Day 3 - The Karen hill tribe

On the way back to Chiang Mai (near Chiang Rai), we stopped by the village of the Karen hill tribe. This tribe is known for their long-neck woman. The Karen people in this village are actually refugees of Myanmar and are not Thai citizens. They are very friendly and welcoming of tourists (they are also welcoming of you buying their stuff). The women of the village start wearing the neck and knee rings at an early age and add more rings as they get older. By the time they are adults, they are wearing 30 to 40 lbs of neck rings! The women are not allowed to leave the village and spend most of their time weaving, cooking, and caring for the children (they say they are very happy).

This scarf Kim bought for the equivalent of $5 took this lady two days to weave.