A Day Trip to Mae Sa Village

My young friend Benjamas invited me to visit her family home in Mae Sa, some twenty kilometers north of Chiang Mai.  We started the journey to her home town  in a yellow songthaew and finished the trip on the back of motorbikes.   

The spacious family home is the result of everyone making an effort.  Her father is a prosperous rice and fish farmer.  Her mother works in a factory.  Benjamas has a college degree and works as an accountant.  Her younger sister studies psychology.  

Here's a small picture of Mom, then one of Benjamas offering me a cold glass of water..

On a walk to the neighborhood 'mini-mart', this longtime family friend greeted me with touching tenderness. 

The compact neighborhood mini-mart stocks all the basic needs like fresh veggies, oil, hot red dried peppers, laundry soap and ice. And potent Thai whisky too.

Mom has cooked many marvelous meals in this airy kitchen.  Because of the pungent smells and smoke, kitchens are usually behind the house.

The lavishly decorated grounds of the Mae Rim Buddhist Wat  reflect the booming prosperity of the Mae Sa Valley region. 

The village  rice paddies.

We ended our day at the Mae Sa village temple.  Buddhist temple complexes are community centers besides being a sacred space .  Here a child happily plays outside the temple while older family members participate in the full moon Sabbath day ceremonies.

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