One village over,

our homestay houses

more foreigners

than local family

We wash up with a bucket

Settle into makeshift rooms

mattress, walls and door.

No light.

Wandering to a monastery

The Dutch women share their cameras

To see through local children's eyes

In the sleepy town

As they did in Vietnam

An American laments

the disadvantages of road lines

Freedom and efficiency, or safety?

We eat pumpkin dishes,

tofu chips, spicy dip,

tea leaf salad and fried fern,

Playing Uno with the guides

Past nightfall

Sadness seeps in

Realizing the game is unavailable

In Myanmar.

I should mail one.