The World Scout Jamboree is a huge international event which takes place every four years, each time in a different Country. The 20^th World Scout Jamboree was held over 10 days in Dec/Jan 2002/3 alongside a stunning beach near Sattahip, 150km South of Bangkok, on the East coast of Thailand, "Land of the Smiles". At least 25,000 people attended and were part of the event that promoted peace and international friendship through challenging activities, thought provoking cultural experiences and simply being together.

Although the participating Scouts & Guides were the most important attendees, there were also many thousands of adults attending as Unit Leaders, Contingent Support and International Service Team (IST) members. The UK Contingent comprised nearly 3000 Scouts and Guides aged 14-18 and was the largest visiting contingent.

The Jamboree site was designed and built especially for the event and the main areas resemble the wheels of a bicycle: each "wheel" holding two of the four villages. All of the villages contain six sub-camps, each of which housed 1,000 Scouts & Guides and their Leaders, and had its own program of activities. As well as the on-site activities, during the Jamboree itself, the visiting Scouts also had the chance of Home Hospitality. This was after the Jamboree and involved living with a family or staying in hotel for a few days enabling them to immerse themselves in the local culture.

All 25,000+ participants came together at the Opening & Closing Ceremonies (and New Year) to witness the masterpieces of showmanship designed to rival those of the Olympic Games. All in all the 20th World Scout Jamboree was a fantastic experience.

Bearing in mind recent World events I believe that it is more important than ever that children (and adults) from different Countries, Cultures & Creeds meet to promote friendship and understanding. How apt then that the theme of this World Jamboree was "Share Our World, Share Our Cultures". To back this up the Scout Association outlined their main Jamboree Objectives for the UK Contingent as:

• The UK Contingent will have played a full part in the life of the Jamboree, building effective relationships with the organisers and with others taking part.
• Every opportunity will have been provided for the members of the UK Contingent to make the most out of a potentially life changing experience.
• Every member of the Contingent will have taken part in an enjoyable, well prepared, well led and effectively organised international experience.
• Every member of the UK Contingent will be committed after the Jamboree to engage in the international element of the programme, including solidarity with others, cultural awareness and youth mobility.
• Every member of the Continent will have undertaken to be involved in several events where the Jamboree experience is recounted and others are encouraged to explore the international dimensions.

My (then) finaceé Emily & I travelled to the Jamboree as members of the UK IST, which was part of the UK Contingent. At the Jamboree we worked on the Tournaments which includes the climbing wall and assault course. We worked on Challenge Valley 2 and the Ropes Course respectively.

The 400 members of the UKIST were split into 11 smaller groups or "IST Units" numbered from 71(A) to 81(L). We were members of Unit 72(B) known, rather confusingly, as "Ukist". We had 42 members travelling to Thailand working on a variety of different jobs at the site.

IST members were required to be on-site for 2 days before the Jamboree started for training. We also stayed for an additional 1 or 2 days after the event to help clear up.

Not only did we have to take at least 2 weeks holiday from work and leave our families and friends behind over Christmas and the New Year whilst we went to work at the Jamboree but we also had to pay just over £2000 each for the privilege!

Jamboree diary
Here's my account of the Jamboree and our holiday afterwards. Most of this was posted from cyber-cafes during and after Jamboree.

23rd December 2002.
We got up at 6am for the start of 24 hours of travelling starting with a car journey to Heathrow (thanks Mick!) to meet up with the rest of the UK Scouts travelling that day. Then a 3 hour flight to Istanbul where we had 4 hours to kill - luckily there was a bar selling beer at very reasonable prices and they played the Jamboree song CD for us. Twice! Then came the long (11 hour) flight to Bangkok on which we all tried to sleep.

24th December 2002 - Christmas Eve.
Once we landed in Bangkok we were fast-tracked through immigration and had our passports stamped with the special Jamboree stamp. Then it was up and over the footbridge with our kit to the station where the special Jamboree train was waiting for us. The train took us at a top speed of about 50mph through the suburbs of Bangkok (a severe mixture of wealth and poverty) and then through the countryside to the Jamboree site taking about four and a half hours. Then we piled onto coaches to be driven about 300 metres to the site entrance and then another mile down to the IST campsite. We then had just enough time to get our tents and start erecting them before it got completely dark.

25th December 2002 - Christmas Day.
So after a long, hot, tiring journey, we're here! It's very, very hot and fairly humid but Thailand is a beautiful country with warm, clear seas and exceptionally friendly people. We got up at 6am today, as that's when it gets light here, and walked over to the East canteen for breakfast (a mile's walk away). We spent the day in briefings and having a tour of the site culminating in a pleasant walk back along the beach. Then we all had a swim in the sea and sung carols!

26th December 2002.
Up at 6am again for an early morning swim while the sun rose. Em & I Hired bikes for the duration of the Jamboree as we 'live' one end of the site and work and eat at the other. We met the other IST and Thai leaders that we will be working with and went round some of the Assault Courses. Had a surprise trip off the site to a local fishing village to buy some ice. I don't think the townsfolk (a mixture of Thai and East Burmese) had ever seen Westerners in the flesh before but the ones we spoke to were friendly.

27th December 2002.
An early morning swim at 6am again, blisters on toes going a bit manky. Saw shoals of fish jumping out of the water. Cycled back over to the Tournaments area to find out our job allocations - I am on "Challenge Valley 2" and Emily is on "Rope Course". I am working with a Thai woman called June and a Thai man called Anex on the first base of CV2 which is a grass roof covered tunnel in 5 sections, 3 filled with water. We also have a hose to spray the participents with. Today the participents started arriving and in the afternoon we saw the Berkshire contingent who were just setting up camp.

28th December 2002.
Up at 6.15 today as I missed the alarm at 6am. Still went for a swim and swam out to the buoys marking the edge of the swimming area (about 250 metres out) with a few other Ukist members. Had a wander around the site and watched the elephants being washed for the opening ceremony. I was allowed to stroke the baby one. There are now 25,000 Scouts and Guides on the Jamboree site and the atmosphere is amazing. We discovered today the there are a limited number of different keys on the 1000 bikes - you have a 1 in 10 chance of unlocking any bike. This has apparently resulted in some accidental "thefts" of bicycles. This evening saw the spectacle that was the Official Opening Ceremony and was certainly very impressive. Over 25,000 people gathered in the arena to witness the event and the atmosphere was electric. All the UK IST were armed with Union flags and inflatable saxophones for use during the Jamboree song of which two versions were played live. The crown Prince attended the ceremony and gave a short speech to the assembled ranks of Scouts.

29th December 2002.
I popped in the hospital this morning to get some plasters and they insisted on swabbing my feet with iodene and dressing them. Honestly! Today was also our first proper full working day. We started by finding a snake in the base and one of the Thai woman killed it by beating it with a stick. Once it was removed we started to let Scouts through and I met participants from many countries including Thailand (obviously), Switerland, USA, UK, Gabon, Phillipines, Malaysia, Netherlands, Japan, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, France and Korea. After a packed lunch, provided by the canteen, the afternoon was a similar story. Altogether we had 3,200 participants through the whole of "Tournaments" during the day. After work we had a swim as we were very hot, sticky and dusty.

30th December 2002.
A quick dip in the sea at 6.30am woke us up before breakfast and cycling over to Tournaments to start work at 8.30am. Participants started arriving at the bases as soon as we arrived and was a quick start to another busy day. We were all tired at lunchtime so after eating the edible bits of the packed lunch all the Brits took the opportunity to have a snooze for an hour. We also saw a praying mantis today. After work we went over to see the Berkshire contingent briefly and spoke to Helen. Had another swim after work before spag. bol. for dinner in the cafeteria. We also 'obtained' two tables and four chairs for our camp.

31st December 2002 - New Year's Eve.
Had a day off work today as the activities were all closed in anticipation of the New Year festivities. At about 2.15pm we went over to the City of Science where a live linkup with the International Space Station was held. This was truely amazing - about 15 Scouts queued up to ask their questions of the astronauts who made their replies as the huge ariels tracked the speeding opbject across the sky. It is only 'visible' for 10 mintues in 90 and so they had to rush to get through them all. We then had a swim in the sea before wandering up to the viewpoint which looks down over the entire campsite. Then we got changed and made our way to the IST arena where everyone gathered before marching over to the main arena for a huge party which included a live linkup with Bangkok to welcome in the New Year.

1st January 2003 - New Year's Day.
Another day off work for the New Year (this is the life!)... All the British gathered in the sea from 6.30am to welcome in the New Year at the 'correct' time. We made a huge circle and joined hands to sing "Auld Lang Syne". We spend the day looking around the site, chatting to people and taking photos. I tried a huge green coconut today - not as nice as the small brown ones back home, but quite acceptable. First you suck up and drink the clear milk through a straw then you can optionally scrape out the thin slimy flesh with a spoon. A ceremony of lights was held (late) this evening which was quite beautiful to watch as hundreds of small lit floating pontoons were sent off across the lake.

2nd January 2003.
Back to work again today, tsk! Very busy today, took a picture of Emily at the start of the Ropes Course which she worked on. At lunchtime we were finally given our Tournament T-shirts to wear which interuppted our lunch time naps... During the afternoon it rained for about 5 mins! Still very hot though and all traces of the 'downpour' were gone within 10 mins. Another swim after work.

3rd January 2003.
Up late so no swim. Another busy day at work in the heat (topped 40 deg. cel. today) so more sleeping in the shade at lunchtime. Met the only Scout at the Jamboree from Bolivia. Had a welcome dip in the sea after the 2nd session. After dinner I went to see Helen who had been on a Jungle trek today before visiting the air-conditioned cybercafe to check email and update this diary. A few of us sat in "Chester's Grill" in the IST camp having iced coffee and swapping badges. There was an exceptionally low tide this evening and Ross & I walked quite a long way out in the dark.

4th January 2003.
ANOTHER day off again today, lucky we paid to come here and not the other way around! :) This morning I visited the laundry to put some washing in, the bank to try and get some Jamboree 10 Baht coins (they only let me have 1), and the photo processing shop to put a film in and get some reprints done. Then I went over to the supermarket in village A and bumped into Helen & Claire doing some shopping. The air-conditioned shop had an impressive array of food, especially fruit, althought the layout of things was rather strange - cotton buds and soap next to apples and tins of sweet & sour sauce! We had McDonalds in the canteen at lunch including a delicious Pineapple pie. I then visited the UK pavillion to check with Bales that our post-jamboree hotel had been booked. Then I went and saw our American friend Steve and climbed his look-out tower to get a good view of the beach. At 4.30pm we gathered at "Face The Waves" beach 'A' for a UK dragon boat race. There were 9 teams competing with 16-22 people in each boat. We raced over a course of about 800 metres and Ukist came 3rd although we were only half a boat length behind the 2nd placed boat. Two boats capsized and one of them sank and had to be refloated by the Thai Navy! A relaxing game of Scrabble (which I won!) in the evening accompanied by cold drinks at "Chester's" ended the day.

5th January 2003.
Got up at 6.15am again today as I fancied another swim at sunrise. I got in the sea at 6.25am and was the only person in the water along the 1.7Km of beach for 10 mins. Had a very busy morning at 'work' and after lunch I had a snooze on the cargo net for an hour. Another busy and hot afternoon followed and the Leader of Challenge Valley 2 gave out white T-shirts for us to wear tomorrow. After work I went back to the IST beach and met up with several of the unit and played "toss the ring" in the sea. We managed to hit a Thai bloke 3 times with it and also lost it temporarily as the light started to go (the ring sinks - very useful!) and had to get the Navy diver to help us find it. After dinner and a session in "Chester's" I went bat watching on the beach with Doner, Les, Tim and Mark. It was quite impressive lying back on the beach and gazing up at the bats as they snatched insects out of the night air.

6th January 2003.
Today was our last working day at the Jamboree. Good but sad at the same time. On Challenge Valley 2 we all wore our 'special' white T-shirts and looked very smart. :) There were still plenty of Scouts to get through all the activities including all 12 of the Croatian contingent. I swapped 2 neckerchiefs with the Thais getting the Thai Contingent necker and a Thai Kings Scout necker. The Thais thanked all the IST for helping during the Jamboree and asked us to think of all our new Thai friends everytime we wear the Tournament T-shirts. Quite emotional really. We had a huge party for IST this evening and danced for an hour and a half. I think I sweated away about 2 stone!

7th January 2003.
Back to work today just to collect our certificates and to say goodbye to everyone. Then we went to the far end of the beach and I went snorkelling while Em sunbathed. Lunch was pseudo-McDonalds after which Em went for a nap and I went to see Helen (she says "Hi!" to everyone). Spend a frustrating hour or so waiting for Bales to turn up at the UK Pavillion to give out our 500 Baht (7.30UKP) departure tax for the airport. Also booked our coach to get off the campsite and back to Bangkok. After dinner in the evening came the closing ceremony. Quite long (and dare I say dull in places), but the hand-over to the UK was exciting with a black cab, and hundreds of helium-filled red, white, and blue ballons held in the shape of the Union Flag before being released at the climax. The Jamboree song was also played (the version with the solo) and Ian Porter and I 'played' along on our inflatable saxophones.

8th January 2003.
Forced myself to get up today at 6.25am and nip down to the sea for almost the last time. Was eventually joined by a few others, including Mark Lombardo to take a picture of the sunrise which he'd been meaning to do all camp... Had a swim and threw a ball around with some other UK IST before going over to the East Cafeteria for our last lunch in there. Tomorrow we will have to eat in the East Cafeteria as West will be closed, not really a problem as we also have to return our bikes today. Scouts and IST left the site in droves today starting in the early hours. The site is starting to look more like when we arrived and feels very empty. It is an odd feeling seeing everyone leave but nice to have the site back to ourselves again! We will pack our bags this evening when the heat has calmed down a bit in readiness for tomorrow.

9th January 2003.
Today we had our final swim, at sunrise or any other time, of the Jamboree after which we sat by a fire on the beach and dried off. After breakfast we packed our bags (didn't do it last night) and took down our tents. I took our group gear and tents over to the UK container and after a quick shower and pizza lunch we left the site at 12pm. We travelled on an air-conditioned coach to Bangkok and the journey was long, bumpy and windy. The roads were straight but the coach appeared to have trouble with the steering, gears, clutch and brakes and wandered about all over the place in a most disconcerting fashion. We eventually arrived at the sports stadium where we were lucky to meet a Thai English teacher who helped us get to the Thai Tourist office (TAT) by Tuk Tuk (interesting!) where Em & I bought bus tickets and a taxi pick-up from the hotel for the next morning for about 10UKP each. Whilst we were doing that Steve, our American friend, sourced some beers (the first since Istanbul) which we drank outside and watched the world go by. Then we got 2 taxis and took a half hour journey over to the The Grand Hotel - click the link to see the hotel's website. Here we met up with several other UK IST staying in the hotel and a delicious Chinese meal for dinner followed by several cocktails in the lounge. The hotel was amazingly luxurious and would easily cost 500-600UKP a night in London, we paid 40UKP for a double room including breakfast!

10th January 2003.
This morning our taxi was late but eventually arrived and took Emily & I to the bus station. Our driver collected our tickets for us and ushered us onto the bus to Hua Hin. Another 3 hour jouney but smoother this time saw us in the centre of Hua Hin. Here we arranged a taxi to take us to the Evason Hua Hin Resort & Spa which we booked through Asia Travel - click the links to see their websites. This is a totally different world a million miles from the Jamboree - we have a deluxe beach front studio appartment with it's own sun deck, garden and sea view. It is completely beautiful with everything made from natural and/or recycled materials. We now have a totally relaxing 7 night's stay here. As interesting as the journey on the way here on public transport was, we have booked a private car to take us back to Bangkok. Tonight we ate at the most beautiful and expensive restaurant of the four in the resort. We had a bottle of house white, lobster, Thai pork and ice cream which all came to about 50UKP. Still, we ate on a pontoon surrounded by water with fish and floating candles and our meal was accompanied by the live sounds of pipe and drum.

11th January 2003.
Very lazy day lying in our garden in the sun today; we bought some crisps and beer from a nearby stall (much cheaper than the mini-bar!) and played "Scrabble". Dinner today was in "The Restaurant" the second most expensive of the four but just as good. We chose to watch "The Haunting" in our room from the resort's extensive range of VCDs. This turned out to be a poor choice.

12th January 2003.
Sunbathed in the morning. This place has a totally different character to the Jamboree. For a start we are East facing (the Jamboree was South), the sea is rougher and not so clear, and there is a reasonable wind blowing continually. This is quite nice but disguises the strength of the sun. In the afternoon we ventured outside the boundaries of the resort onto the beach (about 15 metres away!) and I had a Thai massage whilst Emily had her hair braided. My massage lasted for about an hour and a half, whist Emily's hair took 4 hours! Dinner this evening was in "The Beach Restaurant", the second cheapest of the four (we were not intentionally working down, honest!) and the Nasi-Goreng and steak sandwhich were delicious.

13th January 2003.
We got up today at 6.30am to watch the sunrise and then went back to bed until 9.30am. After breakfast we booked a tour for the next day then visited the games room to check email and play pool. Then we both had a swim in the huge pool and chilled out on loungers. We had food and beer brought over to us from "The Bar" (the cheapest!) after which we retired to our garden for a game of "Scrabble". We watched "13 Days" in our room which is a good film, but the quality of the VCD was dodgy.

14th January 2003.
Up 'early' today at 7.30am to be ready in time for our expedition. Our package included a tour guide and driver in an air-conditioned mini-van which took us to the Kang Kra Chan National Park where we went to see the waterfalls on the Mae Nam Pran Buri river near Ban Pa Lao U. This turned out to be about a mile or so long gorge walk into the jungle hoping from rock to rock until we reached the biggest waterfall at the 9th pool from the start. Our guide had never been so far and said that most tourists don't make it past the 2nd or 3rd pool. On the way back we had a swim in pool 3 (freezing!) along with the hundreds of (large!) fish which inhabit it. Back at the mini-can there were ice-cold lemon face towels and drinks before they took us to a nearby restaurant for lunch. We had the set menu which was loads of food (for about 2.60UKP). Then we moved on to the Elephant Village at Hua Hin which is situated behind the Eitisukato Temple (monks everywhere). Emily & I had a 40min trek on a beautiful elephant before feeding it bananas. We also petted a baby elephant and fed it bananas & milk which then trumpeted for us and 'played' the harmonica. We felt a bit guilty about fuelling the commercial exploitation of the elephants but they did at least seem well cared for. Back at the resort we had a quality meal accompanied by cocktails in "The Bar" - a great end to a cracking day.

15th January 2003.
We were up a bit later today at 9.30am and after breakfast we visited the resort shop to look at the mix of reasonably priced and expensive gifts and souveniers. A spot of sunbathing until we had a tour of the spa at 12pm. It was absolutely beautiful. The place is built using Feng Shui and there is water, open air and soothing piped music everywhere. After much discussion we decided to book a special offer package of treatments for tomorrow and Em booked an eyebrow shaping session for that afternoon. While she was being plucked I had a cheap Thai massage from the locals. We then spent the rest of the afternoon playing "Scrabble" by the pool and eating gourmet snacks washed down with Singha beer. After a quick shower we met the resort management in the upstairs of the bar for drinks, canapés and to tell them what we thought of the resort. Then we had dinner and cocktails in the Beach Restuarant.

16th January 2003.
Breakfast and then sunbathing on the island in the pool until 11.30am when we got ready to be pampered over in the spa. We arrived there at 12pm and were given chilled water with ice cubes containing fruit to drink in the relaxing area. We then split up to go and spend half and hour in the sauna and steam room before having a shower and then being reunited to go into the treatment room. We had a full body massage, a pressure foot massage, head massage and then a facial. Then another shower and into the relaxing room to have some ginger tea. Totally relaxed. Chilled by the pool in the afternoon and had a club sandwhich whilst Em had a pizza. I also had a swim in the (rough) sea which was exhilarating. In the evening we took a taxi into Hua Hin (about 20 miles away) and had dinner in a Thai equivalent of "Joe's cafe". The food and beer was very cheap but delicious after which we did some shopping. We caught the last shuttle bus back to the hotel at 11pm and then stayed up until 3am packing our bags. This was an interesting task as we seemed to have acquired more stuff than would fit in the bags. Eventually we fitted it all in and wouldn't have to worry about packing on our last day.

17th January 2003.
We got up fairly early for our last breakfast. There was a bit of a commotion as someone had spotted a snake and the staff were trying to locate it. We then had a last swim in the pool and enjoyed an our's sunbathing. At 12pm we checked out and travelled back to Bangkok in a private air-conditioned mini-van. We stopped to take some pictures of the colourful fishing boats at a nearby village. Once in Bangkok we went via the Sports Stadium where the Jamboree shop was located which turned out to be closed. A very helpful man there told us how to get to an outlet shop for the company which had the contract to make all the merchandise for the Jamboree. So we travelled through the now rush-hour traffic to the shop to find that they didn't have any stock but could get some for tomorrow. After finally checking-in to the Manhattan Hotel, we ate dinner in a restaurant just round the corner as we didn't fancy eating in. The hotel was fairly basic, could do with a lick of paint and, after the luxury we had grown accustomed to, felt pretty grotty. After dinner we had a wander around the street stalls then wandered back to the hotel where we waited up until 1am to greet our IST friends returning from Australia. After a whole day's travelling they were more tired than we were.

18th January 2003.
After breakfast some people went shopping whilst Emily, Frank, Richard and I got a taxi from the hotel to the Grand Palace for 300 Baht (about 4.50UKP). We paid for a guide which turned out to be an excellent decision and he took us around the grounds and into the buildings open to the public explaining their history and purpose. Once his tour ended we went in the interesting Thai coin and medal exhibition which was also included in the entrance fee. Then we hailed a taxi and nipped across the City to the Pantip Plaza which cost 50 Baht (about 75 pence) which taught us the valuable lesson of not letting the hotel arrange taxis. We had lunch in KFC - I had the Thai-style menu but you could get a "Chicken Fillet Burger Meal" for 45 Baht (about 62 pence)! Then we went shopping for silk ties, dresses, shirts etc. We also went back to the "Green Cotton" shop to try to get a Jamboree hat but unfortunately the stock had not yet arrived so we went back to the hotel for a swim. We ate a pizza/pasta dinner in a local Italian restaurant before returning to the shop to purchase a Jamboree hat. The stock had arrived and not only were there Jamboree hats but also T-shirts, mugs, key-rings, bags etc. of which we bought a selection. A couple of cocktails at the hotel bar ended the evening.

19th January 2003.
After breakfast, and sorting out a room to leave our bags in after officially checking out, we packed a fair bit into today our last in Bangkok and indeed Thailand itself. In the morning we visited the the Floating Market and then had a fascinating boat journey through Bangkok's network of canals back to the main river getting out at Wat Po. Here we hired an excellent guide who spoke very good English and showed us around the temple which is the home of the amazing 46m x 15m golden reclining buddha amongst others. On his recommendation we had a delicious lunch in the Navy restaurant next to the Grand Palace and then went back to the hotel to meet Tim, our unit Chairman, who had returned to Bangkok on business! We had a swim in the pool then went out to do some shopping and have dinner. At 10.25pm a coach took 18 of us from the hotel (some were leaving on the 20th) to the airport where we checked in and did some last minute duty-free shopping.

20th January 2003.
Our plane left at 01:15 and arrived in Istanbul at about 06:00 (local time). We had time for a swift beer(!) before our next flight left to take us back to the rain and the cold in the UK. After circling over Greenwich for 30 minutes in thick cloud we had a slightly hairy landing at Heathrow due to a 'brisk' cross-wind with our little plane finally touching down at 10:55 (UK time). Emily's brother Jon came to meet us at the airport and drove us back to Reading to collect the car and then an hour or so's journey back to Northampton, unpack and get some sleep before returning to work on the 21st.