The Padaung tribe lives in Northern Thailand near the border of Myanmar (which used to be called Burma). They used to live in Myanmar but they were treated so badly that they have fled the country.

They are widely known for the long necks of the women in the tribe. They wear large rings around their necks to make them longer. This is considered to be beautiful by the Padaung people. Latest studies have shown that their necks are not actually longer. Their collarbones get pushed down on an angle.

In the second picture, you can see the lovely forested hills where they live in simple wooden houses. They do have electricity but they are far from the big city.

Again, I leave it to you to decide if people should go to see them. On one hand, some say tourism perpetuates a practice that should be stopped. On the other hand, they are refugees who can't get legitimate work and have no other real means of income other than tourism. Also, some say one culture shouldn't judge another. Is getting implants any less bizarre? I'll say this: If you do go, treat them with respect. They are regular people with all the same feelings that everyone else has.

There weren't many people there at all so we got the chance to sit and talk with a nice girl who happened to be very musically talented. Her name was Ma-Dja. She sang a pretty song for us while playing guitar. Then we sang an a-capella duet for her. Then she sang her song again and Andrea sang along with an improvised harmony. One of Andrea's many talents is the ability to harmonize with any song almost instantly. After singing and talking, suddenly we weren't "tourists and spectacle," but instead, we were friends.