On the morning of Day Nine we visited a rural village area in Chiang Rai that was home to several different types of Hill tribes peoples. I believe we visited the Akha and the Long Neck Karen tribes. According to our guide, many of the Hill tribes people who have recently settled in this province come from neighboring Myanmar (Burma) where they have fled an on-going civil war between the military government and various ethnic tribes in that country. The men usually find work in agriculture or as day laborers while the women we met made handicrafts and garments to be sold as souvenirs. We walked the village and were able to see the inside of some of their huts. The Long Neck Karen women begin wearing brass rings around their necks at an early age, adding more rings as they grow older. The rings press down on their shoulders giving them the appearance of having an elongated neck. This practice dates back hundreds of years. The reasons for why they wear these heavy brass rings vary: an ancient legend claims the rings protected them from tiger attacks (a tiger usually brings down its prey by biting the neck); also, the image of a long neck is seen as attractive in their culture. It could also be a status symbol. For whatever reason, the women of the Karen tribe really stand out because of this practice. We spent over an hour at the village and had time to shop for handicrafts.