Nan is bananas. So far one of my favorite provinces. What makes this place like a sweet, yellow, ripe fruit? It sits in the Northeast of Thailand on the border of Lao. A river runs through the valley so the agriculture is plenty, lush, and abundant. The valley is surrounded by limestone mountains that brings a breeze into the valley. The people are inquisitive and sweet. This is my first impression.
On my first day it was apparent that I was one of the only overseas tourists here. Plenty of Thai tourists come here for the cooler weather, history, and for rest and relaxation; it is their Vermont or Tahoe. Thai hospitality is poured on strong here; from both the locals and tourists. Not only am I part of selfies. I am the focal point of family pictures and tour groups; it is pretty comical when they keep handing off the phone to someone else so that everyone has a picture of this American. It is like we are on the red carpet. It is fun.
The people in this province are so kind. If they think they don’t have what you want they will happily tell you where you can get it. I was craving Veggies for lunch and asked a food stall if she had veggies instead of meat. She said she didn’t, she stopped what she was doing and walked me across and down the street to a woman who did. The woman who made me a delicious stir fried veggie then sent me off with banana bread steamed in a banana leaf. One of my favorites.
These gifts of food kept occurring; bananas, coconuts, and one day a surprise treat that looked familiar to one I often get. It is some sort of leaf soaked in honey and lime wrapped around ginger, garlic, coconut, and peanut. It is bite sized and so refreshing. I opened the little bag and noticed the exterior leaf was different but everything else seemed the same. I tossed it in my mouth and bit down on it. NOT refreshing! My body instantly told me this was not for consumption. My stomach did an absolute rejection. It was Betel quid; best described as chewing tobacco. I basically tried swallowing a ball of chewing tobacco. This picture below is the yummy treat that does belong in your tummy.
At the Wats they make offerings a little different than I have seen in the rest of Thailand and was not sure what to do. A woman walked me through the offerings; showing me what to do and then stepping back patiently to give me space and time. After I did a short meditation in the Wat three tiny elder women ( 4 feet maybe? ) where outside the door waiting for me. They patted my arm with their well worked hands and gave me a candle and three sticks of incense to light at the outside alter as I left. They were there to great me each morning after. The day I knew I was leaving I wanted to tell them I was not going to be there the next morning, they felt likely aunties. They did not speak Thai; they spoke some hill tribe dialect. There is never any certainty of a good bye; so make each moment the best. I am sure this is their sentiment as well.
I think that is why I like this province so much. As a solo traveler it takes some effort to stay mentally equal. I know, I am on vacation; I am so very fortunate. I do my best to stay present; but our minds just go where they want to go if we are not diligent. I can feel unseen, and sometimes alone. But the Thai people want to include you, they see you. If you let them, and give them the opportunity they are very inclusive.
Another example of this is their night market. Most towns have a night market and places to eat as well as some entertainment but their is something different about Nan. The way it is set up is in a large square tiled area in front of a very important temple. Bamboo mats are rolled out with short circular bamboo tables; you take your shoes off and sit on the bamboo mats and share your meal with hundreds of others. Connecting, people watching, and listening to a father and young daughter sing and play guitar as the sun goes down.
Imagine the Guilford green strewn with lights and tables; shoes scattered about on the side walk and music playing. The roads around the green become a walking street filled with food trucks and peoples crafts and art. Everyone comes out on Friday nights and enjoys their local agriculture, arts and neighbors. We welcome visitors and maybe even some dancing take place. It is such a great collective feeling.
This market is where I was so happy to discover a mature recycling program in the works. It is one of the most organized recycling operations I have ever seen at a public event, anywhere. They had separate bins for plastics, paper, straws, chop sticks, and food items. They made sure all the food items in the bowls and bags were removed, the smoothies were drained from their plastic cups; and everything went into its non contaminated garbage bin. These stations were manned by very helpful people who helped to educate and made Sur things went in the correct recepticals. This education is working, as the week went on I noticed how stores, restaraunts, and guesthouses would proudly promote their commitment to this program. It seems to be working. This city noticeably has a lot less waste on the streets.
This was so great to see because it is quite disheartening to see the plastic use in certain parts of the world. Water bottles, straws, plastic bags used as to go containers that go into another plastic bag, plastic cups for smoothies, coffees and juices. Tourists use quite a bit of plastic for a clean safe water source. We can’t drink the water so most hotels give you two small bottles with the room, each day. This ads up. Most tourists buy water instead of purifying it. I have a special UV stick that purifies water. But, I still find myself drinking out of the convenient plastic bottles. I do see efforts though. People using their own bags, bringing their own metal/paper/bamboo straws.
Kind people, environmentally conscious, community minded and beautiful temples along with side trips into the mountains. ba-NAN-as. The Wats have a lot of history and restoration efforts showing the respect for their heritage. They have one of the best museums and I was able to spend time with a college student and google translate, we communicated back and forth throughout the museum. I was able to ask so many questions and learned so much. My guide gave me some suggestions on temples to visit and the works of restoration to pay attention too. This was one of my favorites and I came back to it every day. ( Yes, my Aunties were here )
There are a couple side trips that I took that deserve their own post. I made a Thai friend in a village above Nan and got myself into some off roading. ba-NAN-as
