HIGHLIGHTS
- Learn the Lawa hill tribe way of life
- Learn to weave cotton
- Help your host family with daily chores
- Experience the warmth and hospitality of your host family
- Duration: 2 days
- Minimum number of people is 2 and maximum is 5
The Activity
Meet Pat
Sawasdee khrap! (Hello!) My name is Pat. I am Shan (Tai yai), an ethnic minority from northern Thailand. It has been my lifelong mission to work towards a better quality of life for hill tribes and locals so that they enjoy the same social & economic rights as people in the lowlands whilst maintaining their unique cultural identity and values.
I have been a tour guide for over a decade and I saw how tourism, if conducted responsibly, could generate supplemental income and help local communities. So the idea of a homestay and hill tribe village tours led by local guides came about. Tourism also gives locals a chance to proudly showcase their wonderful culture and way of life and preserve age-old traditions and customs.
I believe that cultural exchange can be a memorable life-long learning experience for locals and travellers, and therefore, I invite you to join us and experience the cultural and natural beauty of my homeland. I am working with a group of local guides from the different communities. Either myself or one of them will guide you.
Location
Thailand is already a popular tourist destination so to find those local places isn’t easy, but in this place you can still experience the local Thai life. I stayed 2 days with the Lawa Hill Tribe in the hills of Northern Thailand. I filmed during the harvest season and the whole village was helping with the harvest. Such a beautiful thing to see. With the heath and steep hills it is a very hard job. Winai, the local guide from the village, drove me around in the area. I could see he was proud on his culture and loved to share it with others. Although he was a bit insecure about his English, it was good enough to talk and exchange our cultures. I found out he also loves photography. Therefore he understood at what places to stop to make a picture. The host family was in one word amazing. Jom the host mom was a fun woman joking all the time. The kids where very friendly and Dom the son was a joyful boy. Later on they told me that he went on his own to the temple to meditate as a young boy. When I asked him what he wanted to become he said ‘Doctor’ I asked him why, ‘Because I want to help people’. I was very impressed about this answer and realised that although they are not rich in terms of money they definitely are rich in a spiritual way. Don’t expect a 5 star accommodation, but a basic home full of hospitality. Enjoy a stay with this incredible family!