"Khwaamsuk Experience 2 (Part 2 ~ The Lahu Village)" Northern Thailand Travelogue by icyjo24

Here are some of the memorable experiences from my second long trip in Thailand with a meaningful purpose-a community service project in the Lahu Hilltribe Village of Doi Paka, Fang province, about an hour's drive from Fang City. Besides building water pipes and tanks in the village, the project was a great opportunity to interact with local children and understand the culture of the Black Lahus (Musi) and the Thais. It was also a great opportunity for me to practise the Thai Language which I had learnt for a year during my university days. As Khwaamsuk means happiness in Thai., this trip has definitely served this purpose. This travelogue is a photostory of the village of Doi Paka and the people. More details of the project we did can be found in the second travelogue.

Bare Tree against the Sunrise

We stayed at the village school, hidden in the misty mountains of Doi Paka. The scenes of dawn are indeed spectacular, although its been tough to pull myself out of my cosy sleep every morning.

At nite, it was indeed relaxing and exciting to view the nite sky in the search for shooting stars from the school field although the temperatures can get unbearably low. That was also the first time I have seen shooting stars in my life as its rather impossible to see one back in the brightly-lit urban Singapore so can imagine me screaming with excitement whenever I see one at Doi Paka. There's even one nite where I've seen more than 10 shooting stars in less than half an hour.

The only litted house at nite

During some of the days and nights, a group of us often conduct a recce of the village. Most of the recces have been enriching and enjoyable as we learnt more about the culture and lifestyles of the Lahus through some house visits. The night recces were indeed challenging as we have to made our way through the uneven terrain and slopes in the darkness. One wrong step or slip could land you into mud or even a pile of dung left by the animals!

The Lahus (Musi) stay in single-room bamboo houses. Every house has a fireplace for cooking simple meals and keeping the house warm and cosy. Although the houses may seem simple and small, they are amazingly very strong, being able to hold up to 50 to 100 people, according to the villagers we spoke to.

Twins?

Unlike many other hilltribes, the Lahus allowed the animals that they reared to roam freely in the village. Anytime you roam around the village, you will encounter many pigs, piglets, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats and sometimes buffaloes roaming around. Theres once when we dug a trench to lay the water pipes and soon, a fat pig found the trench to be a nice cosy place for its nap....

Lugging Firewood

The Lahu adults are generally not as friendly as the kids. Most do not allow us to take their pictures as they believed that their souls will be captured in the process. They lead relatively simple lives and possess unique customs such as matrilineal marriages. They also speak in their own unique Lahu language.

As for their daily lives, the women and children mend the fields, harvest and grind the grains, and spend their free time weaving bangles. On the other hand, the men collect firewood and tended to the buffaloes.

Lahu Toddlers@Play

The kids have been friendly and warm towards us. They are happy living a simple life with just the bare neccessities they have, so unlike the kids back in my country. The Lahu kids also love to be photographed unlike the Lahu adults. During our free time, we organized art and English classes for the school children. We had also organized a mini-carnival and a xmas party for them before we leave the village. It was such a great joy to see them enjoy themselves with the sparklers and gifts we distributed during the xmas party nite.

Mathematics Class

Schooling here is generally more relaxed as compared to the urban areas of Thailand. The school at Doi Paka caters to primary education. However, some of the students are actually old enough to be in high school but their parents did not send them to school at the right age.

At 8.30 am in the morning, all students will gather in the field for the flag-raising ceremony and pledge recitation. After this ceremony, classes will begin and lessons will end in the early afternoon. The children have to learn the Thai Language which is not their native mother tongue. Other subjects include mathematics, science and physical education. There are a few classrooms in the school which are simply furnished with wooden tables and chairs.

Inside the Lahu Church

This is a small church whereby the villagers gather to sing songs and interact with one another. We were pretty amazed when the guy whose playing the guitar could speak a bit of mandarin.