When we wake up we're told that we have to change rooms, because some other group had booked our room for the night. This turns out to be an OK development, as we like our new room more than the first one. For a brief period in the morning we debate whether we should head back to Soppong to stay there for the night, but I'm adamant that that would make our drive back to Chiang Mai the next day too long, so we decide to stay at Fern again. I feel kind of bad, and like I'm on the outside, because Karen and Ben reaaaaallly liked Soppong, but I hope they are OK with the choice in the end.
Eager to get some exercise, we embark at 11-something on a two-hour hike up into the national park (Mae Surin) that borders the back of the resort. We don't see much in the way of interesting wildlife, but I love tramping through the jungle anyway, and Karen and Ben seem enthusiastic. The trek involves lots of fun (and slightly treacherous) stream crossings, and it culminates somewhat anti-climactically at a "big tree." When we return we hang out at the pool briefly, and then decide to take the 4WD out to find one of the "long-necked" Padaung refugee villages in the area.
There is lots of controversy about going to the Padaung villages... mostly because detractors consider them to be "human zoos," where foreigners go pay 250 Baht each and mingle with Myanmar refugees. The women still keep up their traditional custom of wearing brass coils around their necks, which press their collar bones down and make their necks look extraordinarily long. The flip side of the argument is that the villagers have a much better life than they would be afforded without their tourist appeal, and they can make good cash by selling souvenirs, and they have the opportunity to interact with foreigners in ways that they wouldn't be able to otherwise. Although we feel somewhat conflicted by the issues, we decide we have to go visit a village, seeing as we'd come all this way and had the means (a 4WD) to do it on our own terms.
The drive out to the village is slightly stressful, because we stop in town to unsuccessfully look for an appetizing lunch first, so we're worried that we won't find the village we're looking for before it closes at 5. Luckily the route out into the countryside is well-marked, and we relax a bit as we pass some striking rice paddies complete with water buffalo. Eventually the road turns to dirt and becomes very rough, so our Toyota gets a good workout!
We arrive at the village, which is very close to the Burmese border, pay our entrance fees, and start wandering in with a little trepidation. Our fears of feeling weird are allayed pretty quickly, as we immediately meet some friendly women selling souvenirs, and see plenty of children playing as if we weren't even there. It helps that we're just about the only visitors in the village at the time, so it almost feels like we're the zoo animals on display, rather than the tribe people.
We take pictures with a few villagers, and promptly start buying souvenirs. Ben and I buy masks (well, he buys them and kindly gives me the blue one after I throw a fit because we want the same one), Karen and I both buy CDs of traditional music, she buys a Myanmar shoulder bag, and I buy some laquered coasters wrapped in Burmese newspaper (awww, the memories!). One woman (who happens to be featured on my CD cover) is especially friendly, and dresses Karen up in Padaung garb (including neck coils) for some cute photos.
When we get back to town we park at the market and head towards the lake for dinner. Ben and I spot a really hot guy eating at a lakefront restaurant with his friends, so that place wins and we tuck into some long-awaited Sang Som & food. After dinner Ben hits the internet again, while Karen and I walk around for a while and then head back to Fern. I get somewhat buzzed on Sang Som, and take out two flashlights to go down to the stream to look for snakes. It turns out to be a fruitful night, as I snap pics of two cute & small water snakes, and see an enormous gecko on our porch! Ben comes back via the Fern shuttle van, and we all conk out.
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