The people you find hiking through terraced tea Plantations

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Chiang Rai, the Northernmost province in Thailand was a short hike we took in Doi Mae Salong through the tea fields. One of the advantages of having a guide with you is that you can often go to out of the way places, and have unique experiences that you couldn't have on your own.

In this case during our hike we stumbled onto some local hilltribe women who were taking a rest from picking tea. Luckily our guide, not only spoke Thai, he also spoke the local language of these Lahu hilltribe women. Having him along allowed me to ask questions like "Can I put your basket on my head so I can pose for a photo?"

In addition to asking her if we could see what she picked that day, we also learned just how much money they earned. On average, we were told they make between 3 and 5 Thai Baht per kilo of tea leaves they pick, the quality of the leaves indicate how much they make. On an average day these women pick from 4-6 kilograms. To do the math for you: an awesome day at work earns them about $1.15USD.  In a country where the minimum daily wage is $10USD per day these women struggle to support their families, we often saw the kids in the fields helping out their mothers. One member of a group of women we passed also mentioned to us that her husband took most of her money to buy Opium. There was no men to be found in the tea plantation aside from the ones that I hiked in with.

Taking a break from picking Tea leaves

Many famous travel quotes allude to it not being the destination, but the journey:

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

This lovely hike is more memorable for the locals we encountered,  their friendly smiles and even their hard stories in the highlands of Chiang Rai.

Doi Mae Salong can be reached in a few hours drive from Chiang Rai city, making it an easy day trip from the city, or part of a larger journey around the north.

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