The next morning there were more people singing and dancing, including children from the village. Many were dressed in their very colourful traditional costumes.
Ban Pang Sa children dancing for the Chinese New Year
We went off to the side of the on-going festivities to interview two village leaders, Mr Ja Hair and Ja Nae Nae, one of the female elders in the village. They both talked about how the weather is hotter now, the need to plant trees and protect water, the value of traditional housing which is cooler, and the importance of educating the children.
Gavin and Lena filming interviews with Mr Ja Hair and Mrs Ja Nae Nae, village leaders from Ban Pang Sa
Scene from Ban Pang Sa
Later on we traveled to Pakha Sukjai, an Akha village and also where the Hill Area Development Foundation has facilities. We spent time walking around the village and then had a spontaneous interview with Ah Nor Jeu Beng Eh Khu, the oldest person (89 years) in the village. He talked about the interconnections in life, that sometime soon he will be going to live in the forest with his ancestors, that everything lives and dies.
We then filmed people coming back to the village from their days work and watched a quite spectacular sunset. That night we joined Ah Jew Beng Eh Khu, a village volunteer for HADF in Pakha Sukjai village, sitting on a large mat in his family house and sharing a very nice meal.
Pakha Sukjai village
Returning from a days work, Pahka Sukjai Village