Burma - Village Overnight

Although most of my travel is done solo, from time to time I hook up with other travelers. Sometimes we travel together for a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks. It all depends on whether the person is interested in seeing and doing the same things that I am interested in seeing and doing. In the case of Burma I met Yossi my third day in Burma and we traveled together for about 2 1/2 weeks. One of my favorite experiences in Burma was a village overnight.

Yossi and I along with 3 or 4 other travelers took an hour or two boat ride to a village. The boat was actually filled with locals bringing goods back from market. Earlier in the day they had brought goods to sell and now they were returning to their villages.

The village we stayed at was absolutely gorgeous. The homes were built on wooden stilts. The walls were made up of weaved patterns. The roofs were either thatch or some form of metal such as tin or aluminum. In all the homes looked sturdy and well maintained.

Our small group met our host family. We had some fresh fruit and a drink together. Our guide translated some for us. It was a very nice gathering. About an hour later the 3 or 4 other travelers and our guide returned to the boat. Yossi and I stayed behind. Arrangements had been made for use to sleep over 1 night with our host family. Yossi and I were the only foreigners in the entire village now.

Yossi and I went exploring. We walked around the village, which had many different fruits and vegetables growing. This must be what they take to market to trade each day. Again, this village was absolutely gorgeous and pristine. There were children outside playing everywhere. We ran into a couple of cute little girls. We saw a boy carrying water back to his family's home. We joined a group of children who were playing jump rope. It was really wonderful.

By the time we returned to our host family's home, it was time to wash up before dinner. I chose to bathe in the river. Yossi chose to clean up near the well. I am really glad we picked two different options, because half the village followed Yossi and the other half followed me. Had we both gone to the river, 100% of the village would have been staring at me while I was bathing.

Dinner was a wonderful meal of rice, spinach, and lentils among other things. Our host family really made us feel welcome. If I recall correctly, there was a mother, father, and 3 girls. We were limited in our communication due to a language barrier. I struggled with even 1 word of Burmese, since the English alphabet used to represent Burmese words in my guide book did not match the true sounds. In other words, my guide book would show me the letter 's' but it would be pronounced like the letter 't'. I did not understand the sound system and had a very difficult time picking up the local language.

After dinner we were taken to a village meeting area. It seemed like a small tea shop. Many from the village met us there. Again, there was a language barrier but we found a few things that we could communicate. For example, there was a world map on the wall. Yossi and I each pointed out our respective countries. We enjoyed tea together and just enjoyed each other's company.

We returned to our host's home. It was time to go to sleep. Since our host knew that Yossi and I were not a couple, they gave us separate bedding. They gave me the bed and Yossi got the floor. Yossi did not say a word, but my guess was that he was not all that happy about that. Truthfully it really did not make a difference, since the bed was just a wood board set off the ground.

One concern I had was the bathroom arrangement. The toilet was actually an outhouse a significant distance from the house. If I had to go at night, I would have to make my way down the steps of the house and along a curvy path in the dark. Maybe I would find the outhouse but surely I would get lost on my way back. Without me even saying anything my host brought me a metal pot. She explained that I should use this in the night and it would get dumped in the morning. That night I had a difficult time falling asleep. Sure enough I heard someone in the next room urinating into his metal pot. For just a brief moment I chuckled to myself.

The next day our host made use a nice breakfast. I felt the finest and best of everything was put out for us. We were really treated to feel special. I was truly overwhelmed by their hospitality.

Shortly after breakfast our host mother took us back to the river to wait for the return boat. No one from the village besides our host mother was around. This was a perfect time for Yossi and I to offer her some money for all the food and trouble she went through to host us. Although we insisted, she absolutely would not accept even a penny.

The guide who arranged this overnight did not take any money from us either. Time and time again we found the people of Burma to be incredibly hospitable, while asking nothing of us in return. If anything, I was asked to share my experiences inside their country with the rest of the world.

Indonesia - A Village Wedding

One day in Sumatra, Indonesia a young man invited me and a handful of other travels to a wedding. Honestly I was not sure if he was telling the truth. There are always merchants or unscrupulous people who try to lure you away for money or sex or some scheme. To attend the wedding we would have to pay a couple of dollars. I asked the man, "Why do you need a couple of dollars from each of us to view the wedding?" He said the money goes towards gas in the van and a small wedding gift for the bride and groom. This seemed reasonable. A group of 7 of us piled into the van and away we went.

Before we arrived at the wedding the van made a stop. I asked the driver why he was stopping. He said he needed to go buy the gift for the bride and groom. About 10 minutes later he came out of the store with a package. I asked what was in the package. He said he bought some cloth for the bride to make some clothing with. I saw the material and thought this was a very nice gesture. This made me feel that this little adventure may actually be legit.

We pulled up to a big outdoor meeting place. I can not remember if the structure had a cement foundation or just dirt tightly packed. There were no walls but an extremely large wood and tin or aluminum roof. This must be where the village goes for meetings, celebrations, and other important gatherings.

There were hundreds of people of all ages there. They were all dressed in their finest clothes. I asked the driver where we were supposed to go. He said to follow him. Honestly, I felt like a wedding crasher. I wasn't sure this was such a good idea. We did not get kicked out so that was a good sign. Now I was especially glad that we stopped off to buy a wedding gift.

As I mentioned, the villagers were all dressed in their finest clothing. The funny thing is that many of the women had red teeth - bright red teeth. They like to chew on beetle nut, which turns their entire mouth red. The women had on very beautiful clothes and then they would smile with bright red teeth.

By the time we had arrived, the ceremony had already begun. The bride and groom stood in the middle of the wedding hall along with several VIPs. At one point an older man got up to speak and he began to cry. Most of the people in attendance were crying as well. I did not know what they were saying but my eyes became watery. I asked my guide what the older man was saying. He told me that the groom's father had passed away. The older man was a close friend of the groom's father. The older man was saying how the groom's father would have cherished this day and would have been so proud of his son. Now that I had a better understanding of what was being said, a tear dropped from my eye.

At the end of the ceremony it was time to give the bride and groom their gifts. The older women lined up with gifts in hand. This by far was my favorite part of the ceremony. In the picture to the left you will see some of the gifts. One woman is carrying a large weaved mat on her head. Another woman has a teapot in hand. If you look closely at the woman in the blue blouse on the far left you will notice a chicken in her hands. Several women are holding pots and one woman has a lantern. In this Indonesian village there is no Williams Sonoma gift registry. The village women are responsible for furnishing the items needed to start a home. I can only imagine that the men help build the hut. This was something very special to see.

Once the formal ceremony was over it was time to eat. The people formed groups of about 25. The women dished out rice from large containers and placed small portions in a bowl. After everyone had some rice, meat and vegetables were added to the dish. Everyone sat on the ground as they talked, ate, and were merry. The food, dishes, and other items needed for the wedding seemed to be brought by all the villagers. Instead of the bride and groom putting on a wedding for the villagers, the villagers put on a wedding for the bride and groom. This is what I found to be so very special about this wedding, and I was privileged to be a part of it.