There are plenty of reasons to love Thailand, but one of the standout moments on a Real Bangkok to Singapore trip had everything to do with the people.
The chorus of ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen is repeating in my head – nonstop, again and again. At one point, as I cycle through the backstreets of the Phrom Khiri District in southern Thailand on my way to explore Wat Khao Khun Phanom Buddhist temple, I even catch myself humming it out loud.
I’m not in a cold location. I haven’t even seen the whole movie before – so I can’t explain how or why it’s stuck in my head. But, if I had to guess, it’s because I feel so relaxed and absorbed in the moment. In a flow state, I think they call it?
In front of me, I can see misty mountains, plenty of palm trees and seemingly never-ending stretches of green vegetation, thanks to the rainy season. The stress of riding on busy roads isn’t a thing here – there’s barely anyone around. It’s just our host, Sao, our small group of travellers and a few local vans on the road heading to the nearby market.
This ultra-calming activity is part of the homestay experience on the Real Bangkok to Singapore trip – but this isn’t your average homestay. It’s part of a community-based tourism (CBT) program, where a collective of friendly local hosts welcomes you into something far bigger than just a place to sleep. Instead of just staying with one family, you’re embraced by a whole community and that genuine, all-in welcome makes the experience feel different.
Talk to me about CBT
Not every homestay is a CBT project and not every CBT project is a homestay. At its heart, community-based tourism is about small communities creating and strengthening local economies by sharing their culture with travellers. Locals design and run the experiences – from homestays to cultural workshops – and the benefits stay in the community, supporting families and financing future projects close to home.
Sao started the Prom Lok CBT in 2004, after her experience working at a CBT project elsewhere in Thailand inspired her to support tourism where she grew up. With so many noteworthy sights near her childhood home – fruit plantations, waterfalls, national parks, busy markets and cave temples – she saw the potential to make a positive impact.
Read more: I spent my inheritance on a family trip to Thailand and it was the best investment
‘It’s not just one person doing everything – everyone shares it together,’ she says. And she’s right – it’s far from just one person reaping the benefits. Sao explains that since the beginning of the Phrom Lok CBT program, seven families have taken turns hosting guests.
And the benefits for local people don’t end there; other members of the community step in to enhance the overall experience. There are the home cooks who hop from homestay to homestay, creating delicious Thai dishes, including beautifully prepared spicy prawn salads and the decadent picnic lunch we took on an excursion to a nearby waterfall. On our first night before dinner, a few local women shared the art of drizzling coconut-milk batter into a sizzling wok to create tangled, deep-fried tasty treats. During our stay, we also had the chance to meet with mushroom growers and other producers on their farms and plantations, as well as skilled grass-broom makers who showed us their crafts.
Feel like part of the family
Before, during and after evening meals, many of our community hosts – including Aunt Ku-larb, Aunt Porn, Uncle Tid, Aunt Tung and Grandma Jaree – would pop in just to say hi, which only added to the warm and welcoming atmosphere. I felt like part of the family.
Sao acknowledges that while there is often a language barrier, hosts make the effort to connect with guests in different ways – such as proudly sharing family photos or pointing out landmarks in the town. ‘The people [here] make everyone feel like a friend, like a local.’
I felt this sense of connection in the small moments; it was in the countless friendly greetings of ‘sawadeeka’ with hands together in the prayer-like wai gesture; in the generosity of the farmers who urged me to pick mangosteens and snake fruit from their trees; and the friendly nods of ‘well done’ when local women were teaching me to paint on colourful silks in the traditional batik style.
Read more: How a solo trip to Thailand gave me the connection I was searching for
Experiences are better when shared
When we arrived at the base of Wat Khao Khun Phanom Buddhist Temple and dismounted our bikes, I thought Sao was joking when she said we had to climb almost 250 stairs in 35-degrees Celsius on foot. But it was absolutely worth it.
As we reached the top, sweaty and laughing, ‘Let It Go’ crept back into my head. Of course, I wasn’t Elsa on a snowy mountaintop. And these past few days I had felt far from alone – quite the opposite. But that powerful sense of freedom and joy? That was exactly the same.
Spend the night in Phrom Lok on the Real Bangkok to Singapore trip or check out Intrepid’s other 18 to 35s trips.
