SOME OF THE MORE INTERESTING PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY

This photo was taken when we were at Hua Hin in Thailand. This little seaside village was a total surprise to us when we realised that the "night life" was full on with "lady boys" at every bar, trying to attract the attention of both men & women! This guy certainly held our attention for most of the night as he pranced, danced & jiggled to the music for hours on end! Wow...he really loved himself!!!

This armed soldier was one of 6 who were seated in the carriage on the train that we'd taken from Chiang Rai to SungiKolok, which was the border town between Thailand & Malaysia. This SE corner of Thailand was a dangerous area for tourists because of the unrest but apparently train travel was considered to be OK compared to road travel, where thousands of people disappear every year due to kidnappings & murder. Having the soldiers on board gave us a sense of security to a degree, but at the same time had us feeling jittery due to their presence.

This lady, from one of the Hill Tribes around Thaton, was one of a group that appeared on the doorsteps of our hotel every morning, trying desperately to sell their trinkets to make some money. After having said "NO" to their approaches every day for 3 days, we finally gave in with Lorna & I both buying a few things to keep them happy. Buying the hat was not one of them!

"The long necks" from the Karen Tribe, were another group of "hill tribe" villagers near Thaton. These poor people who are refugees from Burma, find life difficult as they can't return to their own country & because Thailand doesn't really want them either, they have been forced to live within a small area of the countryside, barely having contact with the outside world except for the occasional visitors.

How they live with those heavy coils around their necks & legs is beyond me! The discomfort from the actual weight, & the heat factor must be unbearable but because it is their culture & they believe that they are more beautiful with the coils on, they continue to wear them. The only time they remove the coils is when they are pregnant & then it must be done by a special medicine man.