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Phayao: Homestay Trip to Ban Huak Ozone Valley, Chiang Kham #2
Traveling to Ban Huak Homestay, Chiang Kham, Phayao - Chicken Larb, Prong Pha Waterfall http://www.hotsia.com > Homestay trip to Ban Huak Ozone Valley, Chiang Kham by Mr. Hotsia exploring Phayao city and beyond. Boat ride to see lotus flowers at Kuang Phayao, traditional Kalamae sweets in Chiang Kham, Kuang Phayao viewpoint, Kuang Phayao walking street, Luang Pho Kamthep at Nantaram Temple, solo adventure homestay trip, Mien (Yao) homestay, wild bee catching and tasting at Ban Pha Daeng, Ban Huak Ozone Valley #1, Ban Huak Ozone Valley Homestay 2
The night before sleeping, I paid respects to the Buddha. When traveling and staying at local homes like this, I recommend paying respects to the Buddha, the guardian spirits, and household spirits before sleeping to ensure a peaceful night. I myself slept soundly all night. Before bed, I prepared my camera to shoot video clips from the moment I woke up in the morning and kept a flashlight by my side in case I woke up late at night without light, which would be difficult. This morning, still groggy, I grabbed my camera and started filming immediately.
Then I got up to greet the host in the kitchen (see the clip above). After that, I told him I would walk to the village center to buy ingredients to cook a meal. Stepping out from the porch, I saw beautiful views and the weather was very nice, cool enough to wear a jacket. I strolled around the village and bought one chicken and half a kilo of pork. Seeing how hard the locals work to catch fish and shellfish, I wanted to cook something delicious for them, so I chose to make salted stir-fried chicken (hehe).
Made in the style of the Mien hill tribe again. Salted stir-fried chicken can be stored for a long time if not finished. The pork was stir-fried with vegetables by the host for me. The pink mosquito net is my bed. The morning view from Mr. Phayap's house in Ban Huak shows a road cutting through the village but with little traffic. The morning atmosphere has low-hanging mist over the mountain peaks towards Phu Chi Fa.
The weather was quite cold. I greeted villagers who came to buy groceries. At Ban Huak, there have never been tourists like me staying in a homestay with locals before (I feel proud to be the first). The villagers were friendly and smiling at every household. I walked around and had soft-boiled egg coffee at Mr. Boonyuen's shop, the person who sent me here yesterday, before returning to cook at Mr. Phayap's house. Back home, I prepared the chicken by stir-frying it with salt, galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves until fragrant and delicious, living up to the reputation of a distant land chef. Then I served it for the hosts to taste.
After finishing breakfast, I rested my stomach, then took a shower and brushed my teeth. On this homestay trip, I only showered once a day and only brushed my teeth before bed. The morning atmosphere at Ban Huak features Uncle Jamnean ready to play the traditional saw (fiddle) for visitors. After personal chores, it was time for a walk.
Today I visited Uncle Saw Mai's house, the village musician of Ban Huak. He regularly plays at festivals and ceremonies. Uncle Jamnean is a former volunteer soldier guarding the border near Ban Huak. Now he makes and sells saw and seung instruments. He told me that sales pick up when tourists come to Phu Chi Fa. He brings his instruments to sell during that time and otherwise makes and stores them. If you plan to visit Phu Chi Fa and pass through Ban Huak, don't forget to support him.
Come listen to the live music Uncle Jamnean plays at Ban Huak today. Some Lao people have started crossing the border to stay with relatives in preparation for visiting the Ban Huak border market tomorrow. This temporary border checkpoint allows Thai people registered in Phayao to enter Laos for stays, but those registered elsewhere cannot enter even with passports. The day before the market, the area became lively.
Many people I greeted did not talk back, just smiled. The villagers said Lao visitors have started arriving. Last night, Mr. Phayap caught many fish and brought them home. Lao visitors from across the border stay to prepare for the Ban Huak market. At noon, despite strong sunlight, the weather remained pleasantly cool. Because of the heat, I went to use free Wi-Fi at a delicious noodle shop.
Talking about Ban Huak tourism, I learned there is also a waterfall called Prong Pha Waterfall or Huai Prong Pha Waterfall. It is located in Phu Sang National Park, about 5 kilometers from the park office, right at Ban Huak. The waterfall originates from the Doi Pha Mon mountain range and is the source of the Puey stream (where I went shellfish hunting). It flows year-round, has 19 tiers, and splits into two additional waterfalls.
Each tier of the waterfall has unique beauty. The distance from the first to the top tier is about 1,500 meters, taking around 3 hours to hike the entire waterfall trail. The elevation ranges from 700 to 900 meters above sea level. Huai Pong Pha Waterfall is also home to the rare and endangered turtle species called 'Tua Plu'. "Riding a motorcycle to Prong Pha Waterfall in Ban Huak Ozone Valley, the noodle shop owner kindly lent me a motorcycle to explore and even gave me money for fuel.
The people of Ban Huak are truly kind-hearted. After finishing internet use, it was time to drive around the ozone valley and visit the waterfall. Unfortunately, a storm came before I could hike up to the waterfall, so I had to return to the village. Still, I managed to take some beautiful photos of Ban Huak to share. Tonight, relatives of Mr. Phayap have a gathering, and he will prepare chicken larb there and invited me to join.
I won’t explain the chicken larb recipe here because it’s long, but there is a video clip to watch. On this trip, I also tried something new—not just raw chicken larb but 'raw chicken gizzard.' They poured white liquor and handed me the raw chicken gizzard to taste, and I barely kept up with the drinking :) After chatting for a while, around 10 PM, we returned home. Tomorrow we plan to dig for mole crabs and visit the Ban Huak border market in the morning. Tonight, I’ll rest up.
Contact for Ban Huak Ozone Valley Homestay: Uncle Boonyuen Khemthong, Ban Huak, Village No. 3, Phu Sang Subdistrict, Phu Sang District (the uncle who drove me from Chiang Kham). The elderly woman at Ban Huak smiles at me (not smiling yet in this photo). Photo with Uncle Jamnean, the seung player of Ban Huak on the Laos border. Mr. Phayap prepares chicken in his own way, peeling the skin without plucking feathers, which is unusual. This uncle is the village shaman, currently eating raw chicken gizzard. Dinner begins.
