Visiting Tribal Villages - Not sure if I would call this that authentic...

Last Sunday, we decided to take a tour to get a feel for the northern region. One of the stops was a visit to three tribal villages. I know this sounds really exotic, but probably the most authentic part of the entire experience was nearly being run over by two bulls chasing each other. No joke, we were crossing a dirt path, I was in the middle of the road when out of nowhere two HUGE bulls were racing each other headed straight in my direction. I just stood there in a state of shock... it took a few seconds to process the serious consequences of what would happen to me if I didn't move. I finally got out of there just in time! Our hearts were pounding. Our guide thought it was hilarious (Thais laugh at everything!), this was definitely not funny though.
After that initial wake up call (this happened at 9 AM), the rest of the visit felt extremely staged. We visited three villages that were all within a 2 minute walking distance from each other. It felt artificial, contrived, and actually reminded me of Epcot center in Disney World.

Below are some pictures of some of the villages we visited.


We typically arrived in a village, and the people would put on a show for us.

Tourists visit these villages and expect to see untouched culture. However, these people were clearly putting on a show for us in a desperate attempt to preserve what is left of their customs. Is the culture solely existing for us tourists to walk around and examine these people as though they were animals? I seriously felt like we were visiting a zoo and it felt really wrong every time I took a picture.

The two girls below belong to the tribe of the "Long Necks." The girl looked miserable with her rings around her neck.

I thought the picture below was interesting. A woman from the Long Neck village helping her daughter with English homework - I guess that despite their seeming authenticity, globalization is hitting even these people.

We definitely wound up in a sort of tourist trap. Apparently some hill tribes remain isolated from the hordes of tourists, and seeing them can be quite an experience. I would love to see them if I can, but have mixed feelings about it. As soon as too many tourists invade the villages, the visit loses its authenticity and quickly becomes a Disney World-esque experience.

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