Mae Hong Son Madness

Mae Hong Son

We spent only a couple of nights in Mea Hong Son, enough time to see what everyone comes here to see. That makes it sound like a lot of people come here. For the record, there isn't too many tourists here. A short motorbike ride out of town is the Karen Tribes village. The Karen people are Bhurmese, but Bhurma doesn't want them, so nice Thailand lets them live just inside the border.

There a two Karen Tribes there. The Long Necks, and the Big Ears. Honestly, thats what they are called. Firstly we walked around the Long Neck village. We had to pay a small donation to the villagers to come in, but it was well worth it. What a fascinating place this was.



They coil metal around their necks from and early age. Every year they increase the length of the coil until they have a supremely long neck. Only the women partake in this tradition. The longer the neck, the higher up the hierarchy they sit. They have to keep the coil on permanently, as without it their necks wouldn't be strong enough to hold the weight of their head. This woman had the longest neck in town. She was great on her homemade guitar too.



They were all so friendly and welcoming. One young girl spoke 7 different languages fluently and had visits from big names such as Sandra Bullock and Bill Clinton. They had the photos to prove it.

Next I took a walk following signs to the 'Karen Big Ear Tribe'. The village had a great feel about it. So enclosed and protected from the horrors of the modern world. All the villagers played contently.

I stopped and chatted to this lady.



She was chewing on some Beetle nut (Betelnut), a stimulant very popular in Southeast Asia. Its a ground nut in a leaf of the Betelnut plant. Tobacco can be added for an extra kick. I was intrigued by this, as I had seen it so often. So I asked for a sample. She obliged happily. I chewed and chewed and chewed. Nothing. Not a sausage. However, it did give me bright red saliva which has to be spat from time to time due to build up. Swallowing isn't a good option as it tastes foul. Not something I would do again, but interesting all the same. Here's a snap of me and my bright red mouth!