Dear all,

Has any of you ever seen the movie 'Groundhog Day', starring Bill Murray and
Andy McDowel? (I didn't). It's about a man who finds himself living the same
day over and over, untill he lives it perfectly right. Let me tell you about
what happened to me.

Yesterday around 5 I arrived in Mae Hong Son. I went to the guesthouse that
I had picked from the lonely planet, had a shower and went into town. The
next day I would rent a motorbike and ride to a little village where I could
meet (more likely just see) Long Neck women. One of the several tribes from
this region has the custom that women wear a series of thick necklaces that
appear to stretch their necks. In fact that is not the case, it just looks
that way, because their ribs are bent down in an angle of 45 degrees. I saw
pictures of this tribe some years ago in the magnificent Desmond Morris
series that was follow up of his book 'The Naked Ape' (the series was called
slightly different, as I remember).

After a lot of discussions with other travellers, and a look into the Lonely
Planet and my consiousness (geweten, maar ik kan niet op het juiste woord
komen), I decided to go in like a Japanese tourist, pay the entrance fee for
the village, and shoot pictures. Yes, it is a very emberassing thing to do,
and that is how I feel about it also, but if I don't do it, I will never be
able again. Probably one of the next generations of these girls is also
going to wear jeans and T-Shirts, like what happened in Marken, Volendam and
Staphorst. (Three lovely little villages in Holland where all people used to
wear their local clothes untill maybe 50 years ago. Now only a few old
people still do.)

So, this morning, I rent my bike and set of for Mae Aw, a small towm that
was settled by the Kwo Min Tang, yes dear readers, the Chinese resistance.
In the Lonely Planet is written (and on all the maps around here, too) that
about 7 km before Mae Aw there is one of the three villages where you could
see these ladies. Well, that was untill 5 years ago. So I rode 60 KM,
through a beautilful landscape to find a very small, very boring KMT town,
and no ladies.

But I wanted to go to Chang Mai tonight, so I had to be back in Mae Hong Son at
4 in order to queue up for any left-over tickets for the plane.

No Ladies, no Plain, as an old chinese saying goes.

And now I am living my Groundhog Day. I checked in into the same guest
house, had a shower, went into town. Tomorrow, I will try to get the same
deal on the motorbike, drive 50k, to another settlement, actually it is a
refugee camp. The Long Necks have fled from Birma, because they are
suppressed overthere. By visiting them, you support the refugee camp. Yes,
political correctness is a very complicated issue! And then, back to the
airport to get my flight to Chang Mai. Now I have a ticket. I bought the
last one this afternoon.

After, yet another very well done massage, and this email, I leave you, in
order to eat something.

Highest regards,

Reinier

PS Josh, sorry, lots of good antique silver here. I had myself completely
ripped off on some. (as on so many things)