The next day Heather's workmeri Esra invited us to her village to have a mumu with her family. What an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime experience!!! We had to hike about an hour into the bush. That in itself was an experience. We had to cross this crazy bridge over the river...
Back on the trail it was seriously muddy, so I OF COURSE wiped out (still working on that least-graceful-woman-on-the-planet trophy). One minute I was upright and looking at the village ahead of me, the next second I was on my bum with a stunned expression on my face. While no one caught the actual fall on camera - here is a pic from a little while later of me walking through some banana trees while touring Esra's garden. You can see some evidence of the incidet, but I'd already gotten a little cleaned up. I was initially pretty covered in mud!
At Esra's house we helped peel kaukau, carrots, and stuffed bamboo with chicken & kumu.
Her family took care of actually cooking the mumu for us.
We spent the whole morning just hanging out with them in their village. It was such a fantastic opportunity to just BE with the people. We were the only white-skins there, so it wasn't a big show... it was just a normal day. Esra was very real with us, and even talked about the hardships of being a first wife, and sharing her husband with a second wife - something that happens often in PNG. I have met many ladies here who are 1 among several wives. Anyway - enough commentary on the culture.
Here Heather & I are with Esras family. They were so awesome to us! Also, I'm crouched down a little bit for this picture so that I wouldn't look like such an amazon woman. Heather is only 5'3" and she's taller than most of them... you can imagine how gigantic I look.
On the hike home, we decided to take a short cut across the river. Esra insisted on carrying my camera because, and I quote "You'll probably fall again". Excellent - I am literally known around the world for my clumsiness. :) I don't even want to think about what is in this water...
More Pics of PNG. Oh how I love it here!!!
"I'll be your hands, I'll be your feet. I'll go where you send me, go where you send me
And I'll try, yeah I'll try, to touch the world like you touched my life
And I'll find my way To be your handsI'll abandon every selfish thought, I surrender everything I've got You can have everything I am And perfect everything I'm not
I am willing, I'm not afraid you give me strength when I say ... I'll be your hands, I'll be your feet. " ~ Audio Adrenaline
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