During your stay at Piloki Village, you will always have a trained guide who speaks English. You will be given a daily itinerary at least two weeks before you arrive, as well as a map upon arrival.
You will be taught some basic Karen language, given a brief history of the Karen people, as well as lessons about the natural environment, including bird and animal species and medicinal plants. You can fish with villagers and learn how to cook your catch. You can even try your luck at gold panning in the river (Piloki is part of the Thongpapum district, who’s name literally translates to “Gold-Hill-Land”).
Other activities include trekking, swimming, and sampling Karen, Mon, and Burmese cuisines. You will also have the opportunity to learn Karen culture from the villagers who wish to share their language, dances, songs, music, food and other activities such as handicrafts and Karen traditional cloth weaving.
Example of a dinner served in one of the homes
This program does not pressure the residents to ‘perform’- rather, cultural exchange will happen naturally throughout the course of your stay as you interact with the community. For example, instead of a scheduled dance performance, tourists can ask residents to teach them a Karen dance. In return, tourists can share a dance or a song from home!
