A few years back, I developed a friendship with the owners of a coffee shop just south of Wat Prathat Santitham on the steep, narrow switchback that crosses from the 1089 to the 1130.
A couple of weeks back, Tonne mentioned an invite to a wedding, but I wasn't sure I wanted to attend an event where I knew no one. Then on Friday Mar 21 I received a message telling me to be at his coffee shop by 8.30 on the Saturday morning.
Yes, why not? I thought, nothing ventured.... In typical Thai manner we never left the shop until after 9.30am and it had already been decided we would go just beyond the wedding location to the coffee farm owned by his wife's parents, then drop back for the wedding feast, the service being Christian, and he didn't want to attend as a Buddhist.
It was the usual Mae Salong - Thoed Thai route and a continuation along the 4052 heading towards Ban Huai Mae Kham.
At Ban Lao Liu we turned left, the first crossing of the Mae Kham river and from there it was all broken concrete roads, narrow in many places, and at times very steep. I was amazed at so many villages and small lanes in a place where even more modern maps show very little. Like much of the Thoed Thai district, it's booming.
Passing the wedding village, I was gobsmacked at the massive venue, the huge number of expensive 4 door pick-ups and the collection of parked motorbikes. Way beyond anything I expected, this was a celebration that included some very prosperous Akha head-men and local politicians.
And just to point out the ridiculous variety, we headed on up to the very modest and old fashioned home of Tons Father-in-Law. They have built a more modern but small concrete house, but the old man prefers the old, native-style akha house with its straw roof, bamboo walls, and inside fire that repels mosquitoes.
Yes, Khaohom, Tons daughter and modern young student, looks marvellously out of place in a home like this.
Most of the coffee farm was on very steep slopes, making working it, especially in the wet season, quite treacherous. Its Arabica was planted long enough ago to be very productive. Unlike some, they have kept the big original trees that many use to protect the young seedlings from hot sun but cut down later.
Family visit finished, we went back down to the wedding festival, dropped our contributions to the happy couple into the big box provided, and got shown into the 2-star seating reserved for Falangs.
We were allowed to enjoy the sun while the obvious 5-star visitors were nicely located in deep shade or under a canopy. No worries, we can take it, especially as cold beer was on offer for free.
Quite obviously, it's the older Akha women who stand out at times like this with their expensive headwear and decorated outfits. I asked Tons sister in law about her decorative purse, thinking that these days they would be machine-made, and she spent no time informing me that what I had taken to be a modern product had taken her 3 months to craft by hand. Take that Mr Steve!
Probably an hour was taken up with speeches and introductions of special guests, and then lunch, in the form of a big Chinese feast, was served and entertainment by local dancers started.
The one dance group had obviously arrived by motorbikes and although I got a picture as they were preparing to change, I wish I had been there for their arrival. A traditionally dressed Akha all woman biking group would have looked great.
There were a few young girl dancing groups, as the above picture shows, but sadly the green sunscreen canopy above the stage threw a green light on the pictures, and they came out very poor. I did at least manage to tell some of them how good they looked. I shook a few hands of the more modestly dressed guys in the crowd, and I did pick out one very bright-looking, modern-dressed woman who I asked, 'did she speak English" and got a few words in reply.
All sorts here, from university-educated to fresh out the village hut grandmothers. All I could do was smile and hope they didn't wonder why a white man was crashing their party.
In what seemed like no time, the food was gone and tables emptied. I was told it was only temporary and in the evening a singer of North Thai fame was appearing, and guests would be back for the evening's entertainment.
Sadly, for the not-so-special there were no rooms available and no chauffeured cars for the journey home, so we were forced to head back home before the dark came, and we were left struggling to find which lane to take.
So, one afternoon in the high hills near the Burma border, I am forced to change my mind over hilltribe poverty and a people who not long ago were looked down upon by Thais as aboriginal hillbillies. You never can tell.
I felt very lucky to be allowed in and join what was a stunning collection of Akha clothing, people, and jewellery. I may even be able to remember which style hat is Lo Mi and which is U Lo if I try hard.
A couple of weeks back, Tonne mentioned an invite to a wedding, but I wasn't sure I wanted to attend an event where I knew no one. Then on Friday Mar 21 I received a message telling me to be at his coffee shop by 8.30 on the Saturday morning.
Yes, why not? I thought, nothing ventured.... In typical Thai manner we never left the shop until after 9.30am and it had already been decided we would go just beyond the wedding location to the coffee farm owned by his wife's parents, then drop back for the wedding feast, the service being Christian, and he didn't want to attend as a Buddhist.
It was the usual Mae Salong - Thoed Thai route and a continuation along the 4052 heading towards Ban Huai Mae Kham.
At Ban Lao Liu we turned left, the first crossing of the Mae Kham river and from there it was all broken concrete roads, narrow in many places, and at times very steep. I was amazed at so many villages and small lanes in a place where even more modern maps show very little. Like much of the Thoed Thai district, it's booming.
Passing the wedding village, I was gobsmacked at the massive venue, the huge number of expensive 4 door pick-ups and the collection of parked motorbikes. Way beyond anything I expected, this was a celebration that included some very prosperous Akha head-men and local politicians.
And just to point out the ridiculous variety, we headed on up to the very modest and old fashioned home of Tons Father-in-Law. They have built a more modern but small concrete house, but the old man prefers the old, native-style akha house with its straw roof, bamboo walls, and inside fire that repels mosquitoes.
Yes, Khaohom, Tons daughter and modern young student, looks marvellously out of place in a home like this.
Most of the coffee farm was on very steep slopes, making working it, especially in the wet season, quite treacherous. Its Arabica was planted long enough ago to be very productive. Unlike some, they have kept the big original trees that many use to protect the young seedlings from hot sun but cut down later.
Family visit finished, we went back down to the wedding festival, dropped our contributions to the happy couple into the big box provided, and got shown into the 2-star seating reserved for Falangs.
We were allowed to enjoy the sun while the obvious 5-star visitors were nicely located in deep shade or under a canopy. No worries, we can take it, especially as cold beer was on offer for free.
Quite obviously, it's the older Akha women who stand out at times like this with their expensive headwear and decorated outfits. I asked Tons sister in law about her decorative purse, thinking that these days they would be machine-made, and she spent no time informing me that what I had taken to be a modern product had taken her 3 months to craft by hand. Take that Mr Steve!
Probably an hour was taken up with speeches and introductions of special guests, and then lunch, in the form of a big Chinese feast, was served and entertainment by local dancers started.
The one dance group had obviously arrived by motorbikes and although I got a picture as they were preparing to change, I wish I had been there for their arrival. A traditionally dressed Akha all woman biking group would have looked great.
There were a few young girl dancing groups, as the above picture shows, but sadly the green sunscreen canopy above the stage threw a green light on the pictures, and they came out very poor. I did at least manage to tell some of them how good they looked. I shook a few hands of the more modestly dressed guys in the crowd, and I did pick out one very bright-looking, modern-dressed woman who I asked, 'did she speak English" and got a few words in reply.
All sorts here, from university-educated to fresh out the village hut grandmothers. All I could do was smile and hope they didn't wonder why a white man was crashing their party.
In what seemed like no time, the food was gone and tables emptied. I was told it was only temporary and in the evening a singer of North Thai fame was appearing, and guests would be back for the evening's entertainment.
Sadly, for the not-so-special there were no rooms available and no chauffeured cars for the journey home, so we were forced to head back home before the dark came, and we were left struggling to find which lane to take.
So, one afternoon in the high hills near the Burma border, I am forced to change my mind over hilltribe poverty and a people who not long ago were looked down upon by Thais as aboriginal hillbillies. You never can tell.
I felt very lucky to be allowed in and join what was a stunning collection of Akha clothing, people, and jewellery. I may even be able to remember which style hat is Lo Mi and which is U Lo if I try hard.
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