Special Feature surrounding mountain scenery attracted the late mother of the King , who had spent three decades in Switzerland with her children . Returning to Thailand , she vowed to reforest Doi Tung and set up the highly successful Doi Tung Development Project in northern Chiang Mai Province .
For shoppers , Doi Tung and other projects , as well as off-site outlets , offer fairly priced handicrafts fashioned by project-supported villagers as well as locally grown produce — coffee , organic vegetables , herbs , smoked rainbow trout and much more .
Despite the Thai-style main building , the so-called Winter Palace and grounds , which are open to the public , have an Alpine , almost European feel , perhaps reflecting the king ’ s long stay in Switzerland , where he and his siblings were educated . The extensive gardens feature more than 270 rose varieties from around the world , century-old ferns and a reservoir with a fountain that “ plays ’’ along with some of the King ’ s own music ( he is credited with nearly 50 compositions ).
The genuine sorrow and tears shown by streams of mourners coming to the Grand Palace for a final farewell are certainly a reflection of the reverence in which the King was held . But the clue to why this is so is found in large swaths of rural areas to which he once traveled , and particularly at his projects where he earned such adulation through sweat and aching legs on behalf of the have-nots among his subjects .
While retracing his steps , visitors can trek into hilltribe villages on Thailand ’ s highest mountain ( Doi Inthanon Royal Project ), kayak astride mangrove forests in the Gulf of Thailand ( Kung Krabaen Royal Development Study Center ), try one ’ s hand at planting rice ( Chang Hua Man Royal Project south of Bangkok ) or partake in a gourmet dinner amid mountain mists ( Royal Agricultural Station Angkhang ).
Accommodations , available at a number of the projects , range from campsites to rustic bungalows to the upmarket Doi Tung Lodge with a restaurant serving excellent northern Thai and hill-tribe dishes . The
IN COLDER ENVIRONS
When winter finally arrives after months of heat and monsoon rains , throngs of Thais make their way to places like Angkhang , where at 1,400 meters temperatures can justify bundling up in thick sweaters and parkas .
A flagship endeavor going back to the late 1960s , Angkhang is the premier place in Thailand for research and growing of temperate-zone fruits , vegetables and flowers from kiwi to artichokes to English roses . The intent : to provide solid income to hill dwellers and an alternative to the growing of opium and felling forests through slash-and-burn agriculture .
Sitting astride the Thai-Myanmar border , ringed by spectacular scenery , Angkhang is home to the Black Lahu , Shan and other ethnic minorities who , before the king came , were bereft of schools and health clinics and largely isolated from the outside world . Tourist facilities also sprouted : The project restaurant is well known for its vegetable dishes , and overnight visitors can stay at either pleasant hillside bungalows or the 74-room , commercially operated Angkhang Nature Resort .
In recent years , an annual Gourmet Tour has been held , with some of Thailand ’ s top chefs preparing dinners created from local produce . The first , in 2013 , starred Norbert Kostner of the equally stellar Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok who , for 10,000 baht a head , concocted such dishes as “ Exotic Tangy Fruit Salad with Fluffy Crispy Rainbow Trout and Toasted Pine Nuts .’’
“ I do things that I think are useful and that ’ s all ,’’ the King once said . He could have added , “ and addictively good tasting .’’
Tourists to Chiang Mai , both foreign and domestic , are sometimes amazed at the first-rate coffee served
10 WANDERLUST