Yoddoi!

Friday night started with a Muslim Buffet with 8 friends.  If I ate beef, maybe it would have been one of the best meals I have ever had, but alas, I don’t.  (Beef isn’t big in Thailand, honestly I wouldn’t eat beef here (or anywhere 😉 ).  You have a small “grill” in the middle of the table with a ring of water around it.  The grill is like a plate in which you can cook your meat (or tofu or fish), the water is where you steam the veggies.  I should have taken a photo to explain it, but I didn’t. Regardless, the buffet had salad, fresh fruit, meat mixtures, fish, shrimp, squid, and ice cream. All you can eat. And that we all did. Afterwards, we headed to the Friday night bar, Peace House, for some good ole jams.  Our friends had friends visiting after their teaching gig in Korea ended, but before heading back to America.  My friends took the stage each with a guitar in hand, and started to jam out. The energy in the room was amazing! When they finished everyone cheered for one more song! Which they delivered! Then it was time for my roommate, Amy, to take the stage and she has such a captivating voice, you might even think she sings professionally. There was also a traveller there with an alto Sax, who, although denying any real talent, was amazing. The night was filled with communal jams and riffs! We were rocking out until the wee hours of the morning (I’m getting old because that means 2am for me now….)

The next morning we woke up and slowly composed ourself for what was to be Amy and my first ever hashrun (our other roommate has done a couple).  If you don’t know what a hashrun is, let me try and explain it.  Several ex-pats (and their families) get together for a “run” once a month.  No one (running) knows what the route is beforehand.  There are small piles of shredded paper (called “hash marks”) laid out along the trail. You have to follow the marks and it leads you back to the finish point.  There are different patterns that signify different things, like a T shape means don’t go that direction, or a circle means the path could go in any direction.  The hashes are within 30-100 m of each other, some of them are quite hard to find.  This allows the slower runners (er, walkers?) to catch up with the group.  And you all have to work together to find the path.

Now that you get the gist, let me describe the path we took. We started down a dirt road, came to a wooded area where there was a hidden temple (it wasn’t on the path though), then after immense searching on everyones part, we found the route! It was through the barb-wire fence (a few people did get poked), then down a breathtaking hill, into the rice paddies! We were going through the rice paddies! It was awesome! (A bit muddy, but still, awesome!) We mazed through quite a few rice paddies making a very large S shape.  There was a giant Wat (temple) off in the distance on one of the hills, although we never really got close enough for any good photos.  We exited the rice paddies and started through a rural neighborhood, eventually coming to our end point. Where there was ample amounts of iced beer and sodas along with snacks waiting for us! Somehow initiation involved sitting on an ice block for a few minutes and then drinking a very small amount of beer and singing a (rugby turned hash) tune (way easier than rugby initiation).  After “initiation” we gathered our things, jumped in the back of a songtaew, and headed back into town.  We ate at one of the well known farang (foreigner) restaurants.  We ordered 5 of the largest pizza’s I have ever laid eyes on, and as a group, easily devoured them all.  Knowing we had a long day ahead of us, and being a bit exhausted from the “6k” (it was actually 10k) “run” (I walked the whole way]), Amy and I headed home.

    

It was an awesome adventure, in which I hope to incorporate into my monthly routine.  There were great people to be met (some as new as me, others were veterans of Chiang Rai who had been here 7 years), ranging from the young to young at heart. The best part to me, was being able to explore a new area I had never known before.  I never really thought rice paddies were the greatest site in the world (although certainly not the worst), but being in the middle of them was an experience I hope to make happen again!

Sunday morning was the real highlight of the weekend though! The previous foreign teachers at our school had started a business in conjunction with a local coffee farm.  It is called Kao Jai Coffee. In creating this business they had connected with the owner of a local coffee shop, Duun.  Duun was kind enough to take Amy and I up to the mountain where the coffee is grown, harvested, dried, and sorted. We arrived at Yoddoi Coffee (Dunn’s coffee shop) and felt very welcomed by the traditional decor and ambient music playing through the speakers.  I found a leaflet that had a hill tribe girl’s photo on it, and it talked about organic, free range chicken eggs that help support the local farmers.  I already knew that this trip was going to be one that I would be very interested in.

Dunn showed up on her motorbike, dressed in jeans and a Yoddoi coffee shirt with her straw hat, she looked like a farmer ready for a days work.  She made us an iced coffee (that was one of the best I have ever had) and Dunn, her son, Amy and myself all hoped into their truck.  We talked about the previous teachers, about ourselves, about Dunn, about Thailand.  After a 40 minute drive that involved driving through a river (yes, through),  up a winding road, and through a small village, we arrived at what was a beautiful coffee shop kind of in the middle of nowhere.  There was a small factory adjacent to the coffee shop.  Dunn introduced us to one of the local farmers, John.  (Thai people all have nicknames, because their real names are usually very long).  John took over the drivers seat and drove us down a bumpy road right below this coffee shop on the mountain.  There were moments where I thought the truck might roll over because we were on the edge, but we made it to another building where there were a dozen women sorting coffee beans.  I knew immediately what they were doing, as I had done this several times when I worked in the factory. Sorting. One of the most tedious of positions to be had. I can’t imagine what it would be like to do it with things as small as coffee beans. These women hand sort every single bean, and I have proof. The picking season is from October-January, the rest of the season is spent sorting. Dunn spent time talking with some of the women, inspecting some of the finished goods and then enjoyed a bite with them during their lunch break.

 

We left them there to visit John’s house in the village.  He has a very modest Thai style home (they are built on stilts with a garage and small area underneath, and the living space on the second floor).  He had a “patio” overlooking the neighboring houses.  While Dunn prepared lunch for us, we took some photos and got to know her son a bit more (he had studied in New York City for a year before returning to fulfill his military duties and would love to return to America, but hasn’t had the opportunity).  There were kids taking a “bath” on one of the neighbors patios, it was adorable to watch the older brother try and pour water on his sisters (three children all under the age of 6).  The meal that Dunn prepared consisted of steamed rice, a Thai omelette, a couple pork dishes, fermented soybean patty, som tum (spicy papaya salad), and bamboo worms in a chili mixture.  I tried everything (even though I don’t eat pork).  I found the bamboo worms especially delicious (there were a ton of chili’s in it).  Then they cut up the largest cucumber I have ever seen! It was so refreshing! John showed us some of the photos in his house of his wedding.  His wife was dressed in all of the traditional Akha hill tribe clothing.  They had such a beautiful ceremony.

We left John’s house to check out the coffee plants.  We drove up a steep incline and then reached a small hut.  Dunn put on some boots and let me borrow a pair and off we went, up the mountain. Following John’s lead we hiked up an overgrown truck path.  There were hundreds of coffee plants everywhere, all growing bundles of beans.  We made it up to the top of their land and were able to see for miles! It was amazing! We were told there was a fresh natural spring just over on another plot.  We started the hike over to it. Stopping to take occasional photos (as Dunn was taking some with her son for their website).  The view was spectacular. The surroundings were nothing short of amazing.  We got to the natural spring where John grabbed a large leaf and folded it for us to drink from the spring.  The water was so fresh, cool, and crisp. We started the hike down back to the truck where there is a look out point.  I’m guessing this is where many of the workers enjoy their meals, as the view is absolutely breathtaking. After several minutes of photos and admiration we made our way back down the steep hill to the truck.  We stopped to get some bottled water at the local “supermarket” and then left John and headed back into town.  Dunn returned us to the coffee shop, handing us chicken burgers for later.

    

Although our encounter was only for a few short hours, I felt that I was able to fully understand what Dunn is working towards through her company.  During lunch she talked to us about sustainability and organic farming.  She said that it is much easier to use chemicals in the growing process to yield a larger crop, but it is hurting the land and locals.  She wants to continue educating the locals on organic growth and help bring better times to the community.  Forty-years prior, Doi Chang (the area where Yoddoi coffee is grown) was a village dependent on the manufacture of opium.  The villagers were making ends meet by growing poppies and making opium, and once the government started heavily cracking down on this, these farmers were left with no way of making an income.  Several of these Hill Tribes are undereducated, many of them are only second or third generation in Thailand, and although they are trying their hardest to retain their roots, it is something that is quickly fading.  Dunn wants these people to live happy, fulfilled lives, without having to destroy their roots or land.  I don’t know if I have ever felt so welcomed in a place by complete strangers as I did last weekend.  Dunn, her son, John, and his family were all eager to show us their lives and welcome us into their homes with a hospitality I have never experienced.

Yoddoi means the “top of the mountain”, and although I was physically on top of a mountain this weekend, I was emotionally as well.  The overwhelming feelings of hospitality and welcome-ness have touched me in a way that I will never forget.  After break I plan on doing all that I can to help Dunn and her company out. If you are interested in in company her website is here. You can go Like her on facebook as well!