After another 30min drive we reached the restaurant for lunch. It was about time. Being up since 6am everybody was tired and hungry. Lunch was nothing interesting especially because it was a Chinese buffet. A pity :(
Next step was Mae Sai with the border to Myanmar. We escaped again from the group to climb 207 steps to the temple uphill and see the border from the top. Much better than some more shopping or seeing the border from the other side of the bridge.
Back in the car we drove 40min to a "hill tribe village". I'm using quotes here because one tribe, the Karen, was really living them as we could see from the huts. The others were just coming along to sell their handicraft.
I was very uncomfortable the whole time in the village. On the one hand I felt like visiting a human zoo but on the other hand I knew those ladies were dressing up in their traditional costumes for us, the tourists, and were hoping we would buy what they made.
We did see some of the legendary long neck women. I hold one of their heavy necklaces. The 20+ rings they wear everyday since they are children weigh up to 15kg. Can you imagine spend your whole life wearing 15 extra kilos around your neck? Crazy isn't it?
Finally after seeing the long neck ladies, we started our journey back to Chiang Mai. 3h30min in the car :(
I'm telling you this is the last time I'm doing a group tour on/off from a bus. It's simply not my kind of thing.
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