Ban Huay Sua Tao, Ban Huaysuatao, or Ban Huai Sua Tao

People travel for many reasons.  Some travel to escape their past or present; not necessarily to evade legal difficulties but more likely to escape the disappointments and unfulfilled personal expectations of their lifetime to date.  Others travel in order to tick off a destination on a personal, or often public quest, sort of like defining their personal worth and meaning by a series of exotic locales.  We travel in order to learn more and experience the unique locations and people that we can share with others who do not have such opportunities.

It is our desire to learn more and to experience that often leads us to return to specific locales - to better comprehend and understand the land and people.  There is a reaffirmation of the human condition and spirit that comes from learning that others in different lands, as well as cultures experience the same triumphs, disappointments or challenges that we do.

One such locale for us is Ban Huay Sua Tao which is sometimes spelled Ban Huaysuatao. or even as Ban Huai Sua Tao. Ban Huay Sua Tao is a small refugee camp located near Maehongson in Northern Thailand very close to the border with Myanmar (Burma).  The village is a refugee camp for the Karenni (Red Karen) people.  The Karenni people are known for two subgroups, the Padaung and the Kayaw people.  The Karenni are involved in a struggle (war) back in Myanmar (Burma) for independence.  The people in the camp had fled the violence as well as persecution back in Myanmar.

The Padaung people are the people that some of their women wear brass coils around their neck leading to the phrases "Long Necked Women" or "Giraffe Women" terms that I am not comfortable with.  I prefer to refer to them as "Padaung" people.  The Kayaw people are distinguished by the practice of the women to elongate their ear lobes with heavy objects or large objects.

I first visited the village in October 2006 on my first trip to the Maehongson.  Huay Sua Tao was the first of three Padaung villages that my personal guide brought me to.  Prior to going on the October 2006 journey, I had done some research.  Like many others who research the area I was made aware of the "human zoo" nature of the camps.  My sharp sense of curiosity and desire to take some unique photographs, overcame any trepidation or hesitancy that the unflattering information the guide books could have caused.  I was so glad that I went.  I was also infuriated at the arrogance exhibited in the guide books as well as the Internet. I spent over two hours at the village and got to meet and befriend three remarkable villagers.  Yes, the people were asking you to look at their souvenirs and hopefully buy some.  Yes, tour buses would discharge their tourists who would make their mad dash along the main street of the village blasting away with their point and shoot cameras, but in 15 minutes they were gone.

What I found were very interesting people maintaining their culture as best as they could in not the best of conditions or circumstances.  The people were proud and dignified.  They were willing to share their culture and life story with people who were willing to spend some time with them.  They were just as interested in learning about your culture. They were also very willing to have their photographs taken.

Our trip to Huay Sua Tao last month was my 5th and Duang's 3rd visit.  It was an opportunity to visit with old friends, catch up on what has happened during the past four years, and to reminisce about past visits as well as experiences.

Padaung Woman Weaving Cloth To Sell At Her Souvenir Booth

Just as we noticed through out Mae Hong Son Province this year, the number of people visiting Ban Huai Sua Tao was down significantly. The main street of the village was deserted except for children returning home from filling their squirt gun with water from the stream that flows along the edge of the village.

Children Filling Their Squirt Guns From Local Stream

"Main Street" - Ban Huai Sua Tao

We found Ma Plae and La Mae without any difficulty.  La Mae was Village Headman when I first met him and his wife, Ma Plae, back in October 2006.  La Mae is no longer Village Headman and has been in the refugee camp now for 22 years.  He hopes that he and Ma Plae will be able to immigrate to New Zealand in the future.  It appears that Ma Plae may be sponsored by a relative already in New Zealand.  If successful she will go to New Zealand and then sponsor her husband.  La Mae is hopeful but remains somewhat pessimistic of his chances.

Kuhn La Mae

While we were visiting them, another villager came over.  After visiting for a while she went back to her home and returned shortly.  She is in the process of applying for immigration to New Zealand.  She had a packet of documents that she was asking for help to better understand them.  I read the documents and explained them in English, sometimes more than one different way, to Duang and Ma Plae, who then explained them in Thai to the woman.  I was amazed at the complexity of the process.  One difficulty that the woman was experiencing was that she did not have a birth certificate.  Because she can not go back to Myanmar to get one, she can make a written statement as to her name, date and place of birth.  The problem is the requirement be signed by a judge, court official. or Justice of the Peace.  From the woman, I learned that it was not possible to get this from local Thai officials.  I suggested that she get her statement signed by an official from UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) organization that periodically visit the camps or some NGO official to sign as well as stamp the document.

Kuhn Ma Plae Playing and Singing

Ma Plae played her guitar and sang some traditional songs.  We reminisced about the two previous times that she and I had sung together.  Sure enough we reprised those occasions with another duet.  She singing her song and I singing "Jambalaya" lyrics to the same tune.  Soon our concert evolved into me teaching Ma Plae the English lyrics or rather teaching her the lyrics that I remembered!  I am sending her the full lyrics to prepare for our next visit.

As Duang and Ma Plae socialized I wandered about the village renewing acquantainences and making new friends.

Village Friends

Padaung Mother and One of Her Nine Children

One of the young women that I photographed had an amazing resemblance to one of my favorite Padaung subjects, Ma Jon also known as "Freida", from the camp at Baan Nai Soi.  It turns out that this woman is 29 years old which would also be roughly Freida's age today.  I knew it was not Freida because I heard 4 years ago that she had immigrated to another country, "Finland" if I remember correctly.  In talking with La Mae earlier I had learned that Ma Jon had actually immigrated to New Zealand.

Padaung Matron - Mother of Nine, Six Still Living

I returned to Ma Plae and La Mae's home to visit some more.  Soon a group of Buddhist Monks stopped by.  The leader of the group is a friend of La Mae's.  He is a Forest Monk from a retreat off of Highway 1095 on the way back to Pai.  He spoke excellent English.  As he was speaking, I realized that I too knew the Monk.  Four years ago when Duang and I last visited the area, we had visited him at his forest retreat.  At the time we were not officially married.  He told Duang to take good care of me and he told me to listen to Duang.  In the four years since then, Duang has taken very good care of me.  As for me, I listened to her quite a few times.  I mainly don't listen to her when she wants me to go to the clinic, doctor, or to the hospital whenever I first get a runny nose or other minor ailment.  When I told the Monk that I knew him from 4 years earlier, he remembered and shared his memories of the visit.  He invited us to visit him at his retreat later that afternoon.  He had some special amulets that he wanted to give us.  We promised him that we would visit later in the afternoon.

Mudhan Sewing a Blouse

On our way out of Ban Huay Sua Tao we stopped by Mudhan's booth.  She was busy sewing a new blouse - zig zag stitches by hand that looked like an electric serge machine had produced the.  Mudhan is another special person that I met on my  first visit to the camp in October 2006, when she was nineteen.  I had come upon her when I was exploring the upper street of the village - the street that few tourists wander along - no souvenir booths.  She was sitting outside her home breastfeeding her infant son.  I pantomimed a request to photograph her and her son and she allowed me to.  The photographs are some of my all time favorites.  On my return visit in December of that year I was pleased to give her prints of those special photographs.

On our last visit in April 2009, we got to play with her infant daughter, Peelada.  We asked her if she was planning on having any more children and she replied that Peelada was going to be her last child.  During this visit I made a point of reminding her and she laughed as she informed us that she had not had any more babies.  She asked if we had any babies together.  I told her that Duang could not have children now but we still keep trying!  She laughed and was still laughing when I told her we would return someday, hopefully in the near future, and check to see she had any more children.

It had been a great visit to the camp; an opportunity to share experiences with friends and to make some new friends.

Maenongson 03 April - Poi Sang Long

Thursday 03 April 2009, was the fourth and final day of Poi Sang Long Festival in Maehongson. It was also known as "Kham Sang Day". Although it was the final day in Maehongson, Poi Sang Long festivities were starting on Thursaday at Mork Jam Pae Temple in Muang district, and Wat Pa Kham temple in Pai district. People told us that at one place there would be 100 Sang Long (jeweled Princes). This was good information for future reference for our plans were to witness the final Maehongson procession in the morning and then to spend the remainder of the day at the Baan Huay Sua Tao refugee camp.

The procession on the last day of Poi Sang Long in Maehongson was restricted to circumambulation of Jong Kum Lake three times in front of the Wats. Once again a good number, 3, played a distinctive part in the ceremony. I am sure that the number 3 is representative of Buddha, the teachings of Buddha, and the Buddhist religious community.

Prior to the start of the morning procession, many families posed for photographs with their Sang Long. Mothers, Fathers, Grandparents, and siblings assembled around their jeweled Prince to be photographed by another family member or friend. Their sense of pride was very evident much like graduation photos in America.

Today was a little different in that some of the porters carrying the Sang Long around were very energetic. Some of them showed off their strength and agility by dancing around with the boy atop their shoulder. A couple men got into an impromptu competition to see who could bend their jeweled Prince lowest and most parallel to the ground. Yes - the acrimonious banging, clanging, and drumming music continued. There was quite a festive air to the morning event. After the procession, the boys entered the Wat and were ordained. We did not stick around for that and left that as a reason for having to return next year for Poi Sang Long.


After the procession we headed out to Baan Huay Sua Tao. As with the previous refugee camps there were few tourists visiting. As I was pulling over to park the truck along side of the road in the Shan village outside of the refugee camp, I spotted a very interesting sight. Three elephants were walking through the village. Rather than their handlers riding atop each elephant, there was a single mahout riding a bicycle besides the elephants. Occasionally he shouted out a command and all three elephants instantly obeyed. I jumped out of the truck and hustled ahead of the upcoming elephants to get some photos.

As we entered the refugee camp it was very reassuring. The wooden bridge over the stream that runs through the village had been upgraded. The village looked very much like it did two years ago only it had been maintained during the period to prevent deterioration. Soon we were recognizing familiar faces. We stopped by Khun La Mae and Khun Ma Plae's house and learned that they were not home but would return in a while. We headed to the higher portion of the camp and came upon Khun Mudan.

Khun Mudan was the young Paduang mother that I first photographed in October 2006 breast feeding her infant son. She now has a 5 month old daughter named "Peelada". Peelada was a very charming baby. She was very active and curious about all things. Hands, fingers, legs, arms, feet and toes were every where exploring her world. To all of her body movements she had a wide range of sounds. Khun Mudan recognized us and in no time at all Duang had confiscated little "Peelada". We both had a quickly passed 30 minutes playing with Peelada and to a lesser extent her brother. He is a grown up 3-1/2 year old now so he is very independent. This is it for Khun Mudan. She has had two babies by C-section and will have no more children. She lives with her mother-in-law and husband so she has help with the children. It seemed ironic that Duang's 12 week old grandson is named "Peelawat". I am certain between Peelada and Peelawat there is in deed a great deal of "pee".

As Duang continued her conversation with Khun Mudan in Thai, I headed off and took photos of a Paduang women washing and brushing her teeth. I also found an older Paduang woman straining tea into a thermos bottle. These were people that looked very different from all the other people that I have seen in my life all over the world. But they were doing what all other people do every morning every where. Personal hygiene or preparing meals is not much different around the world.





We decided to check in on Khun La Mae and Khun Ma Plae once again. It was not much of a surprise. They were expecting us and warmly greeted us. The camp grapevine had notified them of our presence in camp.

Khun La Mae is no longer the village headman. He was replaced by another man about a year ago. No matter the case, I told him that I still considered him to be a friend even though he was not "big man" any more. I had seen enough of the camp and observed the inhabitants sufficiently to tell in confidently that the state of the camp as well as its people was a testament to his and the new headman's leadership. The camp and its people were in much better state than the other two camps that we had visited. Khun La Mae informed me that the camp was going to butcher a pig that afternoon and that there would be a festival the next day. As tempting as the offer was to stay with them in the camp and to extend our trip by an extra day, we declined. It was getting tiring and we needed to get back home as scheduled. We promised to return later in the afternoon and returned to the hotel for lunch.

After lunch and relaxing for a short period of time in our air conditioned room, we drove back out to the refugee camp. I did not know if I would have to pay admission to reenter the village. It turned out to not be an issue. I showed my receipt from the morning and was waved through.

When we got to Khun La Mae and Ma Plae's home, they were busy with some friends. The men were drinking Lao Kao - the infamous moonshine of the region. I was given a glass with two shots in it and downed it. I then made sure that everyone knew that I would not be drinking because I was driving. They respected my position and from then on only kept offering me and filling my glass with rice wine. There were three plastic garbage cans of the fermenting brew awaiting the festival to start the next day. The rice wine was exactly like the brew that we drank at the Khmu New Years Festival in Laos during our December trip except that it did not have vinyl tubing to suck on. Khun Ma Plae served the wine in a glass direct from the fermentation vat - complete with rice grains, chaff, hulls and assorted other debris. I quickly developed a techinque where I strained the drink with my teeth and then discretely picked and spit debris out of my mouth onto the dirt floor. Even so it was hours before the last of the debris was finally expelled from my mouth. All in all it was some pretty good stuff.

Writing of good stuff - Khun Ma Plae was also preparing food. She prepared the food and the men grilled it on an open wood fire. It was just as well that she prepared the food because some of the men did not appear to be in any condition to be handling knives. Although I refrained from drinking moonshine, there was no reason for them to refrain or even moderate their consumption. We ate with the people - the first time that I have eaten grilled pig intestines. Actually the first time that I have knowingly eaten pig intestines cooked in any manner or raw. It was not that bad tasting - sort of like eating a hot dog with very thick casing and nothing inside.


While we were eating and drinking, two Kayaw men walked by with a pig slung underneathe a bamboo pole that they carried between them on their shoulders. This was the "guest of honor" for tomorrow's festival. I ended up going to the back part of the village to photograph the children playing a game on the school play field. It was an interesting game. It appeared to be a fusion of cricket, dodge ball, bowling, and baseball. Lacking a ball to play with, the children had created a ball out of a plastic sandwhich bag and some small rocks and forest debris. A stack of empty metal "Birdy" drink cans was erected at one end of the field. A girl threw the "ball" at the pyramid and missed. The boys taunted her. A boy picked up the "ball" threw it and knocked down several cans. The girl ran and picked up the ball as he ran to a "base". He got off the base and taunted the other players to throw at him. While this was going on some of the other players were hustling to reerect the pyramid out of the cans. This action appeared to be correlated to the time that the boy spent off or on the base. It was confusing to watch but the children were enjoying themselves - except for when they were arguing over some fine points of the game - which was often

After observing the children playing and realizing that I would never understand their game, I headed over to where the pig was being butchered. The animal had already been dispatched when I arrived. The men with assistance from the women were busy shaving the hair off of the pig. The men used long knives to scrape the hair and bristles off of the pig. The women were busy in the houses boiling the water required to scald the hair and bristles. Children of all ages gathered around and watched with great interests. No doubt these children can answer the question of "Do you know where your meal came from?". I am certain that they can even tell you how it came to their plate. I photographed the process and left shortly after the insicision had been made and the men were pulling out the pig's entrails. I left just in time. Not that I was squeamish - surprisingly not but Duang had set out looking for me and was wondering where I had disappeared to. I guess she had her fill of intestines.

During our little get together, we were joined by a Kiwi (New Zealander) who now lives in Australia. Wayne had spent the night in the camp and was going to stick around for the festival the next day. He was an "alright and decent chap" as they say. He offered to burn some CDs of Ma Plae's music on his computer so that she had more copies to sell at the family's booth in the camp. Wayne is one of those people who are travelers and not tourists. He spends time to learn and experience the lives of the people that he encounters on his journeys. More importantly, he takes the time and makes the effort to help out in any way that he can. In our conversation about taking photographs, he mentioned about the things that you could do on the Internet. I told him that I had a blog as well as a photography site. He asked who I was, so I gave him my name and the name of this blog site. He exclaimed "I know you, I read some of your blogs and I have seen your photos!" It was a very pleasant surprise to meet someone who follows these efforts. I know that to date since February of this year this blog site has been visited 408 times from 43 different countries. The top two countries are USA (29 states) with 123 visits and Thailand in the lead with 139 visits. The associated photography site http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/ has had 307 visits from 41 countries. For the photography site, the leading country is the USA (33 states) with 132 visits followed by Thailand with 66 visits. It was a pleasant surprise to meet and talk to a human associated with some of those numbers.

Maehongson 02 April 2009 - Afternoon

Back to catching up on the activities and events of our trip to Maehongson -

After watching the Poi Sang Long parade in the morning, we returned to the hotel to freshen up and eat lunch before heading out for the afternoon.

There are three camps in the Maehongson area where Paduang people live and you are allowed to visit. They are Baan Nai Soi, Baan Huay Pu Keng also known as Baan Nam Piang Din and Baan Huay Sua Tao. We had previously visited the camp at Baan Nai Soi, so the agenda for the afternoon was to visit the camp at Huay Pu Keng.

Using the local map from a previous trip and memories from past visits to the area, we set off to find the boat landing where we could rent a long tailed boat to take us to the village. It was actually a great deal easier than I had anticipated. I had checked with the desk at the hotel and verified that there actually two boat landings with the second boat landing a little further down the asphalt road from the first. This information came in very handy when we arrived at the first boat landing and found it to be closed. We drove further down the road and located the second boat landing which we both instantly recognized from our trip two years ago.

On our last trip in the middle of April 2007, the boat landing was filled with tourist vans of international travellers. It was not the case this year. We were the only vehicle and tourists . As we approached the small ticket office I told Duang to tell the man that I wanted his best price for the trip (not the foreigner price) or I would go to the other boat landing (the one that we had just gone to that was closed). I think the man understood enough English to get my joke. He quoted a price and I asked if it included admission into the camp. He added the amount that we had paid to enter Baan Nai Soi for me and indicated that Duang did not have to pay because she is Thai. I then pulled out my wallet and started to pay the man and completely blow our "hard bargaining". He had quoted 685 baht ($19.57 USD) to have the boat take us to the village and back when we decided to return including admission fee to the camp. I started to pull out 1,370 baht when he as well as Duang started to protest. The quote was "all in" for both of and was not for each of us. We had a good laugh to my relief and definitely not at my cost. I was impressed with the man's honesty. I explained to Duang that typically in America, those types of costs are quoted on a "per person basis". So it is important to ask and understand exactly what the quote includes and its basis no matter where you are. Sometimes it is different than what you expect or are accustomed to.

We climbed into our narrow wooden boat which was propelled by a recycled car engine mounted on the stern. It was a very pleasant journey along the river to the settlement. There was no traffic on the river. Fires 4 inches to 6 inches high were burning down the hillsides to the water's edge in several locations.

Baan Huay Pu Keng was the single village where all the Paduang people were supposed to or at least were encouraged to relocate to. I had heard this from Freida two years ago. I had read that additional facilities were going to be built and others improved at Huay Pu Keng to accommodate the new residents. As we approached the village, I did not see any new construction, It appeared to me that the village was two years older without any maintenance over the ensuing two years since our last visit. I suppose that this is not the first time nor will it be the last time that government as well as politician's intentions or promises get "delayed" or don't happen at all. There is an expression often used in Thailand - "Same, Same"


We walked into the village and came upon a little girl playing a guitar that was larger than she was. She was on the porch of her house with her mother, brother, sister and another woman with her daughter. The other people were occupied preparing raw garlic to eat while the little girl played and sang Karen music. We approached the little girl and we were quickly seduced by her charm.

The little girl was four years old. She was quite the entertainer. She did her repertoire of songs for us. She had a very animated singing style and was obvious that she enjoyed being the center of attention. The adults joined us and it appeared that they were happy to have someone to talk to. Duang and the two women talked, and talked and talked some more. I suspect, as someone who had lived in a closed camp for awhile, that the people had grown tired of each others stories and were happy to listen to someone new with different stories. I was in my own world taking pictures so the time passed very quickly for all of us. The little girl's mother grabbed the guitar and performed some songs. The little girl joined in and was very thrilled to be able to sing with her mother. The girl also put on quite a show of animated motion to the songs - much like small children in America singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "Wheels on the Bus". We spent so much time with the families that the little girl ended up wearing herself out. Just like most children her age, she got a little cranky and ended up cuddling up on her mother's lap for comfort. It was a treat to see the child learning from her mother how to play the guitar and sing the songs associated with their culture. It was reinforcement for me of my goal in my photography to show how different we all appear but that we are all alike. These are extraordinary people in difficult circumstances doing exactly what other people do everywhere else in the world.

With the little girl drifting off to sleep, we said goodbye and promised to return later in the year. We walked up further into the village and came upon a Kayaw (Big Eared) woman that we met on our last trip. We recognized each other and sat to talk. She was eight months pregnant with her second child. Her daughter, about 8 years old was busy eating as we got caught up on the events of the past two years. She confirmed that Freida was now in the closed refugee camp.

After walking around the village a little bit more we headed back down the hill to the boat. After stopping by the refreshment stand run by the Shan family with the twin daughters and "naughty little boy" we set off back in the boat. The naughty boy is now 7 years old with a buzz haircut and was wearing military clothing that said "US Army". He is still more of a terrorist than any type of professional soldier. I gave him some help as to how to properly salute - American style. If he ends up with some other nation's military clothing, I hope and trust that some passing tourist will give to him the appropriate instructions. I hold out no hopes as to him getting discipline.

As our boat pulled into the river we passed several children enjoying themselves swimming and diving in the cool water. Young Paduang girls with brass rings around their neck were immersed up to their necks in the water keeping cool on a hot and humid late afternnon in the Thai - Burma border region.

The Long and Winding Road ...

We arrived home in Udonthani last night at 11:30 PM after sixteen and one-half hours of driving all the way back from Maehongson. Rather than taking two days to get home we made a push to be home in one day. Whereas on the way to Maehongson, we stayed in Pai after 12 hours of driving, there is no comparable city or facilities 12 hours from Maehongson back towards Udonthani.


The trip was more than we expected and could have hoped for. It could have been even more but we decided to keep with our original plan of 5 nights in Maehongson. The Paduang people of the Karen Hill Tribe were having a festival on Saturday 04 April and invited us to attend. They even offered for us to stay in the refugee camp for the night since we were checking out Saturday morning. It was tempting but we were tired from all our adventures in the Maehongson area. Duang was missing her two month old grandson and I have over 2,200 digital photos to review and edit.

The shortest distance from Chiang Mai to Maehongson is by Highway 1095 - 122 kilometers (about 65 miles) AND 1,884 CURVES. The road is brutal. Many of the curves can only be navigated in first or second gear. On three of the curves I misjudged the truck speed and the steepness of the curve consequently the truck lost energy and ended up stalling on the rising curve. I had to restart the engine, use the emergency brake to prevent sliding backwards prior to engaging the clutch to slowly advance in first gear. There were very few times that the truck was higher than third gear. On several occasions the back tires squealed as we navigated a tight rising curve. I was not the first to do this for there were several blackened areas of burnt rubber on those curves. Many times the back end fish tailed a little bit - hard to believe but it happened in first or second gear and not due to conventional high speed.

Steep hillsides and cliffs embrace both sides of the road. This road is shared by regularly scheduled buses (32 passenger rather than full sized buses), construction equipment, motorcycles, motorbikes, cows, water buffalo, tourist vans, cars, pickup trucks, fuel delivery trucks, and cargo trucks. One great consolation is that there is not that much traffic on the road. This is the low season for tourism in the area - the world economic situation not with standing.

In Thailand the cargo trucks are a big problem. I am convinced that there is not a single 6, 10, 12, or 18 wheeler that can go the posted speed limit anywhere in Thailand. Many of the drivers are on amphetamines so it is not a matter of them not wanting to speed - it is physically impossible for the trucks to maintain reasonable speeds with any sort of load. Highway 1095 is no exception. While you might be zipping along at 60 kph (35 mph), the road in front of you may be blocked by a lorry travelling at 10 or 15 mph - in some cases - stalled on the road (I am not the only one with that problem on the road).

I have driven on many long and winding roads in my life and this one is right up there in terms of the length and severity of the curves. There are several locations where you are entering into a fairly tight left turning downward curve so it is necessary to slow down (bleed off energy) to stay on the road. However immediately coming out of that curve is a very steep 25 to 30 degree ( I just confirmed this on my protractor) rising hairpin curve going to the right where you need to increase energy to make the maneuver. This is where I failed a couple times and entered into the hairpin in too high a gear (2nd) and too low a speed to make it through the curve. I feel like that I am writing an episode of "Dogfight" where reenactments are made of Aeriel combat. If I had a little wooden model of the truck on a stick I know I could show accurately the steering and downshifting required to navigate Highway 1095.

At this time of the year, the end of the dry season, the skies of Northern Thailand are very hazy. The air is filled with smoke and soot from the slash and burn agricultural practises of the region. The Hill Tribe peoples prepare their fields and new lands for planting by burning off the weeds and debris. In addition there is a custom of burning off the forests. I suspect that this is to improve or maintain the productivity and health of the forests. People work the forests. They gather plants, nuts, firewood, mushrooms from the forest. In many places we drove through the sound of crickets or locusts was overwhelming - even over the sound of our Isaan music CDs playing. At times I thought we might be in some bad science fiction movie where the insects take over the planet. I am sure that burning off the forest debris helps hold these insects in check. If the people are like the Lao Loum in Isaan, the burnt or rather BBQ'd bugs would supplement the people's protein intake. Like the Lao Loum, from conversations with some of the local people I know that they eat red ants and red ant eggs.

The forests in the area are very dense. Now at the end of the dry season the trees are denuded of their leaves. Most of the trees have many very large leaves as part of their growing cycle - teak is an example. The forests now look similar to the forests of southern New England in early November but without any threat of snow. The floor of the forest quickly builds a carpet of dead and dry leafy debris. This is routinely burned off. We drove by areas where there has no and will not be any agricultural cultivation done yet the area had been burned. As we drove along Highway 1095, there were many fires still burning along side of the road without a sign of a person in sight. During our boat ride out to one of the refugee camps, we saw fires burning down the hillsides towards the river.

These "fires" while creating a great deal of smoke and thus are unhealthy for people are nothing like the raging mega fires that we are accustomed to seeing on television related to calamities in Australia, Greece, or the United Sates. These forest fires are more like the forest fires that the American naturalist, John Muir, wrote about regarding his travels in the Sierra mountains. He had encountered fires that he had to step over. Due to the natural cycles of growth, death, decay, and fire, the fires in the Sierra mountains of the early days were not very large or hot due to the absence of fuel. I was tempted to replicate Jon Muir's experience by stepping over one of these 4 inch high fires but out of concerns that I might return to the hotel embarrassed with burnt pants or something worse, I refrained.

Yes Highway 1095 is the long and winding road that goes to Maehongson. Like I have found in so many places that I have been to, it is the journey along the long, winding, and difficult roads that have brought me to unique and beautiful locations as well as experiences. The roads in the Sierra Mountains of California to Lake Tahoe, Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, the switchback road up to Machu Pichuu, and Estarda Serra da Graciosas from Curitiba to Morretes in the state of Parana, Brasil are just a few examples of long and arduous paths to exemplary locations as well as experiences.

Upon leaving the hotel in Maehongson we learned that because we had driven or perhaps survived driving Highway 1095 we would be awarded a certificate from the local authorities. The clerk offered to pick it up and mail it to our home - it should arrive in three days. So although we didn't buy the tee shirts (many styles, designs, colors and sizes available at the night market by the lake), we will be accepting the commemorative certificate.

During our stay in Maehongson, we realized that many things had changed from our last visit exactly two years ago. I don't know why we were shocked, surprised, and somewhat disappointed to find the changes. Changes occur everyday - everywhere in the world. However, it almost seems a part of the human condition to resist change and strive to maintain the status quo. Talk of change while at first blush may be inspiring, soon when it comes to its actual implementation becomes very frightening and is often abandoned.

Here are some of the changes that we discovered on this trip:

Mr Ping's souvenir shop in the hotel is closed.

Mr Ping's Travel Desk, the source of car, driver and guide on my past three trips, is still there but no one manned it during our entire stay.

My guide for the past 3 trips, the Shan village headman, is now living in Switzerland.

The Lakeside Restaurant on the shores of Jong Kum Lake in Maehongson is gone - gone along with his "all you can eat Thai BBQ for 99 Baht"

The large portrait and shrine to King Rama IX in the middle of Jong Kum Lake was removed two weeks ago.

There are far fewer tourists in Maehongson this time than two years ago - no doubt reflections of the world's economic states as well as the political situation here. A few months ago the airports were closed by political dissidents resulting in thousands of stranded foreign tourists as well as non-reimbursed additional expenses for the stranded people.

The Monk who lives in a cave near Fish Cave now has a chain link enclosure with a metal framed chain link door with lock across the front of his cave. I don't know if this is a sign of progress or a reflection upon a decline in the neighborhood (rocks, highway, rain forest, rice paddies, and two very small villages)

The Paduang people camp of Baan Noi Soi is 50% abandoned. Familiar faces such as "Freida", her mother, her sister, the sad old widow woman, and the capricious school girl no longer live there. They have moved to other camps.

The camp at Baan Nam Piang Din was to be the only location for the Paduang (long neck women) people appears to be the same but with more two years of weathering. Any improvements in either infrastructure or housing to accommodate the additional Paduang was not apparent during our visit.



















Khun Mudan (The Madonna of the Refugee Camp) whom I photographed breastfeeding her infant son three years ago now has a five month old daughter named "Peelada".

"Freida" is no longer readily available to common tourists. She is now living in the regular refugee camp on the Myanmar and Thai border. She is seeking to be relocated to an outside country therefore she has to stay in the closed camp. The ready availability of her beauty as well as her insights into the plight of the Karen, Kariang, or Kayan people is a loss.

Like we all do, Freida has apparently made a choice in seeking her happiness and exploring the opportunities that can be available to her. There is no issue or problem with that. Like all quests and goals, there are prices to pay. Freida and her people are paying some of the price. Hopefully her choice is fully informed and she is prepared to accept the consequences of her choices.

We chose to drive across Thailand to visit Maehongson. Round trip airfare from Udonthani was approximately 31, 185 baht ($890 USD). The total cost of our trip including fuel, hotels, food, camp admissions, and boat rental along with two new tires for the truck was 28,670 baht ($819 USD) for the 7 day and 6 night trip. WE decided and chose to do this trip on our own. We took responsibility for taking care of the arrangements independently. We were able to visit all the places on this trip that we had on the previous when in addition to airfare, hotels, and food, we paid 10,000 baht for three days of a car, driver, and guide.

Just as the long and winding road lead us to Maehongson for the beauty and experiences of this trip, it seems to me that the life better lived is often that which is along a long, winding, as well as challenging path. It is after the struggles to arrive at a certain place, state, or situation that the beauty and richness can be appreciated.

Not all the changes that we experienced on this trip were bad. Some were very good - little Peelada, Mudan's infant daughter, were a very pleasant surprise and a cause for wonder of the moment as well as hope for the future. The upcoming festival in Baan Huay Sua Tao reflected the spirit and vitality of its inhabitants.

Some of the changes had no impact. In exerting our independence and taking direct responsibility for this trip, the current status of the hotel travel agency was merely an interesting observation. The same with the closing of the Lakeside Bar - we found other food at other places.

Life moves on. People move on. Change can not be prevented.

However once change has occurred the secret to happiness is to be able to accept and take advantage of the opportunities that all changes present.

04 August 2008 - Frieda

Monday 04 August 2008 - Freida



There was no entertainment tonight at the OTOP Market because the daily rain came at 6:00 PM rather than the typical 2:00 PM.

As I previously wrote, I will use this blog to write about some of the people that I have met. Today I am writing about "Freida".

I have tried to include a photo in this blog and have come absolutely frustrated. It is not as straight forward as you might expect or hope it to be.

Fortunately I can describe Freida fairly easily so that you will be able to see her in the 92 streaming photos (5 in a row of her) on my profile page.

Freida is a beautiful young woman of the Padong, sometimes also spelled as Paduang minority of the Red Karen hill tribe. Freida follows the Paduang tradition of having brass coils wrapped around her neck. Often the Padong women are refered to as "Giraffe Women" or "Long-Necked Women".

I first met Freida on my second trip to the Maehongson region of NW Thailand in December 2006. On this trip, I visited her village for the first time. Freida is a state-less person living on the Thailand-Burmese border. She is a refugee from Burma which is also known as Myanmar. Her village is actually a refugee camp. The people there have fled from the armed conflict within Burma between the military junta and the Karen people who are fighting for independence. Many of the Karen people have crossed over into Thailand to escape persecution and prosecution from the Burmese government. Some of the refugees have been in the refugee camps for over fifteen years. They do not have passports and can not leave the camps without permission from Thai authorities. Most of the camps are off limits to outsiders. However the three camps that have Paduang women are open to tourists and are a source of income for the refugees as well as local Thai authorities. The entrances to the roads leading to the closed larger refugee camps are guarded by armed Thai soldiers and have posted warnings of land mines.

Freida, her 14 year old sister and her mother make their living by selling souvenirs to tourists. There is a great deal of controversy regarding these open villages. Some guide books and columnists write that these people are exploited and that the villages are human zoos. I have spent over 21 hours in the camps, know four of the Paduang people on a first name basis, spoke to many more and object to such elitist attitudes. The Paduang women that I met and spoke to do not object to wearing their brass coils. They wear them as part of their culture and traditions. Not all Paduang women wear the rings. I was told that the women have free choice and my observations indicate that the women who do wear the rings do not mind.

The reality of these open camps is that they provide a mechanism for the Paduang people to earn some money, and opportunities to communicate their plight to the outside world. Boycotting the villages will rob the inhabitants of some of the small opportunities that they have to earn a living.

As is too often the case nowadays, the media in their comfortable upper middle class environment pass judgement on other cultures based upon their socio-economic prejuidices rather than evaluating a particular situation based upon the facts and circumstances at that point in time.

I have not found the camps to be a zoo or a circus. The villages are much like the market areas that you find throughout SE Asia. On each side of a dirt walkway, there are stalls selling souvenirs. Behind the stalls are the living quarters of the vendors - again typical for SE Asia.

Some of the vendors are busy preparing meals, singing, sewing, and taking care of children. Again these are all common sights in villages and towns anywhere in SE Asia.

Groups of people on organized tours pass through the refugee camps. I observed the people to be interested and respectful of the inhabitants. Sometimes the walkways get crowded with the tourists but since they are part of organized groups on a schedule, the congestion clears up in 30 minutes.

Freida and her family live in a typical thatch roofed wooden stall/hut. The area where they sell souvenirs and soft drinks, is filled with drawings and photos of Freida. She is somewhat of a celebrity. Her picture has been used for travel posters that I have seen at the Chiang Mai Airport. I have been told that she has appeared in a documentary that was on air in the USA.

She speaks perfect English. Her skill in English includes the impeccable use of future perfect, conditional, past perfect tenses of verbs and all those other grammatical terms that I have forgotten about but take for granted. I asked Freida where she learned to speak English. She replied that she had learned from tourists. This is astounding - tourists spend about 2 to 4 minutes speaking with an individual vendor. I asked her about how much school she had attended. She has gone to school for only one year! I can not help but wonder what Freida could be doing if she had had the opportunity to attend school and university. She is obviously quite intelligent and definitely highly motivated.

Freida and the other inhabitants can not leave the village without authorization from authorities. They can not work outside the camp. They can petition the United Nation's refugee Committee to immigrate to another country but even then their departure has to be approved by the local Thai authorities.

I was told of four families who were granted immigrant visa from Finland but only one family that actually got to leave the camp.
In addition to Freida's beauty and intelligence, she has a wonderful outgoing personality. Freida also is extremely photogenic. Without too much effort I can imagine her as fashion model for an exotic Thai silk collection.

As I have found so many times in my travels around the world, there are many people who have not been able to live up to their potential due to the lack of opportunities that we have had. Even worse, are the people who have had the opportunities and not taken advantage of them.

On another first to Maehongson in April 2007, I was able to visit Freida once again. I gave her a 24"x36" print of a photograph of her that I took on my previous visit. She continued to impress me with her beauty, intelligence, grace, and motivation. She is a very unique person and a great spokeswoman for her people. From her I learned that the Thai authorities were planning on consolidating the three Paduang villages into a single new village.

Until the next time ...