Mae Yen Temple
Mae Yen temple is located halfway up a mountain and once you have climbed the 350 steps to get there the views over the valley are tremendous, covering a radius of around 10kms. There is an interesting old chedi at the temple and also murals that were painted by a local artist about the previous lives of the Buddha.
Luang Temple
Luang temple has a beautiful Shan style chedi, which was built in 1899 and also has a Shan style sermon hall and Buddha image. Luang temple is the main temple of Pai and is where many of the town’s important festivals take place.
Klang Temple
The chedi at Klang temple represents a mixture of Shan and northern Thai styles. The base up to the middle is Shan style and the middle to the top is northern Thai. There are alcoves set in the sides to represent the different Buddha images for each weekday.
The Padaung area very small tribe of the Karen tribal groups. Only about 500 are left that still follow the traditional ways. Around their necks the women wear very heavy brass rings that depress their shoulder bones so that thenecksappear unnaturally long. Little girls start with just two or three rings, and as they grow older more and more rings are added until the woman carries 20 or more. The women will assure you that carrying the rings does not hurt, but somehow this is hard to believe. It is considered beautiful (before you make any judgments, consider some of the outrageous cosmetic surgery that a lot of western women undergo – this is hardly less crazy).
There are about 100 “long-neck” women and girls live in the three Padaung villages near Mae Hong Son. Other Padaung women are found in a community called the “Union of Hilltribe Villages” in Chiang Rai province.
The Padaung emigration to northern Thailand began more than 10 years ago, when poor agricultural returns and Burma Army oppression and forced labor practices made life increasingly difficult. Some were lured across the border by a profit-motivated Thai businessman who hoped to make money out of putting “long-neck” women on show as a tourist attraction. In 1998, Thai police raided a camp he had set up in Chiang Mai province and charged him with holding Padaung women against their will and mistreating them.
In the Padaung village of Kayan Tharyar, some 22 km from Mae Hong Son, 20-year-old member has passed tenth grade at school and is now continuing her education at the Karenni refugee camp 1, Mae Hong Son. Kayan Tharyar is the biggest of three Padaung villages in Mae Hong Son. There are about 200 villagers and 66 girls and women wear rings.
Ban Nam Phiang Din (Long-necked Karen’s village)
The village is on Pha Bong sub-district is the only village of this kind to be reached by cruising for about an hour along the Pai River, both sides of which are made up of fine scenery. t is the village by Thailand – Myanmar border. Here you will find long-necked and long-eared girls. Handicrafts made by them are available. Price is not so expensive, so did I buy one.
If you want to visit here one of the hotels recommended: Mae Hong Son Riverside. The hotel is located by the same river. Downstairs of the hotel is the pier, you may hire a long-tail boat to the village.
Ban Nai Soi (Karen’s village)
This is another popular Karen’s village that can be easily reached by car, about 33 kms away from the city of Mae Hong Son. The Karens here migrated from Ban Nam Phiang Din because of no peace by the border. Handicrafts are also available like the other.