Hello again
. Here I am, just back from an intriguing day out. Having left Chiang Mai after Songkran, I’ve spent the last couple of days in Pai, in the very far north (and slightly west), close to the border with Burma.

Today, I went with Christina (a nice Austrian girl I met on the bus here) on a full-day tour
. As there were only the two of us, we had a car to ourselves, with a driver whose grasp of the English language was limited to the name of the attractions and the length we get to spend at each one.
One of the highlights of the day – and actually a tragic reminder of the fate of on eof many minorities in the region – was the visit to a “longneck Karen” village. More correctly (though there is still room for error), the group in question are known as the Padung, part of the Karen people of northern Burma. The “longneck” designation refers to the elongated necks of the gruops women, whose heads are perche atop a coil of copper.
Having fought for an independent homeland since Burma was decolonised in 1947, the Karen are still fighting an armed struggle against the military junta in Pyinmana (the interior city now designated to replace Rangoon as the country’s capital)
. Most Karen have been forced to flee Burma, and a large contingent have lived in exile in Thailand since 1988
. They cannot buy land and follow their farming traditions. Nor can they get work permits in Thailand. Instead they are reduced to being tourist attractions for the likes of me; too intrigued not to seek them out, and sufficiently shameless to ask them to pose for a photo.
To enter the village, a fee of 200 baht (approx. 5 USD or 35 Norwegian kroner) is payable. This goes to the village coffers to help pay for food, supplies and services like school for children. In addition, the villagers eke out a living selling more or less traditional souvenirs to visitors. The least you can do is go lightly on the haggling; these people need and deserve the money.
Also, in my book, anyone fighting the military dictatorship in Burma is worthy of support.