Fish, Earth, and Water

I smelled like fish. The path I walked on was small and looked like a single wheel mark through the thick shrubs that was wide enough for a bicycle. The path curved, rose, and fell as we climbed up a hill and descended down on the other side. The bushes and plants tried to grab at my ankles and arms as we pushed through. The rain dropped on us in a steady rhythm. We passed houses that seemed to appear out of no where and smiled at the children, water buffalo, and dogs we passed. When we reached our destination we were greeted with hospitality of coconuts and a dry place to sit after the rain. The father stood on the bank of the river to show us his boat, only to see it was gone. He did what any father would do, yell down the river asking who took his boat...I smiled as I heard the giggles of girls, his girls coming back to shore in the boat.

We sat under a tree on a wooden platform, sipping our coconuts as questions were asked, and the thunder boomed through the mountains. And then before we left they served us fresh shrimp and clams. I can't say I LOVE either but knew this poor family was offering us what they had and I respect that. So I learned how to shell shrimp and eat clams, both which I was informed by a one of my co-workers were excellent and would cost a lot to eat in the city. We left and walked back through the sandy water soaked path. I laughed as we came across ankle deep water and the only choice is to walk through it.

Our next stop was for lunch and here again we sat next to the ocean eating King Prawns ( my condolences to Pepi from the Muppet's) and listening to the water. Our final stop was to another families house. At this house as we were waiting to leave I squatted in the dirt with a little girl and watched as she used a bit of straw to create her pictures. I started looking for some straw as well and she was quick to find and break off a piece for me to use. So in the earth we began carving boxes, flowers, and other designs. The moving and sifting of dirt allowed our pictures to easily be removed if we made a mistake or something we didn't like. Then it was time to head home.

I watched the mountains pass as we drove, amazed by the beauty that these people live in. I loved seeing all the green tree's and fields from the rain. And as we were about 20 Km ( 12-13 miles from the city) our van broke down. So we sat on the side of the road waiting to get a tow home from another guy we work with. It was an eventful day and as I put my face in my hands I smiled...because I smelled like fish.