Memorabilia for the hippocampus.

By foot & goodwill, arrival in Hsi-Paw & off again on foot. Backdated to... (30-May-2012)

Long overdue post. Thought I'd better have it done up before my next trip - in less than a week's time. Rather excited about Cambodia this time round, but really, going there with a "mission" ultimately feels different than just plain backpacking. So that excitement can't help being partly translated into a tumultuous apprehension.

Myanmar meal.

Glimpses of Hsi Paw.

Truest smiles on the road.

There are times when comfy cushions are just excesses, & all one needs to keep the smile on is the clothe on one's back. It's true that we didn't change clothes for days ahead.

Our little test on humanity - hitchhiking. Not sure if the hitchhiking culture is prevalent in the area, but nonetheless it was tested & proven successful. Indeed it was a strange contraption that we rode on, but the kindness was all-too-real.

Bumping along the stony paths & breathing in all the rusticity! ((: I'd exchange almost anything for a life like that.

It's somehow pathetic that we're all trapped behind the computer screen now & being grateful for the air-conditioning which we deem so essential.

The brick-making family who accommodated us with what little they have, because of the rain & the fact that our ponchos couldn't hold out any longer.

A self-made furnace where they did stuff with the bricks. No words exchanged, since we couldn't understand each other. The best attempted were "mingalaba"& "chezuba", but the universal currency took us through. The almighty SMILE! ;D

They shared lychees & hot tea, we shared our only stale biscuit rations, and so we got by & felt bad about it.

The following is a huge demonstration of SPAM, where digital photography is blatantly exploited. But the sights were simply irresistible. 

Yet of course taking into consideration that seeing with the eyes is starkly different from looking through the lens. The above picture is now only reminiscent of an aging set of mustache, upturned one like Dali's.

If that road never ended, I wonder if we'll be fatigued.

いただきます. 食べ物さん,　どうもありがとうございました!

And the villagers who took us in for the night & prepared this sumptuous spread for us. Such precious meals indeed, not masked by commercial values. I'm also thankful for the individuals behind the preparation of this meal, & the very opportunity to have been there in the first place.

Thus I end this one puny day in this puny life. Yet I'm quite certain that we did add a significant bit to our hippocampus's memorabilia.