Part 9: Mae Tha Village, Thailand

Tha Chomphoo Bridge in Lamphun Province, Thailand.

From Chiang Mai, our friends Toby and Nuna brought us to their subsistence farm in the Mae Tha district of Lamphun province. Nuna's longtime family friend Manat is a taxi driver in the city, and was our transport for the hour journey south of Chiang Mai. So far we had been lucky, with the best air quality in the country. But the haze from burning season was moving into the city, making it a good time to leave. Along the way we stopped to go shopping at the insect market. There's other stuff besides bugs, haha, but so many bugs! And live eels and catfish in bags, and roasted frogs, and giant grubs, and smoked honeycomb full of bee larva, and just about anything else you would never imagine. I wasn't counting, but I'm pretty sure we were the only Farang (foreigners) there. Fortunately lunch was further down the road along the river, where Nuna's friend runs a little outdoor noodle stand with the best soup, for about $1 USD each!

In Mae Tha, we rented at a homestay in the village from Nuna's sister, which was the biggest accommodation we've had since New Zealand. It was just down the street from a good-sized temple, and the famous White Bridge (even though it's named "Chomphoo," which means pink). The family farm was about a 25 minute walk into the hills bordered by a rubber tree plantation, and we were graciously ferried back and forth by truck or scooter (depending on who was available or how late it was) until we could make our way on our own. Wizzing through the winding forest roads on the back of a scooter in the dark, dodging the numerous local dogs, was one of my favorite memories of this trip so far!

Nuna's father had originally carved the land from the teak forest, just down the hill from the remains of a forest temple dating back over 800 years. Various gardens and every kind of fruit trees (tamarind, mango, papaya, longan, lemons and kaffir limes, and one cacao) were everywhere. A teak "sala" (freestanding covered porch or open pavilion) overlooked 2 fish ponds. Cattle grazed in the fallow rice fields, which filled up with graceful egrets and myriad other birds every evening. The surrounding mountains provided a dramatic backdrop for beautiful sunsets. It is so extremely quiet and serene. We felt we had left the world behind, and in fact each of the valleys here are isolated enough to have a distinct dialect.

The farm was a menagerie of critters galore, many rescued. There were lineated barbets (local forest birds), some very sweet dogs, and a trio of circus cats that liked to rain down from the ceiling. And of course Ribbon the duck, who thinks it's a chicken. And some more chickens. (And occasionally the local poisonous snakes, banded kraits and cobras, but fortunately we didn't get to meet any of those.)

With Toby and Nuna feeding us at every turn, we felt truly pampered. Nuna's Mom made snacks for us at every opportunity, and gave us a Thai cooking class - epic! We met even more of Nuna's family and friends, and stayed up late talking with Toby, who provided acoustic karaoke by candlelight on the sala. It was truly hard to leave. 5 stars!

Finally it was time to head back for a few more days in Chiang Mai. We decided to take the train for our return, since it was only 13 Baht each ($0.38)! A neighbor with a sidecar (basically a large basket with a bench on one side) on his motorbike was gracious enough to bring our bags - and me - to the station. I'm sure I became quite the conversation piece, since everyone who saw us driving by waved. Definitely a glamorous exit (except the part about me climbing out of the sidecar, haha).

Next up: Chiang Mai Flower Festival...