Mae Salong美思樂

 Mae Salong美思樂

這不是表演，這是阿卡族的日常生活，此照片是她們正要採茶去 It's not a show. Akha put on the costume in their dailay life. The photo was taken while they're going to work in tea plantation terrace.

這裡在清萊泰緬邊境金三角範圍的美思樂山上高原。

以前駐紮著中國國民黨精良軍隊以做為 “反攻大陸”的棋子，後來在聯合國的壓力下，國民黨下了撤軍的指令，但撤軍返台者少，成為無身份的孤軍，後來因協助泰皇剿滅泰北苗共才得以有了泰國公民權。

It’s located in the Thai highland on the mountain,in ChiangRai Golden Triangle region.

Kuomintang (KMT) used to plot one superior army here for “fight to regain china”  but commanded to retreat to Taiwan under force of UN (the United Nations). Some KMT soldiers didn’t followed and remained here as “lost army” without any ID. Those lost army and their families got Thai citizenship after they helping to counter the communist insurgency on the Thai frontier.

山景很美，但山坡這樣的耕種土壤很容易流失，不過當然比一大片的鴉片田好 Beautiful mountain view, but the way to grow in the mountain will get some erosion problems. Surly it's still much better than opium cultivation.

這裡雖然在泰國，但他們很多人講著雲南的華語，因為這裡多是這批孤軍及阿卡族(來自雲南)的後代。這裡的村民跟很多泰國鄉下的村民一像都有很不錯的手藝，就光利用竹子就有很多方式

Even it’s in Thailand, most of the villagers speak Yunnanese Because most of the village's inhabitants today are ethnic Chinese and direct descendants of those KMT soldiers. The villagers here just like other villagers in countryside of Thailand are very good in making handcraft. Only mentioned about use the material of bamboo, there’re a lot of using

只要一打砍刀跟竹林的竹子就能蓋房子They mamange to build a hut with only one mechete and those bamboo.	有些竹的的托葉還可以拿來做屋頂  Some kind of  bamboo stipules could used for roof
隨手拈來就可以編籃子了Easily to make  basket any time	也能做風向計 And also a weather van
竹門或竹牆的不同編法 different way of weaving bamboo door or wall	竹門或竹牆的不同編法 different way of weaving bamboo door or wall
	有時故意在竹子裡養蟲，可供食物的來源，帶市場上的價位也很好. Sometimes they raise worms in bamboo to be food. It's always very good price on the market as well.

但這裡的小朋友很多人白天念完講泰文的學校後晚上還得去上中文學校(4:00-8:00PM)，時光全都在讀書裡，可以想像這些傳統的手藝與生存技能就要慢慢地消失了。

But the children here have to spend mot of their time in studying from the daytime in thai speaking school and night (4-8PM) in Chinese speaking school. We could imagine all those handcrafting and surviving skill is going to vanish very soon without passing down.

美思樂過去也是金三角鴉片、海洛英毒品的集散地之一，也曾種了罌粟，三、四十年前、或更早時期的美斯樂周邊華人曾改種植果樹，可惜效果不佳。但由台灣帶來所種下的一顆顆茶樹種籽，卻在曾經的罌粟田裡漸漸長大。

Mae Salong used to be centered on the Golden Triangles’ opium trade and also grew opium cultivation. About 40 years ago, Chinese nearby tried to grow fruit trees instead but they didn’t grow very well. But the tea plants grow flourish here starting from one tea plant from Taiwan.

 

楊大哥對於他園子裡的咖啡樹很滿意Yang is so proud of those coffee trees.

李子樹下的咖啡樹 coffee trees under plum trees

荔枝樹提供很多落葉作覆蓋，但它長得很快，得適時修枝以免過度遮蔭Litchi trees offer a lot of leaves on the ground as a good mulching. But they grow so fast and proper pruning is necessary.

目前這裡以種高山茶出名，聽說甚至有些高山茶假稱為阿里山茶賣到台灣來，山上也有種一些旱稻及雜糧玉米，也開始有人種咖啡，這次來此拜訪以前在台灣樸門課程認識的楊大哥，他從小在美思樂長大，剛好這段期間在清萊，有地陪也才得以知道更多的在地資訊，最近他哥哥也開始種咖啡想賣咖啡，他們有在樹下種咖啡，他的哥哥也在山上種一些其他作物，每天早上去市場賣

Now Mae Salong is very famous of producing high mountain tea, they could produce very good quality tea. Even somebody took the tea here in the fake name of Alishan High mountain tea and sale to Taiwan. Besides tea, also rice, corns and a lot of grains could be grown here. I’m lucky to know one friend Yang while studied permaculture in Taiwan, he was born from Mae Salong and happened to be in ChiangRai while I was in North Thailand. Got a wonderful tour guide! He and his brother tried to grow coffee trees here under some fruit trees. His brother grows some other crops and sells in the market every morning.

洛神、香蕉、豆子...楊大哥的哥哥市場裡的菜很多藏在裡面 Roselle, banana, different beans...a lot of vegetables in the vendor are hidden here.

 

冬瓜到處長，山雞也是到處飛，菜園子裡很豐富 white gourds climbing and chickens flying everywhere. That's their rich vegetable garden.

楊大哥的哥哥在市場裡有擺攤賣他的菜.菜賣得很快 Yang's brother has a vendar in the market to sale his vegetalbes. And his vegetables are always sold out very soon.

美思樂的菜 vegetables in Mae Salong

楊大哥的哥哥家裡有儲放很多南瓜 A lot of pumpkins in the store room of Yang's brother.

美思樂的菜 Vegetables in Mae Salong