HILL TRIBES TOUR (Day 5 - part 2)

It was another 20 minutes up a dirt road to the Hill Tribe Village... a.k.a. one of the MANY small tourist villages located outside Chiang Rai. It looked more like a souvenir market with looooonng rows of stalls on either side. Wooden houses stood behind them. Some women sat weaving; others called out to try to sell stuff; others just sat. There were three different tribes present.

The Akha were originally from Tibet. They are often known for their colorful dress.

The Palong or Big Earring Karen tribe was from (Myanmar) Burma. Their large earrings get bigger each year, stretching their earlobes ever wider. Some are tubes, others are closed off and colored.

Perhaps the most famous tribe was the Long-necked Karen or Paduang (meaning "people who live in the hills").

The rings first get started when a girl is 5 to 9 years old. One ring is added every 4 years... to a total of 25 to 28 rings, which weigh 20 to 30 pounds! They used to made from gold but are now made from bronze (which is cheaper). One theory of why they started wearing them is to protect them from bites on the neck from tigers... or ghosts.

Despite what some people think, their necks don't flop over if the rings are ever taken off (which they do from time to time... either to go to the hospital, have a baby, and eventually when they die). One woman showed me a few photographs. The rings technically push the collar bone down, simply making the neck look longer. And they also aren't individual rings but rather a single long piece. When a woman "adds a ring", she actually has the old piece removed and a new, longer piece put on.

Now for the ethical question: is it right as a tourist to come gawk at them? The answer isn't so simple. Most of these people fled from Myanmar as refugees to escape being killed for one reason or another. Thailand lets them stay but can't support them or let them have real jobs. Many of them no longer wish to deform themselves or their children with this tradition. So their choices end up being 1) make money through being a tourist attraction and deform yourself, but live in relative safety and not have your 3-year-old daughter sold into sex trafficking. Or 2) be sent back to Myanmar to certain death and possible torture as well.

We began the 3 hour drive back, beginning with the hard dirt road past burning fields. We could smell the smoke and even hear the cracks and pops caused by the flames. It was a bumpy ride on very curvy mountain roads. Trucks were piled high with onion and garlic harvests. People even rode on top.

We arrived back at Chiang Mai in the evening.

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