Another Trip

I honestly don't spend my time traipsing around the countryside, but when I do, the pictures are interesting, so that's what you get to see! My language school took another trip outside of the city, this time about two hours west to the mountains there. Amazing. Pics to follow.

 

We left a bit after 9:00 AM yesterday and drove straight to our hotel. Five students went--Reba, Danny, Hannah, Mark, and I--plus the trip organizer from the school and his neighbor, the driver. The scenery was nice en route and turned spectacular once we actually got to the mountains. People had warned me about the switchbacks and dropoffs on the road on my last trip, but I wasn't prepared this trip, so it was a little scarier. I think there were more tight turns and dropoffs, actually. Our driver was good and my trust was in God, so it was all fine.

 

We had a great lunch of local food at the hotel--chicken, beans, bread . . . I'll have to do another post on the local food sometime; it's very tasty! We had a little time to rest, and I dozed while Reba and Hannah talked in Reba's and my room. Then we drove to a village and climbed up 100 and some stairs to a tiny mosque at the peak. After that we walked cross-country (via dirt roads and terraces) to a walled village and climbed up to its highest point to enjoy more spectacular views from there. A middle aged lady who had been trying to get us to buy jewelry as we walked along carried drinks all the way up to the rock where we were sitting . . . on her head. We did buy those, gratefully.

 

Then we had to descend makeshift rock stairs for a very long time to return to our village. I didn't have any shoes with great traction, so I picked my way slowly down the mountain. Danny told Hannah and me, "If you ever want to feel bad about yourself, just remember that that lady can do this with 15 bottles on her head." Not long after, I stepped on a smooth rock face and slid, almost falling. Hannah was walking behind me and did exactly the same thing. We both laughed at ourselves, then I turned to Danny and said, "Okay, your turn."

 

"No way, I'm not stepping there," he told us. About five minutes later, though, he stumbled, so Hannah assured him that it was probably to keep him humble for thinking that we were stupid for slipping. He assured us that he was not thinking that we were stupid.

 

We arrived back at our hotel around nightfall and enjoyed more great food at dinner, including the local specialty pastry/bread-with-honey dessert. Around 7:30 the real fun began. The men at the hotel provide live music and dancing for the guests. It was just a few of them--maybe six or eight total, but it was certainly entertaining. Eventually they got all of the guests to join them in dancing, too. The men here don't dance with local women, but in a tourist hotel, the rules are more relaxed. I was glad I did it so that I could say I did it, but I did only the simplest step dances in a circle or with my partner. Hannah and Reba did more complicated steps with their partners, but I am a dancing novice.

 

Even more amusing were the games the hotel personnel started playing after the dancing and music. Oh my. I have not laughed so hard since . . . well maybe since Sunday, when some English teachers working in the eastern part of the country told stories of language gaffes they had made. But I don't think I even laughed this hard then. The first game was one where one guy stood in the middle of two others and buzzed like a bee. The guys surrounding him had to hold up their hands, and every time the center guy swatted one of the hands, they could use their other hand to try to knock his scarf off his head. The center guy was super fast, so it took them a long time to get his scarf off.

 

Another game was to blow an egg from one cup into another. I think there was a little bit of water at the bottom of the cup the egg was in, and there was some water in the other cup. I didn't know it was possible to do, but it is with a fierce enough breath. I did it, albeit maybe with some help from the guy who was tipping my egg cup a little more than he should have been.

 

We watched in wonder as the men set up another game. They suspended a cigarette from one man's head scarf with a string, so that it dangled in front of his face. He knelt down on his hands and knees like a dog. The object of the game was for him to get the cigarette into his mouth the right way. Then they lit the cigarette. Then he barked to get the cigarette to move into position. Multiple times he got the lit end of the cigarette into his mouth, and then he would yelp. Every so often he would take a break and take a drag on the cigarette. I have not seen a game so bizarre! But it sure did make us howl with laughter. He eventually did get the cigarette into his mouth.

 

They played a couple of other games and invited us to join in. One was a balancing game where you had to hold yourself up on a cushion and move your feet around. Another was one where you had to move a pole from behind you to in front of you without letting go. I didn't try either. Then they wanted us to teach them some games, so Danny and Hannah came up with a game sort of like "Moose," which was pretty funny to play with a handful of local men. And Reba taught them "Spoons," which they liked but took a while to get the hang of. We all retired around 11:00 PM.

 

We had breakfast this morning at 8:00--more great local food. They eat beans and eggs for breakfast here. Good protein! Then we drove to a spot from which we could trek cross-country through some villages. Wow. The first part of the walk was downhill and flat, so it was very pleasant, with amazing views of the mountains, valleys, and crops growing across the terraces, mostly corn, coffee, q-- (the mild stimulant that most of the men here chew), and tomatoes. The people were very kind as we passed through, too. I think they are used to tourists, though they haven't had as many lately. What goes down must come back up, though, so the last hour of the trip was uphill and more strenuous. I enjoyed it through my panting. We were also at 8,000-9,000 feet above sea level, which didn't help. That's really probably only 1,500 feet higher than where I live, though, so I was more adjusted to the altitude today than I was for the walks yesterday.

 

Our leader took pity on us and ran the last leg himself to fetch the car so that we didn't have to walk it all. Our driver bumped down the rocky road (I wouldn't take my car down there, but everyone seems to!) and picked us up. In the meantime, locals stopped by to say hello when they saw us lounging around in the shade, waiting for our ride. One group of men offered us a mysterious powder from a little sack. They motioned that it would make us crazy and hyper or strong. "Ask them if they give it to their children," someone suggested, and Reba, who knew enough language to do so, asked. They indicated that the substance was only for adults, so we graciously refused it, wondering what we were passing up! Later our guide told us that it was probably a powder form of tobacco, which wasn't quite as exciting as it could have been. Oh well.

 

We returned to the hotel for more good food and tea. I forgot to mention before that tea is served often. It's a red tea served hot and sweet, with spices like cloves or nutmeg in it. It's especially delish with evaporated milk. The amusing moment at lunch was when I returned from using the restroom to find Reba with a pile of q-- on her lap. Knowing that she doesn't chew q--, I asked her animatedly, "Where did you get that?!" The words had not left my mouth when a grinning local walked over and deposited a hefty pile on my lap, while others laughed. All I could do was stammer, "Thank you" and set it with Reba's, saying something about saving it for "later." Our guide, who does not chew, gave it to our driver, who chewed a little on the drive home.

 

We caught more great views on the drive home, though I dozed off. All that walking around is tiring! Yikes! It was so worth it to be in the outdoors and breathe clean air and see more of this incredible country!