You will need to put an address on your immigration card (if traveling internationally). Here is what you need to put down:
ADDRESS IN BANGKOK:
NRTC
6/479 Ramkhamhaeng 2 Road Soi 6
Dokmai, Prawet
Bangkok, 10250
Thailand
ADDRESS IN CHIANG MAI:
In English:
World Club Land
178/603 Mu Ban World Club Land, Moo 7
T. Nong Kwai,
A. Hang Dong
Chiang Mai
50230
In Thai:
178/603 เวิลด์คลับแลนด์ หมู่ 7 ต.หนองควาย อ.หางดง จ.เชียงใหม่ 50230
(Len's) cell no is: 0808133509
Airport Pickup In Bangkok
After your team has collected all your luggage, look for the arrival door nearest to you, go through the customs check and exit out into the arrival hall. When you walk out to where all of the people are standing just look for the YWAM Thailand sign and that will be us! The whole process of going through passport control, waiting for your luggage, and then through customs, usually takes about an hour or so, if there are no hassles along the way.
NOTE – As you leave one of the three exits gates (i.e. A, B, C) you must walk to the area designated by signs as "MEETING POINT" (located by “EXIT 3” on the 2nd floor)". It is there that our airport pickup staff will be waiting for you and your team with a YWAM Thailand sign.
Once you have met our airport pickup staff, we suggest you exchange at least half (50%) of your teams budget at the currency exchange windows which are open 24 hours a day. This will cover transportation costs, the registration fee, first few days worth of food, and housing. It is much easier and convenient to exchange your money at the airport as getting to a bank can be a bit of a pain with long lineups etc.
NOTE - If your team encounters any problems with lost luggage, customs, passports etc, please call our staff to inform them of your situation and the necessary steps to take, if any. The numbers to call in such a scenario are:
Ning: 089-822-6734
Arm: 063-018-2131
The transportation that we will use to pick up your team will most likely be:
Suvarnabhumi Airport
For teams that consist of 10-12 people and under we will use a specialized (covered non-air conditioned) pick up truck to bring you and your team (including luggage) back to the NRTC. The one-way cost is 800 baht.
Don Muang Airport
For teams that consist of 10-12 people and under we will use a specialized (covered non-air conditioned) pick up truck to bring you and your team (including luggage) back to the NRTC. The one-way cost is 1,000 baht.
Arriving In Chiang Mai
On your arrival at Chiang Mai bus station, please look out for our driver with an YWAM sign. The taxi driver we use is Mr. PONG (081-885-0960). I know Mr. PONG quite well and you can be assured that you will be well taken care of! From the bus station he will bring you directly to the HOSPITALITY HOUSE, our housing complex located close to our YWAM Chiang Mai Office in World Club Land. Please pay Mr Pong directly. The one-way cost is 300 - 400 baht.
Cultural Orientation
Because we want teams to be able to have the most impact for the cause of Christ, your team will receive a cultural orientation. Often times, we can be offending the Thai people by something we are doing all the while thinking we are loving them in the name of the Lord. Because we all live and work here, we feel a sense of obligation and responsibility to help you understand the Thai people and their culture so that you can minister most effectively to them.
Lunch, Scavenger Hunt, Leaders Meeting
As well, don't worry too much about being hungry as we will be having a big yummy Thai lunch together after the orientation is finished around noon, this is NOT covered by your teams registration fee. NOTE – The approximate cost of the orientation lunch is 50 baht per person which does include rice. Free drinking water is also provided. Following lunch, we will be sending your team out on a fun "get to know the area / meet some Thai people" scavenger hunt in the afternoon. While they are doing that, we will be meeting with the leaders to go over last minute details, discussing finances, answering any questions, reviewing schedules etc.
Bangkok Prayer Walk (optional)
The day after your orientation, we usually take teams on our Bangkok Prayer Walk. This is a great introduction for outreach teams who have never been to Asia, Thailand or the 10/40 Window before. It is also a great introduction to understanding the role of Buddhism in daily life and provides your team the opportunity to lay a great spiritual foundation for the remainder of your outreach. NOTE – The cost is approximately 300-400 baht per person. This includes transportation and all temple entrance fees.
Clothing & Dress
Lastly, we would encourage you to please make sure that you carefully go over the information on "clothing - what to bring, what to wear" one more time with your team, as we have been having a few problems with teams coming with inappropriate clothing for ministry here in Thailand! NOTE - There are still certain areas in Thailand that dress very conservatively (i.e. Chiang Rai, Isaan) and this dress code reflects that. However, different regions have different expectations when it comes to dress. While one or more of your ministry locations may be more relaxed when it comes to dress (i.e. Phuket, Pattaya), we do ask your team to dress as neat and proper as possible.
WOMEN and MEN: Long pants and slacks - cotton pants and slacks are preferred for comfort in this climate - must be dressy, nice and neat. Nice shirts and blouses - short sleeves are fine - such as button up or polo style, and other tops, etc. are permissible.
WOMEN ONLY: Again, dressy, neat, and clean are the important guidelines. In addition to pants and slacks, modest dresses and skirts are fine, as long as they at least reach around the knee. Capri pants (a cross between shorts and pants) that reach down to at least mid-calf can be worn during most activities.
If doing ministry at a school or business, it is most important to dress properly. Nice t-shirts of any type are fine. Nice jeans are fine also. If you are in the villages it is better for the guys to wear either polo shirts or a button up shirt when not doing practical work but nice t-shirts will be OK for many things. In the villages the girls will need to move more towards skirts (longer than the knees). NOTE - Please bring clothes that are modest and neat. For example, NO 80's style mesh cut-off shirts, sleeveless tops, mini skirts or ridiculously short shorts (i.e. 1970's style) during ministry times - although in your room to relax will be fine. You can bring several pairs of shorts to wear inside your rooms or to play sports, but shorts are NOT typically worn when doing ministry. NOTE - Many clothing items are also cheaply and easily available in Thailand.
Shoes
1 pair hiking or trekking (if going to hill-tribes), 1 pair walking, 1 pair nice for church. Sandals/flip flops - extremely useful for entering houses or using for showers. If wearing sandals, be sure to wear socks to schools. Pay close attention to where others have taken off their shoes and follow their lead. If your shoes are expensive, you may want to carry them in with you and store them inside. If you are going to be doing extensive trekking in the hills, please bring the appropriate shoes.
Piercings/Tattoos
Pierced ears on women are fine here in Thailand. However, teams need to be concerned about all the other kinds of piercings (both male and female) that are currently in vogue. Any unusual piercings may not cause a fuss for the average Thai person, but it will cause concern amongst the Thai Christian community. Please understand that we understand this is an amoral issue. However, we need teams to understand that this is where some of our brothers and sisters are at here in Thailand. Therefore, we ask teams to respect this and come willing to remove lip, navel, eyebrow, tongue piercings for the duration of their outreach, if requested by the ministry host. It is also possible for people with these types of piercings to be creative in this endeavor. Pierced ears on men are usually frowned upon by the Thai Christian community. In the hill-tribes, pierced ears on men are frowned upon because those people are sometimes associated with thugs and hooligans.
Financial Support
Note: Online donations are NOT tax deductible.