We’re next going to visit a Myanmar Hilltribe Village - Yippie Yippie Mom & I are so excited!! Now travelling in our Burmese Tuk Tuks in the town of Tachileik, Myanmar :

Arriving at the Regina Hilltribe Village - a combination of the Karen Padaung (or Long Neck) & Akha Hilltribes Village, perched on a beautiful serene hilltop. 

A huge wooden Long Neck Hilltribe Painting on the left side of the main entrance :

And the wooden Akha Hilltribe Painting to the right of the entrance :

We’re soon met & welcomed by the Burmese Hilltribe Village tour guide, who’s now leading us on a pathed slope up the village :

Our 1st stop is a small hut where there’s a Long Neck Hilltribe lady seated on the floor weaving a scarf. Well, the Long Neck Hilltribe people are the skilled weavers among all Hilltribes.

Mom gives a pretty loud exclamation when she sees this Long Neck Hilltribe weaver!!

Well, I’d actually been telling Mom about the Long Neck Hilltribe before this trip, yet Mom kept telling me that she’d seen these tribal people before as she’d been to Thailand & Chiang Mai a few times years & years ago!!

But now, guess she’s never seen one in real person cos she looks really surprised!!

We’ve now stepped into the hut to be nearer the Long Neck Hilltribe weaver - see the many Brass Rings around her neck, arms & legs (covered by cloth).

Well, Legend has it that the Karen (or Long Neck or Padaung) Hilltribe people have the culture of wearing the Brass Rings cos they wana protect themselves from the attacks of tigers which kill their victims by 1st breaking their necks!

Later, the Brass Rings are added to the arms & legs. And the custom & tradition of the Long Neck Hilltribe has its girls as young as 5 years old start putting on the Brass Rings. One Ring is added onto the neck after every each year, & the more Rings the girl has, the more beautiful she’s considered to be. 

And by the time the girl grows up, she’ll have more than 20 Rings around her necks, & Rings on her arms & legs too. It seems that these womens’ necks are stretched, but in actual fact, their collarbones are weighed down by the many heavy Rings & distorted as a result.

And today, these Long Neck Hilltribe women continue to wear their Brass Rings as a form of attracting world wide tourists to come visit them, & buy their handmade handicrafts, so that they can make good livings out of them.

Well, I personally have met the Long Neck Hilltribe women last December when I visited Chiang Mai. Though I’d heard & seen them on TV, the real experience of meeting them life in persons actually made me cry (but I hid my tears from them), as I felt sad & pity for them thinking of how heavy all those Brass Rings are, & how much they must have suffered with the Rings on them throughout the days & nights, weeks & months & years!

But guess they feel otherwise, cos they all seem very happy & cheerful & readily posed for photos with us with their prettily made-up (with cosmetics) faces.

Well, & here I am again, posing with this elderly Long Neck Hilltribe weaver, who’s surrounded by displays of her hand woven scarves & clothes for sales :

Mom standing beside the Long Neck Hilltribe weaver :

Mom beside a younger Long Neck Hilltribe vendor :

Our lovely Burmese Hilltribe Village tour guide :

The following is a Slideshow containing photos taken while we’re walking uphill, such as of the beautiful Banana trees, colored plants & greeneries that line the hill slope of the village - & you must have noticed my very special unique Long Neck Hilltribe Souvenir Magnet on the right side of the Slideshow right?!

That’s my most precious World Souvenir Magnet that I found last December when I visited Chiang Mai - the Magnet depicts so well & so real a typical Long Neck Hilltribe woman - truely amazing :

We’re now following the Burmese tour guide walking further up the hill :

Now we see more stalls lined up along both sides of the sloped up pavement - & there’re so many colorful handmade embroidered Hilltribe Bags here :

And there’s an Akha Hilltribe woman who happily poses for my camera. This Akha woman is dressed in the style of “PhameeAkha” - her hat looks like an armor’s hat & is adorned with silver coat buttons, silver coins & small beads.

And if you see behind this woman, there’s a seated man in blue t-shirt - well, he’s a pretty handsome Akha Hilltribe man but he’s not wearing the traditional male costume.

Hey, aren’t these below Deer Horns?! Oh dear Yes, they are! In fact Tachileik has retained the habit of allowing vendors to openly sell endangered animal parts!! No wonder it has the reputation of being a rough town!

See the many lovely handsewn colorful beaded with silver coat buttons & bells Bracelets & Anklets on sales - pretty ha?!

Well, of course I can’t resist & got one of these Anklets for myself too - here in Tachileik, Thai bahts are used instead of its own Burmese Kyats.

Anyway, the Akha Hilltribe vendor immediately helps me to put on my Akha Hilltribe Bell Anklet.

And haha I’ve now become rather noisy with the many ringing bells as I walk, & the Hilltribe villagers looking me up & down & smiling heheh!!

We’re next met with another Long Neck Hilltribe woman who shyly smiles at me from afar upon seeing me :

And then here’s another elderly woman whom I guess must be a Long Neck Hilltribe woman too, though she has none of the Brass Rings around her neck etc, cos her neck seems elongated!

Then come another 2 young Akha Hilltribe girls whom I think have just come back from school, & they cheerfully smile for my camera :

Look closely at the hat of the below Akha Hilltribe girl - this is in the style of ”LomueAkha” too in which the hat is adorned with small beads, with alternate silver coat buttons & coins. And surrounding the girl’s face are round fat silver balls - very adorable!

Below are beautiful Scroll Paintings locally handpainted by the Hilltribe villagers :

And the following are 4 Scroll Paintings I just bought -

Padaung (Karen or Long Neck) Hilltribe Scroll Painting :

Akha Hilltribe Scroll Painting :

Hmong Hilltribe Scroll Painting :

And of course being right here in Myanmar right now, I’ve got to have a Burmese Lady Beauty Painting too :

Mom & Dad with the 2 young Akha Hilltribe girls :

Myself with more Akha Hilltribe women in their embroidered costumes & elaborate headdresses :

Then there suddenly comes a very cute little Hilltribe girl all dolled up & dressed in a bright yellow dress & scarf, & wearing Pearl necklace & earrings, & she even has makeup on her face - how sweet how sweet!!

And she also knows how to pose for my camera by showing the “Peace” sign with her tiny fingers!

More Akha Hilltribe women & girls soon join us, & behind them stands a Long Neck Hilltribe woman :

And taking the opportunity of these Hilltribe villagers gathering together, Mom & I join them for a photo shot :

Then Mom & Dad start to give away tips to these Hilltribe young & old, & here below are some photos taken of them gathering around us :

And I myself personally give some tips to this youngest Hilltribe girl after taking photos with, & of her :

Isn’t she a doll?!

She’s just so lovable - look at her so smooth & colored face!

We’re now walking to the top of the village hill & we see beautiful scenic views of the surrounding hill as we walk up the slope further away from the Hilltribe village stalls.

I’ve put in the following Slideshow photos taken when we’re walking to the hill top - on the right side of the Slideshow is my most beautiful Akha Hilltribe Souvenir Magnet which I bought in Chiang Mai last December :

Well, we’re actually here for the Long Neck (Padaung) & Akha Dancing Shows - no wonder I saw the sign outside the village entrance! Ha, there’re only 5 of us in the audience, yet they’re still performing for us - how wonderful!!

Mom & Dad sitting happily on the wooden bench waiting for the show to start :

The show soon begins & I’ve taken a Video of the 1st very cute & leisure Akha Hilltribe Dance by the 2 young Akha Hilltribe girls with whom we took photos with earlier.

Next is another charming Akha Hilltribe Dance by the older Akha Hilltribe women whom we met earlier………..

Surprisingly, the dance song they use here is the Burmese version of the very popular Hokkien song “Ai Piah Jia Eh Yia” which when translated in English means “Got to Fight then can Win!”! In fact, as I later listen to more Burmese songs when I’m back home in Singapore, I realise they’re mostly versions of popular Chinese, English or Hokkien song oldies heheh!

Then there’s the last Dance by the Long Neck Hilltribe women, including the youngest adorable girl in yellow dress - they all dance very relaxingly & beautifully, especially the little girl who dances so well, & at the same time singing along with the song as she dances - she really warms my heart!

The dancing show was really heartwarming & entertaining! Now, the dancers sit around the stage waiting to take more photos with us. 

Mom & myself with the young Akha Hilltribe girls :

Mom with the Hilltribe girls again, whom I think look really alike & I wonder if they’re sisters :

And now my turn - haha the girls seem kinda tired - or are they irritated cos we take too many photos with them! Oops!!

Well, these 2 girls give me a strange feeling about them - sometimes I see them smiling really happily at me, sometimes they look kinda sad, & sometimes they look really angry…………

Somehow they make me feel that they’re unhappy about their living conditions, or that they’re tired over their school work, or that they’re tired cos they’ve to study yet work & perform?!

Or is it cos the tips we give them are too little perhaps?! I wonder…………….

But who am I to judge them huh, & may be I’m just so wrong about all my guessings, cos may be it’s just the way they are normally with their usual looks & behaviours. Well I sincerely wish them the very best in life, & that they grow up strong & happy.

Well, below’s the Akha Hilltribe woman from whom I bought my Anklet earlier - she, of all the Akha Hilltribe people I met today, gives me the best impression cos somehow she seems a very good woman, & always so quiet & happy & she also gives me the feeling that she’s really pleased & contented with her life & the way things are, which is really comforting. 

Mom with the little “yellow“ girl, who’s holding some money she’s just been given by Mom - heheh think today this little girl has got the most tips from us!! 

Well, think she must be only 3 to 4 years old now?! Well, I really really hope that by the time she’s 5 to 6 years old, she won’t be made to wear those heavy Brass Rings around her neck - that will really be so sad & heartbreaking!

But looking at the way she’s being trained so well in her dancing & singing & the way she mixes & poses so well with us, I bet she’ll be one of those Long Neck Hilltribe women to put on Brass Rings to attract tourists as she grows older…………..

Oh dear, that’s really so saddening………..but guess she won’t feel sad at all but happy cos she’s being brought up this way & that she may only understands that such culture & tradition of her Hilltribe family is the most beautiful thing that she ever wants in her life.

Well, I later ask around for the mother of this cute little “yellow” girl cos I wana take a photo of both of them together, & here they are below - Mother & Daughter of the Long Neck Hilltribe :

Well, it’s now come to the end of our Long Neck & Akha Hilltribe Village Tour & we’re now making our way downhill after saying “thank yous” to all the dancers & the Burmese Hilltribe Village tour guide.

Along the way downhill, the little “yellow” girl waves goodbye to us & she really melts my heart, & I wish she can come with me!

The Akha Hilltribe people also follow us downhill & stand around to bid us farewell as we walk further down the village, leaving them :

And here’s one of those 2 young Akha Hilltribe girls - & as I hand sign to her & tell her that she’s beautiful in English which she seems to understand, she waves goodbye to me with a faint smile on her face - & that makes me a little less worried about her as I leave her further to walk downhill :

Below is a Slideshow of photos taken when we’re walking downhill :

We’ve now reached the bottom of the hill where we’re leaving the Regina Hilltribe Village - hopping onto our 3 Burmese Tuk Tuks :

Below shows the main entrance to the village with the 2 wooden Long Neck & Akha Hilltribes Paintings on both sides of the gate (on the left & right sides respectively which I’ve featured above), & in the middle is the young Akha Hilltribe girl pushing her bicycle up the slope into her village as we’re leaving :

Well, it’s been a really fun & exciting tour of the Myanmar Hilltribe Village, though I feel it’s pretty commercialised in their main intention of attracting tourists.

But guess the Hilltribe people also benefit from such tourism arrangements as they have stable breads & homes now, compared to being left alone to fend for themselves in the highland wilderness in the military-torn country.

And well, though I’d actually entered & seen a little of a Long Neck Hilltribe village house last December when I visited Chiang Mai, how I again wish (since I’ve always been very fascinated with the ethnic minorities’ culture & lifestyle) that I’ve got more time here in this Village today so that I can revisit the homes of the Long Neck Hilltribe, as well as experience a visit to one of the Akha Hilltribe houses may be!?!!

And if only I’ve got more time here, I’ll shop around more & buy more stuffs from them, such as their pretty hand woven scarves, or their handicrafted souvenirs like the embroidery bags etc! Well, too bad I can’t, cos Mom & Dad are feeling hungry & we need to go grab lunch asap!!

Hmm………may be next time I’ll be back in Myanmar again, if chances allow…………till then, I’ve to be just contented with the several Hilltribe Dolls & the many Hilltribe Post Cards that I have, as well as the many Hilltribe Souvenir Magnets that I’ve got so far in my World Souvenir Magnets Collection!