The Vernon Journal

It is time for the rice harvest in Thailand, and to the Akha that means the celebration of the Haw Shui Dza (New Rice Festival). This celebration goes much further than the celebration of Rice, the staple element of the Akha diet, for they celebrate all of their harvest. Coffee, tea, corn, tomatoes, vegetables and [...]

We have been spending some wonderful time with Jan and Gary as they have come out to visit. Because the Akha New Rice Festival season is around the corner we have been doing the tourist things this week and will spend all of next week going to festivals in villages. You may have noticed our [...]

Lately I’ve been on a photo kick; something in me is just yearning to be creative! So, despite our less than cooperative camera, I’ve been snapping pictures more often than usual. A couple weeks ago, everything in the village just seemed especially beautiful, so I set out to capture all the little things that I [...]

For the past week a dental team from America has been visiting Akha Outreach Foundation doing the annual check-ups and cleanings for all the orphans. While this is quite a large task in itself, they still made time to haul all thier equipment up to a village for a day to pull some teeth. Preventative [...]

I count myself lucky to live in such a green country! I’m constantly amazed by the beauty all around us! This month we’ve seen quite a bit of countryside as we’ve travelled around the North to Chiang Mai, Fang, Thaton and of course Mae Salong. Right now the ricefields are especially breathtaking; they cover the [...]