Monday, May 24, 2010

A Walk Through Doi Chaang Village

Before we left Doi Chaang, I had a chance to walk through a bit of this hillside village. Homes were very close to each other, with no apparent delineation between where one yard ended and the other began. Most of the homes were built out of wood with a sloped roof constructed of straight or corrugated metal. Some roofs were of a similar style, but constructed of thatch. Windows were small and sparse; many were still shuttered from the night. Tall stilts (some were rectangular columns made out of concrete while others were out of wood) permitted one part to be level with the road and the other to overlook the steep hillside. To get to the main level, one might have to climb a set of wooden (or bamboo) stairs. On the lower stilt level, one portion was often enclosed, with the other open for storage, a place to sit under, etc. Chickens ran freely through the dirt around the homes and onto the steep road. Children played a form of hopscotch on the quieter roads. The dirt around the plastic piping faucet in the yard was wet, with water recently gathered for washing or cooking. Chilies and what looked like halves of bananas dried in shallow woven platters on some rooftops.

Trucks and motorcycles maneuvered their way up and down the steep, winding roads. Vendors also took advantage of the versatile motorcycle, loading woven bags with vegetable, fruits, and bamboo-filled sticky rice. Women carried children tied to their backs with a piece of cloth, just as they had done in West Africa. Some men were already heading up the hill with tools used for the field. Most men, though, gathered on the porches, sipping tea, chewing paan, and engaging in lively discussions.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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