Mae Hong Son: Longneck Tribes

Luck was on my side late last night when my bus finally pulled into Mae Hong Son’s tiny bus station. The raging thunderstorm that had plagued the last leg of the trip had subsided to a drizzle (though it raged on in the next valley over, creating silhouettes of the mountain range). A friendly local tour guide operator gave me a free lift out to the guesthouse. As we talked along the way, I learned that she had a seat available for a trip out to the nearby Paduang village (one of my main reasons for being in the region). The price was right so I signed up without hesitation.

We kicked things off this morning at Wat Doi Kong Mu, the Buddhist monastery overlooking the town.



The region’s architecture reflects Burmese influence due to its close proximity to the border.

Watching the monks doing their thing:

I initially felt a little guilty about going to the Paduang village. As a tourist one could treat it much like a human petting zoo. An admission fee is paid, you hang around the village and interact with its inhabitants and photos are taken. On the upside, tourism provides a steady (and legitimate) income for the village. I was relieved to see that the villagers were quite comfortable going about their business despite the tourists.



A New Year traditional dance. Each of the village’s four different tribes, represented by different coloured headbands, took part. Few get to witness this, I’m told.

The anticlimactic last stop was at the Pha Bong hot springs/spa. My two options there were:

-Sit around and bake in the sun for half an hour
-Pay 60 baht ($1.75 CAD) for a mudpack.

I went with the latter. Embarrassing pictures exist but I’d rather they not fall into the wrong hands.