My third and final homestay was an experience I will probably never forget. Our Thai studies program trekked to the foothills of Chiang Rai to a Lisu hill tribe. In northern Thailand there are various numbers of hill (ethnic) tribes that recide in the gorgeous mountains that extend through Southern China to Northern Thailand. As you will see in my pictures its absolutely breathtaking - not to mention substantially colder and different from the landscape of Chiang Mai. We left Wednesday morning and came back Sunday afternoon.
History
The Lisu Hilltribe has its origins in Tibet, migrating from there to Southern China and then to Burma to escape the Chinese wars. It is argued that, "the people of the Lisu hill tribe most likely migrated into Thailand from Burma sometime in the late 1800s."
The Lisu hill tribe people live at moderate to high altitudes between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, but also in western Chiang Rai and Phayao provinces of the Golden Triangle area in Thailand; hence the colder tempeture that I dealt with.
The Experience
We left Wednesday morning with twenty students and three supervisors; two leaders and a professor who currently lives and studies the particular Lisu village we traveled to. Arriving around one in the afternoon, we were seperated into two's and "adopted" by a Lisu family. Pete, my good friend from school, and I decided to share our unique experience by teaming up. Our lovely abode was made up of a large compound: three homes, two bathrooms and a large yard. Within this compound was my house - holding my homestay mother and father and another house that consisted of my uncle and his family. Three Thai studies students were placed in his home. One could say we were just a huge family; eating, working and drinking homegrown rice whiskey while sharing laughs. The point of this homestay was, as my professor explained to me, "to make one spread their wings." There were no classes and barely any interaction with our professor and two able leaders. We were on our own, which I thought really gave us the experience we needed.
What did I do?
Around five in the morning the rosters starts their "pleasant" chorus that abruptly wake you up. When you try to fall back asleep, you start to hear the honks from the cars; since the roads of the Lisu village are dirt, narrow and windy, a car honks at every blind turn - my house was at a intersection that had four narrow turns.... By seven you are forced to get up, quickly take a shower (by showers I mean throwing freezing water as fast as possible on your body) and start breakfast.
Thursday, being our first full day, was eventful and nonchalant. One of our host brothers took us in his truck and showed the surronding area of Chiang Rai, the farming fields that we would be working on and the Doi Chang coffee factory that is run by Hill tribes; almost all the villages in the Lisu village farm coffee, selling their surplus to Doi Chang. The Lisu people are extremely proud of their coffee farming and our host brothers positive attitude towards his work was a testament to this. As we returned we had dinner and were inducted into the family by getting "somewhat intoxicated" with our uncle, father, mother and other family members off of homegrown rice whiskey.
Friday we headed to the fields and worked with our uncle by weeding, picking and cleaning up the hill side where his coffee plants stood. Although we only worked from the morning to mid afternoon, we got a great taste of Lisu work ethic and working lives.
Saturday was a lazy day filled with preparing for the final dinner by slaughtering a pig; we watched the beginning, middle and end process of how food was made, in this case a pig roast. Our final farewell was made of a huge feast, dancing and drinking. I fine farewell if you ask me.
Photos
View of part of the village
Part of my uncles farm - this here is cabbage, though he also farms beans, tomatoes and coffee
Food for the chickens and pigs
Here is the hut that belongs to my Uncle. These huts, which are present at all farms, give refuge from the heat and also suit well for a place to sleep and eat.
These hills roll for miles and miles
Dinner - this pig I watched get killed by a spear, burned alive, skinned and cut up
About two hours ago I was talking to a friend about my time during the homestay and the first question he asked was, "so you were in a touristy area right?" Our group was especially lucky because our accompanying professor has very strong ties with a "remote" hill tribe. This tribe by no means has a tourist influence and quite frankly depicts the quitessiental lifestyle and culture of the ethinc hill tribes. In short we got the real Lisu experience and honestly would go back if I had the chance. With that said, thank you Thailand.
