As it was in the beginning

This sign on the edge of the rice paddy in Ban Doo says 'no fishing'.

Far from the beach-front tourist destinations of Thailand, the Isaan village of Ban Doo (pronounced "Bun-doo") is so small, it cannot be found on road maps. A European tourist strolling the few streets of Ban Doo is about as common as an eclipse.

This corner of northeast Thailand is bereft of hotels and home-stays. but Ban Doo is different.

In stark contrast to the sun-baked roads and dirt front yards of the local houses, the boutique IsaanHometel is set on a small, lush courtyard of bright green grass. It has just enough rooms and beds for one or two families or a group travelling together - with all the luxuries of a boutique lodge, right down to monogrammed dressing gowns and scuffs.

Hometel is the result of Wellington businessman Andrew Collins' determination to give holidaymakers a chance to experience an authentic Thai experience, while also providing a comfortable base for himself, his Thai wife Darunee and their two children. Ban Doo is Darunee's home village and her family live on the property and maintain the IsaanHometel.

Collins had read an article in the Bangkok Post about Thailand's potential to host an increasing number of tourists seeking more than just the mass tourism of sun, sand and sea. The article said more people were ethno-tourists, looking to experience people, culture and traditions.

"That article was a key element to our getting on with building Hometel," he says. "Ethno-tourism is exactly what staying in Ban Doo is all about."

There are no beaches (though there is a swimming pool); no breathtaking views from mountain ranges (the Isaan region is a flat plateau); and no staged cultural shows of costumed dancers who pull you on to the dance floor to try the moves.

There is nothing contrived about Ban Doo; nothing is changed or arranged for tourists; the town is as it always has been.

The locals smile shyly and nod a greeting as Darunee wanders into their front yards with our group of five New Zealanders. The only person in town who can speak Thai and English, Da, as she is known, is our sole link for communicating with the Thai.

The distant thumping of drums at the Buddhist temple begins each day at 6am. Three or four monks from the local temple appear out of the early morning mist, dressed in their orange cotton robes, barefoot and holding big baskets at their waists. As they move towards us, they accept offerings from the local people waiting outside their homes.

Darunee's mother Chadee has freshly prepared offerings from her household.

"Give him an orange, and one of those little bags of sticky rice," Da tells me. "And, make sure you don't touch the container with your hand." It's a cultural no-no in Thailand, for women to touch the monks or their food containers when placing offerings inside.

They do not speak to us, but smile and even giggle, bemused at my lesson in local culture.

"The Buddhists believe in reincarnation," she says, "so the food you are offering is actually for your loved ones who have already passed on or for yourself in your next life."

Every day, Da and her brother Boontum take us to other villages and markets full of colourful crafts and produce. We spend Sunday morning at the stockyards wandering among huge and handsome beasts; the water buffalo and white floppy-eared bovines. The local men quietly make deals, trading their prized animals.

The array of fresh produce in the markets is stunning for its colours, shapes, new flavours and odd names, and the variety of meats on offer is unforgettable - if somewhat alarming. We see all sorts of fish, frogs and even small furry grey bats - but more disconcerting are the paper plates piled with fried or char-grilled insects looking just like wetas. One huge scorpion sits alone, well and truly grilled.

Meals back at Isaan Hometel can be created for you, or you can join Da and her family in their modern kitchen and learn how to prepare the local fare. No-one is going to put insects, frogs or bats on the menu unless you request them.

We gather in a separate building, the sala, after each meal, enjoying the comfort of big soft couches, a library, a dining table and small kitchenette, and all the technology of television, stereo and computer.

The sala is raised up off the lawn, a terracotta-tiled meeting house without walls, but with a roof supported on huge corner poles. It's always cool with roomy deck-chairs and a coffee table. Here, guests read, talk, write their travel diaries or, in the evenings, sip on beer or ice-cold gin and tonic.

We watch the village life - a highlight are the water buffalo and cows, with mellow-sounding bells around their necks, being herded home and back under their owners' houses at the end of each day, after they have grazed on roadsides and wallowed in nearby rivers.

Most of the local homes are built like pole-houses, with open-air, dirt-floor basements where hammocks hang in the shade, and livestock like chickens, roosters, cows and water buffalo are kept. Many families spend the hottest part of the day here preparing food, weaving mats, or simply resting; little babies, nestled in hammocks.

On our final morning, Darunee's family come to the sala and tie little strings of white wool around our wrists, talking quietly all the while. Da explains this gentle and surprisingly moving ceremony is a local custom and how the people of the northeast wish their visitors a safe journey home and a prosperous and happy life.

Back in Bangkok with white woolly threads around our wrists, we are met with knowing nods and smiles and asked in broken English: "Ah, you been northeast?" But even the Thai people in Bangkok have not heard of a tiny village named Ban Doo.

Checklist

BAN DOO
Getting there
There are plenty of flights from Auckland to Bangkok. Flights from Bangkok to Udon Thani take 50 minutes. You will be met and taken to Ban Doo in an air-conditioned van. The drive takes nearly two hours. For more information contact Thai Airways or talk to your travel agent.

Accommodation
Isaan Hometel can be booked through its website or fax (04) 938 9444. Email enquiries@isaanhometel.com. This is seasonal accommodation and because it is small beds are subject to availability.