Thailand Day 5: Khao Yai

I'm writing this post while enjoying the dulcet sounds of a tropical rainstorm from the balcony of my hotel room. We had thunder and lightening earlier in the evening, which was a real treat for us Utahns. Do I get to consider myself a Utahn after a 5-year residency?

We left Buriram Province this morning en route to Khao Yai, which is in the Nakhon Ratchasima Province. For the next few days, our trip is shifting focus from "Education [from a Global Citizen Perspective]" to "Responsible Tourism [from a Global Citizen Perspective]."

Outdoor Education and Leadership is a new focus for this study abroad experience. When planning the trip, Han, Kathryn, and I wanted to figure out how best to incorporate OEL concepts and themes into our learning goals without making it all about "doing outdoor activities" (e.g. mountain biking) and ignoring critical cultural, historic, and geographical contexts. We decided that exploring notions of "responsible tourism" would provide opportunities for our group to explore recreation, ecotourism, economic impacts of recreation/tourism, etc. while still honoring the central theme of global citizenship.

That being said, today's experiences in tourism are a pretty stark contrast to our tourist experiences in the rural villages yesterday. Our primary activity today was a tour of the PB Valley Winery (link). 

Established by Dr. Piya Bhirombhakdi, PB Winery represents the culmination of the founder's dream to "create affordable Thai wine to the eyes of the world." From their website: 

One of the very first large scale and high professional wineries in the tropical country was established since 1989. The vineyard settles beautifully on a valley over 2,500 rais (400 hectares / 1,000 acres), 350 to 380 maters above the sea level, guaranteeing a well-condition climate. The winery is spread out over 3,000 square mater, including a Barrique room housing genuine oak barrels made in France, each holding 255 liters. A total of 150,000 liters of wine, or the equivalent yields of 200,000 bottles, are natured there to mature every year. (link)

We were treated to a nice lunch at the vineyard followed by a tour of the grounds and winemaking facilities. Throughout the tour, our guides explained the process of harvesting grapes and winemaking. Students seemed to enjoy the experience, but in our van ride home, they were quick to point out the differences they felt as tourists between being in a rural community learning directly from the members of the community (e.g. the silk weavers) versus the experience of touring a winery whose impact on the community felt further removed. In both cases, the central question for most students was "who benefits from tourism?"

View of the vineyard grounds

View of the grounds

Daily "Kelfie" at the winery

Students enjoying lunch at PB Winery

What's a vineyard tour without grapes?

Wine aging in barrels

Our lodging for the next two evenings, the Raintree Residence in Khao Yai, is one of the most unique resorts I've had an opportunity to stay at. Founded by Suwadee and Phijit Chongsatitwatana, former book publishers and book enthusiasts, the Raintree Residence celebrates literature in every room of the hotel. Each hotel room has a specific literary theme. The hotel grounds offer hiking trails, unique sitting areas for reading and reflection, a library, several pools, and various sites for science demonstrations (e.g. a bike-powered waterwheel--guests can pedal the bike to turn the wheel). Learn more about the resort here (link). It's funky and eclectic and a little swanky. 

The Raintree Residence lobby

One of the many sitting/reading nooks at the Raintree Residence

One of two pools on-site

We got to the resort relatively early in the afternoon, so students had several hours to explore the grounds, swim in one of two infinity pools, nap in a hammock, etc. The hotel staff set up a lovely poolside dinner for us, and we closed out the evening as a large group sitting on the ground under a covered roof listening to the rain.

View of Khao Yai landscape from our afternoon hike

Students and Han enjoying the grounds

MTSE Faculty sitting on a swing during our free afternoon

Tomorrow is going to be...interesting. We are going to a Western-themed amusement and/or eco-park. Stay tuned.