Silence of the goat

The goat arrived on the back of a motorbike at 2pm. It screamed all the way to the kitchen and when we asked the manager of Ban Pako Eco-Lodge what was going on, he calmly said that they were going to sacrifice it to the gods/spirits.

Two hours later, the guests started to arrive and sure enough they slit its throat as an offering to the local gods and animist spirits. To be honest we were glad when it was killed as it was screaming blue murder for over an hour and disturbing out hammock time.

Of course we had to explain why we couldn't join in the celebrations and share in the goat BBQ. It will not be the screaming of the goat that we will need therapy for in the future, but the smell of sacrificed goat. It will stay with us for a long time!

Still, the rest of our time of Ban Pako was very relaxing and it is a great spot by the river. There is a herbal steam sauna and a natural spring pool. Everything is solar powered and the food is delicious. Apart from the sacrifice the only other downside was an abundance of wildlife. Which considering we were an hours drive deep in the jungle should not have been so surprising. However, when you are staying in a wooden bungalow with no walls, the jungle starts to encroach a little to uncomfortably! We had a huge huntsman spider sharing with us and various other bugs and mosies. Thank the Lord for mosquito nets.