 | Chiang Mai Long neck women Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 29 |  |
 | |  |  | Long neck women: Choice of tours | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
We were interested, as most people are, to see the famed "giraffe neck women" tribe near Chiang Mai. We did a "hilltribe tour", which was extremely long and bumpy, with very little actual "guiding" along the way. The tour guide had very good English, but slept a good way to the destination - a long trip which would have been improved significantly with some commentary.
When we got there, it was really little short of a circus -we kind of walked our way through a "display" of people standing in front of market stalls which could have been almost anywhere in the country. The pushy, tourist savvy Akha women came first - and what was left of you stumbled down to the big earring people, and finally to the long necked girls. These were a forlorn little bunch, sitting inside little market stalls, selling all the things you can buy anywhere. The only "novelty" was them. We felt quite uncomfortable for them, and there was a sense of exploitation - probably of them and us!
There was nothing natural about the environment - such as seeing how a natural hilltribe would live - some of the girls sat on the porch of little houses, and television could be seen in the background. Some of the little kids were fun to watch, and were quite mischievous! The little one at the corrugated door is actually imprisoning a little friend in the toilet! She was lively and cheeky - the other girls were very docile, and looked totally miserable.
One of the saving graces for this tour was that we stopped at a Hmong village on the way home - where there was no people circus display - but they were having a festival, and were dressed traditionally, and having what amounted to a fair.
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| | | | Long neck women: The Long-Neck People | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
One of the most popular day trips seems to be a visit to the Karen tribe, better known as the long-neck people.
We stopped to ride an elephant on our way to the tribe and enjoyed the scenary as we drove toward the Burma border (with occasional gasps of terror as we experienced Thai driving habits). The roads are well maintained and the terrain shifted from rolling hills to rice paddies and back again.
I was prepared for an experience that would not be "authentic" in the sense of really getting to visit a tribe that hasn't yet adopted a modern lifestyle. I wasn't really prepared, though, for the rather troubling visit to a tribe who survives based on tourism.
After following a very rough path up a hillside for about a mile, we got to the village, where the Thai government has relocated three tribes. This small village was very clean, very quiet and very hot. We paid a $10 USD fee to enter the village, which enabled us to walk around and take photographs. And, of course, have the opportunity to buy crafts made by the villagers.
The overall atmosphere was disturbing - sort of like Disney without rides or glitz. The local men and boys were off working, so we saw only women, posing with their handicrafts. Few smiles, few words. Simply women doing their jobs - posing for the tourists' cameras and trying to sell their wares. Our guide warned us that many of the crafts being sold were actually made in Chaing Mai and brought here to be sold for a premium as "authentic" crafts.
While a bit troubling, people are people and it felt good to see a mother smile with pride when her baby laughed and we oohed and ahhed. And fun when one of the women tried to sell me a pair of wooden flipflops. Using pantomime we both had a good laugh and agreed that they were unique but that the rubber flipflops we were both wearing were much more comfortable! Leave a Comment Directions: 1 1/2 KM from the Burma border. About a 2 1/2 hour drive from Chiang Mai
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| | | | Long neck women: Union Of Hilltribe Villages | Tip Rating: | | | | |
One of the highlights of my trip to Northern Thailand was definitely visiting this hill tribe village. We found this place on the recommendation of our guide, and it turned out to be far less commercialized and artificial than the other "villages" we visited, where we were bombarded by tribe members shamelessly hawking touristy knickknacks.
In contrast, the Union of Hill Tribes offered a much more authentic experience. We were the only tourists there, and the Karen (long neck) women were very warm and friendly.... They even invited us into one of their huts to chat for a little bit about their life (using our Thai guide as an interpreter of course). Afterwards, they just went on with life as usual: gathering water, tending the crops, and mending the thatched roofs of their huts.
In addition to the Karen, there were several other tribes at this village, each with their own distinct (and often colorful) attire.
While there is a certain aspect of commercialization here (after all, they have a website), our guide told us the people of this village don't let the tourists dramatically influence their way of life. As they can't reap the benefits of a normal Thai citizen, the additional income generally goes towards subsistence measures; not wide screen TVs or pick-up trucks.
Bottom-line: We had a very moving experience visiting the people of this village. I would highly recommend spending an afternoon here.... you probably won't be able to find a more authentic view of hill tribe life without trekking deep into the jungle. Address: 40 Moo 6 Ban Paoo NanglaePhone: +6653-705337Directions: about 12 km north of Chiang Rai, 180km north of Chiang MaiWebsite: www.unionhilltribe.com
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