The Karen Hilltribe
I’m trying to get caught up on my blog before I go to Laos tomorrow. I read part of the Laos guidebook on my computer today and it sounds like I might be off the beaten path for the next week. I’m headed to Vieng Phouka (from Chiang Khong, Thailand) which according to the guidebook doesn’t see many tourists. And it offers great trekking to both landscapes and less visited hilltribes.
But before I go to Laos I will write about the end of my waterfall tour last weekend. After seeing the big waterfall we stayed at a nearby Karen hilltribe. The Karen are an ethnic minority (Asian roots) in Thailand and Burma. Some Karen have moved from the villages to the cities and lead modern lives very similar to the Thai. Some Karen live in their native villages leading a subsistence lifestyle just like their ancestors. And there are also many Karen refugees that have escaped the conflict in Burma (to be written about later hopefully). I will write about our experience in a native village below.
There are a lot of Karen hilltribes scattered throughout out Thailand but I think most of them are near the Burma border. And each of the tribes are at varying levels of modernization. The tribe we stayed at is on a heavily traveled tourist route. 10 years ago the small children would run when they saw a foreigner but now more than 100 foreigners stay there every week. They have a school, motorcycles and small walk behind tractors. But there are other very isolated hilltribes in Thailand that might only get 1-2 foreign visitors a week. Below are some pictures that I took while visiting.
In the middle of the village
Children playing and some of the houses
Can you post some photos of where you stay and what you eat? I’m curious.
Did you know the Twin Cities has the most Karen refugees in the US? Good people, taken lots of abuse.
I didn’t know that but I remember a lot of Hmong coming to the Twin Cities when I was a kid. I thought it might be the same for the Karen refugees.