The grass is always greener on the other side?
Trip Start
Dec 09, 2006
1
29
90
Trip End
Ongoing
Ban Donchai, Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
I was privileged to be witness to slash and burn in action. This farming phenomena that has formed so much of our world, obscured my vision and filled my lungs for so long now... but a hillside on fire is a thing of beauty.
The first I knew was the unmistakable sound of a million bowls of Rice Krispies all miked up to an overblown speaker system as the milk flows in. yes, of course I was wrong, this was no breakfast cereal fest stadium tour... it was slash and burn in full effect over the hill. The smoke started pouring over the hill towering into the sky and eventually the fire came pouring over the hill too as they turned the volume up to 11! I wanted to get a closer look, but really, it was hot enough without the fire which you could still feel raging from was over the river. Slash and burn is neither big nor clever.
Of course, as the burning subsided I found my way there into the surreal smokey dead landscape. So what happens to all the wildlife? Well, it all goes of course... except the insects for some bizarre reason, who find that the only sensible place to be in this most inhospitable of terrains is me. Which was nice.
