Phu Chi Fa
- May 27, 2017
- 5 min read
One of the most memorable parts of our entire SE Asia trip was our time in Phu Chi Fa (Mountain of the White Clouds) during their Hmong Valentine's Day festival. This is an incredibly beautiful place and I can't wait to return there someday with my children.
We drove from Chiang Mai, stopping at the lovely Phu Sang Waterfall along the way, where families were gathered for picnics and children played in the water. We didn't get to stay here very long, so I would love to return and spend more time on the hiking trails, having a picnic, playing with the kids in the water...This was a great stop along the way.
Niam and Txi at Phu Sang Waterfall along the way to Phu Chi Fa.
Back on the road, it was a long drive up into the mountains, but as we climbed higher and the roads became more narrow and winding, the scenery became more breathtaking.
These shots are taken from the truck window as we drove higher, getting closer to Phu Chi Fa. Notice the winding road down in the valley between the corn stalks.
Some of the fields along our drive were at the end of their season and dried out, like the corn field here.
We happened to be visiting during the field burning time of the year when many of the crops have dried out, been cut back, and farmers do a controlled burn of particular fields to enrich the soil before the next round of crops can be planted.
As we approached the Phu Chi Fa festival, it felt like any other Hmong sports tournament or New Year festival, except in the most beautiful setting! Cars and trucks lined the road, making the already narrow two lanes into a dangerous single lane of traffic (especially with young men on motorbikes speeding through).
The crowds of Hmong people, vendors selling everything from food and medicine to clothing and wigs, music blaring from different directions and announcers incessantly talking above all the noise, it all felt comforting and familiar, but with much more variety than other festivals I have attended.
Niam and I had a blast walking through all the vendors even though my husband tried to rush us through so we wouldn't over spend!
The foods at this festival were really good and offered a greater variety than most festivals (although the night markets in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai still hold the title for best variety of yummy foods). Niam was excited for us to try the roasted pigeon, and it was quite good. We tried as many different foods as our stomachs could hold; which is always somehow less than the amount you WANT to eat...
The foods were so good, we were constantly full, wanting to try just about everything we saw. Niam always made sure that we ate what looked most fresh (freshly cooked) so that we would not get sick.
We also spent time at our Uncle's booth (Niam's sister's husband), Txiv Huaj Leev, visiting with him, catching up on family matters (since it has been a few years since Niam last visited), and discussing the cost of living in Thailand. It did seem pretty appealing, being in that beautiful place, where everything is so much more affordable than in the US...
As we visited with Uncle, a man came by and picked up one of the qeej instruments (a type of mouth organ) Uncle was selling and did an impromptu performance, which was just so natural and joyful that he soon drew a crowd.
This actually ended up being a reunion of sorts since it turns out that the qeej player's sister is actually a dear friend of Niam's (and mom of Txi's close childhood friend) who also happened to be visiting from Wisconsin at the same time!
Niam and her friend from Green Bay WI, who also happened to be visiting relatives in Thailand at the same time. Txi with his childhood friend's mom, grandma, and aunties.
Meeting up with friends from the US and also with old friends of Niam's from Laos who also happened to be there for the festival, was one of the best parts of this experience.
One of my favorite photos from our time in Phu Chi Fa. A good man is good to his mother (especially when you've been doing a lot of walking and Niam chose to wear cute but uncomfortable shoes!).
There were several picturesque hotels and campsites along the mountainside in Phu Chi Fa, right along the festival road, and although the room we three shared was very small, you simply could not beat the view. Even the group of drunk guys, drinking at a picnic table right outside our room, and the thumping beats of the evening party that went late into the night, could not sour my experience of this beautiful place.
Although we did venture out to see what was going on at the evening party, we opted to observe from a distance rather than join the throngs of people dancing to the DJ's beats, enjoying the Hmong singer's performance stage, and watching the amateur Thai boxing match all going on in the same fenced in space!
As we listened to the competing clamor of sounds, we stood on the hillside with a group of people in the dark, wondering if they, like us, prefer to watch from a distance, or maybe would rather be in the mix but could not afford the entrance fee.
We woke up early, around 5 a.m., the next morning to drive and then hike up the mountain further to watch the sunrise from the famous Phu Chi Fa peak. After driving about 15 minutes from the festival road, we then hiked another 20-30 minutes along a steep and very rough trail, in the dark, to the lookout spot.
We huddled with a crowd of people at the top, clutching blankets and slurping the ramen and coffee we had purchased from a brilliant vendor at the trailhead. We made it just in time to watch the sun rise over the misty mountains.
As the sun rose higher in the sky and the view opened up before us, revealing just how close we were to Laos, Txi pointed out the village where his father grew up, in the valley just below us.
We would be traveling into Laos, to this village, the next day and were excited to see it from such a spectacular vantage point.
In fact, as we stood at the top of Phu Chi Fa peak, we listened to men arguing about the border marker. According to this marker, on one side is Thailand and the other Laos, although they had their own ideas about the exact location of these borders.
There were so many breathtakingly beautiful views from this mountain peak, it made for an unforgettable experience.
Although Niam did not go with us that morning since she had climbed that hike years before and knew she would not be able to make it this time, she was excited for us to see it and share in the beauty of her homeland. We will never forget the experience of Phu Chi Fa with Niam, and only hope that we will return there one day.
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