BangkokPost-July 14
Like many towns in Thailand’s vast northern countryside, Laplae district is shrouded in myths and legends. It’s easy to understand a traveller’s struggle in finding Laplae, a town nestled tightly within the steep, rugged mountains of the northwest corner of Uttaradit province. The name itself means “hidden from sight”, which is self-explanatory should you try to find it. Of the town’s two major roads, one dead-ends at the base of one mountain, while the other wraps up and around before ending atop another. The town lacks major accommodation, there are no buses from the provincial capital to the town, and it’s not easy to find transportation if arriving in Uttaradit by train or bus. Most businesses close by 5pm, and everything closes by eight. So why would anyone come here? The answer is simple. Laplae is a major producer of one of Thailand’s most precious resources — the durian. And not just any durian. The town is home to arguably the two most delicious and among the most expensive and sought-after durians — Long Laplae and Lin Laplae. If the durian is the king of fruits then in this part of the world, Long and Lin Laplae are the kings of durians. Perhaps the watershed moment of Laplae’s now 4.1 billion baht annual durian industry came in 1977, when the province’s agriculture department initiated a contest for local farmers to develop a durian that met strict requirements on density, texture, color, seed size, life span and sweetness. Lin Punlad, a local farmer who created the durian that bears his name, co-won the contest with the Long family. Both families were awarded 1,000 baht and the support of the agricultural department to further develop their creations and the two local legends were born and named. Read more at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/2345993/welcome-to-durian-country
