I was initially apprehensive about the inclusion of this part of the tour as I like to avoid places that are designed for tourists who like to pretend that they’re not tourists. The way this place was set up, however, made a lot of sense.
The people that live in the village recognize that tourists have money and also have a desire to see and experience new things. One family in this village takes advantage of this by opening up their house to foreigners who pass through every weekend. They treat this like a business opportunity.
They had a room set up with bamboo mats and mosquito nets for all 9 of us to sleep in, they cooked us a delicious curry chicken dish, and then welcomed us to sit around the fire while one of them played some songs on the guitar.
Much to my surprise; I think they seemed genuinely excited to have us there.
I went for a walk just to see what I could that wasn’t “set up for tourists”. There was no electricity, but there was running water. They grew vegetables in their gardens, and raised pigs and chickens for food (we woke up to the sound of about a dozen roosters at 4:30AM).
The children don’t go to school. There is no doctor or medical help within two hours of this village and in speaking to our tour guide, many children don’t survive their first two years up here.
I had read that, in Thailand, daily tasks are only worth doing if they’re fun. Rather than seeking out things that are “more fun to do” as we do in North America, I'm constantly encountering people here who make their existent lives more fun by joking around, playing games, singing, and laughing. Although the village wasn’t particularly poor, they were far from well off either and the people within this village seemed to have a lot of “sinuk” or fun. They made all of their daily chores seem enjoyable. Although their lifestyle would be very hard for most of us to adjust to, their outlook is very inspiring.
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