Hill Tribes of Mae Hong Son 3

The last part of this trip was my favorite, We went to visit the village of the Long Necked and Big Eared Karen. These people are actually refugees from Burma living in Thailand because they can make a better living for themselves here. There are two reasons that the women will put so many rings around their necks, but no one knows the true answer. One is that they said traditionally it protected them from tigers biting their necks. The second, and probably the more realistic, is that it shows off their beauty and differenciates them from other tribes. It also is to show how much wealth a family may have. These rings are made of very heavy brass. I love the picture of my mom and the girl. She had my mom dress up like a traditional long neck Karen and then pose with her. This trip was absolutly amazing. It was so interesting to learn about a very interesting and totally different aspect of Thai culture.