Trekking to Visit the Lahu Hill Tribe

Northern Thailand is inhabited by a number of different tribal groups. Called the Hill Tribes because of the mountainous terrain where they live and farm, there are several distinct tribes made up of peoples that migrated to northern Thailand primarily from China, Tibet, Burma and Laos. We spent several days walking to visit these people in their villages led by our trusty Thai guide, Chang.

The first day we hiked to village of the Lahu tribe and stayed in the home of the village's "spirit man." The village's dirt streets and basic wood and bamboo homes were perched along the hill tops.

In the evening, we toured the village learning about the culture and the people. We visited the Spirit House, where our guide, Chang, explained the tribal religion that holds ceremonies only on days when there is a full moon or no moon. We saw some kids playing soccer in the school yard, and we saw chili peppers, an ever present part of the local cuisine, drying in the sun. And everywhere we went, we were followed by a throng of the local kids, or "North's entourage" as we soon called it, because they were all completely enamored with the young blond haired, blue eyed boy. The kids, and even most of the adults, rarely see outsiders, but even more rarely do they ever see children from outside their villages.

The first day with the Hill Tribes ended with a wonderful meal prepared by our guide, Chang, and the Spirit Man, sitting around the cooking fire.