Mae Hong Son Loop (again) Day 6

Armed with some rough directions to the Karen/Kayan longneck village recommended by a local tour guide, we checked out of our hotel and left the town. We arrived to the edge of a river and had to get a little boat across to the village. The entrance fee was higher than we'd been told but we were already there and money was never the reason we were hesitant.

We walked along the narrow paths through the village which felt a bit surreal as if it was all for show for tourists. However we soon met this amazing lady who spoke great English (everyone else we met in the village didn't speak any at all) and we spoke with her for at least half an hour. She told us all about her life and the traditions of her people. She went to a regular Thai high school and was given permission by her mother to stop wearing her neck rings while going to school as she didn't want to be judged. Her feelings about Thailand, Myanmar and the situation of the village were all mixed and complex, but there was a lot of positivity which made us feel better about our visit. It was worth the trip just to meet her.

After a walk around the village we went back across the river and got on the road as we still had 150km to drive to Pai.