Local customs – Northern Thailand

This is a photo I took of a girl who lived in one of the hill tribes of Northern Thailand, near the Burma border. The female members of the tribe wear  necklaces around their neck to indicate their age. They have one added every year. I am not sure how young they are when this starts but it is from when they are very young girls. Eventually their neck stretches, supported by the bands. If they were to take them off, their neck could break.  The women wear lots of jewellery on their arms, wrists, ankles and legs and they never take them off. The women also work long days in the rice paddies and the neck rings restrict their movements, however if you watch them they do everything with such grace, they are actually look very beautiful. The men believe the women with the longest necks are the most beautiful in the village so the women go to extraordinary lengths to elongate their necks to full capacity.

Camels in India

Camels in the Indian desert

This is a photo I took in Rajhastan, northern India, 3 years ago. I was traveling around India with my partner, sister and her friend for a month. India was a crazy but amazing place and I absolutely loved it!

We went on a camel ride and I can’t say it was my favourite experience in the world. They are very high and very bumpy but it was good fun all the same. The locals there call the camels ‘the horses of India’ and they are invaluable to the people who live in the desert. Here is some information about camels (http://fohn.net/camel-pictures-facts)

Camels have lived in some of the most desolate corners of our planet, and not only do they live, they thrive. Most large animals are unable to survive in these kinds of desolate places. This is because of their large requirement for resources such as food and water. Camels are able to use this to their advantage as a survival strategy. By living in deserts, mountains, and other arid places Camels are able to avoid predators, and others who would compete for resources. Camels are only able to do this because of their amazing ability to efficiently use the resources their environments provide. A camel can travel long distances which allow them to take advantage of the maximum number of resources. They can withstand a massive amount of dehydration which allow them to survive not only between watering holes, but sometimes between seasons. When at a watering hole camels are able to gorge themselves and rehydrate quickly. For food, camels are omnivorous. They can eat almost anything be it vegetation, meat, or bone,– salty or sweet, a camels stomach knows no limits. But it is their temperament that is truly endeared the camel to man. Docile and sweet under a caring hand, but stubborn and angry if ill treated, the camel both wins your heart and your respect.