Today we woke up very early, got breakfast, and were down at the tourbus by 7 a.m. We took the bus to the boat docks, and got tickets for the ferry ride to Sarakei.
We boarded the ferry and found our assigned seats. We had tickets on the lower level of the boat, indoors. However, soon after the boat took off, we headed up to the top level to enjoy the scenery from outside. We sat on the starboard side, just to throw in some boating lingo I've picked up. Dangling our feet over the edge, we enjoyed the fresh breeze and pointed out little docks and villages as we went. It was so fun! I got a major sunburn from being outside for the entire trip, but it was still really fun. :)
When we arrived at the dock in Sarakei, we were met by several members of the Longhouse community, including the pastor and the chief. (He is a new chief since last year.) They took us to a food court for lunch, and we were able to have vegetarian Chinese food. It was delicious!
After lunch, we had some free time in the town, so we stocked up on things we might need for the longhouse. We were told that we would be working with the people in the fields, so we decided to get hats, among other things.
Soon, we loaded up the cars and headed out of the small town, over the river and through the woods, to the longhouse. When we drove in, a small boy met us at the gate. I remember him from the first trip as a boy that we called "Mickey Mouse" because of his Mickey Mouse T-shirt. Sure enough, he was wearing the same Mickey Mouse T-shirt a year later. He is the pastor's grandson, and despite the fact that he is a small child, he low-key runs the town. Anyway, when we saw him he was holding something in his hand. Upon further examination, we realized he was holding a giant flying beetle and playing with it. First holding it by its legs, then its wings. He had absolutely no fear of the insect. I wasn't afraid either, I just saw something on the other side of the village that I really wanted to look at.
We divided into different homes within the longhouse, and distributed the mattresses, pillows, and toilet paper for our stay. This community made space in their homes for us to stay, and made it feel like we were completely at home there too. We settled in, and had some time to play with the kiddos in the afternoon. We brought out some simple yellow tennis balls and they went nuts. We created simple games -- even using our new hats to play a game of toss. It was so fun to see all the kids again. I can't believe how much they've grown since last year.
Soon it was time for dinner, and we gathered in the community section of the longhouse for a buffet of delicious homemade food. We had fried rice, vegetables and veggie meat, (they were told that we were all vegetarians, which isn't the case, but I definitely enjoyed all the food!) fresh fruit, and so much more. We sat on the floor in the common area, and ate in small circles of people. It was fun, and nice to have a relaxing dinner after a day of traveling.
After dinner, we saw some flashing lights outside. It was a lightning storm. It wasn't actually raining at the village, but we could see the storm really well from the main gate. We stood out there in the darkness for a while, every so often interrupted by a flash of lightning that illuminated the whole sky. It was beautiful, and the simplest yet most epic form of entertainment I have witnessed in a while.
Lunch in Sarakei
Our new work hats! The shopkeeper was so nice! He gave us all water bottles after we bought so many hats from him. (Plus, my hat cost the equivalent of $1.75 USD.)
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