Tuesday January 10th was a really exciting day. It was our last full day in the Lisu village and we had many activities planned. After getting 12 hours of sleep and being fed green vegetables, spicy pork, eggs, and rice (of course!) 8 of us headed to the coffee fields with some of the Lisu men. This was not an easy adventure! It started with a downhill climb at an 80 degree angle, which some of us found was most easily accomplished by sliding on our butts. We walked along narrow dirt paths viewing ranges of mountains that were covered in rolling fog. We saw many men and women working in these fields, which we found amazing because they have to cultivate their crops on the very steep slopes of the mountain. These mountains have been stripped of trees and are now planted with coffee plants, corn, tomatoes, chilles, banana and papaya trees. Our guide, Ajan Gai, said that one of the reasons that Bangkok has experienced floods at such a large level (other than at monsoon season) is that the mountains no longer retain the water because of the lack of trees. This hike was beautiful, challenging, and educational.
After another hearty meal of more pork, eggs, gourds, squash, and rice, we headed to Doi Chaang where we learned about how coffee beans are processed for companies all over the world. It is a fair trade business and they have based their processing methods on what they have seen after watching ferets eat and digest coffee cherries. We walked around the facilities and learned that coffee farmers bring their cherries to Doi Chaang in 20 killo bags and receive about 25 Baht per killo - currently 30 Baht is equal to one dollar. The cherries, or the outside of the coffee bean, are saved and used for fertilizer. Civet coffee is actually digested by ferets and then processed and one cup costs 300 Baht (about $10). The companies that buy from this small mountain processing plant include Coffee Cuppers.com, Operaeqa Fair Trade, Specialty Coffee Association of Europe and America. It is fair trade and green trade certified and is USDA and organic farming certified.
After touring the coffee facilities, we stopped to buy coffee and take a break to reflect. During the reflection, we talked about our experience in the Lisu village. We discussed similarities we saw between other places we had been in Thailand and the Lisu village, as well as similarities between our home lives in America and the village. We also talked about the relationships between women and men in the village. Although many of us were shocked by the rustic feel of the village, we all agreed that it was good that we were staying for three days so that we could really get a sense of the Lisu life, even if it was through western eyes. Some of us even expressed interest in a longer stay. A challenging question for us was how our experience would impact us when we return home. We all hope that this experience will open our eyes and make us more wary of everyday interactions. We concluded by contributing one thing we are greatful for in our lives.
All of this happened before three o'clock. Three o'clock was the hour we had all wondered about and dreaded. It was time to watch a pig slaughtering. Sacrificing a pig is a great honor for the Lisu and is done in great celebration during the harvest. Our gift to the Lisu families that hosted us was to buy a pig in order to contribute to the celebration. We had the option to watch the slaughtering. Most of us agreed that the worst part was the high pitched squeel of the pig before he was slaughtered. The actual process was fascinating and done with skill. The ears, tail, tongue, head, and feet were prepared for a sacrifice at the spirit house. The men in our group were allowed to enter the spirit house, while the women (because of their monthly uncleanliness) were required to observe from outside. We returned to the village center where an offering was also made of the first rice. The first rice was given to the dog because of the importance of this animal in Lisu culture.
We returned to our host homes and were outfitted in traditional Lisu clothing. We went back to the village center after changing for the celebration dinner. There we ate pork curry, pork soup, vegetarian pad thai, and rice. The evening ended with traditional dancing with the villagers accompanied by the Lisu bagpipe and Lisu guitar. It felt like a long day and late night because we weren't in bed until after 9 pm. This was a shock to us because most nights we had gone to bed between 7:30 and 8:30.
-Abby and Nancy
http://doichaangcoffee.com/
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