Visiting Karen Longneck Women Village in Northern Thailand

Lisa and I took a 2-mile hike this morning from our Pairadise Resort (not a misspelling on my part) to a small village known as Karen Longneck Women Village. Because it is so noisy and chaotic in Pai, we walked along a dusty dirt road in the countryside to enjoy the peaceful morning. Little did we know we would come across this unique place where the longneck women live!

Signpost to Longneck Women Village in Pai, Thailand

Welcome sign to Longneck Women Village in Pai, Thailand

Longneck woman with traditional heavy brass rings

Some of the women not only had brass neck rings but also wore rings around their legs!

Information posted at the village.

Storefront at Karen Longneck Women Village.

These are the women who wear brass collars starting at the age of about five and appear to have elongated necks. It was amazing to try on a collar because I didn’t realize the weight of these collars that they wear day in and day out. They support themselves by charging 100 baht (about 30 cents) to enter the village and they sell various handmade items. As you can imagine they live a hard and simple life compared to our standard of living.

Here this young longneck woman allowed me to try on some brass rings!

It was an unforgettable day and experience for us in Pai, Thailand.