How far would you go… for a cup of coffee?

I love coffee. I love the moments of contemplation found between sips of a deliciously dark brew. I love magic spots in foreign places, suddenly made familiar with a single cup. It’s powerful stuff. A fuel. It generates, and it brings together. So when I got wind of a Hmong Village somewhere way up and into the wilds of Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep where there was locally grown coffee to be had, I knew that we had to venture out to find it.

Getting an early jump on the day in hopes of beating the crowds and the heat, we made a beeline from our hotel to Mr. Mechanic, where we rented a motorbike. It would prove indispensable in the days to come, as so much of what Chiang Mai has to offer lies well outside the parameters of the city. We did a loop around Old Town, taking a little time to admire the moat and remnants of fortress walls from our new vantage point, before heading north east toward the base of Doi Suthep.

Up the mountain we went, enjoying the broad sweeping turns and the wind in our hair… had the air quality been better, the view from here would have been stupendous. We sputtered past the tour busses and crowds swarming the base of Wat Phrathat, and even left Bhubing Palace behind. A few kilometers after we passed this final notable landmark the pavement ended, our pace slowed dramatically as the road turned to dirt, and we began to bump along- swerving carefully between ruts and potholes, as we made our way farther up the mountain. At times it felt as if our little motorbike was barely moving- the engine strained under the challenging terrain as we pushed it to the max. I experienced a few fleeting moments of concern: were we on the right path? What if our bike broke down- got a flat-ran out of gas? We had no phone, and hadn’t seen another human in quite some time. It was a bit worrisome, but there was no way we were giving up now: we came for coffee up on this mountain, and coffee we were going to get!

Coming up around a bend we spotted it: a sign, a few wooden buildings and a handful of…bicycles?! (Looked like a hardcore group of cyclists had also decided to have coffee in the middle of nowhere this morning- and we thought we were crazy… bicycles?!) It was a cute little place with an impressive view. Long wooden tables with stumps for stools, where the cups of coffee were served on small trays with biscuits on the side. The bicyclists departed, and we were left to ourselves. We sat for a bit, taking in the tranquil surroundings, feeling pretty stoked that we had actually found the place.

After emptying our cups we ventured out for a stroll around the grounds. The coffee shop is really only the face of the operation. Here the coffee goes from plant to cup all in one location. The whole coffee production process is sponsored by the university as an ongoing experiment in sustainable cash crops; coffee plants grow readily in the underbrush of the forest and will hopefully someday provide income potential for the Hmong people, without leading to deforestation.

There were coffee berries still on the branch in the underbrush, and large tarps covered with the collected fruits left out in the sun to dry. Nearby, some of the Hmong women from the village draped freshly washed laundry over a long row of bushes. It was a pretty idyllic scene…

Well, now that we had successfully located and consumed our ‘off the beaten path’ coffee- what next? We hopped onto our bike and looked left- gazing back down the road from where we had come, then looked right into the distance- at the yet untravelled portion that extended before us; and without a second thought, took off in the direction of the unknown . At this point it seemed like we were driving on more of a path than a road- creeping forward at a pace that was possibly slower than if we had been walking- but like the ‘Little Engine that Could’, we puttered on. Let’s just see what’s up here, up around the next corner, just a little farther… Not sure what we would find- if anything- we just weren’t ready to turn around. There was enough gas in our tank to keep going for a few more kilometers…

Just as we were going to throw in the towel and head back, we came to a wide clearing with a few shack-like wooden structures built around a dusty ‘courtyard’ of sorts. Chickens were running about, along with a few dogs. There were no humans in sight. Everything was very quiet. On a nearby tree, a sign was posted with a phrase painted across the wood: FRESH COFFEE SHOP. What? Doi Suthep had not one, but two coffee spots? Of course we had to check it out. Tentatively, we wandered into the compound looking for stirrings of life beyond that of the free range animals. A few steps in, we spied a couple of tables topped with pink patterned cloths inside what looked like a shop. An adorable black and white kitten came running over to me, and I scooped him up into my arms for a cuddle as we sat down and were greeted by a Hmong woman with smiling eyes. Having worked up an appetite, my husband made some gestures- a humorous pantomime- in attempts to inquire about the possibility of having some food. Amazingly, she understood, and went to work behind a little counter after first bringing us a nice pot of tea (we opted out of the high test stuff this time around…)

This place was fantastic. Dogs skittered about playing in the dust, and long strings of laundry barely moved in the still heat of the afternoon. We were the only ones here. At this moment in time it was just the three of us. It felt wonderful…special. I wondered how many tourists actually ventured out this way on a monthly basis- I had to imagine that she didn’t see many visitors at her quaint shopette. My musings were interrupted by our kindly hostess as she placed a steaming bowl of food in front of me. On the surface it looked like a simple dish: rice topped with a plain egg omelette; but I assure you, she must have added a pinch or two of some sort of magic spice. It was so delicious, and much more flavourful than an egg and some rice ‘should’ have been. We happily devoured our lunches, ever grateful to the chef, grinning, a bit sunburned, and slightly wild-eyed with the excitement of our amazing discovery.

What a perfect day…There was adventure…There was the thrill of the unknown…There was coffee!

 
 
 
 

How to get to Khun Chang Kian Village (and beyond):

Please note that the dirt road portion of the trip was rather challenging- even for my husband (he drove while I hung on from behind) who has logged in thousands of miles on his motorbike. Part of it was due to the small size of our rental (more of a moped than a dirt bike), but mostly because the road itself was quite rough. Proceed with caution, and make sure to fill your tank with gas before ascending Doi Suthep!

About 4 km past Wat Phrathat you will see the Winter Palace (Bhubing Palace). The road that passes the Palace splits- go right…(the left fork will take you to Ban Doi Pui- a touristy village, basically a souvenir market). Continue on the road for a while and you will eventually come across a sign “Doi Pui Campground 1km and Hmong Khun Chang Kian Village 4km”– you are almost there! (The Doi Pui Campground looks like an amazing place to pitch a tent, but sadly we weren’t prepared…maybe another time) Keep going up the road and you can’t miss the coffee…

Click here for a map
 
 
click here for a map to Mr. Mechanic and their official website

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