I'm going to post several blogs over the next few weeks describing my experiences in the village a few weeks ago (When I happen to come down with Dengue... Although I probably contracted Dengue in the big city.)
My first real experience with a village occurred at the beginning of October. We actually spent the night in a lovely pastor's home. The windows were openings covered over with wooden boards, at night these were secured by another wooden slat. The back door literally had 6 inches clearance at the top (large enough a bird/bat/anything could make it in).
To really put it in perspective, I remember seeing places like this in Alabama. We love spending time at Tannehill Sate Park in Alabama. Or think Cade's Cove near Gatlinburg. You know the log cabins and you think "they must have had things closed up better back in the day"...
well the answer is nope. Imagine just moving right into the farm at the back of Tannehill. No glass in the windows, no indoor plumbing. Kind of the like the picture below. That is what living in the villages of Indonesia is like. Kind of like the rustic Tannehill you LOOK at, but don't stay in.
Except there are people living EVERYWHERE in every spot. And wild pigs running around.
