Meeting the Cheif

---

I am totally exhausted! Damian is moaning like an old man...nope sorry an old woman actually!
We have had a really magnificent experince today. We went treking! We started on our trek in the Lanteen Village of Ban Nam Dee wher we could see rice fields that wandered high up onto the mountainside. we treked up teh mountain side through a forest where we stopped and had lunch. We then went to some upland rice paddies where we met the cheif of teh Sida ethnic group (tibeto-burman group) and his men chopping bamboo up to make a hut to dry rice in.They were so welcoming even though we could not say anymore than hello or thankyou. we sat under one of the huts while our guide Paul chatted to them they even shared their Lao whiskey,fags and tabacco with us (teh whiskey was foul!) one of the guys noticed i was bleeding through my sock and they all helped get this plant and chop it up and put it on my leg to stop it!( ihad been punctured by a bit of wood earlier on the walk) It was so wonderfull to meet these people they just kept making us drink thsi whiskey it was hard to refuse and it tasted so bloody awful! they tried to offer damian some tabacco that they had harvested themselves but he thought it was weed or opium so said no but then we asked paul and he just said it was tabacco! The cheif then invited us to eat with them which was an honour and not something that everyone gets on this trip it was just right time right place. They just eat out in the feilds in a hut teh same as tehy use to dry teh rice ion only smaller. So we went up and in and all sat round on teh floor with all teh food on big leaves we had fish soup,smoked fish,rice,bamboo soup,weird pork stuff and some leaves! we sat with teh cheif and his men while a few others had to wait coz it was tradtion for teh guests of teh cheif to eat first while teh others waited so there was about 8 of us eating me damian paul(teh guide) and some of teh men! (we didn't wanna eat to much as teh food was only washed and cooked with water from teh stream outside!) It was all rather weird tasting but the experince was just brilliant and 1 of teh guys kept telling me off coz i wasn't eating enough(somthing that rarley happens to me round a dinner table!ha) after we had finsihed eating we gave the cheif some books colouring pens and paper we had brought for the school as we were unable to into teh school as it closes early on fridays. we said our goodbyes and thankyous and took about a 15 min walk to the village and had a walk through it. They have solar panels here attached to most of teh houses and they also had 2 running water pumps which they still have to clean teh water b4 they drink. it was quite funny teh kids just looked and giggled at us i guess te young ones have not seen that many white people especially since it is low season. we then walked back down teh mountainside and on our way met many of teh villagres who had been into town to buy or sell goods.
Today has been one of the best on my trip so far. forget all the scenery and teh jumping out of and off things sitting with teh cheif and his men eating dinner with them has been.......i just cant think of teh right words to say how i feel....just bloody good!

---