I know I already posted about Christmas but I wanted to go back 2 days as we did a lot after the house boat. After an amazing houseboat birthday we drove to Mae Chan where the new Friends of Thai Daughters (FTD) Sunflower Farm.
FTD is an amazing organization. “Ethnic minority girls growing up in hill tribe villages in Thailand face significant risks of becoming victims of human trafficking, child marriage, abuse and exploitation. Gender inequality starts at birth when scarce resources limit girls’ access to education, health care, mobility and independence. Friends of Thai Daughters is preventing child trafficking by empowering vulnerable girls to become valued Daughters, educated women, and independent adults.” Khai, our sister in law was in the first cohort of girls in FTD in 2002. Please take time to read about their work and impact.https://friendsofthaidaughters.org/
On the drive from the house boat to FTD we stopped at the Choui Fong Tea Plantation in Chiang Rai. Choui Fong was absolutely beautiful. Acres of rolling hills with tea trees and an amazing restaurant with breathtaking views. We spent 2 hours eating and exploring. See the gallery of photos below.
We arrived Mae Chan on the evening of the 23rd and checked in to the hotel which we would stay for the next two nights. https://maechan.visamalodges.com/ Visama only opened its doors 2 weeks before we arrived. It is a brand new luxury tent retreat that is connected and partially staffed by FTD. It was probably the nicest hotel we have ever stayed at, and as it is still so brand new, we were the only guests at the whole place!
The two days at in Mae Chen were filled with pickle ball, amazing meals at Visama, and many stories from Patty and Jane (founders of FTD) about Khai as a teen. Ozzie and I almost got our butts kicked by two of the FTD teens, but were able to pull out the victory! It was great to see the kids playing pickle ball, making new friends, all while we learned more about FTD and Khai.
On the drive north, we went by the Chang Rai United soccer stadium so we decided to check when they had a game. Sure enough there next game was, Christmas Eve, at the Chang Rai stadium which was only 30 minutes from the Visama hotel. Ronan immediately got so excited about going to the game and talked about it for 2 days straight. This meant early Christmas Eve dinner but it was worth it as Ozzie, Waverly, Ronan, and I had an amazing evening cheering on Chang Rai United. They ended up in a 1-1 draw against the worst team in their league but gained 4 new life long Chang Rai United fans!
We went to bed Christmas eve night feeling full of gratitude and excited for our last 5 days in Southeast Asia. This trip has been amazing! I am so grateful that we are here.
Still to come on the blog:
-Spirit Houses
-Buddhism
-Food
-Shirt Sizes (XXL Life!)
-Beers of Thailand
-McKenna Kids Independence
-My Wonderful Wife
-Red Trucks, White Trucks, and Treacherous Drives
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