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Experience rural life on two wheels
As I travelled slowly along a rural
village road I noticed rich, green fields, displaying an abundance of rice, vegetables and flowers, a real slice of Thai country
life.
Even though it was only a small village road, everything
in sight was so colourful. It was equally rewarding to know that such an inexpensive experience could yield so much pleasure.
There are over ten farming villages in the Chor Lare sub-district of Mae Taeng.
Thais have been very closely integrated with agriculture
throughout the history of the kingdom and this area in Chiang Mai province is a perfect region to see practices, old and new,
in operation.
Many are still tied to the land, but new agricultural
methods have generally replaced the ways of old. However, some traditional practices still remain. Most notably: some produce
is sold at market, the rest is kept for consumption by the family and the planting of crops is also still done in the centuries-old
rotation system. Agro-tours in Thailand are starting to awaken great interest in "eco-aware" tourists.
Visitors can study this particular way of life
and gain an insight into Thai-style agriculture at each location.
Recently, I was given the honor of being the first
journalist to report on one particular community's effort to maintain their age-old agricultural practices.
This initiative was set up by Khun Saichon Pruksanan,
an excommunity and promoted the first home stay project in the village.
He said: "Every household in Chor Lae sub-district
earns their living from farming. We have what we call 'economy crops' which are planted in rotation all-year round, which
is different from surrounding districts.
" We have a very good irrigation system to support
us, people are friendly and hospitable and we are extremely safety conscious and ready to welcome tourists who visit
our villages. Most important, we have our own special way of life," he added.
I left Chiang Mai for Mae Taeng district which
is along north route 107, 37 kms away. From the councillor's house I rode a bicycle to Ban Pong, the first village on the
way to Mae Ngad Dam. Along with the councillor, I stopped to visit a temple named Wat Ban Den. It seemed to me to be Chiang
Mai's biggest and most beautiful shrine.
Further on, we stopped for a short visit
to see the excavated site of a kiln called Inthakin Kiln which is approximately 500 years old. We passed through fresh green rice fields and was people busy at work. A local told me: " In each village we have a group leader who contacts directly with the buyers
so there is no middle man."
Khun Saichon said: " Every house in this
village is a member of the White Village Project which means that the village is drug-free."
This directive is taken seriously as all the villages
we visited had posters and campaign banners warning of the dangers of taking drugs.
Our last stop was at a Thai farmer's house which
is used for the village home-stay project. The house is roughly rectangular in shape, with an open veranda outside, and had
been constructed with teakwood and titles.
A highlight of the home stay project is dinner
with local people, which helps the visitor to get a rich insight into their daily routine.
The trip is especially recommended for keen cyclists
and it will take a whole day to visit all the villages . More importantly, it is still the best way to see all the local sights
at a relaxed place.
Story by Gomase Theenanon
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