It is said that T.V. is overrated ,a waste of time and energy. Well, it might be true, but my weakness for the magic programme on TVR (Romanian television), called Teleencyclopedia , which is on every Saturday night, has remained on my “list of guilty pleasures” for two decades.

I remember I had seen a documentary a little while ago, about a tribe in which women were wearing some jewels and a kind of necklaces made of rings, around their necks, which made them become longer with the passing years. All these matters regarding the giant jewels impressed me, so I paid much attention to understand what it was all about. Since then, I have actually learnt about the Hill tribes, some populations which come from Tibet, Burma and China, most of them, and live in the mountain areas of Thailand, in the heart of six thick forests: Karen, Akha, Lahu, Miao, Yao, Lisu, each with its own language and culture.

Their history and customs are highly controversial nowadays, especially in the case of Padung Karen, who wear those elongation rings around their necks, because many people believe that the government uses them as if they were some exhibits, in order to earn money. Because of their culture, of their colorful and original clothes, as well as because of  this custom of elongating the neck by wearing special jewels, the tribes are considered a touristic attraction in Thailand and many travel agencies try hard to convince the tourists to go there and meet those tribes. A moral question has arisen lately, if  it is ethical for people to visit those tribes who took refuge in some villages, which should be protected, the situation of these ethnic minorities, living in Thailand gets more complicated all the more as many of them haven`t got the Thai citizenship and suffer from marginalization and oppression. The village I visited looks rather like a Village Museum, where each tribe has its own part and is busy making handicrafts, according to the skills they acquired.

If you feel like a little bit more adrenaline, you can hike on the hills and see a genuine village, and even sleep in the villagers`homes with All Thailand Experiences.

Therefore, if you want to experiment and understand the absolutely fascinating culture of these tribes, choose the agency very carefully, before deciding to go on a trip. You should join small groups, so that you wouldn`t disturb the natives. It`s an experience which is worth living, but don`t forget to live it with care and respect for the difference and the simple life style of the natives.