A Unique Experience: We Stayed on a Farm in Fang, Thailand

Let’s be honest: there are tons of fancy shmancy resorts in Thailand. It’s easy to book something fancy. We all travel differently, and trust me, I like nice things (and staying in nice places) too. Are you getting the most authentic experience when you stay at a resort? While resorts manufacture “authentic” experiences, a homestay offers something more raw.

Recently, we embarked on a roadtrip across Thailand with our dog, Daisy. We ended up bringing home another dog by the end of our trip, but that’s another blog post !

Fang is located in the northern part of the Chiang Mai Province. It borders Myanmar/Burma, and the region is different than what most people think of when they think of Thailand. The area has striking mountains, with deep green valleys in between. Hill tribes often reside on the mountains. There are nearly a million hill peoples and forest dwellers in Northern Thailand. We were curious as to what life looked like out there, so we booked a homestay to check it out.

Aum Homestay doubles as an organic farm. As we drove in, we were greeted by two well-groomed cows that live on the property. We parked, and we opened our doors to roosters cawing and chickens clucking. Who said that the middle of nowhere was quiet? You don’t need that Nature Sounds playlist on Spotify, because at Aum Homestay, you’ll be greeted with a symphony.

Watch this short video we made about the farm:

Aum Homestay is also pet-friendly! With Daisy in tow, we thought that letting her run around on a farm would be a nice treat as opposed to her daily life in busy Bangkok. She practically pranced through the grass! She loved all the smells of the farm. I’m sure to her powerful little nose, all the farm smells were wondrous. She also made friends (kind of) with the resident cat, Chok. He has beautiful rose gold markings, with a feisty personality. He didn’t seem too thrilled with Daisy sniffing around. Daisy has had very limited interactions with cats in her life, so she was extremely curious about Chok!

With limited vegetarian restaurant options in Fang, we opted to make dinner at the homestay instead. We got ingredients at Tesco Lotus, which is about a quick 10-15 minute drive from the property. We took a cooking class in Chiang Mai that came with a cookbook, and opted to recreate two dishes: Tom Kha (Coconut Soup) and Pad Thai. Sidenote: Guys, I am so excited that I know how to make Pad Thai now!

The sweet gentleman who owns Aum Homestay is one of the nicest humans we’ve ever met. He also loves music! After finding out that John plays guitar, he let John use his personal guitar to play. John serenaded us while I cooked dinner! The owner actually gave me tips while I was cooking dinner…when would you ever have that opportunity at a resort? I basically had a personal coach as I was practicing cooking Thai food. We got to hang out with the owner, and chat about the local area, his farm, the history, and the local hill tribes. We shared musical tastes and recommended bands to each other. We ate dinner in the outdoor kitchen area among chirping geckos and crickets. It was charming, rustic, and peaceful – a nice change from busy life in Bangkok.

We fell asleep under the mosquito net in a comfortable, rustic style bed. We fell asleep to all the sounds of the jungle. In the middle of the night, a cat started howling outside which made John shoot straight up. I slept right through it 

The next morning, the owner made us a delicious Thai style breakfast. Everything was grown on his farm: brown rice from his rice patties, eggs from his chickens, chives and vegetables from his garden. Having a meal grown right on the farm that we stayed at felt very special to us!

After breakfast, the owner gave us a tour of his farm as Daisy happily scampered along. I saw coffee beans growing on leaves for the first time, and ginger growing in the ground. It was cool to see where the food I buy at the grocery store comes from!

Overall, staying at Aum Homestay was one of my favorite experiences in our entire road trip. It was a completely unique experience that not many other people can say they had. One of the things I love about traveling is meeting the local people, talking to them about their lives, their upbringing, what kind of music they like, and what kind of food the eat. Most often, I learn that although we live very different lives, as human beings we have so much in common: we enjoy a home cooked meal, listening to music, the love of family, and laughing together under the stars. 

I hope that next time you have the opportunity to travel, that you’ll consider staying at a homestay rather than a resort!