Leaving Baan Dada was hard but we were ready in a way.  It has become a home to us and we could easily spend more time here but there is still so much to see in Southeast Asia.  We spent the morning getting our stuff together and squeezed in one last meal.  Everyone joined together and we said our goodbyes after taking a quick group shot. 

 

 We got a ride into town with Johnny and Mayuree.  They are very easy to talk to and we were happy to spend a little quality time with them before hopping on the bus to Kanchanaburi. 

 Mayuree presented us with a gift she made last night, which brought tears to our eyes.  It was one of the sweetest gifts we have ever received since starting Gypsy Givers.  She made us a thank you card with a world for our love of travel and a drawing of Mel and I!  It was made with such love.  

 

 

She held my hand all the way from Baan Dada to Sangkhlaburi.  In all the commotion, I realized we never gave Paho and Apeh a hug goodbye.  Mel reassured me it was for a reason.  We spent the most time with them and it would have been even harder than it was if we gave them extra hugs bye.

We stayed at the Pong Phen in Kanchanaburi for one night.  It had a funny shaped pool and was seated right along the river.

This was just slightly different from our small room with a thin mattress on the floor and bug net. We got our first Thai massage that evening after all the hard work we put in over the last eight days.

The next morning we hiked the waterfalls at Erawan National Park where we dipped into seven tiers of turquoise blue waters with huge fish.

  We got our laundry done, wash and fold, while we hiked for only $2 each!  Totally worth it!   A couple glasses of wine and some pizza that was surprisingly not that bad and we were ready for our overnight bus north to continue our karma on the road.

This experience has changed our lives and we can only hope we have left as big of a mark on Baan Dada.  It was a time in our lives we will never forget, the love from the kids, the kindness of Dada and the positive energy from the other volunteers.  We left with 40 new friends from all over the globe.  We received a message from Malina the volunteer coordinator a few days later telling us that Paho keeps asking where is Melody and Lindsay.  Malina explained we went on a trip and we will be back one day.  He said, “to the volunteer house?”  Our hearts officially bursted from all the love.  Thank you, Baan Dada, we will see you again.

After reading about our time at Baan Dad, some of our followers asked what they could do to help.  We can only hope to continue to help the children from afar.  Below is a list of opportunities to help these talented children.   Please email us at gypsygivers@gmail.com if you have any interest in supporting, volunteering or any questions at all.

Ways to help Baan Dada Children’s Home

Like the home on Facebook and share with your friends. https://www.facebook.com/BaanDadaChildrenHome/

1.     Sponsorship of a child https://baandada.org/sponsor-a-child-2/

2.     Purchase of bags, ponchos or scarves from the Weaving Center https://baandada.org/shop/

3.     Purchase of bookmarks with artwork from the children at the home https://baandada.org/shop/

4.     Purchase of feminine products for the girls https://baandada.org/donate-to-our-home/wish-list/

5.     Donation of items for resale at the weekly market https://baandada.org/donate-to-our-home/wish-list/

6.     PayPal money to the home for weekly necessities

https://baandada.org/donate-to-our-home/

7.  Volunteering (our personal fav) https://baandada.org/volunteer