The electricity didn't come on at all last night. Still wasn't on when we got up this morning. We got up at 6:00AM to pack, then had breakfast, and went to the internet/trekking store. While walking to the place, Guy came up behind us on a motorcycle, indicated he'd running a little late, but he'd be there, just to wait for him. We got there, and waited for more than an hour. Everyone else was there, except Jon, who had gone with Guy when he came by earlier.
The owner of the store kept our backpacks at his house for the duration of the trek, for free. We took a tuk-tuk to a market outside of town, and bought some balloons (for the kids), Guy and his wife and helper stocked up on food for us. We then continued on to a small tribe town, and took a small boat across the Nam Khan river, then started hiking. We hiked for about 2 hours, and stopped at a stream and had lunch. The first hill tribe village was a few minutes ahead, but we decided to eat here instead of the village, because it's hard to eat when you're being watched by dozens of children, all hovering around.
When we got there, the children swarmed around us, staring intently at us, and giggling, it almost seemed like they were expecting something. We handed out candy and balloons to the kids, which they really seemed to enjoy.
Spent an hour or so there, then we hiked to Guy's village, Feeying (Hmong language), or Bantin Pa in Lao language, which means "at the foot of the mountain". We piled our stuff in Guy's house, then walked up a hill to another part of the village, and some kids wer eplaying takraw. Takraw is a cross between volleyball and hackeysack, 2 teams (of 3, in this case), each on one side of a net. The ball is made of a wicker material, maybe half the size of a soccerball, and you can touch/hit the ball with any part of your body except your arms and hands. These kids were good, very good. Us three white guys decided to have a go at it. Of course, we'd get our butts kicked, but oh well. We lost the first game, then we actually won the second game, then I had secede my position, because of a bloody toe. I'd hit the ball one too many times with my toe, and my toenail was jabbed into my toe, and was bleeding. Another local took my place, and they won the third game as well. Jon and Aaron were very good hackeysack players, so they adjusted well.
I went back to Guy's house and grabbed a bottle of water, and washed my cut. After washing it, I took a drink from the bottle...I'd just washed my toe in coconut milk. Oh well. I chatted with Guy a little about teaching, and he showed me the spot where our house would be if we decided to go ahead with it. It's part of his property, he had cleared it away, he was going to plant some fruit trees or something there, or do whatever with it.
No electricity at all in this village. No machinery, no motorbikes, no nothing.
The kids followed us around all day, and when we were in Guy's house, they would all crowd around and inside Guy's house, just totally fascinated with us. It was like Grand Central Station, there were so many kids in the tiny house at times. And the kids loved our digital camera's, whenever we took a picture, they'd run over to us to look at the picture, and when they saw themselves, they started giggling and laughing.
Guy tells us that 2 couples will stay at his place, and one couple can stay up at the chief's house. The chief of the tribe is actually an elected position. He was the first person we met, actually. As we were hiking to the village, we passed one of the three watering holes, and he was there getting water.
We sat around Guy's house waiting for supper, which wasn't ready until after 8:00. Of course, by this time, it's pitch black outside, our only source of light is the small cooking fire inside the house, and a few candles burning. Everyone cooks over open fire inside their houses in these villages.
Guy's wife (Tia) and their kids (Billy, almost 3, and a baby, 5 months, I think) trekked with us to their house, as Tia and the kids were staying in Luang Prabang for a few days. Billy seems to have a never ending supply of energy, not only did he hike with us the whole way, he's just go-go-go at the house as well. Guy is the only english speaking person in the hole village.
As we were eating, Guy explains that we can all stay at his place, he and his wife and kids will sleep on the floor, and we can all sleep on their beds, because if anyone sleeps at the chief's house, they have to get up at 5:30, when the chief gets up. We talk about it, and feel really bad about essentially kicking Guy and his wife and kids out of their beds, but he says it's no problem, and no one wants to get up at 5:30, so we all decided to stay at Guy's place. 4 people can sleep in the "bedroom", and he has another small bed in the corner of the hosue for 2 more.
Court and Suzy and Jon and myself take the bedroom bed for 4 people, and Rebecca and Aaron take the other bed. Court and Suzy head to bed before everyone else, and I think Rebecca wanted to go to bed too, but couldn't really, because Guy and myself and Jon and Aaron are still up sitting around the fire in the living space. Guy's wife and kids are already asleep on the dirt floor in the corner. Not to worry, they did have mats they were sleeping on. Guy reassured us that it's normal for hilltribe people to sleep on the floor, it wasn't a big deal.
Shortly after Court and Suzy went to bed, I climbed into bed too. Jon and Aaron stayed up until about 4:00AM talking with Guy.
BTW, the sleeping beds are bamboo beds. They are still hard, but do have a little give in them. Better than sleeping on the ground, I'm sure, which would have no give at all.
Earlier in the day, while hiking, Rebecca had heat stroke or something, she was all red and hot and dizzy, Aaron had to carry her pack for her.
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