I want to go to Mae Hong Son!!

We wake up pretty early and we go have breakfast in a local place into the village. Seba, once he sees that only a miserable cup of tea has been served, exclaimed disconcerted with his broken English: "But...only this?" Tom smiles and reassures him, telling him to be a little bit more patient. Thai people are not as stressed as western people, take your time. From now on he will be nicknamed as Eat Machine.

DOI INANTHON NATIONAL PARK

Located in the Province of Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon National Park also includes the highest mountain in Thailand, the Doi Inthanon. Characterized by hiking paths, waterfalls and monumental stupas built in honour to the king and the queen, the Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and the Naphamethanidon, to celebrate their 60th birthday, the park is one of the most appreciated destination by naturalists and bird watching lovers, in Southeastern Asia The highest slopes also hosts a big variety of species such as orchids, lichens, muss, more than 400 species of birds, barking deers, Indian zibet and giant flying squirrel.

The walk through the jungle reveals itself to be quite demanding for us as we are not very much used to physical activities. We leave 20 undeserved baths as a tip to the a guide who was simply limiting himself to smile (nevertheless we are in the country of smile!) and pointing his finger at something first and something else then. Not even a word in English, not even "attention".

Giraffe Women
2011 © Giovanna Puccia. All rights reserved.

ThePhra Mahathat Naphamethanidon 2011 © Giovanna Puccia. All rights reserved.

2011 © Giovanna Puccia. All rights reserved.

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Another hour spent with the guide to then stop in a remote shop to taste a traditional tea and to buy some kind of weird foodstuffs. Seba, already used to negotiate, wants to trade even on a packet of tea, but he gets discouraged by Tom when the latter makes him notice that he's not buying a t-shirt or a silk scarf at the marketplace... A total embarrassment.

AND FINALLY MAE HONG SON

After been begging for long we finally arrive at the sleepy Mae Hong Son, better defined by Tom as "The city of nothing", should I say more? Having noticed with my own eyes that the little town, even if nice, can't offer anything special except a good restaurant where to have lunch, we decide we'd better go and visit the village of Karen Bwe tribe. The tribe, which is living in the remote mountainous area called Kayan, is better known as "the giraffe women".

The Padaung people are some of the most mysterious and fascinating ethnic groups of the whole eastern world. The name padung means "long neck" in Burmese. A very ancient tradition not yet totally abandoned, wants the ladies to wrap a long and heavy brass spiral around their neck. This special ornament is composed by two different parts. The lower one that partially covers the shoulders, while the upper part is composed by a long spiral, wrapped around the neck. Starting from when they are young, during the "full moon ceremony", girls are requested to wear brass spirals around their arms and ankles, to then been given a strong massage at their neck muscles to get them used to the first kilos of collar around the neck. This initiation rite is going to irreversibly mark the women's life forever. With the passing of the year more weights are added to the collar. In these people's tradition this jewel is a really fascinating thing to the tribe members' eyes, but it also means social and moral prestige. Without that the tradition made both the wedding and the maternity impossible and the personal achievement impracticable. Reached the right age to get married, these women's neck, that became as long as 25cm in the meanwhile, is now surrounded by a ten kilo-collar. Contrary to what it may be thought, it's not the neck to get longer, but the rib cage, that lowers under the pressure of the collar. In the past adulterous brides were asked to leave the village after removing their collar. Thinking that this tradition is purely aesthetic would be a mistake, these elements become distinctive signs having the aim of passing on information and personal achievements obtained by unanimously recognised references for what concerns the belonging to one's tribe, one's social status, differentiations between unmarried and married women and as a protection from dangers.

Tom takes us to the traditional houses of this village, we meet a kind lady who tells us something about cohabitation between Buddhists and Christians.

Local Homes
2011 © Giovanna Puccia. All rights reserved.

Craftsmanship and tourism are what the village lives on

2011 © Giovanna Puccia. All rights reserved.

We get back to Mae Hong Son where we learn that this sleepy place is one of the very few in the world, after the Dead Sea, Japan, in which you can find natural mud. We decide to not miss this chance, so we stop in a spa just outside the village to splatter our face with mud and purify our feet into beneficial water. Finally arrive at smiling town called Pai, where both tourists and Thai people stay for a rest and some isolation.

But do not deceive yourself, during high season Pai looks more like a weekend marketplace in Bangkok than a remote village in the province of Mae Hong Son!

Muds and beneficial water to regain our forces

Do you wanna see all pics taken in Thailand? Then CLICK HERE

Keep reading... Keep reading.... My travel story continues in the next post!