Visiting Baan Huay Kee Lek, The Akha Hill Tribe in Chiang Rai…

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In the event you’re searching for distinctive experiences in Northern Thailand, then you definitely’ll wish to head deep into Dan Lao mountain vary exterior of Chiang Rai. Right here you will discover a few of the most genuine Akha villages in Southeast Asia, nestled within the foothills of the Doi Mae Salong Mountain.

The Akha folks initially got here to Thailand from Tibet, and migrated to Thailand within the early 20th Century. It’s estimated that 80,000 Akha hill tribe folks reside throughout the Golden Triangle, and in Thailand, within the Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces.

There are tons of of Akha villages throughout Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, lots of that are open to tourism in order that travellers can join with the native tradition and study their lifestyle.

I visited Baan Huay Kee Lek, a Akha village perched on the highest of a mountain within the Chiang Rai province of Thailand. I knew as quickly as we drove up the dusty and windy dust monitor to the village we have been in for a deal with.

Here’s what I found…

About Baan Huay Kee Lek

Remoted, genuine and free from teams of vacationers (apart from our small tour group of writers), Baan Huay Kee Lek is an Akha Hill Tribe village off the crushed path.

Baan Huay Kee Lek is positioned within the Chiang Rai province, within the Wawi sub-district, roughly 25 km’s from the district middle of Mae Souay.

Visiting hill tribe folks in Thailand is a well-liked expertise for travellers and most of the hill tribe villages are mentioned to be dropping their id to the tourism business.

We have been the primary vacationers to go to Huay Kee Lek. The villagers had solely determined to welcome within the gawkers in 2010, and in an effort to not lose themselves to them, the Akha group created a counsel to handle it as a group based mostly tourism venture.

This tourism initiative goals to point out the customer the native traditions, values and way of life while conserving the worth of the person tradition and surroundings. Guests can keep in a single day in a homestay or be a part of the agricultural folks of their each day lives in an effort to extend understanding and respect for one another.

This type of accountable journey permits the villagers to keep up their conventional abilities, management the tourism revenue, pursue their regular life and protect their cultural and pure heritage.

Life in Huay Kee Lek Village

Regardless of the authenticity of village life in Huay Kee Lek, many Akha villagers trip motorbikes into Chiang Rai throughout the day to work in factories, authorities positions and personal companies.

They put on fits, or “regular” garments at work, and the standard clothes you see are reserved for particular events, particular guests, or for many who proceed dwelling within the conventional method.

On a regular basis life nonetheless continues in a lot the identical means because it has for years, besides trendy life is creeping in slowly. And that is wonderful, evolution occurs all over the place.

We noticed the combination of outdated and new – with ladies weaving grass and drying beans within the solar, and taxi drivers lazing about on bamboo platforms and younger troopers standing round in teams laughing and chatting.

Girls nonetheless make Akha handicrafts equivalent to bracelets and baskets, which may be purchased from them as a memento.

Pigs, chickens, and roosters ran spherical our ft and youngsters performed within the dust of their backyards or underneath their bamboo homes constructed on wood stilts.

The Akha folks don’t have any conventional written language, and most of the older technology are illiterate, however despite the fact that they couldn’t converse English or talk properly, we nonetheless felt welcome.

They appeared to get pleasure from displaying tour teams their lifestyle, and invited us into their Akha mud home or to look at them work.

A smile goes a good distance whenever you can not converse the language.

Our information, in his damaged English, and with assist from our Go Inexperienced Thailand information, informed us about village life.

He took us to see the sacred village Akha Swing, used for particular celebrations.

The Akha Swing Pageant takes place late August yearly, on the peak of the wet season. It sees the colorful Akha folks have a good time a 4 day competition of their villages.

It marks the top of the planting of the village rice and is in celebration of all their laborious work and the lushness of the earth round them. It’s a joyful time as they present respect and gratitude to their ancestors who bless them with abundance.

It’s additionally marks the ceremony of passage for Akha women passing into womanhood, who gown within the vibrant conventional gown of the Akha folks and let their hair down swinging wildly by way of the air on the rickety swing.

Taking a Stroll

The counsel chief and his spouse, the village natural physician, took us for a brief stroll within the surrounding forest to get a deeper perception into the self-sufficient village life.

We walked underneath what a haphazardly constructed gated entrance to the village, with simplistic grass woven round designs.

We found that it was a Spirit Gate designed to maintain unhealthy spirits at bay.

Throughout the Swing competition, this gate could be embellished with wooden carving and amulets.

As we walked, we discovered about all of the distinctive traditions and methods through which the group work. For instance, we discovered that attaching a ‘spirit eye’ (see above pic) to bushes signifies that they need to not be reduce.

A Therapeutic Alternative

On our stroll tragedy struck when one among our group fell down the mountain and scraped his arm. Our medication physician disappeared into the forest and returned quickly with a wide range of leaf specimens and a bigger leaf to behave as a petrie dish.

She started rolling and grinding till it shaped a paste. Then she gently utilized it to his abrasion. It stayed on till we left.

It didn’t heal it magically then and there, but it surely helped relieve his ache and no an infection visited for the rest of our journey – the facility of the pure world.

He was very proud of the treatment. I used to be very comfortable watching the natural physician at work.

Sharing a Meal Collectively

We have been invited to share a meal with the villagers. The meals is totally different from the same old Thai dishes like Pad Thai, but it surely was scrumptious and made with contemporary substances.

We have been invited into the house of a candy married couple. They ready a easy meal with meals grown within the gardens and village animals, which we ate collectively on the ground of their front room.

Their wood house was naked, however stuffed with heat and happiness.

They might not converse English, however their smiles and type deeds mentioned a lot.

(I used to be additionally actually comfortable to see their four yr outdated son throw a tantrum–it occurs all over the place, we’re not alone!!)

Whereas there aren’t any excursions like ours that go to Huay Kee Lek Village anymore, visiting a hill tribe village is unquestionably value doing as you study a lot in regards to the lifestyle (akha zang). You possibly can see this 1-day trek that goes to Akha and Lahu.

Some villages which are open to vacationers are the Lahu Village, Lisu Village, or Lengthy Neck Village (also called Karen Village).

You possibly can e-book excursions at any tour firm in Chiang Rai or head to Get Your Information to discover a mixed tour.