We said goodbye to Vietnam and headed to southern Thailand. We signed up for a 10-day worldschooler eco retreat in Krabi, Thailand with NatureMind-ED, an organization “aiming at restoring connections between the human and non-human world, reigniting a spirit of discovery and adventure, cultivating respect for diversity and love for otherness, embracing the unknown as a place to grow, offering a forum for learning and learning how to learn fearlessly, unconventionally, collectively…” https://naturemind-ed.com/about/
Our host for the ten days was Pierre Echaubard. He holds a PhD in Ecology and Health from Canada and has more than ten years of experience practicing mindfulness-based activities, such as rock climbing, freediving, and mindful breathing. He is heavily involved in grassroots projects in Southern Thailand including nature awareness and outdoor leadership activities with school children, families, and individuals, community-based eco-tourism development, and sustainability consulting with a focus on ecological gardens and sustainable management plan design.
A few times a year, Pierre and his team run a worldschooling retreat at Spirit Mountain in Krabi that provides worldschoolers the opportunity to explore approaches to sustainable living and getting out in nature. We signed up with our friends, the McDougalls, and five other families. It was an action-packed and unforgettable experience.
On day 1, we jumped in with a day of rock climbing. We started with a drum circle and a safety demonstration about climbing. Henry and I climbed and tried bouldering and the slack line. We were climbing for most of the day. That evening, a shuttle took us into town. We ate Mexican food and got a SIM card.
Michael and Lucas were in Bangkok. Lucas got Invisilign. It is a big commitment for us, but necessary. They also found more pickleball. Lucas found some competition with kids his age. They joined us in Krabi for day two of the program.
We went to Khao Phanom Bencha National Park on our second day and hiked to a stunning waterfall. We got to swim in it, and Christian, one of the facilitators, led a meditation in the water. We learned about the different parts of the rainforest and saw birds, frogs, beetles, ants, and more.
When we returned to Spirit Mountain, the parents participated in a round table discussion about worldschooling. The topics included: what Worldschooling means to us, our fears, and our experiences. It is important to find a community that can relate to what we are going through. We ended the night with a delicious curry dinner. The food at Spirit Mountain is great. They have veggie and non-veggie options. After dinner, we watched a documentary called Bigger Than Us (https://biggerthanus.film/en) about young people making a difference in the world.
On day 3, we helped with a reforestation project that NatureMind-ED was doing with the local community. NatureMind-ED is working with the property owners around Spirit Mountain to plant trees in the open fields to help bring back biodiversity. We learned about the project and watched the presentation to the local officials and volunteers (it was in Thai). Then we played some team-building games (it involved talking to and hugging trees). Finally, we planted trees. The name of the first tree we plated is Lois, in honor of my step-mom.
After lunch, we swam at Klong Root, a clear water canal. The kids had fun sliding down a cement dam. Day four was an adventure day. We pushed our boundaries and got out of our comfort zone.
Lucas and I started the next morning on the slack line. I managed to get halfway across! I made it all the way across by the the end of the 10 days. Slackline is something I never thought I would be able to do.
After breakfast, we took a boat to Bat Cave. We swam at the beach and climbed into the cave. It was a challenging climb up three levels of the cave. One part was a 10-foot-tall chute we had to shimmy up. We repelled down the side of the cave from 60 feet in the air.
It was low tide when we left the island. It was difficult to get to our boat because it was all dead coral on the ocean floor, and we could not see our feet. We got a few scrapes, and Henry broke his sandal, but we made it in one piece. Half of our group had to walk through mud and barnacles to get back to shore. We were all exhausted by the end of the day.
I got up early again to practice on the slack line, and I nearly made it across. Coral restoration was the topic of day 5. We learned about coral and how it fits into the ocean’s ecosystem. We also learned
about the coral restoration efforts of Coralyfe in Thailand.
We took a boat to coral reefs that are a part of the project. We collected some data on the coral as we snorkeled. We ate lunch in a beautiful cove where the kids climbed more rocks. Lucas and Austin climbed up a tree near the cave. It was a difficult climb, and Lucas was about to give up, but Jai helped him navigate it and get to the top.
We also listened to a presentation about sharks given by Brendon Sing. He and his wife Liz founded Shark Guardian, (https://www.sharkguardian.org/), an organization dedicated to the advancement and conservation of sharks and the natural environment through conservation, education, research projects, and expeditions. We learned that sharks have been around for 400 million years. They survived five extinction events. They are critical to the ocean’s ecosystem because they are predators. Sharks are shy. Ninety-seven percent of sharks are not dangerous to humans. Sharks do not want to eat people. Attacks happen when sharks mistake humans for other seal life like seals and turtles.
After snorkeling and a nap for Henry on the way home, we went to the Landmark night market again for dinner. Lucas, Henry, Austin, and Aiden jumped on a bouncy slide. We ate night market food and listened to music. It was another full and fulfilling day with NatureMind-Ed.
Mangroves was the word of the day on day six. We started the day with a 2-hour kayak journey in Thalane Bay. We learned about the resilience of mangroves and their importance. Mangroves have adapted to grow strong roots in muddy, salty soil. They protect wildlife and the coast from storms like tsunamis. Mangroves are also critical to conserving and restoring coastal ecosystems. This is important for the climate because mangroves store “blue” carbon from the atmosphere and oceans to help fight global climate change.
After kayaking, we went to a mangrove and sea grass nursery. Pierre and his team are working with the owners to grow mangroves that they will transplant to areas around Krabi. I helped with weeding in the nursery while Lucas and Henry watched from a distance. It was a muddy job, but it was fun.
Day seven was a day of rest. We woke up at 6 a.m. to go bird-watching around Spirit Mountain. We saw some monkeys playing high up in the trees. We saw a few birds, but the kids were too restless to sit still.
After breakfast, we left Lucas, Henry, Austin, and Aiden at Spirit Mountain. They practiced bouldering and slacklining. They also played video games. Michael, Melanie, Eric, and I went into town for lunch and massages. At 4 p.m. we met back at Spirit Mountain for a dream-board workshop. Michael and I spent time creating our dream boards. They are different but compatible. My vibe is to be more chill. Michael’s vibe is more Go! Go! Go!. It is a good thing we balance each other out. Pierre took Lucas, Henry, and a few other kids out in the rain to clear brush and make trails around Spirit Mountain. Lucas and Henry opted for that instead of dream boarding.
My friend Lucy invited me on day 9 to get up early (5:30 a.m.) and see the sunrise on top of Din Daeng Doi, a small mountain near Krabi town. The panoramic view from the top is beautiful. The climb is about 1600 feet to the top, but it is worth it. I also got to ride on the back of a scooter again, which I love.
Our group packed overnight bags and ventured to Ko Klang. It is a small island next to Krabi town. The villagers are Muslim. It has a population of 5,000 people. Their livelihoods are fishing, farming, selling honey, batik, and tourism. We stopped at Khao Khanab Nam caves, an archaeological site where human remains and artifacts were found, dating back thousands of years. It was occupied by the Japanese during World War II.
All 30 of our group spent the night in a homestay on Ko Klang. Lucas and Henry got to sleep in a tent with Austin and Aiden. They begged to sleep in a tent instead of a bed in an air-conditioned room. Luckily, three of the NatureMind-ED staff were willing to give up their tent for the beds. families who were not in tents shared rooms with other families. We all had beds but shared bathrooms.
Our hosts provided lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next day. After we arrived and ate lunch, we learned about batik, an ancient fabric wax-resist dyeing tradition. We got to try it out and keep our finished products. We took an impromptu hike out into the river bed at low tide to watch the fishermen catching clams. The kids had fun in the muddy sand. We saw a giant worm and horseshoe crabs. When we got back to shore, we made another spur-of-the-moment decision to do a beach cleanup. We spent about 15 minutes picking up trash. We ended up with several bags of trash.
We returned to our homestay for dinner and a Thai language lesson. We learned basic greetings, how to count to 10, and how to say a few other basic words. It was a special day learning about life in Ko Klang.
We woke up the next morning, had breakfast, and went to learn about bees and honey. We visited a stingless bee farm. The stingless bees produce less honey than honey bees but more valuable and medicinal honey. We got to try the honey and see inside the hive. The fresh honey from the hive is bitter. We also pulled some mangroves out of the ground to take back to the nursery for planting.
We left Ko Klang and returned to Spirit Mountain for lunch and a free afternoon. The boys hung out around Spirit Mountain climbing, playing chess and some Roblox and Minecraft while Michael,
Melanie, Eric, and I went to extend our visas. The immigration office in Krabi is amazing. We were in and out in 15 minutes. We did not have to fill out any paperwork. The people working were friendly.
They took our photos and made photocopies for us, so all we needed were our passports, money, and the address of where we were staying. If only all immigration offices could be like the office in Krabi.
Our closing dinner for the program was that night. The energy in the community area during dinner was electric. Even though we only met the other families ten days ago it feels like we have known them longer. That is how it is with worldschoolers. The conversations are deeper, and the bonds form quickly because of the common ground, and concentrated time you spend together. We ended the night with an hour of ecstatic dance and closing thoughts from Pierre.
The closing dinner was on the next to last day of the program, so we still had one more incredible experience. We departed Spirit Mountain at 4:30 a.m. to hike up to Tiger Cave Temple, a Buddhist temple in Krabi. It is a strenuous climb up to the top. There are 1,260 stairs leading to the summit, and most of the stairs are steep. The top of the stairs is 900 feet high. We watched the sunrise and admired the giant golden Buddha on top of the mountain. Coming down the stairs is harder than going up. Our legs were shaking by the time we got to the bottom. We were greeted on the way down by aggressive monkeys who stole a few water bottles.
We ended the program where it began, back at Spirit Mountain in a drum circle. Each family collected a rock, a leaf, and a stick to represent three things to share with the group: 1. Rock: Something that rocked; 2. Leaf: Something we want to leave behind that is not serving us; and 3. Stick: Something we want to carry with us going forward.
Our answers:
- Aside from the fact that the entire program rocked, the
rock climbing was a stellar part of the program. Rock climbing on the first day helped us bond and gave us confidence in our abilities that we tapped into throughout the week. Rock climbing in the Bat Cave tested our limits but in a good way. Scaling up a 10-foot-tall vertical chute with few hand or foot holes was an exciting, scary, and amazing experience. Repelling down a 60-foot drop was also fun.
- We want to leave behind our self-doubt and limiting beliefs. We did so many things during the ten days of this program that stretched us. With the support of Pierre and the NatureMind-ED staff, we discovered that we are strong and capable. I conquered the slackline. Michael defeated his fear of heights by repelling down the side of a mountain. Lucas climbed a tree up to a cave that he told himself he could not complete. Henry was bouldering across the rock face like a pro at the end of the week and helping other kids figure it out. We all surprised ourselves.
- We want to take mindfulness with us. We want to be more intentional with our time and our actions. We connected with nature on a new level because Pierre and his team helped us slow down and be more present. We walked around barefoot and felt more connected to the earth. We stopped to watch lizards, a giant worm, ants carrying a dead scorpion, a school of squids, and so much more that we could have easily passed by. Our time in Krabi at Spirit Mountain with NatureMind-ED was special. The program they run for worldschoolers is top-notch.
Pierre and his staff are professional, passionate, and kind. They tailor the program to the group. The program incorporates learning, exploring, adventure, opportunities for personal growth, and mindfulness. Spirit Mountain is a magical place. Our bungalow was comfortable. The food is delicious. The staff is attentive and friendly. We highly recommend the NatureMind-ED eco-retreat.
