Cont'd...

Our afternoon was spent visiting some minority villages. At one village, they were holding a ceremony to help an old, sick woman. Right before she became ill, she accidentally stepped on a grave. They believed the spirits were haunting her. Part of the ceremony involved drinking rice wine...a lot of rice wine. We were pulled to the wine to drink while one man cried his drunken heart out and the village chief lay passed out in the corner. To end the day, we went for a swim in a volcanic crater lake. It was simply divine!
For the next 3 days, we went on a trek to Virachey National Park. Our guide’s name was Sared. We left our big bags at his house and drove in a pickup truck the 40km or so to the river at Voen Sai. We took a short trip across the river on a wooden boat, and started our hike to the ranger station at the edge of the park. The walk was nice, and we stopped at a local village for lunch. It was funny to see the people congregate in a group to watch and study us while we ate. A little uncomfortable...now I know how they must feel!