Snake Charmers

I picked up the clothes I had made on Friday, I've been wearing them ever since and feel much less like a tourist! I am so impressed with them I've decided to have dresses made for all the girls at the orphanage by the same tailor. I hope that they will be ready before I leave so that I can post pictures of them.

On Saturday we loaded up all the children in two dalla-dallas and drove out to Bujora to watch the annual dance off. Unfortunately, as seems to happen with depressing frequency here, the date had been changed from the one posted... so we had 2 dalla-dallas, 2 staff, 13 volunteers and 30-odd children in the middle of nowhere with not much to do. We decided that rather than go home again without seeing anything the children should take a tour of the museum, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

We headed off again on Sunday and arrived with plenty of time to gt comfortable before the dances began. A few minutes later some scraggly looking drummers showed up and pounded out an amazing rhythm... only dissapear again shortly. We were beginning to think the dancers weren't coming when they suddenly pitched up in bright matching costumes. Two troupes were competing against each other, trying to attract the biggest crowd. For three hours we ran back and forth between the two groups... but the tribe that brought out giant snakes to dance with at the end must have won - noone could look away from the spectacle!