NONG SAN TOURISM COMMUNITY, SAKON NAKORN- 2 days
A trip which allowed us to gain actual local experience intimately linked with nature was what drew us to Isaan. At the land of mountains, rice fields, surrounding forests, and indigo dyeing, “Nong San Community, Sakon Nakorn” is an agricultural tourism community famous for indigo dyeing, with original simplicity sustained up until today. So, it was the two-days-one-night trip which was an eye opener for us, specifically the integrated agriculture involving farming and indigo dyeing as well as local values altogether.
As we arrived at Nong San Community, we did not wait and promptly rode on a motorized tractor to Baan Suan Suea Ploy, the integrated agricultural farm, where seasonal agritourism activities were held for us to learn and try for ourselves.
In the afternoon, we learned about Bann Phu Phan’s way of making spiritual woven ornaments called ‘Thung Isaan’ and ‘Thung’-inspired earrings as accessories used for colorful decoration of attractions in local religious ceremonies. With local guidance, we tried and successfully made ‘Thung Isaan’ and ‘Thung’-inspired earrings. The day passed quickly. We had dinner and then took some rest to prepare for the following day.
During our trip, it was the season for Japanese sweet potatoes. We harvested and cooked them. We also collected organic eggs. We got to learn about the processes of Japanese sweet potatoes and organic eggs from farm to table. We spent the entire morning at Suan Suea Ploy until noon. Then, we all cooked local ingredients and vegetables from Suan Suea Ploy and were ready to eat the food that we and the locals cooked together as a delicious and special lunch for everyone.
The second day began early in the morning. We rode on a motorized tractor to Somanat Farm to try transplanting, harvesting, and threshing rice with close local guidance. We then cooked local food from organic vegetables. We had lunch amidst the greenery of the rice fields. We ate several dishes of rice as we put our best effort into the rice farming activity. In the afternoon, it was time for the indigo-dyeing workshop. We learned and observed how to carry out indigo-dyeing, which required expertise and creativity to create some beautifully tie-dyed fabrics. Importantly, each piece required patience until completion. After completing the indigo dyeing process, we waited for our pieces to dry and show clear and distinct patterns, which was up to the time we had to leave for Bangkok. The trip ended with smiles and lasting impressions. Besides the beautiful indigo fabrics that we created and designed as gifts to ourselves, we also got to see and understand the agricultural ways of Nong San Tourism Community, with its simplicity and unity with nature that made local life so peaceful and beautiful.
