One afternoon while in the Baan Rai district, we decided to head further into the mountains to visit a Burmese village. I'm not sure of the village name but we learned that it houses refugees wanting to start a new life while escaping the fighting in Burma.
As soon as we got out of our vehicle, a local 12 year old girl came to tour us around the gardens. This village is supported in part by the King and Thai government encouraging the growth of organic gardens including vegetables such as purple eggplant, the largest green onions I've seen, pumpkins and what they call
Mickey Mouse Squash because of its unique shape.
Some of the gardens included a nice variety of flowers, including copious poinsettia at the front entry and flowering trees.
After vegetable, flower and strawberry gardens, our guide took us to vendors selling food, clothing and other locally crafted goods. Prices are hard to beat with an entire fresh cut pineapple at 10 cents! This visit reminded me so much of my visit to Mae Sot last October and spurred my desire to help the Burmese where I can. For instance, I was told families make about $60 a month so purchase of the local products we see at their stands is important.
It is an absolutely beautiful mountain location to live and farm. Evident is also the sense of community where residents look after one another. Even the large number of roaming cats and dogs seem part of the community, typical of villages and cities throughout Asia.
