泰北旗山皇家別墅、花園 Doi Tung Royal Villa/Mae Fah Luang Garden

泰北行腳之十六 : 旗山皇家別墅、花園 Northern Thailand: Part 16

沿着美斯樂或清萊北行可達旗山皇家別墅(皇太后夏宮)、花園。旗山 (Doi Tung, Flag Peak)地區在金三角”全盛”時期是遍植罌粟的地方。後來政府禁植罌粟, 鼓勵並教導山地居民種植其他經濟作物, 如咖啡和茶, 取得空前成效。據說皇太后積極参與, 受民愛戴。政府遂於1988年於旗山建皇家別墅作為皇太后的夏宮。現在該區開發旅遊, 夏宮和花園遂成觀光熱點。

Doi Tung is an area known to be the historical site of opium growing. It is said that the area has been the focus of a rural development project which introduced the cultivation of high economical crops, such as coffee and oolong tea, in place of opium. The beloved late mother of King Bhumibol played an important role in the project. The Doi Tung Royal Villa was built in 1988 as a summer residence for the King’s mother. This villa and the Mae Fah Luang Garden were part of the project to promote tourism in the area so as to create job opportunities for local folks.

綠色的地方就是旗山, 離緬甸邊境不到十公里。 The green tag indicates the location of Doi Tung, not far from Myanmar border.

旗山風景區景點包括皇家別墅、花園和靈感館。Map of Doi Tung.

夏宮入口前掛滿鼠形旗幟, 想皇太后必生於鼠年.... All these banners bore a rat icon....

.......原來皇太后生於庚子金鼠年 (1900)。 ..because the King's Mother was born in 1900, the Year of Rat(1900).

皇家別墅對訪客衣著有適當要求, 不能露膝和露肩, 入門處有藍衣供遊客借用。 There was a dress code for visitors, no shorts, no tank tops... don't worry, the ticket office has denim to lent (free of charge).

皇家別墅內草木扶疏。Nice landscaping and horticulture.

正門入口前觀。 The outside view of the main entrance. Lanna style (?)

正門入口上方精美浮雕。The wooden relief panel above the formal entrance.

正門入口前的醉蝶花可漂亮呀。 Rose Queen Cleome (also known as spider flower) in front of the formal entrance.

夏宮部份外觀 Outside view of the architecture.

訪客入口。 Visitors' entrance.

其中一厨房。 One of the kitchens.

夏宮的大廳, 天花上刻有星座圖, 右面陽臺東望山谷。 The main hall with constellations on the ceiling. The balcony, on the right, offers a panoramic view of the valley below.

如果沒記錯, 這好像是當地部族送給皇太族的刺繡。I am not sure if I am mistaken, it was said that this embroidery was a gift to the King's mother by local tribes.

泰文字母和例詞, 據說皇太后非常着意教育山地部族居民。Thai alphabets and words, it is said that the King's mother was very keen to educate tribe people so as to elevate their standard of living.

這一部份說是皇太后日常的起居室。This was King's mother's living room. Nothing fancy, simple but pleasant.

夏宮大廳外陽台東望。 This is the balcony outside the main hall. The view was breath-taking.

陽台花槽的木刻。 Carved wood panel covering the planting boxes on the balcony.

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皇家花園 Mae Fah Luang Garden

在夏宮附近山谷處是 Mae Fah Luang 花園, 此山谷原為山地居民的村落, 受地形所限, 村內衛生情况極差, 亦無水電, 道路不能直達。在政府旗山發展計劃中, 政府把居民移居至附近有水電設備和栢油路的新村。政府並發展舊村為花園, 使之成為觀光景點, 原村民並参與花木的種植, 增加收入, 改善生活。

This garden was built on the site of originally the Akha village of Pa Kluay. The site is in a gorge where there was no clean running water and the hygiene conditions were poor. As part of the Doi Tung Development Project, they were relocated to a nearby site where there are running water, electricity and paved road. The original site was then turned to be a garden. The garden is pretty big, we had only walked for a while and then headed to the restaurant for lunch.