I took a nap mid day before heading out on hike number two. Yes I was feeling that ambitious, but not ambitious enough to go without a nap…. This one was a hike down to the rice paddies instead of a hike up a mountain. Again we had a beautiful sight of the mountain valley, looking over the village. A little further we were looking over the vast landscape of the mountains. I don’t even know how to describe the beauty that lies in those mountains. As April and I stopped at one point to take in the view, she said, as she had said a few times throughout the trip “it’s like stepping into a national geographic.” The pictures of this kind of nature I have seen so many times have become real and tangible. The sights are breath taking and I don’t have the words to describe them.
This hike took us over 3 or 4 creeks, up and over fallen trees across the path, around (and sometime through) mud. Motor bikes (the same two) were constantly passing as they were bringing bags of rice back to the village, trip after trip. It took us about 20 minutes to a half hour to walk down to the rice fields. They were in a flat valley but it widened around the forest into a larger area as we kept walking. There were raised path ways around and through the fields that we walked on.
The rice had been harvested so it was only the bottom of the sticks left in the field. But we were able to see some of the rice plants. The day before at Jeff’s we had seen and even tried our own hand at thrashing the rice, so it was great to be in the rice fields and see where it grows. After eating so much rice I appreciated standing in that field so much more! Further, the fact that at the village all we ate was rice, and the very rice that the people grow themselves. The meals we had at the village were rice, 3 times a day, with other vegetables and meat, but I only ate the rice. But my point that I am trying to get at is that that rice was the best rice I’ve ever eaten. It was so great! I don’t know for sure what it was about that rice, maybe the fact that it grows right there, it was ‘fresh’? Or maybe it was just a coincidence. I don’t know.
The rice is cut down a few inches from the bottom. It is gathered into bushels, the bushels are then thrashed, which I explained in a previous post. That is rice farming in a very small nut shell.
The fields were crawling with crickets and tiny frogs. They were about the same size, which is how small the frogs were. I had fun trying to catch crickets and was actually successful. I didn’t catch any frogs but I held one.
The surrounding hills were covered with trees. There were a few huts up only a little bit from the level of the fields. I’m not sure what they were used for, maybe the people slept in them during the harvest time because they work such long days. My professor Frank Brynes explained this to me after had read my journal. He said that as the rice comes near to harvest it needs to protected from the birds so a few people will stay down in the fields as the rice continues to mature under the hot sun. The huts provide shelter from the hot sun and sometimes during harvest time they may even sleep down there. They may also have other ways of chasing the birds, such as scarecrows or the like. If they don't do this, flocks of birds will come and ruin the crop.
While we were in the fields, a couple women walked by with cows, about 5 or 6. Jeff told us that yes they were from the village. I don’t know where they came from but they seemed to be headed back to the village.
As I write now (in my journal shortly after the trip) about my experiences and new knowledge I’ve gained from the time at the village, I realise that this is people’s daily lives. This is how they live all the time. It’s how they grow up and it’s how they grow old. What I was so afraid of and uncertain about going into on Monday was people’s daily life. And I knew this on Monday, I knew people actually lived their live there so I shouldn’t be so freaked out about it. But it was not how I live. I didn’t know what it would be like. I knew it would be out of what I am comfortable with. It wasn’t my lifestyle. It was going to be like “high class camping” as Jeff said. And in a sense it was, except they live like this. They grow their own food to live. They had ice cold bucket showers, they had squaties for toilets, the lived in huts – not tents but I don’t know if I can call them houses either. But I guess my thoughts for that have changed. Before my experience there I didn’t think of them as houses, but I think I can now. I’ve seen that people live in them. I have seen it possible. I too have lived in them, granted only for a short period of time. A house can be a hut, a hut can be a house, and both can be a home.
I was comfortable being and living in such close contact with nature. I was comfortable being in it. I wasn’t so comfortable with the people, but that was mainly because of the huge language barrier. I didn’t know how to communicate with them. I didn’t know how to interact with them. It’s hard when we couldn’t talk to each other.
Two completely different worlds met that week.
The last night near the fire some of the villagers shared a bit of their culture with us. Two young boys did a dance with knives and woman also did a dance, both accompanied by other villagers playing their instruments. There was also another song the rest were going to sing for us but they were to nerves/shy/intimidated so they never did it. But various people from our group sang some songs with the guitar. And a lady from the village sang a song. It was awesome to have some interaction with the people. We really didn’t have too much interaction because of the language barrier. I felt a lot of the time we were just there doing our own thing while they continued to do theirs. This is too bad but I don’t know how it could be much different. So this little interaction that night at the fire was great!
A little bit out of order and should really be with the last post...but oh well...this is walking back to the village on the mornings hike.
Cara, April and I ready to head out for the morning hike (again should have been with last post)
PC: Walter
There was a tree fallen over the path and of course Hannah and I had to climb up the hill and get on it! see man to the left, he was our guide and seemed to worried about us climbing up there and followed us up and stood as near as he could and even tried to help us down....I just jumped :P
PC: Rosie
Above ground :D oh the adventures!
PC: Chelsea
this is my friend Samantha I found. She stayed with me on my head/shoulder/hand for a little ways. But once I wanted to climb on that log, she went her own way as I went mine.
PC: Rosie
Rice paddy
Listening and learning about the rice fields
April taking it all In :)
One of the many creeks. I got to the point of taking off my runners every time we came to a creek...but the one time I didn't, I ended up getting a really wet foot...so I gave up..and then of course the next time I nearly fell in, it was with the DRY foot, so I got back to the village with two wet feet.
Rice plant
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