TIC Part II

The saga continues.  We immediately went to lunch and the lunch place was very traditional.  Upon arriving, they sang songs, were dressed in their traditional outfits which included a mass amount of jingling silver and some type of flute playing.  We drank some rice wine out of horns as we walked into the restaurant.  Then during lunch they did the same thing except with rules.  Rule #1: don’t touch the cup, Rule #2: don’t touch the woman’s hands, Rule #3: don’t stand up.  Then they poured more rice alcohol down all our throats while singing loudly.  It was super fun and exciting.  The alcohol was super different than anything I have ever tasted before.  I can grow to love it and will most alcohols the more expensive it is the better it tastes.

We then walked around the town and I was with one of the Chinese speaking professors.  She asked if we could tour a native home and reluctantly he agreed.  Then the professor wanted to take photos with the family and the grandmother and baby were not at all happy pose.  Things were a little awkward, but we eventually left the house.  TIC.  The village was extremely impoverished and there was trash everywhere.  Sewage smells creep up on you when you least expect it.  I have gotten used to it because I smell sewage all over the place especially in bathrooms.  TIC.  The village in located in the hills and they farm on terraces carved out on the side of the hill.  The whole town was walking up the hills.  We saw and spoke to one 60 year old woman carrying about 50 pounds of vegetables up the hill side.  I thought I was having a hard time walking up the pathways in the heat until I saw this woman.  She was very friendly and had a beautiful smile.  I played badminton in the street with a local girl.  The group celebrated Mariah’s birthday with fireworks and karaoke.  The fireworks were huge and kept shooting into the air.  It was hilarious.  The whole town was wooden and the fireworks just kept exploding.  Finally when they stopped, we heard sirens and all started to run.  Super funny and super lucky we did not cause a fire in this village.  Unfortunately, I learned that the native people of this area don’t own the businesses and don’t directly benefit from the tourists that travel to see their land.  The government decided to create this tourist destination and people with close ties were the ones who set up the shop and are benefitting.  So the local impoverished farmers get exploited.  TIC.  It was a wonderfully beautiful place and the local people I met were all very pleasant and seemed to be happy.  The politics behind it all make it difficult to enjoy but, again, I am keeping an open mind and am happy I got to enjoy this country village.