TakeMeTour is celebrating International Women’s Day by empowering our female Local Experts through their fascinating stories. Here, we treat our Local Experts of any gender equally, with the current ratio of 3:2 between women and men. Let’s enjoy this special day with us.
From a girl living in Chinatown, to a Local Expert who revives the fisherman village
Hansa means supreme happiness in Thai. So does what she brings to the locals.
Growing up in Chinatown Bangkok, Hansa has always been helping her family’s business like the other kids in her neighborhood. But, trading bits and bobs is not just her thing. What drives her mighty chipper is Hansa’s passion in traveling. It is then not so unusual to see her strolling along a little alley and talking to new people.
The story of her being a Local Expert began when she moved to Bang Khun Thian. Located in southern Bangkok and near the Gulf of Thailand, the area is the centre of Thailand’s aquaculture sector. Not so far away from her house, there is a large salt farm where she often visits on day offs. Unluckily, she later on learned that the owners were all suffering from the economic crisis. Hansa, for sure, would not stand witnessing her friends selling away the land they effortlessly built. “Places are not just places. They are full of memories”. Believing that a restoration will come if people are proud of their own community, she started bringing in tourism to these salt farms that only few people knew about back in the day. Hansa also provides a tour introducing the area she knows best, China Town.
Not surprisingly, She would make an ideal woman, graduating from top university, having her own business, with great personality. But, there is so much more to be just than that. She is a Local Expert, a business woman, and a reviver of the fisherman village. Hansa shows how a single woman can cause an impactful change to society and be an example of her own beliefs.
Every crisis, comes great opportunity
Believe it or not, we all can turn crisis into opportunities.
Piangduan grew up in the lovely town of Chiang Mai. She has always been fascinated about coffee drinks and dreams to have the finest coffee beans of her own. On her trekking journey up the “Doi” to find the best ingredients, she unexpectedly had an accident. This might sound just slightly intense, but this stopped Piangduan from working for nearly a year.
Having loads of free time because of her sprained ankle, Piangduan instantly decided to start her English course as her family originally runs a hostel. This would be incredibly helpful. After a year, the restless effort comes on the scene. During this time, she often got asked by customers where to go apart from the city centre and those commonly-visited attractions? Bua Tong Sticky Waterfall is doubtlessly her answer. Not so many ways to get there, Piangduan decided to take them on a little trip by herself after recovering. She then fell in love with the world of adventures.
These days, Piangduan made all her ambitions come true. She owns a small homely coffee shop, runs her family’s hostel, and is a Local Expert. If you get on a trip with Piangduan, you will definitely not just have someone to walk with you around town, but a friend who joins your water fight and helps you paddle the kayak.
Believe in yourself, and Go Beyond the Limits
The limits to self-improvement do not exist. This is what Ji Mai believes. And if you hear her stories, it is pretty much true.
Walking around this spacious shrimp farm in Suphan Buri, who would have imagined it is run by this lovely female rescuer. Being a mother, it is not just about taking care of a child. Ji Mai knows that to raise her daughter well, she needs to be a good portrayal. She began her voluntary career in a paramedic team, and found that community service is definitely what she is fascinated about.
To make her family even more proud, she started learning language through online chats. Still, texting alone has some limitations on her improvement. The perfect idea then popped up to mind. Beyond any doubt, Ji Mai invites guests to her farm, takes them on a boat, and collects some lotus roots. They usually come back and cook her signature homemade dish “Tom Yum Kung” in her kitchen. Ji Mai even sometimes surprises her guests by bringing the gas stove to cook on an outdoor trip!
Today, Ji Mai is fluent in three languages, and has tons of friends from all over the world. She never missed any new travel tips and marvelous spots. Keeping her trip up to date, she puts 200% effort into everything she does, knowing that she is not the greatest. But, we do know that her home cooking is definitely the best!
Escape the city, Cherish the Countryside
Pat spent over 8 years in Bangkok in the marketing sector. Leaving the capital and going back to the wilderness might be a tough decision for us. But for Pat, returning to her hometown, Chiang Mai, is a no-brainer.
Being in traffic and sitting in the office daily exhaustively drained her energy. Travelling back home to Chiang Mai can help charge up the battery. Still, Pat knew she was lacking something. On one weekend of her visit to the North, her family invited her for a little outing in the backyard garden. Pat enjoyed the day a lot and immediately realised what she was looking for is just within grasp.
In a jiffy, Pat decided that moving back to spend more time with her family in a serene scenery is the way to go. But, if you think that will leave less choice for her living, you are undoubtedly wrong. In the back of her house, Pat grows a variety of organic fruits and vegetables that she picks for sale and for her own use. Often, she steps out to collect ingredients while listening to the whistles of the trees.
It is common for us to see Pat and her family biking around Mae Taeng, embracing the beauty of the dam, and having a chill stop to appreciate mother nature. Since the charm of a peaceful local life is no secret to Pat and her parents, they love sharing this out with the guests by inviting them to experience their everyday life along the countryside. What we could not miss is her traditional Thai cooking and freshly made smoothie. Further, walk through a local village and rest up for a picnic. Of course, they will let you have a chip in the bike ride along the vineyard and a cooking of temptingly tasty menus made in a tiffin box with her family!
