We took to the road again this weekend, in search of a traditional Dai nationality village. Ali had spotted one from the bus journey down the highway to Jinghong last week. We figured it wouldn't be that hard to hop off the bus to investigate. Our plan was fine, except the Pu Wen (nearest town) bus took a different route, with the final 11 km on the old road. The scenery was beautiful but it left us with a 3-km walk. To save our legs we all hopped in this san lun motuo che for 10 RMB. Mr Ai was a careful and slow driver - perhaps necessitated by the excessive weight and small engine.
Our arrival in the village left me a little disappointed as the houses on the outskirts had been surrounded by red brick, broken glass-topped walls. The traditional tiled Dai rooftops were visible but nothing else. We continued along some winding lanes, where we met an older lady wearing the characteristic long dai skirt and head gear. It was like she was waiting for us, pulling out bamboo stools for us to sit on outside her barn. We chatted about the village (there are about 40 houses in total an a population of just over 200), their livelihoods (mostly tea, coffee, rubber and dama...marjuana!) and met some of the local youths. When I asked the young men what jobs they have, they replied: "We don't have jobs, we just farm." It's hard work that earns a basic living, but there's no salary or job security. It's seen a way of life, not a job.
Our arrival in the village left me a little disappointed as the houses on the outskirts had been surrounded by red brick, broken glass-topped walls. The traditional tiled Dai rooftops were visible but nothing else. We continued along some winding lanes, where we met an older lady wearing the characteristic long dai skirt and head gear. It was like she was waiting for us, pulling out bamboo stools for us to sit on outside her barn. We chatted about the village (there are about 40 houses in total an a population of just over 200), their livelihoods (mostly tea, coffee, rubber and dama...marjuana!) and met some of the local youths. When I asked the young men what jobs they have, they replied: "We don't have jobs, we just farm." It's hard work that earns a basic living, but there's no salary or job security. It's seen a way of life, not a job.
On our exploration of the agricultural land around the village of Meng Mo, we found ourselves in a large rubber plantation. Most of the sap-collecting bowls had been emptied or removed, but we still had fun peeling strips of rubber from the drainage grooves. We made some rubber bands and Ali rolled a long, thin string into a bouncy ball. This week's home school project is, of course, RUBBER - where it comes from, how it's processed and what it's used for.
The highlight of the trip for me was meeting the local people, including Buffalo Man. He's seventy-six years old and comes from Meng Mo village, where he lives with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons, the eldest of whom is twenty years old. He says he's in good health after giving up smoking when we was fifty, due to chest problems. He was tending his young buffalo, bought recently for 2,200 RMB (my monthly allowance, and probably twice the monthly income of a farmer). At a year and a half old it's now ready to work and they should get twenty years of labour out of it. It's already been castrated so is easily to handle. You might wonder how I gleened that information, as "castration" isn't in my active vocabularly. Simple: "Um, ah, mmm....can it have babies?" [accompanied by a chopping movement with my arm]. He immediately understood and told me they always castrate them for working, otherwise they are difficult to handle in the plough.
Sue with a local farmer who was out foraging for plants. His rain hat is handmade, from bamboo leaves.
We've all be invited back for the Dai Water Splashing Festival, which they will celebrate in the village from the 9th - 11th April.
RSS Feed