Mae Chaem & Pha Teen Jok Festival 2012

[Davidfl]

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Mae Chaem is one of those very quiet traditional rural towns that most people tend to pass through without stopping; but Mae Chaem has some beautiful temples
http://www.mae-chaem.com/attractions (the best in North Thailand?), plus the annual Teen Jok weaving festival.

What the hell is teen jok weaving you might say?
Its the local Mae Chaem style
http://www.mae-chaem.com/attractions...en-jok-weaving
that with Royal project support has become famous & sort after in Bangkok.

Anyway the festival is probably Mae Chaem's "big day / night out" for the year & everyone gets involved in the festival & parade. A fair ground is set up in the front of the police station & amphur office. The town really rocks with 3 bands playing at bar beers set up, plus a concert & Miss Mae Chaem contest. Hard to believe eh? Yep it's a great time to be in Mae Chaem.

THe crowd waiting for the parade


The local police station


I arrived in Mae Chaem via Doi Inthanon & Mae Klang waterfall



because I delayed making a decision on what day to go - the night before the parade - I did not book a room & just rocked up hoping for the best. And the best was the last room in town at the View Fai Meteorite Resort.
My 300 baht room room for the night

definitely at the bottom end of the scale, but no doubt fit for a captain.
However the air was fresh, you did not need aircon, there was hot water & apparently did not need a lock on your door (there were none.).......oh the joys of back to nature & clean honest country people.
But the view from the porch of my room was certainly worth a lot more than 300 baht.


another Doi Inthanon view from Mae Chaem late afternoon.


and another prior to happy hour

[Rod Page]

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David - are they beer bars or 'bar beers' as you say....or have you just been checking out the product concerned in preparation for the event.

[Davidfl]

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David - are they beer bars or 'bar beers' as you say....or have you just been checking out the product concerned in preparation for the event.

Aha bars of beer maybe....

The Classic Bar (& the most popular). I could not get in - it was packed with no standing room - so had to stand outside looking over the galvanised iron fence with the hill tribes.

of note is that The Classic is now Mae Chaem's # 1 live music night spot, after the Krua Lai Hin / Nam Neung's sporadic opening & subsequent lack of business.

Bob Marley's Thai grandson was a jammin at The Classic too.


The Chang Export Beer Garden


Entrance to the fair ground


The official concert in front of the amphur office


A street side mini beer garden for the night


The fair ground had some interesting characters, selling & window shopping
Mum & daughter

a couple of honeys!



The chain saw stall was a winner

especially when they started them up for a demo.



I never quite worked out what this lady was wearing

a special dust mask, or a pair of undies from her stall?

[Davidfl]

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The pressure of the fair & Classic Pub was sufficient enough for me to retire to Noi Na's Sawasdee Mae Chaem for a few quiet ales.

Noi Na's was full as well




but the staff & customers had time to ask for a photo request

& pose.
Noi Na has has a huge following in Mae Chaem & her little Pub / Cafe is a good place to meet local NGOs / teachers / hospital staff.

Noi Na & the Sawasdee Mae Chaem


Noi Na & Miss Am, her temporary student employee


Check out the Sawasdee Mae Chaem if you're over nighting in Mae Chaem.
http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-mot...em-Restaurants

[Davidfl]

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It was cold during the night & damn cold the next morning, with the town fogged in


I managed an early morning cuppa at the Lung Dang Coffee Shop on the outskirts of town


True to form the parade was slow getting under way, but this gave me time to checkout the weaving fair exhibitions






there were some amazing old characters displaying their talents

[Ian Bungy]

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"The chain saw stall was a winner, especially when they started them up for a demo".
You see the Excitement in their Eyes as they think about all the Illegal Logging they can do Now!!! When I first came to Chiang Mai You couldn't Buy a Chainsaw and You had to have a Permit to Own one! Now I see them everywhere? I Guess the powers that Be saw some Money to be Made? Sad really as most Areas only have Secondary regrowth after the first initial Deforestation but I guess that is now getting to a sufficient Size to make money?

[Davidfl]

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"The chain saw stall was a winner, especially when they started them up for a demo".
You see the Excitement in their Eyes as they think about all the Illegal Logging they can do Now!!! When I first came to Chiang Mai You couldn't Buy a Chainsaw and You had to have a Permit to Own one! Now I see them everywhere? I Guess the powers that Be saw some Money to be Made? Sad really as most Areas only have Secondary regrowth after the first initial Deforestation but I guess that is now getting to a sufficient Size to make money?

Yeah I was thinking a similar thing: didn't chainsaws used to be banned & you needed a special permit to own & use one? How times have changed & the forest cover has / is rapidly gone.


THE PARADE

A band lead way, as all good parades have




Local beauties

[Davidfl]

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The rest of the parade






Karen hill tribe

[Davidfl]

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The rest of the parade cont'd

HMONG hill tribe

[Davidfl]

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There was even an "environmental troupe" in the parade, reminding people about deforestation & looking after what they have. Both young & old were involved - well done Mae Chaem!

















Other sections of the parade showed traditional culture

[Davidfl]

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LAWA Hill Tribe & you dont see that many in Thailand. Mae Chaem is the place to go!