Mae Kampong a rustic and peaceful haven
It's a hamlet. There are 139 houses, often so close together that the roofs touch. You cannot get there by bus. 'This delightful hamlet is a picture of self-sufficiency and simple pleasures. Taste the peace now before hordes of people arrive', writes Peerawat Jariyasombat about Ban Mae Kampong, which is 1.300 meters above sea level, about 50 kilometers from the city of Chiang Mai.
The high altitude, temperature, high humidity and lush forests are ideal for growing Assam tea and coffee. And the large rainfall facilitates the cultivation of flowers, such as the colorful flowers of the garlic creeper, begonias and garden balsam.
When you think of tea, you tend to think of the drink first, but initially the tea leaves were used to make it miang a fermented snack that was immensely popular in northern Thailand and adjacent highlands in Myanmar and Indochina.
Miang consists of fresh young tea leaves, which are lightly crushed, and onion, tomatoes, chilli, lemon juice and pieces of pork or fish. It was, by the way, the big question miang which caused farmers to settle in the area 150 years ago. And still is miang an important source of income for the villagers.
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Homestay
Ban Mae Kampong was one of the first villages in Thailand to offer tourists overnight accommodation at villagers' homes for a reasonable price, a service known today as homestay. Of the 139 families, 25 participate in the homestay service.
The village generates its own electricity thanks to two waterfalls of 55 and 30 meters. Two generators, financed by the Ministry of Energy, have provided 1982 kW and 12 kW since 5. Sufficient for a long time, but flat screen TVs, DVD players and larger refrigerators sometimes cause a blackout in the evening these days.
The village also has running water. The villagers have built their own pipe network, which is fed by the streams that never dry up.
It is a rustic and peaceful haven, Ban Mae Kampong. There are no nightclubs and a large market, but a small holiday park has already been built along a water stream and a few coffee shops and bars have opened along the main road.
“I hope that the villagers are strong enough to withstand commercial pressure and are able to preserve their heritage and identity,” Peerawat writes. And we can wholeheartedly support that plea after seeing the photos.
Source: Bangkok Post