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The Rocket festival also helps the local culture with its economy. There is also encouragement for younger people to be involved in the parade, giving them pride in the village. We do specialise in small tours, it enables us to get to know the guests well and for them to enjoy a much more personal experience. The tour guiding is carried out by Noi, her family and village Aunties and Uncles. When guests arrive we always sit them down on the "Deck" and have an orientation. We spend time explaining the history of the "Phu" (our village tribe) and how we fit into our village without any negative impact. On conclusion we normally take a stroll round the village and say "Hi" to the locals. There is always a welcome request "ma gin Keow" ("come and eat rice") with one family or another.
Our accommodation is located in a “Phu Thai” village. The “Phu” are a tribe that has its origins in China and Later, Lao. They have lived in this region for over 100 years. We have been careful to leave no negative footprint on this culture and still remain a small boutique guesthouse. All resources such as food, handicrafts, infrastructure and employees are from our village and therefore contribute to the economy. The guest house encourages the growth of the “phu” culture by the shows and sale of local handicrafts. The forest tours are photo opportunities and guided to minimize any ecological damage. The paths we take are routes that the villagers take when foraging for food such as herbs, insects and mushrooms etc.
We have a shop in the guest house that sells village made handicrafts such as cotton clothing and materials. Most are made in the village. This is giving some income to our villagers. We encourage displays of local culture and in fact one of our most popular activities is a cultural “Phu Thai” dance and show performed by the children of our village. The fee is by donation and all proceeds go to the school for extra food and snacks for the students. Our guests spend on meals in the village as well as the guest house. This extra income to our village is very welcome. If we can increase the number of visitors we shall be in a position to put on more exhibitions of village culture including dancing and music shows. This helps to retain old “Phu Thai” traditions. The teachers here are very supportive of our guest house. We also give cooking lessons and weaving demonstrations, this also helps keep these traditions alive. Our guests bring income to the village by shopping in our co-op shop, eating in the noodle shop, and donating to our school in payment for the cultural shows the children put on. We also employ villagers in the guest house to clean, cook and care for children etc. We only use village labour to build new accommodation and developments. Selling village made cloths and handicrafts is a very useful income for the villagers.
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