Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

Not very far away off the Northern side of Chiang Mai, lays villages of hill tribes living peacefully in picturesque hillside regions. These groups of minorities have a very different view on the meaning of ‘beauty’.

Just because of this contradictory perspective of ‘beauty’, they have drawn so many people from all around the world to just either shamelessly stare at them, curiously talk to them, dedicatedly try to understand them, make a human/cultural interest story out of them, or even make some timeless documentary to record this unique group of people.

Of cause, what is beautiful always lies in the eye of the beholder. As pictures are often worth more than a thousand words, let me cut short from being so long winded trying to explain to you in words on their idea of beautiful. So…

Is she beautiful?

These minority tribes of people are actually groups formed from many different tribes who have their very own distinctive language and costumes. The more well known ones are known as the Paduang, a sub-group from the Karen tribe.

They originate from Eastern Burma, near the Thai Border, where conflicts with the military regime in the early 1900s have caused many of these people fled to neighbouring Thailand, living in exile. When asked, they do not really mind, in fact are quite happy with the peaceful simple lifestyle they led there as compared to the chaos back in Burma.

Wearing brass coils as early as 5 years old.

The people from these hill tribes view that women with ‘long neck’ are beautiful. Starting at the age of 5, little girls will start wearing these heavy brass rings around their neck. As they age, more brass rings will be added. These coil rings around their neck gives us the illusion that their neck is really long, but the truth is, it is the collarbone that is crushed and the ribcage get pushed down to create this ‘long neck’ look. The average weight of these brass coils that an adult woman wear can range between 3-4kg and they wear them while they sleep, eat, work, and play. It hardly gets taken off.

Skillful weavers

The village

You can find most girls in the tribe wear these heavy brass coils. When asked why they wear these heavy coils around their neck, they simply explain that it is part of their cultural identity. This determination in them to keep their cultural identity is actually the fact which contributes to their survival, bringing throngs of tourist to see them and created an income source for them in tourism. While the men of the tribes do farming, the women are skillful crafts makers, excellent weavers, and are able to sew you the most intricate design where many would not hesitate to get a piece as a souvenir to bring back home.

A memorable experience with the simple, warm and friendly hill tribes.

A visit to Karon Long Neck Villages is truly a worthwhile trip as you get to walk around the tranquil village sites, watching children at play, men hard at work, while women tend to their stalls. It is a very different life from how we city folks lead our life, and it is definitely a refreshing experience as you explore into a different culture and learn to understand them.

Remember to make this excursion to the Karen Long Neck Villages part of your travel itenerary while you book your trip with PYOtravel.

An All Natural Koh Samui

Koh Samui, the third largest island in Thailand, is blessed with sandy beaches, beautiful coral reefs and mesmerizing waterfalls, capturing millions of hearts from around the world. It brings you nearer to Mother Nature in your relaxing leisure trip with extreme pleasure.

Beautiful stretch of white sandy beaches is definitely not to be missed. Don’t forget your sun tan lotion and also your Hawaiian shorts too! Sitting down under a tall swaying coconut tree, drinking cool refreshing coconut juice while enjoying yourself entirely with the sun, sea, sand (…and girls) there!

Boats by the beautiful seaside (Photo credit : 13bobby)

Since you are at the beach, indulge yourself in a snorkeling adventure! Go witness the captivating undersea kingdom in Koh Samui where the fishes tango and crabs salsa!

Underwater World (Photo credit : jurvetson)

Heard of Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks? I guess they are too symbolic to Koh Samui that everyone MUST drop by to pay a visit to these “seniors” of the rock world as a sign of respect. These rocks were artistically ‘designed’ by the nature into their current shape and form. The ‘artist’ was so imaginary that he (or she) crafted the Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks into the shape of the human sexual organs.

The Sexy Rocks (Photo credit : Badly Drawn Dad)

Well, if you can’t get enough from the sea, wait till you delight yourself in the Namuang Waterfalls. It is such an alluring scene where clear water keep falling like a curtain from the peak as high as 30 metres! Dive into the clear water for a refreshing bath while being surrounded by the lush green forest.

Namuang Waterfalls (Photo credit : Nicolai Bangsgaard)

You’ve never been Koh Samui if you’ve never been to the Elephant Camp, the place where elephants are well kept and protected. Elephants were the major mean of transportation in the good old days. They are also considered as a scared animal to most Thais. The Elephant Camp is established to honour the huge graceful creatures where they are being loved and cared for. An elephant ride to bring you around the place is not a bad idea. I wonder how different can you see from the back of the elephant. Also if you’re lucky, you may join in to help to bathe the elephants. You don’t always get a chance to do that.

Let's Partee!!! (Photo credit : brettmarlow1)

Flying there to unwind yourself is no hassle with meticulous packages lined up by PYO Travel.com. Koh Samui, here we come!!!

‘Wat’ is so unique about Thailand?

What? Yes, Wat!

Do you know what I’m talking about?

Wat, translated to English, means ‘temple’. With 95% of the Thai population being Buddhist, it is not surprising to espy these beautifully crafted temples throughout Thailand.

95% Buddhism

We heard people talk about Bangkok, Bangkok, and more Bangkok… but if you encounter any local Thai, their next question to you would be “Have you visited Chiang Mai yet?” making this historical city a place that is of significance if you want to say you’ve visited Thailand.

Chiang Mai, north of Bangkok

With more than 700 years of history in Chiang Mai, this northern province of Thailand boasts over 300 temples. You can easily spot a good many golden chedis amidst the modern mirror-glassed buildings. I believe it will not be the modern buildings that would steal your attention away, as sophisticated as they can be, but the majestic temples.

The architectural design of them is simply awe-inspiring. They are definitely places of worship that glitters like none other. Thousands and millions of coloured glass and pieces are put together in such intricate design laid in gold as their borders. Each and every one of these pieces form either in symmetrical design or laid out in its historical stories and important figures recorded in Buddhism.

Can you tell me why the bells are there?

What attract me most are these richly adorned walls which tell me stories that not even picture/photo books can satisfy. It is as if all the origins of things come alive and personal, revealing the years of mystical tales and events, going against the rule of time which hides them from our awareness. It is hard to not appreciate these world-class arts. To me, each of these temples is a museum by itself.

To visit Chiang Mai and not seeing at least one temple is blasphemy. You’re missing out the whole point of being in Thailand. Yet to visit all of them might take you days, months, or years, depending on how in depth you’d like to explore the temples.
So how do you go about in visiting these beautiful temples? For me, I'd check out the story behind them through their walls. Be not surprised to find them in chronological sequence, they're as detailed as can be... and I hope it'll bring you into its historical and spiritual journey of Buddhism.

Wall deco of Wat Chiang Mai

What a crowd at Wat Bup Pha Ram's wall!

The walls are sure heavy at Wat Sri Suphan

Do tell me one of the tales you've found out at these temples, I'd love to hear them!

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