Early start today as we were told our tax would be picking us up at 7am. We were aware that the big shots of politics were gathering very close to our hotel such as Putin and Obama, so when the taxi didn't arrive on time we wernt too worried as some roads were closed and there was traffic/security. But by 8am there was still no sign so after a few phone calls we finally managed to get the taxi there and away we went. There taxi was full, Liam and I along with a guy from England who had lived here for the last 7 years, and a cambodian lady in front. That along with all of our bags and a crappy air con system made for quite an uncomfortable 5 hour drive.
I managed to sleep for perhaps 20 minutes, I don't think Liam got any sleep today as he was sat in the middle. The scenery around our volunteering project kind of reminds me a bit of Yorkshire. The landscape is all rolling hills and big winding roads. We arrived at sen monorom at around 2ish in the afternoon, and walked over to the "bunong place" which is a small fair trade shop and the control hub of the project. We were met by a lady called "haang" who walked us to our lodgings. It was about a 15 minute walk with our big bags in the heat before we met Bill who is the project organiser, who was a bit annoyed we hadn't been dropped off at the hotel because he had apparently paid the driver to drop us all the way. He gave us an extremely brief hello consisting of well you have today to rest, tomorrow you start class at 9am, any problems with your room let the staff know. He mentioned in the conversation that haang was going to one of the bunong settlements today so we said we would quite like to tag along.
We had an hour to ourselves before haang, her niece of about 8 years old and her friend came to pick us up on the way. We drove on the bikes for about half an hour to a remote village which was unlike any we'd been to before. It's the kind you see on the films I suppose, a real old feel to it with mud huts with thatched rooves, children running should everywhere, all kinds of animals wandering around the place. The pace was so slow and peaceful. The reason for the visit was that there was a set of tourists passing through tomorrow and they were low on hand made crafts to sell. They go to the villages to collect stuff to sell for them. We went around a number of houses all around the village, collecting scarves and bags to be sold on. We were invited into a few of the huts to look around, most of them are layed out very similar with a raided platform with bamboo weaver it on each side for sleeping. In the centre is an open fire for cooking, the huts were mostly full of smoke. There is a ladder leading to the upper floor where they keep food and rice bags away from the wet and animals. The bamboo structure of the houses last a good 10 years or more but the thatch is replaced every 2. We were told of the various parts of the forest that were "spirit forest" where no chopping of wood or hunting is allowed. From what I could gather these areas were where the fresh water was available. They see this forest as sacred and where all the good and bad spirits live, and if they do anything to harm it they believe that everybody will get sick and some will die. If anybody does anything to anger the spirits then they have no make a sacrifice and put the blood on all the villagers.
Whilst walking around we noticed a few ritualistic sticks with odd dried fruit/shells of fruit and strips of dried bamboo hanging from them stuck into the sides of some of the huts. We learned they were used in the rice rituals, when they have had a particularly good harvest they sacrifice a chicken or something small and put the blood on the bamboo strands, performing some kind of Thankyou ritual for the good crop. They then also put the blood on some of the wooden poles in the house near the storage place of the food bags to give thanks and protect the food. We then saw a tree by one of the houses which seemed a bit set apart from the rest, so when asked if it was anything special we were told about the wedding rituals. When a man and woman get married they plant a tree, and sacrifice a cow or a buffalo over the planted tree to cleanse the area and make sure the spirits are kept happy. The whole family attend and have big parties and ceremonies together, but other then that it isn't anything where they have to buy lots of things or dress up. The only thing bought are some necklaces by the groom to give to the immediate female family members. The necklaces are held in very high regard and are worn all the time, you notice various women wearing them as you walk around. She said you are allowed to divorce...but the contract is so that nobody ever actually can. To divorce, the man has to give the woman something like 5 elephants and some buffalo...which is utterly impossible so once married you're married for life. They marry at 16 and normally have their first child by 17.
We spent about an hour walking around the various huts buying scarves from people and watching village life, it was really interesting. And we loved that they were welcoming without being overly interested in us....it's a nice rest from being hassled and stared at all of the time. They have a look but then they just get on with their jobs and their lives. Afterwards we travelled back and it was beginning to get dark so the temperature had dropped. The sky was beautiful, the clouds were so great with all the shapes, different colours and the sun just setting behind them. It was a great feeling sat in the back watching all the scenery. By the time we got back it was dusk and about 6 o clock. We changed into longer clothes to keep slightly warmer and protect from bites before heading down to find something to eat. The place we went is a jungle style hut, made with bamboo and thatched roof. You take off your shoes before going " in" and settle yourself down on one of the many straw chairs or sofas. We relaxed there for an hour or so with some food and a drink before heading back to the hotel in the dark. I was so so tired by this time and went straight to sleep, Liam watched the discovery channel on the tv for a little while. We have a good feeling this place, it's really laid back and relaxed so hopefully we can follow suit!
