I grew up really LOVING “Ripley’s Believe it or Not”, reading the comic strip, reading the books, and later watching the shows.  I imagined myself having a job like his.  Travel the world and capture images and stories the bizarre and fantastic.   My trip to the golden triangle of Thailand included amazing animals including elephants, tigers, monkeys, and cobras, with people so far removed from my world, from indigenous people living off the land, to refugee hill tribes are simply happy to find peace.  The refugees escaping oppression and seeing extreme contrast in Thai joy and Burmese oppression. Visiting the hill tribes especially the long neck Karen tribe was the fulfillment of a childhood dream.  What a joy to spend time in the “Land of Smiles.”

The big question is why did they start putting these rings on their necks?

There are a number of reasons to describe why they have the rings on their necks.

1. The rings actually coils make them more beautiful are a sign of beauty and wealth
2. The coils are designed to protect their necks from tigers!
3. The coils make the women unattractive to the nearby tribes.

Continue reading “Thailand Trekking: Traveling by Elephant in the Land of Smiles”