Friday, October 16, 2009

Wandering through the pages of a National Geographic








When we arrived at the local Akha village where we would spend the night, it felt as if we were wandering through the pages of a National Geographic magazine. Those very images that inspired me to dream about the larger world out there and have fueled my travel bug for years...were actually happening to me. I've had those moments several times during our travels when we are passing through rural villages where life changes ever so slowly. We wandered the single dirt lane through the village, flanked by bamboo houses with thatched roofs. The women sat on porches adorned with their ornate headdresses staring skeptically at us as we marched through the center of their world. The young children had no inhibitions though and before long a pack of boys formed a long parade behind us as we made our way to our hut for the night. It was a delightful evening of playing ball with the eager and curious pack of boys. The eldest were the ringleaders and the youngest ones watched on from the sidelines anxiously awaiting a stray ball that they could retrieve. Shreaks and squeals soared in the air as boys in broken sandals and torn pants played in the waning daylight.
Our evening got more interesting when we were called into the hut for our 'traditional massage' from young Akha girls, accompanied by their boyfriends. As a pack of guys hung out listening to two conflicting boom boxes, we attempted to relax as these tiny girls threw their weight into us and massaged every square inch of us! The massage seemed to last an eternity...and when she pulled at much shoulder, I happily sat up. Then she gestured for me to lay on my back and started working my arms some more. When the massage finally came to an end, I found myself far more tense...and was fighting a charlie horse in my calf! Our young masseauses were possessively escorted by their boyfriends, and Tim and I let go of a huge sigh of relief that we had survived the massage!

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