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18 November, 2009
Doi Chang Coffee
While up in the hills where the Akha live, we got to visit one of the guy's coffee processing location. We had a good time visiting and talking with him about his coffee.
Much of the coffee we find looks a little beat up.
14 November, 2009
13 November, 2009
The North of Thailand
We recently returned to Bangkok from a great trip to the north of Thailand. We visited Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.
We had a really great time doing so many different things. Because I took nearly 1000 photos, I am going to split my posting sessions into not one but 2 sections, the first of which is all prior to this post.
Those to come: Chiang Rai, visiting a coffee farm and processing station, the Queens Garden, and cooking Thai food in Chiang Rai.
I hope to finish posting soon! Hope you enjoy.
Also, we leave to Taiwan a week from today, Friday the 20th. Our time in Thailand is coming to an end and the next adventure is still very shrouded in uncertainty. We don't have jobs yet but could be offered one at any moment. We're not sure where we will stay when we arrive. I am hoping and praying that we will be accepted to a school that will possible hire all three of us, the school is in a city west of Taipei called Taoyuan.
Akha thanksgiving celebration!
We woke up early, but it was so worth it. To make it to the Akha thanksgiving we were up by 5:30am and riding the back of a truck into the mountains by 6:30am. I think this day was the highlight of this trip to the north for me. The bumpy ride in the back of the truck led us through beautiful sunrise mountains and treated us to refreshingly clean air. I can't describe the beauty of dawn falling on a rice field, or the simplicity of people up early to work the land which gives them life.
The ride in the truck was long and deep into the hills. I really felt that I was only appropriate in this place by invitation, this was their home and their land - not a tourist destination and not Thai society.
When we arrived to the village we were sharing this day with they welcomed us and sat us down to eat. This is my first experience of Akha food, it was so delicious. The vegetables were abundant and so tasty. I enjoyed unwrapping my rice that had been steamed in a banana leaf - I can't think of a better plate to enjoy a meal on.
After the small meal we were treated to coffee. This is Doi Chang. Elephant mountain. Lots of coffee is grown in this area and one company has made the name famous for coffee around Thailand. There were many people in this community that grew coffee. This was one of their agricultural products, they grew it, and they were sharing a brew with us - again, so great. I love this connection to life that is so entirely real. These people eat what they grow, they sustain themselves in the soil of the mountains. They work and they live. There is no grocery store, they don't work in an office and buy food that they don't understand. They know how it grows, whether the harvest was good or poor. They kill their own animals for meat, it doesn't come in Styrofoam and saran wrap.
There is something refreshing about all of this to me. Necessity is reality, you must labor for your livelihood in community.
The ride in the truck was long and deep into the hills. I really felt that I was only appropriate in this place by invitation, this was their home and their land - not a tourist destination and not Thai society.
When we arrived to the village we were sharing this day with they welcomed us and sat us down to eat. This is my first experience of Akha food, it was so delicious. The vegetables were abundant and so tasty. I enjoyed unwrapping my rice that had been steamed in a banana leaf - I can't think of a better plate to enjoy a meal on.
After the small meal we were treated to coffee. This is Doi Chang. Elephant mountain. Lots of coffee is grown in this area and one company has made the name famous for coffee around Thailand. There were many people in this community that grew coffee. This was one of their agricultural products, they grew it, and they were sharing a brew with us - again, so great. I love this connection to life that is so entirely real. These people eat what they grow, they sustain themselves in the soil of the mountains. They work and they live. There is no grocery store, they don't work in an office and buy food that they don't understand. They know how it grows, whether the harvest was good or poor. They kill their own animals for meat, it doesn't come in Styrofoam and saran wrap.
There is something refreshing about all of this to me. Necessity is reality, you must labor for your livelihood in community.
Akha thanksgiving celebration!
Rice, wrapped and steamed in banana leaves! So great!
They sat us down to eat when we arrived, before the long service giving God thanks for the harvest.
Not quite like anything you've ever had and so delicious.
This is Gai posing with the older Akha women. The headdresses are a traditional style, made of silver.
Akha thanksgiving celebration!
Literally their first fruits! This is the offering and celebration at the end of the harvest for the Akha people. This was such a unique opportunity for us to be blessed by partaking in this thanksgiving, it's hard to put words to it.
Akha thanksgiving celebration!
Singing Hymns in traditional Akhan dress.
A wonderful and inspiring time of thanking God for the first fruits of the land, the produce that they labored over with their own hands.
This Akhan man was the first to graduate from university. He just completed a P.H.D in leadership development I think. His story is really amazing. Against so many odds, he did really well in school, got a Thai ID card at the last moment so he could attend college and has since labored for the well being of his people. He started a home for poor hill tribe students to live while they attend school away from their family as well as a seminary for the Akha people who wish to study the bible.
Akha thanksgiving celebration!
Such an amazing feast! There really is no where that you can get Akha food outside of these areas where the Akha people live
They steam rice in banana leaves and when you unfold the leaf, it becomes your plate. I can't tell you how much I love this, haha.
There's a lot of coffee produced in these hills and someone gave coffee to everyone - we were thankful for it!
Phil holding the first fruits of the chickens!
Hill tribe students
Danny has been in Thailand for many years. During our time in the North we were blessed to spend time with people and groups that were solely out to care for people in need. In this area of Thailand there are many poor hill tribe people that are not and have not been integrated into Thai society in the past. It is still difficult for people from these hill tribes to get national ID cards that allow them to travel to other provinces and go to university.
This is a school and living area that houses and educates hill tribe students, many of which have very little money. The principal is a guy from the US that decided to move here and help these children. When he arrive the children we in really bad shape with little food, and very little leadership. The kids took care of themselves and it was a really bad envirorment for them, being at the mercy of the strongest. Now the school is doing much better and our friend has had a hug impact in the lives of these students.
They asked Danny to lead worship because Danny and Dtaan are very talented. Danny and Dtaan are really focused on producing music written by Thais, much of it worship that is really needed and helpful to churches around Thailand, rather than just translating English songs.
This is a school and living area that houses and educates hill tribe students, many of which have very little money. The principal is a guy from the US that decided to move here and help these children. When he arrive the children we in really bad shape with little food, and very little leadership. The kids took care of themselves and it was a really bad envirorment for them, being at the mercy of the strongest. Now the school is doing much better and our friend has had a hug impact in the lives of these students.
They asked Danny to lead worship because Danny and Dtaan are very talented. Danny and Dtaan are really focused on producing music written by Thais, much of it worship that is really needed and helpful to churches around Thailand, rather than just translating English songs.
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