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Chiang Rai Huai Khi Lek Village Homestay Akha (Iko) Tribe Homestay Experience Living with the Hill Tribe
Huai Khi Lek Village Homestay Akha (Iko) Tribe Homestay Experience Living with the Hill Tribe http://www.hotsia.com > To truly understand the way of life of the Akha people, you must do as they do, eat and sleep as they do. I stayed in Huai Khi Lek village for four nights. On the morning of the second day, I asked to join them in the garden. The day before, I talked with P'Yanyong who said he would pick me up at 8 AM, but in reality, I was still preparing food for the Akha uncle and aunt.
So I had to walk with P'Yanyong's wife and child. We left the house around 9 AM. P'Yanyong's wife and the Akha girl I helped pick garlic with. These huts are found in every field. When the Akha go to work in the garden, each family prepares rice, chili paste, and essential ice. Vegetables and fish are gathered along the way. If nothing is found, they just eat stir-fried vegetables with chili paste and sticky rice. That was also the case on the day I traveled.
P'Yanyong and I talked about digging mole rats to cook for lunch. Every Akha family has a hut in the field with salt and seasonings ready. They eat in the fields daily except Sundays, when they rest partly because most Akha now follow Christianity instead of traditional spirits. On Sundays, they attend church. The Akha fields are about 5 kilometers from the village. The land is divided into three parts:
1. Residential area 2. Farming and gardening area 3. Reserved forest area, such as bamboo planted for building houses and huts. For Huai Khi Lek village, it takes about an hour to walk to the garden, up and down hills. For me, it was easy since I exercise daily and didn’t get tired. This morning, I walked to the garden and met another group of Akha girls going to the garlic field to harvest and dry garlic at home since it was harvest time. I joined them in the garlic field.
To take photos and videos and talk about the lives of the Akha girls to share with friends. This is the Akha garlic field. Behind me is rice straw. On the way to the garden, we talked and I learned that children usually leave after grade 6 to live in the lowlands. Nowadays, no younger Akha continue farming. After finishing school, they find other jobs. The Akha girl walking with me was home because it was school break.
All Akha children are sent to the fields from a young age by their parents to build strength and teach hardship, similar to how farmers teach their children to work in rice fields. It’s not that they will farm, but to understand how hard earning money is and to encourage studying. Likewise, my children study hard and none want to farm anymore. Helping to harvest garlic, Akha girls pick garlic. Going to the fields is a necessary way of life for the Akha.
Because they don’t just plant corn or ginger, they also need to go to the fields since their homes don’t have air conditioning. The fields have cool breezes. Even if they don’t work, they go to rest and eat in the fields. After visiting the Akha girls’ garlic field, I went to P'Yanyong’s garden. Today, he was planting ginger. When I arrived, we tried digging for mole rats for about an hour but found none. So the lunch I was waiting for would just be simple vegetables.
Looks like onions but it’s garlic. I returned to rest in the hut waiting for lunch and fell asleep. When I woke, I saw P'Yanyong’s wife making tomato chili paste, which I found very delicious. We ate together. The meal included cha-om omelet with Akha chili paste, tomato chili paste, 4 boiled eggs, 4 small grilled mackerel, served with mountain rice. Mountain rice is a type of sticky rice but not the sticky rice variety. This lunch was very tasty.
Simple life, a necessity because Akha people nowadays farm to earn money to send their children to school so they don’t have to struggle like themselves or farm. In P'Yanyong’s family, all children have completed their education; only P'Yanyong and his wife farm and use all the money to support their children’s education. “If Huai Khi Lek village could grow coffee like other places, we wouldn’t have to struggle so much,” P'Yanyong told me. I hope to help promote this through the website.
www.hotsia.com to encourage more visitors to stay here and increase income for the villagers. I have listed the address and phone number. This winter, try planning a trip to the Akha village homestay at Huai Khi Lek. Early April 2010 (Mr.Hotsia) Contact for Huai Khi Lek Village Homestay: P'Yanyong via K. Den at 085-449-5940. P'Yanyong’s mother does not speak Thai well, so communication is by guessing and gestures. Path to the Akha garden, Akha terraced rice fields.
Taking photos of myself is my job. Path up to the garlic field. P'Yanyong’s wife is harvesting garlic. Garlic in the Akha field. P'Yanyong’s very old but reliable truck going to look for mole rat holes. Resting in the hot hut today. P'Yanyong is searching for mole rats. P'Yanyong’s children and friends have worked in the fields since childhood. My lunch menu. After the garden, I went to play at the waterfall. I saw children playing water football and joined them. The waterfall was refreshingly cool. Trip by Mr.Hotsia: Solo adventure visiting hill tribe homestays.
Tai Lue Homestay Sri Don Chai Akha Village Huai Khi Lek Homestay 1 Working in the field with Akha girls Cooking at the Akha house Ceremony of egg knocking
