Back to the Villages

This afternoon I returned to the nearby villages with my boss, his daughter, and my roommate, Laurel.  A group of about twenty children followed us around for hours!  We all agree that spending time there allows us to re-center, relax, and be rejuvenated for the week ahead.  Here are some of the pictures we took:

These two men drove us through the villages on their bicycle rickshaws.  The man on the left has probably taken my boss through the villages for photos at least a dozen times.

First we came upon a game of cricket.

I loved the colors in this woman's sari!

We passed merchants transporting goods to be sold in the coming week.

 

We went to see some children in this community on a small island.  I was a bit apprehensive crossing this bridge.  Luckily, it was surprisingly sturdy.

The kids seemed glad for new faces on their street, and they jumped right into our arms.

 

The villagers got a kick out of seeing their pictures in our cameras' display screens.

One of the juxtapositions I've yet to understand is the proximity of wealth and poverty here.

 We must've passed at least five groups of men playing cards in the street this afternoon.  

The tension was high.

Some of the children followed after us for a while when we left the island village.  I'm constantly amazed by the ability of people here to balance two and three individuals on a single bicycle.

Without batting an eye, this rickshaw driver asked me if I'd heard about the SEC championship game yesterday.

I told him I SHO 'NUFF DID!  WAR EAGLE!

Great way to begin a week.