We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and allow us to post them on our blog. A few months ago, Gloria and Ned Krier, from Tucson, Arizona, traveled with us to Myanmar and reported this:

We recently returned home from our trip to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). The highlights included several days in the archaeological area of Bagan, visiting hundreds of old temples. We also enjoyed seeing numerous religious buildings, covered in gold leaf and jewels, containing many sculptures of Bhuddha. It was a thrill to walk along the streets of the fabled cities of Mandalay and Rangoon (now known as Yangon) and see the fascinating culture on Inle Lake.

We were pleased with the pace of the trip. Often we are scheduled for too much “rest” time and we were happy to be “on the go” almost all day. The hotels we stayed in were very nice. The location of the hotel in Bagan was so convenient to walk and discover temples on our own.

Our guide, Simon, was with us for 13 days and AK was with us for three days. They were both very professional and friendly. Simon was charming and always wrote down the names of the places we visited during each day. They both always arrived on time and even came early. The drivers were polite and drove well.

Thanks for organizing a great trip for us.

Gloria & Ted Krier

Young monks in Myanmar taking their daily meal.

In Myanmar (Burma), one group of indigenous people that really stands out are the Padaung women of the Karen people, sometimes known as “long-neck” tribe.

At first glance, it looks as if the women are wearing gold rings to elongate their necks, but actually, this is not physically possible. The long neck is really a visual illusion. The women wear metal rings, whose weight pushes down their collarbones and upper ribs to such an angle that the collarbone actually appears to be a part of the neck, giving the illusion of an unnaturally long neck.

The most common explanation for this practice is that the look of an extra-long neck is a sign of great beauty and wealth, which will help attract a good husband. Some also say the opposite; that it is done to make the women unattractive so they are less likely to be captured by slave traders. Padaung mythology says the reason for the neck rings is to prevent tigers from biting them. It is also said that adultery is punished by removal of the rings. If the rings are removed after years of wearing them, the woman must spend the rest of her life lying down since the neck muscles will have been severely weakened by years of lack of support for the neck. Luckily, the instances of divorce and adultery in the Karen tribe are very low.