The tourists and the local kids

This January I went to Thailand with my girlfriend. I fell in love with that country and I have plenty of stories about it that fascinating. One experience stands out since it visits my dreams very often in the past week.

We went to the North of the country in the city of Chiang Mai. We were there to experience a two day adventure in the Asian jungle. One memorable event occurred at the starting point of our trek. It was in a small village of Chinese descent in the mountains close to Burma. While we were having a meal in the center of the village and buying water for the trip, many kids surrounded us. They were curious to see bright clothes, earrings and white skin.

We started playing with all of them,
escpecially Simone (the one towards which everybody is going!!!)

Everybody was compelled to play and giggle together. Some of us were lifting their fragile bodies into the air and using our hands as poles on which we made the kids spin as in a carrousel.

I'm not even sure if I was having more fun or the kid right there?

The nice red and green bracelet is on my right hand

We were accompanied by a very nice girl named Simone, she was Australian. You could see she loved kids and that her heart was melting at the sight of these pure children of the earth. Poor and dirty, the kids were approaching her more than the rest of us since she kneeled on the brownish road to be able to look straight into their eyes. She was an overweight person bearing her condition with great fortitude. The kids touched her hair and laid their hands on her stomach. She was not shy or repulsive to the kids, she just smiled and let them satisfy their curiosity. She played with them as many others did and enjoyed the moment human warmth. The lower picture is from later on in the trekking. He is the child of the family that took us into their home to sleep overnight

Many kids got to us and tied a hand made bracelet to our wrists. It was a trick to oblige you to give them some money for their work since it was impossible to untie the little multicolored work of art. You couldn’t blame them for the gesture. Simone generously gave for one bracelet to a young girl holding a two year old in her hands. To her surprise, the meter tall girl proposed to sell her brother seeing that Simone had money and was enjoying to play with him. The naked truth shocked us all but no one could do more than place this remark into context. It was common practice in some places; some people get it even worst in this part of the world.

I rememeber this kid was abusing of my tired arms...he he, just joking. Each child weighted less than my arm by itself. The little girl was not ready to accept I would ever put her down. So I lifted her again and again and again :-)

This grand moment was deep and revealed us a whole world in only seconds of human touch. I will remember these smiles and will always recall Simone. She understood that there is no shame to be different and that we are all linked by the fact that we live on the same planet. I will probably see this moment differently at various moments of my life, but I will always use it as a good lesson and will think of it as a chaste moment.