the akha hill house

three days ago we set out from chiang rai for the akha hill house. located about 25k outside of chiang rai, the hill house is the only wholey hill tribe owned and operated guesthouse in thailand. our journey began when we were picked up at about 4pm in chiang rai. our transport, a four-wheel drive sport pick-up truck, was already carrying one couple so we tossed our bags in the back and jumped in. we stopped at another guesthouse in town and picked up one more couple, making our number six - plus the driver. alina and i struck up a conversation with our new guests in the back of the truck, a swiss couple that arrived into thailand only hours earlier from the border at huay xai, laos. their account of two 10-hour days on wooden plank seats traveling the mekong river north from luang prabang sounded spine rattling. alina and i happily listened as we had already decided to forgo that same journey (in opposite direction) and instead head further north into laos, only 10 km from the chinese border to muang sing.

our pick-up journey to akha hill house took a brief detour at the pha soet hot springs to pick up 7 more travelers (with backpacks…) that were heading up to the hill house as well. now the ride got exciting, as we made the last 6k standing in the back of the truck ascending to 1200m elevation on a bumpy, unsealed dirt road. admittedly, i loved the departure our travels had quickly made as only 48 hours earlier we had been in the heavily touristed city of chiang mai. the ride gave us a chance to take in some of the crisp, fresh air and to enjoy the landscape - made up of all the tropical fruits, citrus trees, and plants that now remind us of our last home in hana. as we reached the village i had to quickly duck to avoid being decapitated by the wooden sign welcoming us. apea, the village chief, and his family efficiently dispersed the small crowd, getting us settled into our bamboo-thatched bungalows. ours, a simple room and attached bathroom, had a small window and a deck that faced north overlooking the steep terrain that surrounded the village and our new home for the next few days. after settling in we had a nice dinner of curry and rice before heading back to the bungalow for the night. our first night's sleep was a little restless, as we were not used to the cooler temperature in the mountains. however, we quickly adapted by opting to cram into one single bed to double the body heat and the amount of blankets. warmed by the morning sun, it was difficult to pry ourselves from bed at 9am, but our excitement to get out and see the area made it possible. after a quick consult with a few fellow travelers and the village's defacto guide, we headed out to see a lahu village close by before climbing down to lumnamkok national park and back to pha soet hot springs to finish with a soak in it's mineral baths. similar to the akha tribe (the largest minority group in the chiang rai region), the lahu came from yunnan, china and settled in the high mountains of the area. they are expert hunters and terrace the hillsides for farming. they worship spirits and celebrate the new year, as their roots are chinese. our hike through the mostly bamboo forest was highlighted by a brief sighting of an unidentifiable snake, olive in color with a yellow stripe down the side. fortunately, it was scared off by us stopping through its territory. as we entered the lahu village and descended to the riverbed below, we were greeted by squealing piglets, lazy, sleeping pigs, and a few smiles and greetings by the villagers. largely, though, we were left alone in peace to wander through the village on our way to the national park below. at the base of the village we paused along the banks of the nam se river and took in the stunning views of the river valley. the national park was a surprise, neatly manicured and raked, and completely deserted, sans the few grounds workers and attendants that were resting in the afternoon heat. further down the road we made a pit stop at the hot springs for a dip. the sulfur rich baths were nice, although they smelled a bit of egg salad (i love to eat it, but rarely have the desire to swim in it…). after watching several thai tourists wandering around with eggs in small bamboo baskets hanging from a pole, we began to wonder, "what the hell is with the eggs?". a few minutes of investigation uncovered people huddling around the source of the baths, a 240f degree spring. everyone was dangling the eggs in the water! i wanted to yell out, "13 minutes for hard-boiled!", but resisted my chefly urges. after hitching a ride back up the hill (yes, we were too lazy to hike it…) we spent the evening around the campfire with our fellow travelers and a couple more bowls of curry. the conversation bounced all over the place and held my attention for a few hours. it is a rare occasion to converse with a dutch sports journalist and i.t. specialist, a canadian english teacher residing in far north china, a swiss social worker and precious medal engineer for the watch industry, a new zealander and englishman (both with undisclosed professions), and us, a server turned wedding planner and a chef.

our last full day was spent hiking to nearby huai kaeo waterfall and the chinese huai kaeo village and tea plantation below our akha village. we relied on our trusty tour guide (the amiable dog that followed us for a few hours on the previous day), and the helpful pointing by a few villagers to find our way to the secluded waterfall. the views were spectacular, but matched by the trail below and tea plantation even further. this time around, however, we bit the bullet and climbed the hill on our own - rewarding but tiring. tomorrow morning we are leaving our friends here at akha hill house and heading back into chiang rai, en route to chiang khong and across the mekong river to huay xai, laos. we are planning on spending about three weeks in laos before heading back into central and southern thailand. as i mentioned earlier, once across the border, we are skipping the grueling boat ride 2 days down river to luang prabang and instead opting for a bone rattling 8 hour bus ride north to muang sing, laos to spend time in the national park and hopefully interact with a few more hill tribe villages. - david