well
as Logan and lychee fruit trees, for planting.
This was fine until Randy left the temple; then the school stopped and
the health problems returned. The Abbot of the temple now has a school for the children at
the temple. He also has a nurse looking after the children and takes those to the clinic
that have problems.
Randy has stayed in many Thai villages and met with the village
headmen many times; learning about the culture, way of life, religion and customs; the
do's and don'ts of living in a rural Thai community.
Randy Gaudet is now retired and, with his beautiful Thai wife, still
lives in North Thailand. The couple are very active in helping orphaned children, through
their church.
Randy occasionally writes travel articles for magazines and newspapers
about travel around Asia; mostly to China's Yunnan Province, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Advice for
Visitors to Chiang Mai, Thailand:
Many guide books on Thailand only partially cover the subject of health and well-being
while travelling in the country, so I would like to give you some advice about
transportation, protocol, health, and the law.
North
Thailand Adventure:
If you don't have much time and want to go elephant riding, do a little rafting and spend
the night in a traditional hill tribe village; this is the program for you.
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