The hot season has arrived in full force, but instead of thinking of sea, sand and sun, one way to cool off is to head to the hills. We’ve got just the place in mind: Doi Ang Khang, the mountain in Chiang Mai where HM the King set up his first agricultural research station in 1969, and which is known for its beautiful views.
scene to be believed: A view of the tea plantation at Doi Ang Khang.
Gourmet Tour Angkhang, a three-day nature exploration and gourmet food tour under the Royal Project, has been operating for more than a decade. Guests enjoy stunning flora, fresh fruit and vegetables in the plantation, tribal breakfasts, joyful lunches and delicious luxury dinner parties interspersed with activities during the day.
Doi Ang Khang itself is about three hours from the airport, and we arrived about 1pm and immediately noticed how much cooler it was compared to Bangkok. The Royal Project area was green and we quickly absorbed the peaceful atmosphere.
The first lunch on the mountain featured such northern favourites as the yellow noodle curry khao soi, pork-belly curry kaeng hang lae, traditional Yunnan salad and other dishes that are difficult to find even in Bangkok.
Right next to the lunch area is a beautiful large flower garden called Suan Paed Sip where roses, lilies, camomile, lavender and more bloom. It’s gorgeous and attractive even to those who don’t have green fingers, and we snapped up plenty of pictures.
got your goat: A cultural show.
About 3pm it was naturally afternoon tea time, which in the Sakura garden meant local and imported premium quality tea, along with smoked salmon or ham and cheese sandwiches, miang kham (fresh vegetables and spicy-sweet sauce) and freshly baked pastries. We were also treated to cultural shows by children from local tribes.
Afterwards, Padari Bunnag, a volunteer and a niece of Royal Project president MC Bhisadej Rajani, explained Gourmet Tour Angkhang’s origins.
“My grandfather had the idea that people only thought about Doi Ang Khang during winter. Actually, Doi Ang Khang is cold the whole year round, but he thought of the ‘escape from the heat’ tour concept because the event is always in summer,” she said.
“Everyone working for this event is a volunteer, and it's more than a decade old already. We began working with chef Norbert [Kostner, executive chef of the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok]. The event was initially called a gourmet weekend tour, and there wasn’t as much detail as there is now. People just visited the site and dined on dishes cooked by chef Norbert.”
As time has passed, different volunteer chefs have created a raft of ever-changing culinary experiences. “Seven years ago, one of the volunteer chefs, Herve Frerard from Le Beaulieu restaurant in Bangkok, had the idea that those coming to the event should learn more about the Royal Project. The area is so beautiful but people didn't have the chance to explore it.”
Those providing the entertainment during meals are also volunteers.
“Most people helping with music are producers such as Khun Piti Keyunphan and Khun Nan Sarawut [Lertpunyanuch], a songwriter,” she said.
Asked how all these volunteers could be recruited, Mr Padari said HM the King was the reason.
“It began once people agreed to do the event as it's Royal Project. They then found out more when they arrived here. It's a place to recharge energy and help people, all under the care of HM the King.”
Money collected from the event goes to the Royal Project and villagers living nearby.
“Volunteers here normally don't get wages, so one of the benefits of the event is helping develop projects such as plant research and studies for the villagers here.”
After sunset, the temperature on Doi Ang Khang drops again to about 15C and it is easy to forget that elsewhere in Thailand it’s a sweltering hot season. The first dinner is held inside a flower plantation, which provides a stunning location and the tables are set to match.
Natsaran Gerhart, aka chef Aum, led the team in the kitchen, producing an entree of sturgeon brandade and spring flowers followed by a soup of cauliflower and Cheddar, cream, bacon and toast, and a main of Bresse poultry supreme and spring vegetables. The evening was sweetened with Doi Ang Khang strawberry tiramisu, vanilla-flavoured moelleux, azuki cream and pistachio ice-cream.
brew for you: Preparing camomile tea.
The morning of the second day was a brisk 10C without the aid of air-conditioners. After a European and Thai style buffet breakfast with a view of the tea plantation in the mountains, the guides took us visit a hill tribe being taken care of by the Royal Project.
The village preserves tradition, with houses in the old style and Lahu villagers in their tribe’s colourful garb.
“I work here to help people,” said Riam Singthorn, a volunteer teacher in Ban Kobdong. “My inspiration is HM the King. He helped everyone here in this village. If he did not help us I cannot imagine how the village would be now. HM the King visited the school in 1992, donated money for an agricultural plantation study and a lunch fund for children.”
The next destination was a strawberry-lover’s dream. As soon as we stepped from the minibus we were greeted with samples of the fruit. Visitors to the large plantation often get the chance to pick strawberries themselves, but they were not ripe during our visit. Instead, we explored and learned about the process, fuelling our hunger for lunch.
Lunch was served in a plum orchard, and we enjoyed traditional dishes such as moo lung (fried minced pork ball with spicy herb), gai oub (local chicken curry) and fresh Royal Project product including spicy strawberry salad, grilled sturgeon and Ang Khang chilli paste.
After the meal, guests could choose between four activities — a 45-minute massage in a flower garden from a massage club in a Fang district village, mule riding around the Royal Project site, a demonstration by a chef making strawberry jam and gai oub, or a forest trek on the mountain exploring and learning about herbs and aromatic plants.
If any of those options were in any way too strenuous, there was an afternoon tea break with beverages and freshly baked pastries to tide us over until dinner. When the sun set and the mercury again dipped, the Bonsai garden was transformed with the help of artistic decorations and a band into the setting for a buffet dinner produced by the team of expert chefs.
The band of the night really brought joy to the audience. After the meal finished, people started dancing along to luk thung classics and international favourites, and the smiles were wide for the whole night.
On the last morning, the flower garden breakfast featured traditional local foods such as khao feun (yellow boiled rice soup), khao niow tub kluk nga (sticky rice mixed with sesame) and a sweet dish known as khao kuan Tai Yai (the Tai Yai tribe’s sticky stirred rice). The service was provided by friendly local tribes people, who recommended their favourite dishes.
Guests had a final walk around the flower garden for some memorable pictures before saying goodbye to the beautiful mountain. n
Gourmet Tour Angkhang operates twice each year and costs 17,000 baht for singles or 15,000 baht per person for couples. Further details can be found online at www.thairoyalprojecttour.com.
strawberry fields for later: Fruit from the plantation is used in gourmet dishes.
taking it all in: The tour group learns about the varieties at the Royal Project plantation.
traditional touch: Visitors on the tour learn about Chiang Mai hill tribes.
