Chapter 30. TOUR DE GOLDEN TRIANGLE (5th STOP - TRIBES VILLAGE)

At the border

Before heading to the tribes village, we stopped at Mae Sai, a bordering town with Myanmar. Nothing much to see here except some souvenirs and lots of cheap liquor.

We had the option to cross the Myanmar border for a fee (200Baht or something) but Mr. guide forbade us to even think of it. Citing political unrest and mumbling something about wouldn't be able to get us back if we were lost.

Are we going to Myanmar?

Which was definitely a right call. Because the 2 American sisters got lost and we were searching frantically for them. Found them 15 mins later still shopping around.

Apparently they don't have a watch and didn't bothered to meet up with us at the stipulated time. They might have became "white slaves" if they got lost over the other side. ;o)

Road to the village

After that we headed to the village, the British wife got so sick she kept throwing up. See how remote the village is? Nothing but trees and greens.

Huts/Stalls

Akha Tribe

At the entrance, we came in contact with the Akha tribe. The easiest method to identify an Akha is by their black teeth, or what's left of them.

They love eating betel nut that cause their teeth and gums to rot. So it was actually quite scary when they smile at us with blackened teeth.

They were also very aggressive. Kept waving to us and calling for us to see their stalls. We dare not walk to close lest they pull us in and make our teeth black. ;o)

Nice carvings

The huts in front of their houses

Interesting thing to point out about the Akha tribe is that their wifes makes all the major decisions in the family. She's the "man" of the family.

It sure doesn't pay to be an Akha man. ;o(

Long Ears Tribe

Next was the Long Ears tribe. We have a similar tribe in Sarawak and there was only 1 family here. So we moved on. FYI they wear really heavy earings that cause their ear lobes to elongate due to gravity. Like swinging pendulums.

Long Karen Tribe

As we transcended deeper into the village, we came upon the Long Karen Tribe, the most famous of all the tribes. As I've mentioned before I'm sure everyone has seen their pictures before.

They are the tribes with heavy rings on their necks that cause their necks to elongate over time.

So young!

I've known that they place rings on their necks, but I didn't know that they have rings on their wrists and lower thighs as well. Poor things.

And many of them were soooo young. (8-10 yos?)

Weird angles

If you're wondering why the pictures are in weird angles, well it's because they're candid shots. Mr. guide didn't brief us and we weren't sure whether we're allowed to take photos of them.

If it's prohibited to take photos, I'm willing to pay money. Just don't put rings on my neck. (mind the pun)

If was only later that Mr. guide assured us that it was fine to snap the pics, with their permission.

More of the village

Heavy brass ring

Here I'm holding a brass ring that has 13 rings. It is solid brass and seriously damn heavy. I can't hold it in 1 arm for long, imagine putting it on my neck round the clock!

Only girls

Only the girls wear these rings as it is quintessentially the epitome of beauty and elegance. The more rings that have, the prettier they'll be in the eyes of the men.

The young girls start having rings at the tender age of 5-6 yo and they add 1 ring every year. It is also the only time of the year they're allowed to take the rings off. (to add more rings)

This is my favourite

So damn cute

I shall call her "Angela". She was so damn cute loh. Look at both her fingers on our thighs. Haha

The Long Karen Tribe originates from Myanmar and are currently holding special immigration passes. They aren't allowed to leave the village to work elsewhere. So tourism is their main source of income.

"Why would they come to Thailand then? Isn't it better for them to be in their own country?" I asked Mr. guide. He replied that they're considered lucky as their fellow tribes people in Myanmar were even worst off.

Along the way

We each had to pay 500Baht to enter the village, to which I hope the money will be passed on to the villagers.

An elder girl

Most of them place a cloth between the rings and their necks. They have to keep their necks clean as constant contact with the rings could cause some serious infections if unkept.

We looked at some photos they were selling of themselves without their rings. Their necks were so pale and they look kinda like Loch Ness with the thin, long necks.

Girl with guitar (It is 100% handmade)

Check out the video of the girl serenading a tune with the 2 American sisters.

Quite huge

The entire village is quite big, Their actual residences are behind the stalls. All the Long Karen men are in the house lazing and idling away their time. They're a really lazy bunch and leave all the money making to their women.

At least they have toilets

Top of hut

Notice that there aren't any electricity? Wonder how they survive at night.

Waited for the chicks to drop through the cracks. (None did) haha

We bid them farewell as our tour ended with a 5 hours drive back to Chiangmai. This is definitely the highlight of the tour. It was a real eye opener, temporarily peering into the lives of the tribes people.


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