Thailand Travel Guide -> Mae Hong Son  ->Karen Village and Elephant Ride

The Mae Hong Son River

Later in themorning you can go on a tour to an elephant camp and a village ofthe famous Padaung (also sometimes transcribed as "Padawn")  Karen. Drive out of town, past the Tara Resort. After some kilometers comes a small elephant camp on the banks of the Mae Hong Son river. Here you can rent an elephant that carries you through the jungle to the Karen village.The elephant ride is very pleasant, the elephant walks slowly along,stops every now an then if it has found some tender shoots or other vegetation and first has to nibble on it before it continues, so that you have timeto savour the sounds and sights of the jungle: there are birds, butterflies and  sometimes epiphytic orchids bloom on the branches of a tree (especially directly after the rainy season). After about 45 minutes you arrive atthe village.

You will see that itis very basic and simple: a couple of huts on stilts, covered with straw roofs. Chicken walk around, children play in the dust, and the women sit around and chat while doing their daily housework. It is these women that visitors come to see - they are the so-called long necked Karen.

The Padaung area very small tribe of the Karen tribal groups. Only about 500 areleft that still follow the traditional ways. Around their necks the womenwear very heavy brass rings that depress their shoulder bones so that thenecksappear unnaturally long. Little girls start with just two or three rings, and as they grow older more and more rings are added until the woman carries 20 or more. The women will assure you that carrying the rings does not hurt, but somehow this is hard to believe.  It is considered beautiful (before you make any judgments, consider some of the outrageous cosmetic surgery that a lot of western women undergo - this is hardly less crazy).

The long-necked Karen women are used to being stared at and don't mind being photographed- but probably you will feel at least a bit uncomfortable about it. (Some horrible stories are circulating in Northern Thailand - about Padaung women being abducted into Burma, and "put on display", so to speak, for touristsand other spectators. If anybody asked me why so few of the Padaung are still following the traditional ways, I could give them a hint!)

If you do it, buy atleast one or two souvenirs from their souvenir shop that sells postcardswith pictures of the Padaung women, brochures that explain the anatomical process that leads to the elongated necks, and a lot of cheap trinkets that are best avoided.)

After your visit tothe village you can go back to your car or bike by elephant (if you have arranged this beforehand with the camp people), or, if you have a car witha driver, let him pick you up at the village and take you back to Mae Hong Son, or continue to add the next tour, to Fish Cave.