2 weeks in rural Chiang Mai,Thailand

North Thailand – Chilling out on a fruit farm in rural Chiang Mai for 2 weeks.

It was time to get an insight into the local way of life in Thailand, so what better than chilling out on a fruit farm in rural Chiang Mai for a couple of weeks! I fancied staying somewhere peaceful for Christmas, to get away from the tourist spots, even try my hand at some home Thai cooking.

I discovered Giardino Di San Sai through the airbnb website and messaged owner Tukata Chiapromma who offered to pick us up as she was meeting her best friend in town next day. Tuk and Annty are two independent trendy ladies and a far cry from stereotypical Asian housewives! First stop was a quick shopping trip and lunch at a super fashion mall on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, then a drive along the busy highway towards San Sai district before turning off into the countryside.

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Views over the gardens at Giardino Di San Sai

Juan and I loved Giardino at first sight, three small guesthouses with a communal summer kitchen and pergolas on the lawn surrounded by gardens and a longan tree orchard. Tuk’s Cook Thai school and her own home are also in the grounds, and the caretakers live in a bungalow at the end of the garden. A barbecue evening seemed like a great idea so we jumped back in the car and headed for the nearest fresh food market to buy some meat and veg. The other guests were at the BBQ, Tom and Hannah from Germany who are also travelling the world, and Inna and Ruslan, a young Russian couple who were visiting Thailand for 2 months while teaching online. We watched the sun go down over the fruit farm to the sound of sizzling skewers, the aroma of Thai spices and the taste of cool lager, the eight of us just chilling out and chatting on the roof terrace of Giardino.

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Entrance to the village

I fell into a laidback routine spending the mornings quietly writing in the shade of the pergola, as it’s tricky to use a laptop in the sun, while Juan cycled around discovering the vicinity on a borrowed pushbike – my workcation in a perfect change of scenery. In the afternoons we walked along the lanes past longan and mango trees, accompanied part way by Tuk’s boisterous dogs. The small village just down the road is one of 12 ‘mubans’ that make up Mae Faek, a subdistrict of Amphoe San Sai.

The typical wooden chalet style homes have under builds where people keep their pickup trucks and farm vehicles, or just hang washing out to dry. This is fertile agricultural territory, a flat water basin valley cradled by distant mountains, where the sustainable farming cooperatives bring work to the local community. The villagers are really friendly and love the fact that Juan and I aren’t ‘tourists’, that we are genuinely interested in their everyday life.

There’s a pleasant walk along the footpath that follows an irrigation canal past a watery paddy field and meadows where horses graze. I cautiously sidestepped a large water buffalo on a very long lead that had somehow come loose, although he was probably harmless. Juan and I usually headed for the fascinating food market but along no fixed route, stopping off to explore along the way.

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Building a new Buddhist temple

We came across the local Buddhist temple which is covered in scaffolding having an extension built, and on another day made our way between fields of sweetcorn across to an unusual building with a tower – the tiled platform flanked with statue images looks like a shrine blackened by soot but eventually we realised it was some kind of crematorium!

The Mae Faek market is located beside the main road, a huge covered hall with the biggest display of fresh foodstuff I have ever seen. Rows of booths offer freshly prepared takeaways including charcoal grilled whole fish, chicken or pork skewers, typical sausages, roast chickens, sweet or savoury pancakes and pastries, banana leaf wrapped sticky rice parcels, a whole selection of spicy soups, stews and stir fries, and an amazing variety of fresh fruit slush drinks. Fried bugs are another specialty which I have no desire to try, ugh!

There are dozens of fruit and vegetable stalls with local produce – papaya, mango, strawberry, banana, pineapple, grapes and lime among others, along with the usual sort of veg that we get in the Mediterranean but also Asian varieties such as small white aubergines, tiny sweet red onions, green leaves, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, chili peppers and much more.

I love the herbs and roots, the fresh lemongrass, ginger, galangal and turmeric, dried cloves and lots of spices I haven’t seen before. The selection of different rice on sale is pretty overwhelming. Near the back you’ll find the butchers with cuts of pork and chicken, as well as counters selling fresh prawns and fish, even live ones and frogs in a bucket. I bought loads of veggies, assorted spices and a carton of coconut milk and made a vegetarian curry for everyone back at the lodgings.

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BBQ takeaway in the village

Juan and I treated ourselves to delicious grilled fish on Christmas Eve and spent the evening Skyping our family in Spain. Other days we picked up dinner Thai style at the village – there are a couple of places with elementary wood burning grills at the side of the lane where they cook pieces of chicken with homemade sweet chili sauce and sticky rice parcels to accompany. It’s tasty, convenient and incredibly cheap!

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Tukata supervising class at Giardino Di San Sai Thai Cook

Tuk invited to me to one of her Cook Thai classes, so I joined Jane and her family from England, and Dominique a French businesswoman for the demonstration. Tuk first showed us her organic garden out the back and picked some fresh root vegetables. The state-of-the-art ‘kitchen’ is equipped with special gas rings for each student. We learnt how to make a red curry from scratch, to crush a mixture of spices in mortar and pestle for authentic paste, how to squeeze coconut flesh to make the milk, and to steam sticky rice for a dessert. Tuk taught me how to cook an authentic Pad Thai, possibly the most famous noodle dish ever!

While everyone was out one morning a chauffeur driven car drew up, an orange robed monk got out and politely asked for a cup of coffee. I only had instant so I made him a mug and we chatted for a while, even though his English was limited and my Thai non-existent.

He whipped out his phone to show me the online link to his temple. I took a photo before he left, proof that this was really happening and I wasn’t dreaming. I later found out Giardino Di San Sai had once been a coffee garden, so mystery solved!

Another day Juan was pulling a pod off a tree overhanging the lane when a lady came out of the house and beckoned us into her garden. We couldn’t understand each other’s language, so smilingly she opened the pod, dipped it in a sweet liquid and gave it to us to suck. It was unusual and acidic, my first taste of natural tamarind.

Although coming to Giardino Di San Sai was a spur-of-the-moment decision Juan and I enjoyed it so much we ended up staying for almost 2 weeks!