In the northern town of Nan, the rainy season provides vacationers a chance to experience a slower pace of life amidst picturesque mountainous landscapes. Boundless stretches of rice fields sprout and become verdant as gentle winds chase away the heat.
Just a 20-minute drive from downtown Nan, the Bo Suak community is welcoming visitors with a programme of leisure activities designed to soothe the mind and soul. To boost income during the off-season, villagers worked with local authorities to develop community-based itineraries that would highlight the local way of life and unique ethnic customs. Along the way, visitors can discover more about ancient kilns, handwoven textile traditions, and historic sugarcane presses once driven by buffaloes.
With people becoming more health-conscious, the village worked with Mae Fah Luang University and the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration to launch Bo Suak Herb in 2020, which employs ancient wisdom to offer a wide range of Thai-style wellness workshops.
“As a health volunteer, I learned that some of the 6,000 residents living in our village experience health issues. So my family and I decided to turn our land into a herbal farm to raise awareness of well-being. Later, my neighbours and I established Bo Suak Herb, which currently has over 40 members, to offer a variety of health programmes for visitors,” said Sirimat Ruean-un, president of the Thai Traditional Medicine Community Enterprise.
“The Agricultural Land Reform Office provides us with a drying facility and allows us to cultivate organic herbal plants in various locations. For instance, the lemongrass around the Ta Roay Rice Field can help alleviate dengue fever, and people can harvest tea leaves in Yai Wai Miang Garden to prepare nutritious meals. Elders can also grow herbs in their home, so this project helps increase incomes for the community.”
Doi silver Factory and Go High'O cafe celebrate lu-Mien cultural heritage and silversmith traditions.
Overlooking the green meadows and woodlands, the wood pavilions are designed to be both a cafe and an outdoor spa, where visitors may indulge in a pleasant 15-minute Hom Ya treatment to purify their facial skin and respiratory systems.
It’s customary for visitors to wear big hats and pha khao ma as they steam their faces over a huge clay pot filled with different herbs such as ginger, basil, shallot, kaffir lime and galangal, which may reduce phlegm, kill fungus, and treat fever and inflammation.
The next step is to take a foot bath to purify the skin and ease stress. Ingredients include ringworm bush, soap pod leaves, Bengal root, camphor and salt. The therapists continued to energise us with a miang kham set that includes tea leaves, shredded coconut, sliced lemon, chilli, sliced shallot, sliced ginger, mango from the barking deer and a delicious dipping sauce based on the community’s secret recipe.
“The antioxidant-rich miang [local tea leaves] can get rid of fungus and leave your feet smelling fresh when mixed with salts. At the same time, fermented tea leaves serve as a snack to keep local farmers energised and refreshed while they work in the rice or corn fields all day,” Sirimat added.
Heading to Phu Phiang district, Thiranan Doydee has converted her home into a learning centre where visitors can create khom ma tao and take in the beauty of Lanna-style culture. Originally, the Lanna people crafted lanterns to pay homage to Buddhism and bring auspiciousness. These days, Lanna-style lanterns are frequently used as ornamental accents in houses and temples to commemorate various occasions.
Bo Suak Herb uses local herbal materials in a variety of relaxing treatments.
“The craft has been handed down through centuries. Initially, lanterns were used to decorate the palace in welcoming notable guests. Nan has maintained the annual Hok Peng Festival to honour Buddhism. But as time has gone on, I’ve come to understand that the lantern tradition has essentially vanished since young people are choosing to buy them from Chiang Mai instead of making their own,” said Thiranan, a president of the Khom Kham Community Enterprise Group.
“Seven years ago, I decided to turn my house into a learning centre so that people of all ages can come and learn more about our beautiful culture. I’ve developed a few new designs using materials found in the area.”
Mulberry paper lanterns represent the lights in our lives. They are available in seven birthday colours and are adorned with Thai-style woven fabric, gold paper that resembles 12 zodiac signs, and traditional Thaistyle motifs that stand for strength and intelligence.
The following day, we made our way to Doi Silver Factory in Pua district. It belongs to Pimporn Rungra-chatavanit and her husband from the fourth generation of a silversmith family who pioneered the export of jewellery to New York about 20 years ago.
Last year, it added a silver museum into its compound to celebrate exceptional craftsmanship, lu-Mien cultural heritage and its business history. In keeping with Mien beliefs, silver is precious to lu-Mien people from the moment of birth to death. Infants are presented with silver and bridal gowns are adorned with it to indicate social status.
Visitors can learn how to create vintage Lanna-style lanterns at Ban Khom Kham.
On display is a private collection of elegant silver jewellery and other antiques from Doi Silver Treasure that show how silver jewellery has evolved from ceremonial to everyday wear. These items include an 80-year-old necklace, wedding gowns and various ring styles.
The studio next door is run in association with Golden Jubilee Royal Goldsmith College. Here, a team of talented silversmiths demonstrates how to create a wide range of classy silver accessories and home furnishings.
Visitors can continue by walking across a red bridge to Go High’O Cafe, which is designed to resemble a typical lu-Mien hamlet with eight wooden cottages and a green courtyard. With astonishing views of lush mountains and extensive rice fields, there are options of coffee, Thai dishes and a tempting Yao-style lunch set that includes red boiled eggs, fried pickled bamboo shoot, lu-Mien dipping paste and herbal bai muang soup.
“This town serves as a charming setting where visitors can experience lu-Mien culture and have a cup of coffee. We incorporate various cultural elements into the cafe, including Yao-style wooden cottages and Kong Ta Chiao, a bridge of virtue. According to Yao beliefs, people would construct a bamboo bridge to span a creek. It’s a way to provide our families happiness, wealth, success and well-bred children,” Pimporn said.
Back in town, we visited Hong Chao Fong Kham: The Noble House, where a group of local artisans showcased their expertise in evoking a nostalgic ambience. Originally built in 1925 on a 199 rai plot of land, this classic Lannastyle wood house can transport visitors back in time to the days when Chao Sri Tumma, the grand-daughter of Nan’s 63rd city ruler, Chao Mahawong, lived there.
On weekends, a walking street is a good place to explore the local culinary scene.
After a regime change, the government turned her land into a military camp and she rebuilt her house on the current site before handing it to Chao Fong Kham, the daughter of Chao Boonyeun, and Chao Inta. Later, it was left abandoned for a decade until 2011 when Phrataraporn Prabripoo, the fourth generation of the family, transformed it into a community museum and creative space. Surrounded with a lush backyard and towering native plants, this beautiful compound has been recognised for its outstanding craftsmanship and elegant designs with the Association of Siamese Architects’ 2012 Best Architectural Conservation, Nobel House Award.
Inside, a living room, a bedroom, kitchen and Buddha room are adorned with a rare collection of vintage furniture, old kitchenware, traditional Lanna-style f ashion apparel and antiques to portray everyday life in the past.
On the ground, veteran craftsmen demonstrate how to weave textiles, spin cotton yarn with traditional techniques, write Lanna-style alphabets, and make local specialities and desserts.
Those looking for souvenirs can take part in an art workshop to paint a small naga- like figurehead, which is modelled after traditional Nan-style racing boats with hong- like tails and naga- like prows.
Hong Chao Fong Kham serves as a community museum and creative space for people to learn more about Nan's history and craftsmanship.
At night, the walking street stretches around the walls of Wat Phumin, serving as an outdoor Khantoke area for dinner. On weekends, visitors and locals can take in a wide range of Lanna-style cultural performances and indulge in a delectable selection of street food and desserts.
Prioritising sustainable living and environmental conservation, this market has been named among the Green Destination Top 100 from 2020 to 2023 thanks to its efficient waste management. The local authorities have educated citizens on how to separate trash into nine categories: straws, chopsticks, plastic cups, spoon-forks, food waste, tissue-banana leaves, water bottles, plastic garbage, and bagasse plates and bowls.
The main area of Nan has reduced daily waste production from 30 tonnes to 20 tonnes. Banana leaves, paper and bagasse containers may all be turned into natural fertiliser, and plastic bottles are utilised to produce refuse-derived fuel, while local farmers feed food waste to their animals.
TRAVEL INFO
- The Bo Suak community is in Muang Nan district, Nan. A foot bath and a Hom Ya treatment costs 100 baht per person. Call 080-792-9450.
- Ban Khom Kham is in Phu Phiang district, Nan. Call 089-854-0387.
- Hong Chao Fong Kham is in Muang Nan district, Nan. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday from 9am-5pm. Admission is 30 baht. Call 054-710-537.
- Doi Silver Factory is at 205, Pua district, Nan. Open daily from 8.30am to 5pm. Call 083-898-7198 or visit doisilverfactory.com.
