WHERE IS HUAY PU KENG LONG NECK VILLAGE?
Huay Pu Keng is a village located more than 30 km from Mae Hong Son town, Thailand. This is the home of the Kayan long neck tribe. They are originally from Myanmar, migrated here to live for many decades. The villagers live a self-sufficient life such as growing crops and fishing. Since the tourism industry in the village has developed, the women in the village have formed souvenir shops.
Huay Pu Keng is a village located more than 30 km from Mae Hong Son town, Thailand.
THE ROAD TO HUAY PU KENG LONG NECK VILLAGE
I arrived at Huay Pu Keng on a hot sunny afternoon. Looking at the clock, it was 12 o'clock. It was a very long day, with a schedule of travel from Ban Rak Thai. The April weather of Thailand makes tourists feel bored. The smell of the sun haunts the whole road. The forests here have also burned down. Walking on the border area, I felt like there was a fire burning in front of my eyes, lonely on a long, tiring road without a single passerby. I just followed the instructions of Google Maps, without knowing anything. When I got to the section where I saw a sign to the long neck village. Inside, I saw only motorbikes. On the other side of the Pai River is the long neck village of Huay Pu Keng.
To get to the village, you have to take a boat and buy a ticket for 20 Baht. But the season I went was the dry season, the people had already finished laying the bamboo bridge so I just walked across. As soon as I arrived, someone appeared to sell tickets. To get into the village, tourists have to pay 200 Baht, I heard that this money is used to support education and life for the people. I bought a ticket and continued walking into the village.
I arrived at Huay Pu Keng on a hot afternoon.
LONG NECK WOMEN NEXT TO SIMPLE HOUSE
The legendary long necks had also appeared. I saw an old woman who was typical of a native. She wore bracelets on her arms, legs, and neck. She wore four silver bracelets on each arm. She wore ten gold bracelets on her legs. The most special thing was that she wore 20 gold bracelets around her neck. Her neck was so long. She wore a scarf on her head and a silver hairpin in her hair. She wore the traditional clothes of her people.
She didn’t speak English. She didn’t speak Thai either. She only spoke her own language. We communicated with each other through body language. Her stall sold a lot of things: necklaces, silver bracelets, wax figures of long-necked people, and even small pencils. She invited me to buy things, and I also bought pencils from her to give to my friends in Vietnam.
The legendary long-necked people have also appeared.
I continued walking. Simple houses built of bamboo gradually appeared. The houses here were divided into two parts. The ground part had hammocks, where people would lie in hammocks and surf their phones at noon. The upper part was used for living. I only walked downstairs and did not go upstairs, for fear that they would not like it.
The scenery inside the village was also very romantic. People planted many bougainvillea flowers, and wherever I went, long-necked women came to invite me to buy things. The children in the village ran away when they saw me, and I only had time to take a few silly photos of them running.
The scenery inside the village is simple and romantic.
As I walked, I saw an old woman weaving. I looked at her familiarly, then suddenly remembered that she had appeared in a video I had seen on Youtube. At that time, I saw her weaving. That day, she was wearing a stack of necklaces, perhaps, she was also one of the women with the longest necks in the village. When I arrived, she was no longer wearing necklaces, she had taken them all off her neck. I pointed at the stack of necklaces placed on the table, she used my hand to touch a scratch on her neck. I seemed to understand the problem: Perhaps, because of wearing so many necklaces, her neck was also torn, she had to take them off to avoid affecting her health.
She weaved very diligently, the patterns were extremely delicate. She wove slowly and sometimes looked at me and smiled. I was also very diligent, taking pictures while she worked. In the end, I bought her a scarf for 100 Baht. She also put small bracelets on her wrists and signaled to buy them for her. But I couldn’t buy them because it seemed that this kind of jewelry didn’t suit me.
The stalls are full of color.
SCHOOL ON THE HILLTOP
At the end of the main road is a school. This is also the only school in the village. Calling it a school is grandiose, but inside there are only a few desks and a small board. On the wall, people hang many addition, subtraction, multiplication and division tables. In another room is the teacher's room. Then there is also a reading room with a sentence that quite impressed me: Read books today, be a leader tomorrow.
I visited Huay Pu Keng long neck village for a short time, but I felt the poverty of this land. The people living in the village are really having a lot of difficulties. Most of the souvenirs are sold for only 100 Baht. If one day you get lost somewhere on your journey to explore Mae Hong Son, do not miss Huay Pu Keng long neck village. And then buy some items for the people!
This is also the only school in the village.
The children in the village were innocent when they saw tourists.
The children in the village were innocent when they saw tourists.
SOME MORE INFORMATION
To get to the village, you have two ways:
- Boat rental from Mae Hong Son town: Most tourists will take this route, because it is fast and allows for beautiful views on the Pai River.
- Motorbike: On the journey to explore the Mae Hong Son Loop, young people often ride motorbikes and go straight to Huay Pu Keng village before returning to Mae Hong Son town. The road is very easy, but very deserted. The road is only for those who love adventure.
- Accommodation: There is hardly any accommodation in the village. Tourists mainly visit the village and then return to Mae Hong Son town to sleep.
- Safety: The village is located on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, but is extremely safe and peaceful. If you are an explorer and an adventurer, you can also travel here alone. The villagers are very kind, they are also used to the presence of tourists, so they warmly welcome guests. The only thing is that the villagers are not good at English, mainly using body language to communicate.
