Hotel Description
The site for Hmong Hilltribe Lodge was carefully selected in 1987, after we decided to create an alternative to the lengthy day trips that were the only available means of visiting outlying ethnic villages. The close proximity of several Hmong villages to the lodge allows guests to explore these tribal outposts at their own leisure, or with one of our experienced trekking guides, without the time pressure imposed by a day trip from the city.
Since the inception of Hmong Hilltribe Lodge, we have enjoyed a rich reciprocal relationship with our tribal neighbours. Every evening, following a delicious barbeque and buffet dinner served by moonlight at our open-air restaurant, performers from the nearby Hmong village of Mae Khi stage a cultural show for our guests to enjoy. The show incorporates a series of dances and performances that portray traditional Hmong lifestyle, including a wedding ceremony, a shamanic ritual and the custom of throwing 'makong' (the cotton ball) on Hmong New Year.
The Hmong are an ancient tribal people whose origins are something of a mystery. With no written script of their own, they have preserved their history through tribal traditions and folklore, but the identity of their ancestral homeland has been irrevocably lost in time and translation. It is known only that they travelled through 'a land of dry sands and of cold and snow' and 'a land six months light and six months dark', to Mongolia and southern China. Today, most remaining Hmong are still concentrated in remote, mountainous regions of southern China, but they can also be found in Burma, Laos and Thailand. |
