I Don't Like Spiders & Snakes....

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We woke up, found our way into town, had more Mtori for breakfast and hit the circuit once again to meet more young farmers.

Unlike the day before, we visited farms that were away from the hills and more spread out. We visited farms that grew sunflowers (they made sunflower oil here), maize, tomatoes, beans, and rice.

On the road to the first farm, I noticed a dead snake in the road. It was approximately 2-3 feet long with light grey on the top and white on the bottom. Its tail was tapered to a fine point, very much like a whip. I didn’t take a picture of it because it was dead, but it wasn’t until later that day that we were describing it to someone in the village that someone told me that it was an Egyptian Cobra… a very poisonous snake that is common in the region. I hate snakes, so it just made me a little more conscious of my surroundings for the rest of my stay.

After the snake, we walked through many properties, but the one that impressed me the most was the rice farms where the farmers were out harvesting their crops by hand. The farmers gather family and friends and they go out to the field with their machetes. They gut down the plants, gather them and tkae big handfuls of the plants. Then they beat the plants aagainst tarps where the kernels fall off. They gather up the kernels and put them in sacks. There are no big machines here to help them. They do it all by hand. The scene of golden plants with the backdrop of the mountains was something else.

In order to meet our driver, we had to walk back to the main road. When we got there, we found two men walking a bicycle along the road. In a basket on the back of the bike was a goat, all curled up and asleep. I had to take a picture.... you constantly see things here that appear to make no sense, but to everyone here, it's just another day.

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Comments

[Monica Pege]

YIKES! SNAKES!
I'm not crazy about them either, for sure, Bob...wow every time I look on the blogs I'm filled with inspiration...you are in God's country, doing God's work, and no matter how hard - how incredible! The task of harvesting rice by hand, without any machines is just an amazing thing in my mind...very strong people, not complaining, just getting it done....I love you and miss you, blessings all around you, my friend, and thank you for the blogs - they really do fill my heart...LoveYa, Bob! xoxoxo, Monica

[claude barnes]

inspired
Your work and life is inspirational. What you are doing is admirable Bob. I am humbled to know you. Now hurry up and come home so we can have a drink...or 2.