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Published: June 25th 2011
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Hmong
Vilage from the hill Since my last entry, I have traveled through Thailand by bus, train, car, motorbike, boat, foot and plane. I was overwhelmed by massive street markets, food and scams. However I also found a peaceful side to this country and enjoyed the calmness of so many sunsets, and waiting quietly with locals under a small umbrella waiting for the storm to pass. The thing that I will remember most about this country is the people. Yes their is the occasional rude taxi driver or waitress trying to force you into a table at her restaurant, but for the most part, people are very relaxed and smile often. And, as I found out yesterday when I dropped my credit card without noticing, they are not all out to get your money. My card was returned promptly with a smile.
The subject of this blog, as is evident by the title has to be my home-stay at a Hmong mountain village. Before I get started I understand the irony of paying over $100 to visit one of the poorest communities in southeast Asia. But there is no way I could have done it without my guide and the experience was something that I will
Rice Fields
Steamed rice fields treasure. The package that I bought included 3 days 2 nights home-stay in a Hmong Village. The first day the hike lasted about 4hrs, and we needed to hike as there are no roads. We hiked across rice fields, hops fields, across very muddy and uneven terrain, and in this heat that was quite exhausting. Upon arrival in the village I was warmly welcomed, by the adults as all the kids fled at the site of this giant emerging from the Jungle. The villages were simple, bamboo huts with dirt floors, pigs, cows, chickens, dogs and goats running free. And of course the highlight was the children. All running and playing in their birthday suits.
As the adults work in the rice fields during the day the kids have the village to themselves and the older ones are responsible for the younger ones. I saw kids no older then 5 years watching babies and carrying them on their backs. What cloths they did have were torn and dirty, much like themselves. The one shower in the town was a bucket down by the river. There was one hut with electricity that ran from a micro-hydro power device. This electricity
Shower
Like most showers in this country I have trouble fitting under them was used for one light. Another power source was a generator which was started only on rainy days when they would play a movie and charge about 5cents admission. Everyone in the village attended.
My lodging was basic, a bamboo mat on the floor of the chiefs house with a pillow and a mosquito net with more holes than a block of Swiss cheese. Dinner was even more simple. A handful of last seasons rice (and literally they gave me a Hand-full of rice in this ball shape) and some bamboo shoots gathered early that day. For the cost of my trek I could have stayed in town in the nicest place ate the best food for 3 days and still had $50 dollars left over. Yet I was very grateful for what I had and noticed that the people of the village were grateful as well. I guess when you don't have much you are just happy for what you do have and don't complain about what is not. Admittedly I was very tired of bamboo shoots and rice by the end of my three days, as that is all I ate for breakfast lunch and dinner. Because
Kids in the rice fields
Eating a Mango with an extra large knife that's literally all they had.
I do think that there are some good things about living life in that way. A greater sense of belonging can be found as everyone in the community has a job to do and each job contributes to the welfare of the society. However there is little chance to leave the village and travel or even get an education as they have no money. Literally, no money. When I left I gave the Chief about 15$ and he looked like all his prayers had been answered, and was reduced to tears. Despite this, happiness and smiles were found at every household. I spent my second day planting mountain rice on this steep slippery slope with the villagers. The men pike holes in the ground with bamboo poles while the women follow behind them with the seeds. I did both jobs and am not sure which one I hated most. But I was constantly being made fun of due to my extreme slow speed and how far I had to bend over to put the seeds in the tiny holes. To imagine doing that every day is something I try not to think about especially
when your only nourishment is bamboo shoots and rice.
It was an eye opening experience to say the least and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to be apart of that community to see how they live. Since then I have left Laos and am making my way to southern Thailand where I plan to spend the remainder of my time on a beach drinking drinks with little umbrellas coming out of them and scuba diving. Should be quite nice. After that I return home on the 5th of July.
Hope to see you all soon.
Graham
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