Soles of a Nomad

Mae Chaem is the quiet northern Thailand town that stole our hearts—green rice fields, friendly locals, noodle soup, and not a tour group in sight.

I sat cross-legged on a porch in northern Thailand, listening to four hours of a meeting I couldn’t understand. But what I saw—local people solving local problems—was unforgettable.

We thought planting rice in a Karen village would be simple. It wasn’t. Our backs gave out, the world spun, and we walked away muddy, sore, and deeply grateful. Because travel.

Ever hunted eels barefoot in a flooded rice paddy? In Mae La Oop, Thailand, I got muddy, met a snake, and earned a delicious dinner. Another adventure brought to you by travel.

In a Karen village in northern Thailand, I learned how to shower using a pink bucket of cold river water—and how not to inhale it up my nose. Another lesson in barely managed chaos. Because travel.

Chewbacca noises. Endless mountain roads. A village with no restaurants or guesthouses. This is how we stumbled into Mae La Oop, and into one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve ever had.