Coco-what??

The next day I ventured into the Chin State (one of the seven or nine tribal states in Burma), taking first a bone jarring pony cart for one hour, then another slow boat up the river for 2 hours. I felt like I had reached a very remote place very far from home. On the river we scores of people making their homes on floats of bamboo, perhaps some of the poorest of the poor in Burma. The goal was to get to the Chin villages to see the traditional way of life and especially the tattooed women. Supposedly the village elders used to tattoo the faces of the young maidens to keep rival villages from stealing them away (basically making them unattractive). Note that even the eyelids are tattooed. Only a few of the elder ladies have the tattoos as the practice has died out. The two ladies in the photo took a liking to me, and walked with me, holding my hands, back to the boat. One insisted I take the photo, then critiqued it and made me take it again!
At the second Chin village, against my better judgment, I accepted a coconut drink (fresh coconut juice with bits of the flesh) mixed with sugar. Sure enough, that night I became very sick. Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) sick. Which meant one whole day in bed, or at least in my room, as I couldn’t be away from the bathroom too long. Unfortunately that took away one day of my exploring Mrauk U, and I missed the inside of many temples.
Getting a boat back to Sittwe was sketchy and I gave myself an extra day, which I unfortunately had to spend in Sittwe instead of Mrauk U, where there is much more to see and is more tranquil. There is no regular boat, you just have to go to the dock, find a private boat owner and see if he one going down river the day you want. I hooked up with the French couple (Anne and Antoine) again and we managed to get another slow boat back down the river. This one was at least made for passengers and infinitely more comfortable. In Sittwe, I spent time with Anne and Antoine, and it was nice to have the company. It’s funny…. I haven’t felt lonely at all, other than when I was sick. There’s nothing like being bed-ridden in a strange country, all alone. Actually, one local girl on the hotel staff looked in on me frequently, telling me she was worried about me, which was really sweet. She offered to help in any way, but I was set with my massive medical kit (it takes ¼ of my bag, but I am prepared for everything! No mystery boxes of pills from the local pharmacy for me).