Mickey In The Hill Tribes

Golden Triangle, Thailand, Asia

Camera: Rolleiflex

The story:  "The hill tribe area of Northern Thailand - also known as the Golden Triangle due to the large production of opium - is home to many primitive cultures. These are clans of ancient people who, over the centuries, have migrated southward from Mongolia and the high plains into the sub-tropical hills and jungles of Northern Thailand, Burma and Laos. They are the people of the Lisu, Lahu, and Karen tribes, living in their old ways with little influence from the outside world. Each tribe speaks its own unique language and holds onto colorful customs. They live independently from the laws and ways of Thailand even though they reside within its borders. They survive and thrive around the growth and sale of opium. In a world with little artificial material other than the metal of an ancient rifle, they live the way of trading for food and opium. Everything about their world is timeless, from the woven bamboo of their stilted huts, to the pungent opium smoke filling the air around the wrinkled face of an elder. One can't help but feel that they have been there forever - unchanged.

In the past few decades the western adventurist has appeared. With them came the friendly gift for the scantly clad native. This influence from the outside world has changed many of the tribes forever. From those villages on the "beaten track" there comes a constant youthful call for a "Bic" (a pen) or "bon bon." I realized that as a traveler to foreign worlds, no matter where I go or what I do, I will have an impact on the people I visit. With my bagful of tricks and foreign shiny objects, it is especially inevitable. The challenge is to be conscious of the influence and make an educated attempt to leave a positive impression... If that is possible. Here, even in the midst of hidden cultures, Mickey Mouse is reaching out to the world."