Fun Trip to Akha Party

I did not feel very good this morning so, after Daeng fixed me a little breakfast, I went back to bed.  Daeng went to the market to buy food for the visitors from Myanmar (Burma).

I woke up about 2:00 PM, showered and dressed as we had been invited by Chom-nom to attend an Akha Festival in Ban AYO.  After saying good-bye to the folks from Burma we left Mae Sai a little after 3:00 PM.

It was a little smoky but traffic was pretty light.  When we made the turn off route 1 onto the Mae Salong Road, there were two farang (non-Asian) back packers standing by the road.  We stopped and asked where they were going.  They told us Mae Salong but the songtail, actual Thai name is "Sǎwngthǎew",  (small pickup truck with a people carrier mounted in the pickup bed) would not go unless there were eight people or got paid for eight people.

We told them we could give them a ride about 12 kilometer but that may strand them.  They said that would be great.  We managed to put their two large backpacks and them in the back of our Nissan March.  She was from Spain and he is from Switzerland but were traveling as a couple.


After talking with them, we felt they were a nice couple and ask them if they would like to go to the Akha village of Ban AYO with us.  We called Chom-nom to see if his Mother had room on her floor for two visitors to sleep the night.  He said: "Yes." so we brought them with us.

It was nice to see Chom-nom's Mother, Mee-chu.  We talked and laughed a little.  They were building a new restroom, here called a water room as the whole room is built to be wet. 

It has a toilet, squat style, along with a big tub for water.  To flush the toilet you just take a dipper of water from the tub and pour it into the toilet.  To shower, you pour the dipper of water over your body, soap up and then use the dipper of water to wash off the soap.  Because the water is cold, it is pretty invigorating.

It needs water piping for the water and some tile or concrete rendering and it will be ready to use.  In the mean time she and her guests use the neighbor's wet room.

The only thing I don't like with this kind of restroom plumbing is the sewage goes to a cesspool and not a septic system, septic tank first before the cesspool.

We talked and laughed until after five o'clock.  We put their backpacks in Mee-Chu's home and drove back, maybe a kilometer, to the area they were having the celebration.  It was on the top of a hill that had been leveled and a huge concrete pad had been pored.  It is my understanding that Nok Airlines did this for the Akha Village.  It would make a great helicopter pad.

At the end of the concrete a stage with lights and PA system had been set up.  Because Thai people tend to park were ever they want, we parked by the entrance so we would not be blocked in so if we wanted to leave before the complete show was over at around midnight.  We were going to go back home, about 50 kilometer, and sleep in our own bed.

Chom-nom met us and took us to a table that had been set up for us so we could eat.  We had Akha (mountain) rice, vegetables, pork and spicy sauce.  The folks we had picked up loved it.

After eating, it was almost dark, the entertainment started.  It was very nice to see Chom-nom taking control of the event and singing, too.

It is also great to see the Akha ladies all dressed up.  This lady had a great voice, as well.

Everyone was having a wonderful time.  I would guess there were over five hundred folks here. It is our understanding that this will be the first of an annual celebration here on the mountain.  We think it is to celebrate the Akha heritage.

Daeng had her picture taken with the Thai/Akha super star comedian that was headlining this entertainment.  I laughed at his signature joke.  He says he is so scary looking, he can only come our at night.  The audience loved him.

We said good-bye to the gang.

Time for us to go home.  When we got to our car we found that we were parked in by over a dozen motorbikes.  We were grateful they were no cars blocking us as we could move the motorbikes out of the way.

After starting the car and turning on the headlights so we could see, we moved all the motorbike out of the way.  We drove down the mountain and home.

It was a fun trip

All Work and No Play...... Great Wedding

All work and no play makes a dull life. We have also been having a little fun. A few days ago, our neighbor came by and gave us an invitation to his Daughter's Wedding. This is the same neighbor who's Mother passed away in the Fall. To read that story titled "BIG BARBECUE" just CLICK HERE. It just reminds me that when one thing stops something else starts.

Well, about dawn this morning we

heard a lot of noise. We looked out the window and they were setting up shade canopies beside our home. Our neighbor had ask us if it was okay to set up part of the 80 tables in front of part of our home. We just did not realize the size of 80 tables with shape tents over them. They closed down the whole street for the party.

By 9:00 AM the party was underway with music and lots of folks. I worked with Mi painting the back room, under the second floor cooking area until about 11:00 AM. I showered, dressed and met Daeng as she was already partying with some of her Bingo buddies. She loves to play Bingo.

Her Bingo buddies are a happy

group of ladies that live in the neighborhood and most days meet up the street at the noodle soup shop. That is a little restaurant where you can get a bowl of rice noodle, vegetable soup for 15 Thai Baht, about 45 cents in US Dollars.

I sat and eat with Daeng and her buddies and I'm glad I did.

They were a fun Bunch. The food started out was some spicy fried peanuts and a a large plate of fruit. One of the family members came around and put a bottle of whiskey and a couple of liters of LEO beer on the table.

The next course was an appetizer plate with won tons, pickled eggs, small sausages and nuts. After that a large plate of this crispy fish dish was put on the table. It was very light but you could tell it was deep fried. I have no idea how it was made.

Then a huge, steamed fish and spicy vegetables was put on the table. This fish was the easiest fish I have eaten. The meat just came

off the bone in large pieces and all the bone stayed on the plate. It was a pleasure to eat.

All during the meal folks that Daeng knew would come over and talk with her and give her big hugs. Daeng know a lot of folks here as she has lived in Mae Sai for over thirty years.

The only negative of this party was they served a bottled water with the brand name of "Yellow Surprise". Now, I don't know about you

but in my mind "Yellow Surprise" is not a good name for drinking water. Maybe a name like "Yellow Snow" drinking water would have been better.

Moving right along, the lady sitting right across

from me at the table thought I was funny and laughed at me most of the time. I thought the meal was over with the fish but then a huge plate with a pork leg was placed on the table with another plate of noodles and ham. I made this expression of "I can't eat anymore" and she just cracked up.

We had been eating for almost two hours. Everyone was talking about how we all eat too much and we would not have to eat again for a week.

Mode and Nan, the Groom and Bride, came by our table to thank us for coming and celebrating their union together. We thanked them for sharing with us and wished them a wonderful life together.

The party lasted, with singing and dancing, until almost dark, about 7:00 PM. The music stopped, most of the folks left, they moved the tables and took down the canopies and reopened the street.

A good time was had by over 800 people at this wedding day!