Travel Stories

"mae hong son"



introduction


The bus ride from Chang Mai to Mae Hong Son takes about 7 to 9 hours and is debilitating. In contrast, the landscape is beautiful and mountains alternate with small villages and rice fields. We have a stop in the town "Pai" which, as I would later notice, is also a tourist mecca. It seems that the road here was built by the Japanese in WWII who wanted to move their troops quickly to conquer Burma (nowadays Myanmar) that was taken by the English. It is mid-afternoon when I arrive at the "city of mists" (MHS) and think of what to do; I first walk to the center of this pleasant "boring" town where some 8000 souls live. Near the lake in the middle of the city "Nong Jong Kham" I walk around and notice that there are actually no more "tours" going to the giraffe people today. There are a number of temples in the town, but the mountain tribes that live around the town are the main draw. After my multi-day trip around Chang Mai and the many temples I have already seen, I only want to see the "Padaung" people here. In the end I charter a tuktuk to still bring me there where I want to go.



To the "giraffe" people


Me and the tuktuk-driver make a deal and then I climb into the tuktuk and we drive the kilometers (I think seven) up and down the muddy sandpath hill. In the back I go from one side of the tuktuk to the other, holding my big bag firmly. Then we finally arrive in the village where the "long neck" or "Padaung" tribe lives. At the beginning of the village I pay a fee of 250 Baht to enter and start hastily on my visit; and I wonder what this is – a zoo or a village? 

"Padaung" - the long neck people 

They are called in Thailand the "Padaung" tribe, giraffe-people or long necks and are largely coming from neighboring Myanmar. The women wear a large number of gold rings around their necks that can weigh a maximum of more than 20 kg. Most often amount to about 5 kg and they are about 30 cm long in length. Because the rib cage is pushed down by the weight, their neck seems very long, hence the name. No research has indicated that it would be bad for health although there are several other stories about this. One is that if the women take off the rings their necks collapse and they suffocate. Legend has it that the women started wearing the rings to look less attractive for other male tribesmen; Another story goes that tigers could not drag women into the forest at their necks. The romantic version is that a covenant was made between the wind and a beautiful female dragon. Carrying the rings would be a sacrifice to this covenant. The fact is that wearing the rings was almost extinct until tourism made its entry and money could be made.

 

The "KNPP" ("Karenni National Progressive Party") is the organization that guides the tourism industry when it comes to money. The "Padaung" are part of the "Karenni's" and would like to have an independent state in eastern Myanmar and this money is needed for that. The entrance fee is largely used for this (part goes to the women) although more money is earned from the sale of souvenirs and photos to tourists.

 

Just like with other visits to hill tribes and/or elephants rides in Thailand, a visit to this tribe also has two sides; are these people being exploited, kept in captivity or is it a means of surviving through tourist money? These people are refugees from Burma and have no rights in Thailand. In Burma they worked for days in the rice fields between the different civil wars. The story goes that they would love to go back but only if it is safe there. There are several "long-neck" villages on the border with Myanmar; do not forget to bring your passport for registration.

Some women look very sad and I feel almost guilty about walking around here as it looks like in a zoo looking at the animals behind bars. I take some pictures but not too flashy and still have the feeling that you are walking around in a place with captive animals Some want to sell souvenirs because it generates much more money. If the civil war in Myanmar stops and/or the organization has enough money, will these people ever return? Maybe negative; I think these people never go back and the money ends up with the wrong people who walk away with it. It has become a ridiculously fast lap, but I'm glad I can leave; to be honest, I am also very happy with the pictures even though that sounds very egotistic. When we are back in "Mae Hong Son" I go straight back to the bus station where I buy a night ticket for the bus back to "Chiang Mai". Maybe crazy but this place doesn’t feel good and I’ve got a lack of time – I have to get back to Singapore overland. Deadly, I step back into the bus and imagine myself in the future to take some more time for such a trip because time flies (the distances are much larger than in Europe) and "Malysia and Singapore" are still very far away.



tips & advice (1997)


The airport of MHS is located to the northeast of the city, just to the west of the bus station.

 

MHS - Chang Mai: there are two routes to CM; one - via Pai, the northern route, which is 270 km long. This costs for resp. a normal / air-con bus 142/200 Baht and takes 7 to 8 hours. Buses leave at 08:30 and 10:30. The other route, via Mae Sariang is longer - 368 km - and costs for a normal / air-con bus or 187/337 Baht and takes between 8 and 9

hours. Buses leave at 08:00, 14:00, 20:00 and 21:00.



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