7. Further up the Lay Mro River. - Chin Tattooed Women villages.

Later we departed Goon Kyun village and went further upriver

Back in our boats and up the river

The Monk Uzin Blue (who made so much of the mission work possible)  - looking for some photographic opportunities with

 his amazing camera gear.

The older women work collecting river stones and sell it as road base.
This must rank as one of the top 10 worst jobs ever.

A legend said that the Myanmar King from the central land explored their State as Chin women are the most beautiful among other minorities. So Chin girls not later than age of 13 had to tattoo on their faces to make them ugly and to prevent from being taken to the Myanmar palace. As tattooing habits are stopped, you can see mostly elderly women with tattoo nowadays.

We posed with the tattooed ladies

PDG Karl Dykeman (CA) hands out dental hygiene kits to the children

With the local law enforcement officer

I was also privileged to meet John (Kui Lwin)an aid worker from Chin state who is determined to improve education and tourism in his home state. He is planning to initially build a student boarding and teachers centre and is trying to raise money and supervise the construction

This is a group of houses that dig up river-stones for road base and taken them down river to a collecting point.