December 7, 2005 - Head in the Clouds
This Lisu village that will be our home for tonight is cloaked in fog. I can’t see for more than 20 feet in any direction, but I can certainly hear all that is happening around me. There is singing in one direction, hammering from another. There are rooster calls coming from everywhere!
We bid farewell to Reni who departed for Bangkok a little while ago. Sarah, my sister, and I wandered around the village. Just as in the other village, we were met with many different reactions. The majority of the villagers were warm and welcoming. A few seemed indifferent. Some of the children were curious but cautious. We managed to make one or two cry.
Our hosts have been kind and our dinner will be available in an hour or so. We did have a chance to share a quick drink and toast with Sam, who will be our guide tomorrow. I’ve experienced many regional forms of alcohol on my recent travels, but this one had to be the most mysterious. I will leave knowing only that it was a clear liquid bathing a bottle full of mushrooms.
Our guide from yesterday said goodbye to us a little while ago. But, before the goodbyes, he took us to a lovely waterfall. The path was adventurous and I felt even more inadequate when I observed our guide negotiating the “trail” in sandals.
Our guides earlier in the day who had led us into the bowels of a limestone cave wore similar footwear. We followed them with quite a bit of faith, deep into the Earth. They had obviously made the trip several times before since the wondrous sights no longer seemed to impress them. It was only the slithering friend we happened upon that seemed to give them a little excitement. And if the guide is excited, usually the client should be scared to death.
I wait now in anticipation. Our previous guide from the last village was of very few words but provided us with glorious meals as well as rich new experiences. My eyes, ears, and stomach eagerly await tonight and tomorrow’s adventures.
We bid farewell to Reni who departed for Bangkok a little while ago. Sarah, my sister, and I wandered around the village. Just as in the other village, we were met with many different reactions. The majority of the villagers were warm and welcoming. A few seemed indifferent. Some of the children were curious but cautious. We managed to make one or two cry.
Our hosts have been kind and our dinner will be available in an hour or so. We did have a chance to share a quick drink and toast with Sam, who will be our guide tomorrow. I’ve experienced many regional forms of alcohol on my recent travels, but this one had to be the most mysterious. I will leave knowing only that it was a clear liquid bathing a bottle full of mushrooms.
Our guide from yesterday said goodbye to us a little while ago. But, before the goodbyes, he took us to a lovely waterfall. The path was adventurous and I felt even more inadequate when I observed our guide negotiating the “trail” in sandals.
Our guides earlier in the day who had led us into the bowels of a limestone cave wore similar footwear. We followed them with quite a bit of faith, deep into the Earth. They had obviously made the trip several times before since the wondrous sights no longer seemed to impress them. It was only the slithering friend we happened upon that seemed to give them a little excitement. And if the guide is excited, usually the client should be scared to death.
I wait now in anticipation. Our previous guide from the last village was of very few words but provided us with glorious meals as well as rich new experiences. My eyes, ears, and stomach eagerly await tonight and tomorrow’s adventures.
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