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The long neck tribes of Mae Hong son

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piglet44
piglet44
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Editor Pick

Mae Hong Son

  • January 12, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by SeenThat from Tel Aviv, Israel
Mae Hong Son

In the far Thai Northwest, Mae Hong Son is the steepest green spot in the country. It offers inexpensive treks, a charming centre with a magically beautiful combination of a pond and two Burmese tin-roofed pagodas, traditional Thai wooden houses, a relaxing atmosphere and a fascinating ethnic mix. Mae Hong Son is easily reached from the Arcade Bus Terminal in Chiang Mai, from where daily buses leave early in the morning and arrive at the afternoon.

The town has an enchanting centre, built around the beautiful Jong Kham pond, which some claim that it was constructed as an elephants’ bathing pool. At its southern shore there are two enchanting Burmese pagodas, Wat Chong Klang and Wat Chong Kham; the multi-tiered roofs and spires of their viharns are decorated with tin ornaments in the Burmese fashion. Two blocks to the north is the Morning Market which serves as the transactions centre of the whole area, every day arrive there people from all the Hill-Tribes settlements in the area, fact that creates the opportunity of travelling with them to their villages as well as meeting them in-situ with their fascinating merchandise. The tiny settlement can be fully observed from the top of the Doi Kong Mu Mountain on the western side of the town; on its summit is the Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, with an unusual marble statue of Buddha.

A tour from the town to the Kuomintang village of Mae Aw, on the northern border with Myanmar, passes through Karen, Lisu and other Hill-Tribes villages and is not to be missed. If you are ready to skip the expensive tours from Chiang Mai and the trekking packages sold in the town itself to the Hill-Tribes, then you can experience those places at your own pace by using the local transport serving the market. Everyday, between 8:00 to 8:30am a yellow truck leaves from the market doing a mini-loop among the villages up to Mae Aw and back. It is possible to perform a day trip around all the villages, to get down at a village and wait there till the truck stops there again in the way back, or simply to stay to sleep in the villages for a day or two.

The town is a bit colder at night than the rest of Thailand, thus it is highly recommended to bring some warm clothes. Speaking with the locals it is highly rewarded here since they have fascinating families’ stories; look around for Burmese influences and people, soon enough you’ll learn to distinguish the round, soft, pleasant faces of the Shan people, who migrated from the state of the same name in Myanmar. They are usually eager to tell about themselves, their language and culture as well as of the Thai ones. If you befriend them, then some secrets of the local food may be revealed to you in the process.

From journal North of Chiang Mai

The long neck tribes of Mae Hong son

  • April 27, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by piglet44 from Jerusalem, Israel
It was incredible to see the women of the Long Neck Tribes in their village near the Burmese border. These women wear metal rings around their necks and on their legs, one for each year of their lives until they marry.

These people make all kinds of artifacts too.

We went during the monsoon season and we were the only tourists in the village.

From journal A Family Holiday in Thailand

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