Thailand: A Farmstay and An Island

We had two very different and special experiences in Thailand worthy of their own post. The first was a farmstay in northern Thailand and the other was our “mini vacation” in Phuket, an island in southern Thailand.

Thung Dong Farmstay

There are so many unique experiences to be had in northern Thailand. We wanted to get out of Chiang Mai for a bit and explore the surrounding jungles, so we looked for a peaceful experience where the kids could roam freely and have some independence. We found that little piece of heaven at Thung Dong Farmstay.

The farmstay is in a little mountain village called Mae On, where one can find hot springs, gibbons, and waterfalls. It is owned and operated by the kindest man named Ae (pronounced Eh). We stayed at the farm for 3 nights (4 full days) in a really pretty two bedroom villa.

The farm itself took our breath away. It is nestled in a small valley in the jungle with bright green fields, grazing cows, roaming ducks and geese and chickens, and other animals including bunnies and a ferret named Ruby. The downside to all the roaming animals was that we had to be very, very mindful of the loads (pun intended) of animal poop all over the grounds. The upside: we got to hang with the animals. This picture below of the cows grazing was our view from the outdoor sala attached to our villa.

The kids fed the chickens and ducks and geese every evening, and also played with the other animals every chance they got (which was always).

There is a small lake on the farm with a rowboat and fishing dock. Reed had free rein to fish every day, and Reed and Ari took the rowboat out all by themselves.

Ae kept the kids occupied so that Robby and I could relax a bit. (He had a masseuse come to the farm to give us Thai massages.) On our first day, he stole the kids’ hearts by making Thai lanterns with them. They decorated the lanterns with colored tissue paper, and in the evening, when it was dark, they lit the lanterns together and sent them flying up in the sky. We watched them fly for what felt like 15 minutes.

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In honor of the upcoming Lantern Festival, Ae also made Krathong (floating baskets) with the kids. He cut stalks from a banana tree and helped the kids make a flower out of banana flower petals. The kids lit candles and incense and sent their Krathong floating on the lake. It was so peaceful and so nice to participate in this tradition.

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We also took a small road trip up to a giant banyan tree in the middle of the jungle aptly named The Giant. It is so big that there are two suspension bridges leading to a cafe up in its branches and there is a bed & breakfast in and around the tree’s trunk. We had some coffee and cake and gaped at the awesome (in the literal sense of the word) view and beauty of nature.

Ae also took us to a couple of waterfalls very close to the farm and we swam in one of them. The water was cool and crisp and perfect for the hot and humid day. We hoped to see some gibbons around the jungle – we were apparently close to where the gibbon rehabilitation center releases gibbons back in the wild – but we didn’t.

Every meal at the farm was a feast. We ate local village food, and it was so fresh and delicious and included everything from fried rice to grilled fish to soups to sautéed vegetables. The biggest hit (not pictured) was a Thai pomelo salad with chili, lime, peanuts, and shrimp flakes. Kind of like a papaya salad, but with pomelo. It was so good.

The kids thanked us over and over on our way back from the farm to Chiang Mai. Ari cried very sad tears – not the temper tantrum, I-don’t-want-to-go-now kind of tears that are characteristic of 4 year olds. The quiet, my-heart-hurts-I’m-so-sad kind of tears. It’s been more than a month since our stay at the farm. Even so, Ari still turns to me every so often and says: “Mommy, remember Ae and the farm.” I’ll say yes. And she’ll sigh and say: “He was so nice. I loved it there.” The farm was one of the more special and memorable experiences of this trip.

Phuket

As far as the Thai islands go, Phuket is certainly not the most idyllic or most beautiful or most relaxing. It was meant to be a pit stop on the way to the other islands but we had an honest conversation about needing to settle somewhere and refresh, so we gave up our jaunt through the Thai islands, went to Phuket only (because it was already booked), and then flew to Penang, Malaysia, where we have been for the last month. (Note: this is slightly out of order; after the farmstay, we spent 2 1/2 weeks in Cambodia, and we stopped in Phuket after that. Cambodia posts are coming soon.) Despite that, we had a great time in Phuket.

Phuket is a pretty big island. We stayed in Surin Beach on the west side, which is actually quite beautiful – the water is crystal clear and every shade of blue.

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We treated ourselves to a stay at the Novotel Surin Beach Hotel, a haven for kids with a kids club, an ice cream parlor, a swim-up bar with kid cocktails, a couple of waterslides, foam parties in the pool, and – most important – Halloween celebrations. There was no trick or treating, which disappointed Reed, but loads of candy made up for it.

The town around the hotel was not all that exciting but we did stumble on the most fantastic restaurant called Madame Butterfly, known for its fried shrimp in tamarind sauce. (We developed a real appreciation for tamarind in Vietnam, where tamarind trees were all over and we snacked on it straight from the pod.) We forgot to get a picture of the food before we ate every little bit of it.

And so our journey in Thailand came to an end. We met so many nice people and had some really special experiences. We will definitely be back again some day to explore some of the more off the beaten path places and to complete our island hop.

As always, thank you so much for reading!