Mae Hong Son misty beauty (BT 2008)

Published on The Brunei Times (http://www.bt.com.bn/en)


Misty beauty of Mae Hong Sun


City of Three Mists: Mae Hong Sun, Thailand's northern border city hidden between towering mountains, is known for its charm of scenery and culture. Above and top are some of the beautifully designed buildings in the city. Pictures: Liz Price
Liz Price




Sunday, March 9, 2008


THE mountain road was full of twists and turns, and it was pouring with rain, the mist obscuring the view. I'd been hoping to get some good photos but the weather was preventing this and the constant turning of the car meant I could never keep the camera steady enough to get a decent shot. We were on the road from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son in northern Thailand. It is a winding mountain road the whole way.

Mae Hong Son is Thailand's northern border city, hidden between towering mountains with densely forested slopes. Just 30 years ago this province was little known to the tourist world. It was home to nomadic hill tribesmen, opium armies, Burmese border patrols and the Thai military, who were involved in year round fights with the drug barons who ran opium plantations and heroin factories. Impenetrable jungle covered the misty mountains and only the tribesmen and drug caravans knew the way through.

But that has all changed and today Mae Hong Son is a peaceful tourist centre, known for its charm of scenery and culture. The drug lords moved across the border to Myanmar, and much of the province's income is derived from supplying them with rice and consumer goods.

The people of Mae Hong Son consist of the Shans who live in the city and the hill tribe people who live in remote mountain villages where their lifestyle has changed little in hundreds of years.

The Shan originated from Burma. The hill tribe people consist of Karen, Lisu, Mhong, Lahu, and Lua. Both groups have their own distinctive cultures. They have their own lilting dialect, their own architectural lifestyles, their own customs and traditions and their own delicious cuisine. Throughout the year, Mae Hong Son holds many festivals and events. There are different dances, rituals, and ceremonies, and even different foods.

The city is covered with mist all year long, and is nicknamed "the City of Three Mists". This is derived from the fact that it has dewy mist in the winter, forest fire mist in the summer and rainy mist in the rainy season. The best time to visit is between November and March as it's relatively dry then.

On our first morning we drove up the hill Doi Kong Mu to see the temple and look at the view. Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu (also known as Wat Phai Doi) is a Shan built temple sitting atop the 1,500m hill. It has two stupas dating back to 1860 and 1874.

The view from the wat is stunning. There was a sea of mist which had collected in the valley, but as the sun made an attempt to come out the fog lifted revealing a view of the town. The airport runway was devoid of life, but there are at least four flights a day to Chiang Mai.

In the southern part of town are two wats situated by a large pond. Wat Jong Kham was built almost 200 years ago by the Shan. Wat Jong Klang has some century old paintings. But in some of the areas in this wat, women are forbidden to enter, which is not unusual for Shan temples.

Mae Hong Son isn't known for its gastronomic delights, but there are many places to eat. There is also an increasing number of bakeries and other places catering for farang (westerners') food. Many farang come to this area for trekking and so there are more and more guesthouses, restaurants and tour operators opening up to serve them.

We stayed in Rooks Resort at the south end of town, and according to the guidebook it "represents the top end in town". Several European holidaymakers were enjoying the swimming pool but for me it was too cold to take a dip.

The town is mostly used as a base for activities such as trekking and rafting. The nearby Mae Hong Son River is used for rafting and boating tours. You can go for an elephant ride or for the more active, trekking is very popular. There are several guesthouses and tour agents in town which arrange treks. Typical rates for treks are 400 to 500 baht a day, with three to five days the normal duration. You sleep and eat in the hill tribe villages. The villages of the Padaung Karen with the so-called giraffe necked women are specially popular. Alternatively you can visit Karen villages without a guide by walking two hours out of town. Guesthouses will supply a map, and the roads seem to be well signposted.

Further from town are hot springs and Tham Plaa National Park with the famous Fish Cave. Some of the most beautiful scenery is along the road to Pai. You can stay in traditional Shan villages and trek through forests along mountain paths, and see clear mountain streams and stunning limestone caves. So even though the town of Mae Hong Son isn't packed with tourist attractions, there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy within the vicinity of town. The Brunei Times

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Source URL:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/travel/2008/03/09/misty_beauty_of_mae_hong_sun

Autobacs rally 2005 Thailand - Star

THE STAR
Saturday October 1, 2005


Stirring up some excitement

Story & Pictures by Liz Price

There is something thrilling about waiting for a rally car to pass. Your ears strain to catch the distinctive throaty roar. Sometimes you make a mistake and are disappointed when a motorbike swings into view. Other times you see the rally car coming before you hear it – or rather you see an approaching swirl of dust, inside of which is a car.

This year’s Autobacs Asia Cross Country Rally, the 10th of the Asia XC series, took place in Thailand Aug 6-12.


Sanctioned by the FIA (Federation Internationale de Automobile) for the first time, the seven-day event, organised by Ortev of Japan, covered some 3,400km, 1,000km of which took place on 10 SS (selective section) where the cars were subjected to the rigours of the terrain.

A fleet of 44 cars representing Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Korea and Taiwan left the starting line in Bangkok. Including vehicles for the media, service crew, sweepers and officials, the entire contingent numbered more than 100 cars.

Each morning we got up at 5am, ate a large breakfast because we knew we wouldn’t have time for lunch, and hit the road an hour later. Our first destination was the historic city of Ayutthaya, then Mae Sot on the Myanmar border, climbing mountains and braving the rain. After Mae Sot, we drove past the largest refugee camp in Thailand.


The Malaysian and Korean teams.

At Mae Sariang, we took photos of a temple with Shan-styled chedis. The area here is populated by hill tribes, and we saw many of them in their bright clothes as we drove by at high speed. We were always in a hurry, trying to keep ahead of the rally cars.

Mae Hong Son is a touristy place with lots of farang (foreigners). Here everyone was allowed an hour’s worth of sightseeing; and we all went to see a “long-necked village” outside Mae Hon Song. The women were quite obliging and had their photos taken beside the colourful cars.

From Pai, we drove five hours to Chiang Rai. As usual, we only arrived at the hotel late in the evening. Our next stop was Sukhothai, another historic city, and again, I was only able to catch a glimpse of a couple of chedis as we drove out at six am the following morning.


Going for a ‘swim’.

We had left the mountains behind by now and were entering farmlands. We drove through large plantations, where tapioca and pineapples were grown, and saw large farms where cows were reared. The last day took us through Thailand’s oldest National Park, Khao Yai. The main road ran through the park, and all vehicles had to observe the speed limit. The rally ended in the coastal city of Pattaya.

The 10 selective sections covered different types of terrain, and the weather played a role in how tough these turned out to be. In each SS, the driver had to concentrate for hours, guiding his car over the rough and tricky areas, with the co-driver navigating.

Japan had 13 cars in the race. One was driven by Ukyo Katayama, an ex F1 driver, who managed to finish 8th. There was just one ladies team, driven by Ray Itoh from Japan and a Taiwanese co-driver.

Representing Malaysia for the 5th year were the Ho brothers, with Francis as driver and Jacky as co-driver. This year they competed in a Land Rover Discovery and made sure and steady progress. Unfortunately they ended up wasting valuable time winching out other cars which got stuck in the mud.

The worst of the SS was when the cars had to negotiate a very slippery and hilly 90km. We waited for them to finish at a village, and it was a long wait. When we finally heard a rally car in the distance, we ran back to snap photos.



It was 35 minutes later before the next car arrived. An hour later, a third car approached, and then no more. The remaining cars had got stuck in mud at Km66. Once they were all extricated they turned back to the starting point, and the afternoon SS had to be postponed.

Another exciting SS involved a river crossing. The first few cars got through without any problems. However, they dug out the soft riverbed and made the water deeper for the next cars. Soon the first car got stuck and the co-driver had to climb out to look for a tree to attach the winch.

Alas, there were no trees, and they had to wait for someone who was willing to stop and help. Soon another car got stuck, then another. At one point there were three cars stuck at once. All had to be winched, with one getting a push from the locals.

Another SS was delayed when the cars encountered logging trucks on the track and there was no room to overtake. One SS required the drivers to negotiate padi fields, twisting and turning along the narrow raised tracks. We stood in tapioca fields, amongst pineapples and tall corn, watching. In many places, the friendly locals gave us corncobs to chew on whilst we waited.



Young spectators.

The rally ended in Pattaya. The overall winners were from Korea, who drove a Ssanyong Musso. Second and third placing went to Thai teams, who drove a Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max respectively. The winning team received 120,000 Baht (RM12,000) in prize money. Only 32 out of the initial 44 cars finished the rally. The two cars from Taiwan had their service crew run out on them on Day 3.

All in all, though, things ran smoothly, and there were no major accidents or injuries. W

Mae Hong Son long neck 2006

THE STAR
L I F E S T Y L E
Travel & Adventure
Saturday February 4, 2006


Curious coil custom of the Karen

By LIZ PRICE

ONE of the main attractions in Mae Hong Son province in Thailand is the “long-necked” village. Being a typical tourist, I naturally went for a visit.

We chose a village to the south of Mae Hong Son, a few minutes drive from town.

The track to the village was narrow, and we had to give way to some elephants on the way to work. The Mae Hong Son area is popular for training elephants. The former governors of Chiang Mai used to organise the rounding-up of wild elephants, which were then trained and sent to the capital to work. The legacy has endured.

After negotiating the traffic, we drove through a small stream and parked on the other side. As we walked up to the village, more elephants and their mahouts passed by. They were oblivious of us tourists, caught up in a rural, early morning rush hour, as it were.


A Karen woman tending her souvenir stall.

We had to cross a small bridge to get to the village, and the bridge was busy with youths on motorbikes and children on pushbikes.

The “tourist village” consists of two streets of souvenir stalls run by the long-necked (or Padaung) women. These are Karen refugees from Myanmar. There are about 300,000 Karen in Thailand, making them by far the most populous minority group.

The Padaung women traditionally wear tight brass rings around their necks. One might have seen them on National Geographic, but it was fascinating all the same to see them in person. My friend Jessie commented that it was like being in a human zoo, but the locals were totally oblivious of our stares and were more interested in hawking their souvenirs to us.

The brass ornaments worn on the neck and limbs look like separate rings, but, in fact, they are continuous coils. I was astounded to learn that they may weigh up to 22kg, although they are usually 5kg. Still, imagine wearing 5kg around your neck. The coils are about 30cm high, and depress the collarbone and rib cage, making it look as if the necks have been stretched.

I’ve seen documentaries which suggest that this practice is not good for health, but the women seemed cheerful enough. Apparently they can take the coils off. But I remember reading of one lady who, after a lifetime of wearing the coils, decided to remove them. However, her neck muscles were so weak that she couldn’t support her head, so she had to put the coils back on.

No one knows how the coil custom started. One story says it was to make the women less attractive to men from other tribes, another says it was to stop tigers from carrying the women off by the throat. Whatever the reason, the custom of wearing the coils is slowly but surely dying out, as fewer and fewer girls choose to wear them nowadays.

In addition to the coils, the women also wear thin hoops made of cane or lacquered cord in bunches around their knees and calves. Their clothes are brightly coloured, and many wear stunning headdresses. I spent most of my time wandering around the village taking photos and hardly looked at the souvenirs for sale. The women don’t mind the photography as they consider it part of their livelihood.



Elephants get right of way here. —Pictures by LIZ PRICE

The Karen sell handmade items such as dolls, cloth, jewellery, as well as pens and postcards.

There were no men to be seen in the village, although there were some down by the river playing guitar. As with the Orang Asli and Penan groups in Malaysia, the Padaung womenfolk make and sell the handicrafts. Apparently the Padaung men are famous for being among the best mahouts in the region.

Their homes are made of wood and bamboo, and the roof from leaves. The village has a simple classroom for the children. I noticed a small church at the top end of the village but have no idea how many Christians are here.

The long-necked village business is run by an insurgent group who are trying to establish an independent state in eastern Myanmar. There are around 7,000 Padaung there, and about 300 have fled to Thailand as refugees. The bulk of the entry fees charged to tourists go to the insurgents, but the women can make good money through the souvenirs. Sometimes the women put on dance shows or demonstrate their weaving techniques.

Some people say it’s bad to visit these villages because it encourages the Padaungs to continue the practice of wearing coils, which potentially damages their body. Others say it is good to visit, as you are supporting the people by giving them an income. At the end of the day, it is up to you to decide, but I was glad to have had the opportunity to see them. W


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Long-necked village in Thailand | The Brunei Times

Published on The Brunei Times

Sight of the long-necked coiled around the soul

Liz Price

KUALA LUMPUR


23-Jun-07

SOME of the main attractions of Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand are the "long-necked" villages. We chose to visit a village to the south of Mae Hong Son, which is just a few minutes' drive from town.

Driving along the narrow track to the village we had to give way to some elephants who were going to work. The Mae Hong Son area is popular for training of elephants. Former governors of Chiang Mai used to organise the rounding up of wild elephants which were then trained before being sent to the capital for work. Today elephants are still a common sight.

After negotiating the behemoth traffic, we then had to drive through a small stream. We parked on the other side and as we walked up to the village more elephants passed us. They were oblivious of us tourists, as they were intent on going to work a rural early morning rush hour.

We had to cross a small bridge to get to the village, and the bridge was busy with two wheel traffic youth on motorbikes and children on bicycles. The "tourist village" consists of two streets of souvenir stalls which are run by the long-necked women. These Padaung people are Karen refugees from Myanmar. There are approximately 300,000 Karen in Thailand, making them by far the most populous minority group there.

The Padaung women traditionally wear tight brass rings around their necks. I've seen them on documentaries such as National Geographic, but it was fascinating to see them for myself in real life. My friend commented that it was like being in a human zoo, but the locals were totally oblivious of our stares and were more interested in calling us to their stall to buy some souvenirs.

The brass ornaments worn on the neck and limbs look like separate rings, but in fact they are actually continuous coils. I was astounded to learn that they may weigh up to 22kg, although 5kg is a more common maximum. Imagine having 5kg around your neck resting on your shoulders. The coils are about 30cm high and depress the collarbone and rib cage, making it look as if the necks have been stretched.

I've seen documentaries which suggest that this practice is medically detrimental, but the women seemed cheerful enough. Apparently they can take the coils off. But I remember reading of one lady who had heavy neck coils and never took them off, and after a lifetime of wearing them she decided to remove them. However, her neck muscles were so weak that she couldn't support her head, so she asked for the coils to be replaced.

No one knows how the coil custom started. One story says it was to make the women less attractive to men from other tribes, another story says it was to stop tigers from carrying the women off by the throat. But whatever the reason, the custom of wearing the coils is slowly dying out, as less girls choose to wear them nowadays.

In addition to the coils, the women also wear thin hoops made of cane or lacquered cord in bunches around their knees and calves. Their clothes are brightly coloured, and many wear stunning decorative headdresses. I spent most of my time wandering around the village taking photos and hardly looked at the souvenirs for sale. However, the women don't mind the photography as they consider it as part of their livelihood.

The Karen sell handmade items such as dolls, cloth and jewellery, as well as pens and postcards. I realised there were no men to be seen in the village, although there were some down by the river playing a guitar.

As with the Orang Asli and Penan groups in Malaysia, it is left to the womenfolk to make and sell handicraft. Apparently the Padaung men are famous for producing the best mahouts, or elephant handlers, in the region.

The houses where the people live surround the tourist section. The houses are made of wood and bamboo and the roof from leaves. The village has a simple classroom for the children. And I noticed a small church at the top end of the village but I don't know how many of the people are Christians.

The long-necked village business is run by an insurgent group which is trying to establish an independent state in eastern Myanmar. There are around 7,000 Padaung there, and about 300 have fled to Thailand as refugees.

The bulk of the entry fees charged to tourists go to the insurgents, but the women can make good money through the souvenirs sold. Sometimes the women put on dance shows for tourists or demonstrate their weaving techniques.

Some people say its bad to visit these villages in that it encourages the Padaungs to continue the practice of wearing coils, which is potentially damaging to their body. Others say it is good to visit, as you are supporting the people by giving them an income.

So at the end of the day it is up to you to decide which theory you subscribe to, but I was certainly glad to have had the opportunity to see them.

The Brunei Times