Page 16 - Priorities 65

After a full 24 hours of travel, we almost fell asleep at the dinner table at our hotel. The first couple of days were rough, as half of our group fell ill with a stomach bug. The remainder of the group had the opportunity to travel to a language center to help local students with their English. The next day, the rest of us joined the group in exchanging US dollars for Burmese kyat and exploring a nearby market. The market’s dirt floor and low canopy roof set it apart from any market that I had ever seen. Our group took advantage of our time at the market and wandered around the market place, taking in all of the sights and smells. We also used this chance to buy longyis, the traditional Burmese pieces of clothing worn like skirts by both the women and men.
After our time at the market, we took a boat to an island where we got into ox carts that brought us to the village of one of our guides, Soe Than. His family kindly welcomed us into their home and prepared a de- licious meal of native foods of that region. Other fami- lies showed their hospitality and kindness by offering us food and painting our faces with Thanaka (the Burmese equivalent of sunscreen.) We also saw some of the villag- ers play cane ball, a traditional Burmese sport similar to a combination of volleyball and soccer. As we had done the previous night, we visited another pagoda to see the sunset.
The next morning, as we left for the airport for our flight to Heho, the hotel staff came outside and waved goodbye to us. What might have seemed like a small gesture to them meant so much to us and it was such a profound example of the kindness we received while we stayed in Burma.
After arriving in Heho, we took a bus to Kalaw. There, we visited an NGO house that provides hous- ing and education for students who come from regions that are not currently safe and where there is not easy access to schools. An ex-political prisoner named Tom- my, introduced us to the students who studied there. He explained to us that because he was not allowed by the government to be involved in any more political acts again after being released from prison, he started the school to continue helping others in whatever way he could. He also told us that he still had to be careful about what he said and did because the government monitored his actions and conversations relating to government matters.
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Other families showed their hospitality and kindness by 16 offering us food and painting our faces with Thanaka.
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1. Ox cart ride to our guide Soe Than’s village.
2. Boat ride to the island home of one of our local guides.
3. Day 1 of our 42 mile trek.
4. Two young monks-in-training at the monastery where we stayed.
CULTURAL TRIP