Day 25 - Chiang Mai Mountains - Hmong Village

Today we had a special journey visiting the farmlands in the mountains that sit just north of Chiang Mai. Our fabulous guide, Sanni, took us to the farming village of the Hmong people. Previously, this area had been filled with poppy fields as the people just looked for anything that could be profitable, (i.e. opium). But the government has now turned that situation around providing subsidies to the farmers who commit to producing valuable crops such as coffee, avocados and strawberries.

We were fortunate to have a local Hmong man and his young son accompany us on our visit and escort us through the farmlands. To start off we had the privilege of having a look into the family home of our local Hmong guide. We learned from Sanni that the Hmong people live a very simple life, farming the land and eating what is available on the farm. Their houses seem primitive, but the Hmong people seem happy with what they have. Below are a couple of quick videos we took inside the home. You can see they have an open wood fire for cooking. We also noticed there was no food stored in the house, and we learned this is because they simply utilize what is available each day, eating very simply.

Here is a photo of the village which includes about 1,500 people:

Homes are constructed of materials that are available at the time they are built. The pics below demonstrates some of the interesting materials that were used such as: tin, wood scraps and promotional billboards.

We wandered through the steep hills and saw crops of strawberries and lychee (photo 1 & 2 below) and photo 3 is a water collection system that is used for the village.

There were also a number of natural and cropped fruits and vegetables such as Jack fruit, corn for sticky red rice and a loofah fruit. Loofah fruit is where our loofahs that we use in the shower or bath come from. We always thought it came from sea sponges!

At the end of our hike, we had a little rest at spot with a nice lookout over the village. We then were taken to a National Waterfall Park. It was nice to dip our feet in the water to cool off after our hike. Lauren managed to drop her phone in the muddy rushing water (in that spot where she is sitting down in the photo). We thought it was gone forever- luckily, fabulous Sanni jumped in and plucked the phone out of the water! It was a true miracle and so far, the phone seems to be working. Fingers crossed.

It was great to see a real down to earth part of Thailand today. We also learned a lot from Sanni who grew up in the countryside on a rice farm and lived without electricity until she was 15 (she is only in her 30s now). She gave us great insights into the customs and lifestyle of some of the people in Thailand. They work hard and when people get too old to work their children support them. Sanni's parents no longer work but they take care of Sanni's 12-year old son so she and her husband can work and send money to her parents and her son.

Today we even had an hour or so to relax at the pool at our oasis hotel (Na Naranda). It was really lovely to do nothing for a spell:)

Thai Fun/Not so Facts:

• We have had hazy skies since we arrived in Thailand. This is due to massive wildfires burning in Burma which is just north of here. The fires are set by farmers to clear the land but then they get way out of control.

• There are 7-11 stores everywhere here selling a broad range of goods, almost like a general store!

• The city of Chiang Mai literally means "New City" and was built after moving the capital from Chiang Rai (or "City of Rai" - Rai being one of the kings of the Lanna Kingdom) due to repeated flooding at that site. More on Chiang Rai in a day or two.

• For those of you who know Steve well you know he's not a fan of mosquitos so this place is pushing his limits and belief in bug repellent to the max. Last night we decided to eat at the hotel and the first thing they bring to the table? Not menus, not water....bug spray! Aaaaaah. It was sooooo buggy but luckily they had indoor tables too. Phew