The internet went down here for a day or so, so I've been off the Net. So here's a post I was working on when I found I couldn't get on. No photos this post as the last post with 15 photos took almost 2 hours to upload the photos. I just don't have time today and had run out of batteries by the time we hit the ethnic village. Plus, how many elephant, bird, rhino, and water buffalo photos can I post?!! I have more photos than I know what to do with. I'll try to open a gallery on one of the gallery sites after I get home and cull through my photos.

Wednesday morning we did a jeep safari through the eastern disctrict of the park and then scounted out a boat on which we were told we could take our group for a cruise on the Brahmaputra. We don't think it will work for the group, but who knows. They said they do repair in the off season which is about to start. But besides being a little too small, we don't think "a little repair" will do it for us. When we were getting on the boat Stuart took a step and his foot went through one of the boards!! We had to watch that we didn't step in that hole while we were on the boat! It was a really pretty cruise though and because of the water, we all got sun burned (shame on us!).

Next we went to a village of the Mising Tribe. The three of us thought this would be just a quick visit, but boy were we wrong. This was a really amazing experience--like none I've ever had before. This is Wiki's page on the Mising Tribe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mising_people.

When we arrived near the center of the village we were met with a ceremony of greeting in which we were met by the elders and dancers. We were smudged and blessed and then we were "danced into the village". It was the beginning of a very unique experience for us.

The buildings here are all made of bamboo, and on banboo stilts because the whole area floods each year. Under each home is at least one dugout boat that belongs to the family since that is the only way they can get around in the flood season. Each building is the home of an extended family of 15 to 19 or so people. When the sons get married the wife moves into the family home. As the couples have children, the children live in the home with the rest of the family.

When we got to our destination in the center of the village, we were led to an elevated, covered bamboo platform. We took off our shoes and climbed a carved, log ladder that was about four feet long. (It was a log with foot holds cut out of it. It was very hard for us to climb, and hurt my feet to climb.) Once up we were officially greeted by the tribe's leader by having locally woven red and white scarves given to us by draping them across our necks as we were thanked for coming. Then we sat and the village men and women drummed and danced for us. As they started dancing for us, because we were their guests, we each given a brass bowl of their locally made rice beer. And, being their guests it would have been rude for us not to drink at least some of this. It was kinda sake like in flavor and had a very smokey taste. I figured if I drank about half or more of it, I'd not be rude. So that's what I did. But I felt bad that some of their home made beverage was going to waste.

Next, we were asked to dance with them. For those of you who know me, you can guess my reaction. However, because Lea had already opted out with "I can't see well enough to dance on the ground" that left only Stuart and me. It didn't seem polite for 2 out of 3 guests not to join in, sooooo I had to join the group. OH, what we do for our group, and the group trips!! The dance seemed to me like it would never end, and I felt pretty foolish the whole time. But the people were great and seemed to enjoy us dancing with them.

When the dance ended, we were told we were moving on. We climbed down the hard-to-use log ladder. As we moved toward our shoes, we were told that we'd be going to another building, so we should leave our shoes right there. Soooo, we began our bare-footed tour of the community. Our first stop was for lunch (oooops, we didn't know about this!!). We came to another elevated platform that was covered and had a "patio" in front of the walled area that turned out to be the kitchen. Woven bamboo mats were placed behind a wide plank of wood about 10 feet long and we were asked to sit on them. It turned out that the plank was our table. Then the food began coming out. We were told that the food was completely vegan! (We found out later that our local guide had put this entire event together for us in four days and was working on the food with the village up until an hour or so before our arrival. The food is usually chicken and pork with veggies. The food was also mostly "heat" (spice) free and had no garlic or onions. What thoughtful, loving and hospitable people these are.

The food was really, really good. There were only a few things that were a bit hard for me to finish. But I did join the "clean banana leaf" club! They don't use plates or utensils. That means the food is served on large banana leaves and we eat with our fingers, as the local people do here in India. We also ate with our right hands only since the left hand is taboo because it is used for "unclean" purposes in other aspects of life.

As we ate (in a very clean environment), underneath us the chickens and the pigs wandered. We could watch them through the bamboo floor.

After lunch we continued our tour through this village that has no running water (only an old-fashioned, to us, hand pump at one end of the village) and no electricity, even by generator. It really was like being in a "National Geographic" episode. We went to an area where the grains were stored for one of the families and where the fishing traps and nets are kept. They also showed us the handmade spears they make. They are out of thin bamboo poles about 10 feet long with sharpened points on the end. They use these to scare away the elephants and tigers what threaten them when they are in the fields!!!!!!!!! Really! These people are all about Lea's height and build. I just can't imagine them trying to fend off a huge elephant or tiger with a handmade spear. Wow, what an amazing people.

We then had the wonderful experience of seeing a mother with a two month old baby in her arms and Lea was invited up on the elevated bamboo "porch" to see the baby. We all followed and then were taken on a tour of this family's home (15 people live here). There are three sons with their wives and children, and their parents and grandparents that live there. We walked past two "rooms" with beds with bamboo mats on them that I think were the sons and their wives beds. (The children either sleep with the parents or on mats on the floor next to them.) Their clothes were on hung on racks along the hallway in front of each bed.

Then we got to the third bed and bamboo mats were put on the floor so we could sit and be welcomed. This is a very hospitality oriented culture. Because we were guests in their home, we had to be given, you guessed it, rice beer. We (Lea, Stuart, me, and Som, our friend/guide) sat with the grandfather. We were brought brass bowls of rice wine. (These brass bowls are family heirlooms that are passed to the children when they get married. They are a very heavy brass.) We sat there and drank wine and "chatted" as we learned more about how they lived. It was, of course, very dark in the house as there are no windows. The only light came through the bamboo walls and floor. They said that at night they use kerosine lanterns for light. In the next room, the kitchen, we could see the "fire place" which was a large flat rock? piece of cement? piece of wood? that had the bamboo fire on it. They were just finishing a batch of rice beer. Apparently this is the beverage that they drink from birth.

The one son was with us and introduced us to his very pretty wife who was the mother of the pretty baby we had seen early on the porch. After we were done, we got up to leave and were profusely thanked for visiting them and left with warm handshakes, smiles and warm eye-contact. It seemed that they were sincerely pleased to have hosted us and spent time with us. This entire experience was so touching, so sincere, and so humbling.

We continued on and were proudly showed how rice was hulled and other ways they lived. We were in a large (15 yard by 15 yard) opening area and told that recently a wild elephant had wandered in and caused a lot of damage here.

These people are self sufficient, create no litter; there garbage is all organic and composted, fed to the animals or otherwise used.

As our visit ended we said goodbyes to the people we had met, thanked them for their hospitality, got in our jeep and drove away having made friends in a wonderfully warm, and friendly village.

This village is less than half an hour from modern villages and towns!

What an experience that I will never forget.

Well, I've got to go now.