The 100 Best Volunteer Vacations to Enrich Your Life Part 24

conduct underwater fish and coral surveys.

SOUTHERN LEYTE, PHILIPPINES.

Diving was so fun, I felt like Nemo! But I do not think I would have understood the depth of what I was doing here unless I actually went under the water and saw for myself.

-Amaeze Madukah, Coral Cay Conservation volunteer.

86 David Bellamy is not one to mince words. "If you and I do nothing to stop this [global climate change], two-thirds of all coral reefs will vanish within the next 20 years, resulting in poverty and hunger for millions," he says. As president of Coral Cay Conservation (CCC), a nonprofit that is dedicated to preserving the world's rain forests and underwater habitats, the guy knows what he's talking about.

Thirty percent of the world's coral reefs, the largest single living structure on Earth, are already damaged, some irreparably. By the year 2050, at the current trajectory, 70 percent will have disappeared. A former scientist with the Australian Inst.i.tute of Marine Science put the gravity like this: "We are precipitating a ma.s.s extinction of absolutely everything."

That's why CCC's underwater research projects in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Tobago are so important. And these projects could never happen without the aid of volunteers.

HIT THE WALL.

For divers, Napantao Wall represents a paradise. Located in a protected marine sanctuary in SoG.o.d Bay, this double wall that drops 120 feet straight down is covered with spectacular gorgonian fans and green tree corals. It plays apartment complex to pygmy seahorses, tuna, wahoo, devil rays, rainbow runners, midnight snappers, great gorgonians, frogfish, scorpion fish, batfish, and whitetip reef sharks.

CCC's project in southern Leyte, Philippines, a remote spot yet to make the tourism map, began in 2002. The coral reefs of southern Leyte are some of the richest, least disturbed, and least researched habitats in the Philippines. SoG.o.d Bay, where the project is located, has long been frequented by whale sharks (locals call them tiki tiki). The archipelago boasts more than 2,500 species of fish and nearly 500 species of hard coral. Volunteers are needed to map and a.s.sess coral reefs, conduct biodiversity surveys, and collect data that ultimately will help sustain and conserve these fragile, shrinking underwater environments.

Volunteers, who spend much of their time diving this spectacular bay, collect data and produce detailed habitat maps. They also educate locals about coral reef ecology, the dangers of overfishing, and why it's important to preserve this unique habitat. The ultimate goal? To help Filipinos create a sustainable, eco-friendly tourism industry.

No scientific background or diving experience is necessary, as you will be trained on-site. During the first week, you'll get your diving certificate and learn to identify the neon colors swimming by, eventually becoming adept at identifying hundreds of fish, plus many types of corals, marine algae, and invertebrates.

On most days, you'll be up at the crack of dawn (5:30 a.m.) for the first of two daily survey dives, followed by lunch (sometimes eaten on the nearest deserted island). Then, there are ch.o.r.es, training, and data management to be done.

At the expedition base that one CCC volunteer called "a preview to heaven," you'll play beach volleyball, learn Tinikling (the Filipino national dance), swim with pods of dolphins and eagle rays (one volunteer swam with a pod of 60 pilot whales), and, at dinner each night, compete for "Fish of the Day" honors.

Volunteers are based at the Napantao Dive Resort, overlooking SoG.o.d Bay. But don't take the resort t.i.tle too seriously. It's a dorm, and each room is shared by four to six people. For roughly $570 a week ($520 if you're already a certified diver), you'll be housed, fed (Filipino chef Tata-the first local staff member-caters to vegetarians and fried chicken lovers alike), and provided with all the equipment and instruction you could ever need. Most volunteers stay for at least four weeks. As you pa.s.s the four-and eight-week marks, each week gets progressively less expensive.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH.

Coral Cay Conservation, 1st Floor Block 1, Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London SE1 7NJ, England, 44 20 7620 1411, www.coralcay.org.

VIA'S BALI SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAM

help foster tourism in bali.

BALI, INDONESIA.

It felt as if several layers of callousness and conditioning acc.u.mulated over the years peeled off me.

-Ralph King, VIA volunteer to Indonesia.

87 Back in the 1960s, before there was such a thing as a "volunteer vacation," Dwight Clark, a dean from Stanford University who happens to be a Quaker and a pacifist, organized a summer trip to a Hong Kong refugee camp. The students he recruited for that trip staffed medical clinics, built roads, and taught at rooftop schools. They were so profoundly moved by their experience helping Chinese war refugees that Clark spent the next 40 years organizing volunteers of all stripes to help, not only in Hong Kong, but in more than 15 Asian nations.

Originally called Volunteers in Asia (now shortened to simply VIA), Clark's nonprofit has made quite a name for itself, sneaking volunteers into several countries before even government-sponsored agencies could get into them. VIA sent volunteers to Vietnam before normalization, to China before and during Tiananmen Square, and to Laos when other volunteers were still denied entry. During the Vietnam War, Volunteers in Asia also organized alternative service projects for conscientious objectors.

ISLAND OF THE G.o.dS.

Bali, known as the "island of the G.o.ds," has more than just a few temples. Some claim that there are more temples than houses here; most villages have more than one. Temples honor the spirits of the sea, the spirits of irrigated agriculture, family, ancestors, village life, royalty, and of course, G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses.

The "mother temple" is Pura Beskih. Perched on the slopes of still active volcano Mount Agung, this ma.s.sive temple was built between the 14th and 17th centuries. It celebrates more than 70 rituals every year and has three thrones-one each for Hindu G.o.ds Brahma, Wisnu (Vishnu), and Siwa (Shiva).

Although many VIA volunteers sign on for one-year or two-year programs, the organization also offers three summer programs lasting four to eight weeks that are open to any American interested in better understanding the countries of Asia. In China, volunteers learn about Chinese medicine; in Vietnam, they teach American culture at the University of Hue; and in the Bali Service-Learning Project, they learn about Balinese culture while facilitating literacy and much-needed English language skills.

Tourism is an economic lifeline to Bali, a Hindu gemstone in the necklace of isles that compose the predominantly Muslim nation of Indonesia. Between its celebrated beaches, lush rice terraces, and a population that actor, composer, and playwright Noel Coward (18991973) once remarked was "artistic from womb to tomb," Bali is often described as the "quintessential paradise." Although the terrorist bombings in October 2002 and October 2005 put a large dent in the country's pocketbooks, its economy still depends almost entirely on tourist-related income, which means fluency in English is a necessity.

During the two-month program in Bali, volunteers a.s.sist with a range of community requested services, such as teaching English and helping put together a literary journal called Taman 65. Since community needs determine the projects you will work on, sometimes you will be working with local nonprofits or nongovernmental organizations that are working in the country. Your work hours will vary, depending on the project you end up working on.

The study component of this program has two parts. The first is an intensive Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) language cla.s.s taught by a local instructor. The course is tailored to serve both beginners and those who want to polish their Indonesian skills. The second portion, Socio-Cultural Change in Bali, will introduce the history, culture, and society of Bali through readings, guest speakers, field trips, and discussions.

On this unique program, you'll stay with a family, sharing meals, ideas, and your English language skills. Cost for the two-month program is $2,200. Volunteers are required to attend a couple training sessions held in California's Santa Cruz Mountains before their summer departure HOW TO GET IN TOUCH.

VIA, 965 Mission Street, Suite 751, San Francisco, CA 94103, 415-904-8033, www.viaprograms.org.

THE GREAT ORANGUTAN PROJECT.

fight for wild orangutans.

BORNEO, MALAYSIA.

You'll sweat, bleed, laugh, and cry, and you'll love every minute of it!

-Peter Jackson, volunteer with the Great Orangutan Project 88 Aman, a 20-year-old orangutan who can do pull-ups with one finger, made headlines in 2007 when he became the first ape to undergo cataract surgery. After several years of being blind (the electric shock he got when he bit through a power cable was the prime suspect for his cataracts), Aman is once again swinging through trees in the jungles of Borneo. Or at least through the trees in the Matang Wildlife Centre (MWC), a rescue and rehabilitation center in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, that is hoping to save the endangered species. But they're working against a ticking time bomb. Some give the critically scarce wild orangutans less than ten years.

Until the 1990s, these red-haired apes were widespread across Asia, but now the only populations outside zoos are on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Thanks to poachers, palm oil manufacturers, and developers who are cutting wide swaths through the pristine forests, the remaining 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans are not expected to survive through the rest of the century.

LIKE FATHER LIKE APE.

Orangutans are humans' closest relative. We share 96.4 percent of the same DNA and, like us, orangutans: Have opposable thumbs Have 32 permanent teeth Have 9-month pregnancies Create time-saving tools Build roofs to avoid inclement weather over their nests high in the trees Have youngsters who cry, throw tantrums, and even, according to BBC News, play charades.

On this volunteer gig, you'll work at the Matang Wildlife Centre, which is nestled in a plush rain forest on the lower flanks of Kubah National Park, one degree north of the Equator overlooking the South China Sea. You may help out with everything from dragging banana trees to the orangutan's habitat to sewing coconuts into potato sacks. Orangutans, the Mensa candidates of the ape world, can usually figure out how to open the potato sacks in seconds flat. You'll build, scavenge for food (for the apes, not yourself), provide enrichment activities, and create an educational center that gives the endangered species a fighting chance.

Working in partnership with the Sarawak Forestry Research Team, you and your data will be used to better understand the behavior and health of the remaining orangutans. The ultimate goal is to rehabilitate and release them into the wild. MWC is also rehabilitating rare Malaysian sun bears, the first such project in the world. Keep in mind that the wildlife center is a home of last resort, the sun bears' and orangutans' only alternative to being put down because they have nowhere else to go.

Borneo, the world's third largest island, has 15,000 species of flowering plants, 300 species of trees, 221 species of mammals, and 420 resident birds, most of which you'll see during your four-week stay at the wildlife center.

A small river runs through the wildlife center, and surprisingly, there are no leeches here (the same can't be said for spiders, hornets, Komodo dragons, and snakes), so swimming is a popular pastime. Kuching, the charming provincial capital with good restaurants and a snappy nightlife, is only 40 minutes away. And nearby Bako National Park has 16 hiking trails.

If you're a picky eater and unwilling to adventure outside your culinary comfort zone, this may not be the trip for you. Regular shopping trips to Kuching aside, you'll be living in a jungle outpost. Meals are self-catered and available foods might include such delicacies as baby ferns, mangosteens, and dragon fruits.

Your chalet on stilts, although spa.r.s.e, is comfortable and clean. Cold-water showers provide a welcome respite from the heat. Four weeks, including accommodations and an allowance for food, runs $2,695.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH.

The Great Orangutan Project, Studio 6, 8 High Street, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2TB, England, 44 845 371 3070, www.orangutanproject.com.

australia & around.

While earning your daily bread, be sure you share a slice with those less fortunate.

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr., American writer At the 1992 Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 168 countries resolved to preserve the diversity of life on planet Earth, each agreeing to undertake biodiversity surveys of any regions at risk in their purview. Section 3C of the resulting resolution further stated that if a host country lacked the resources to undertake the necessary surveys, an international aid organization would be invited in to help out.

In this chapter on Australia, New Zealand, and other islands in the South Pacific, you'll find lots of opportunities to work with some of these international aid organizations, conducting biodiversity surveys of all kinds of creatures, from hawksbill turtles in the remote islands of Vanuatu to wallabies or other wildlife across Australia.

You'll also find opportunities to save some of the species we already know are in danger, such as Tasmanian devils, kakerori birds, and humpback whales.

This chapter also lists projects teaching English, preserving rain forests, doc.u.menting World War II history, building houses, and running free health clinics.

Here's your chance, in the world's smallest, flattest, and driest continent, to drink up new tasks, expose yourself to the unfamiliar, and maybe-just maybe-tilt the world in a slightly more sustainable direction.

CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS AUSTRALIA.

sustain the outback, mate.

ACROSS THE AUSTRALIAN CONTINENT.

Above all, Australia doesn't misbehave. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quant.i.ties, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner.... Clearly, this is a place worth getting to know.

-Bill Bryson, author of In a Sunburned Country and many other books 89 In the last 200 years, Australia has lost 70 percent of its native vegetation, including three-fourths of its rain forests. Nearly a quarter of its mammals, a tenth of its birds, and a sixth of its amphibians are either extinct or moving speedily in that direction.

The good news is that there are hundreds of dirt cheap outdoor volunteer opportunities in all six states and three mainland territories relating to the conservation of Australia. The bad news is that Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA), the totally together, well-organized umbrella that oversees a list of 2,000 volunteer projects, doesn't directly take volunteers from other countries.

You're certainly welcome to join up with any one of their projects (and thousands of overseas volunteers do), but you have to book it through a sort of volunteer vacation clearinghouse. If you're from Spain, you go through Sabatica (www.sabatica.org), for example, or if you're from Germany, through AIFS Deutschland (www.aifs.de) or Eurovacances (www.eurovacances.de). In the United States, InterExchange, a nonprofit out of New York, offers the best price of the four U.S. CVA booking partners. These middlemen, as middlemen tend to do, tack on booking fees. A two-week trip that might cost a local Aussie volunteer $400 can cost an international volunteer twice that much.

Projects vary from wildlife surveys to dune restoration to maintaining hiking trails. Although you can pick which of Australia's major cities you would like to have as your base, you can't specify the exact project you will work on, since that depends on the time of year and the needs of conservation groups in that area. Since 1982, when CVA was founded, volunteers have built walking trails at Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territories, tracked yellow-footed rock wallabies in South Australia's Flinders Ranges, created safe corridors for ca.s.sowaries in Queensland, and planted trees in Victoria's Werribee Gorge Island, a greenhouse-friendly carbon biodiversity site.

In 2006, 19-year-old American identical twins Lia and Katrina Engelsted spent three months working on 15 CVA projects, doing tasks from turtle monitoring to toad busting. Lia said, "My favorite project was on Magnetic Island. We were doing track work and there were hikers walking by-it felt really good to be working on the trail."

You'll work with a team of between six and ten volunteers. You'll work five days, then get two days off. Pack lightly, because with such a wide variety of projects, you'll likely be moving every week or two. Accommodations, too, run the gamut from lighthouses to hostels, from sheep shearing barns to tents. Two-week projects, including accommodations, food, and local transportation, run $895 for U.S. partic.i.p.ants.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH.

Conservation Volunteers Australia, 61 3 5330 2600, www.conservationvolunteers.com.au; U.S. contact: InterExchange, 161 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10013, 212-924-0446, www.workingabroad.org.

"MOSTLY EMPTY AND A LONG WAY AWAY..."

That's how author Bill Bryson describes Australia in In a Sunburned Country, joking that Australia sends the rest of the world nothing we can't actually do without. Obviously, he's never heard of these Australian inventions: * Bionic ears.

* Underwater torpedos.

* Dual flush toilets.

* Notepads.

* Permanent-crease trousers.

* Speedos.

* Prepaid postage.

* Folding strollers.