Climbing Bali

Every day when going to the fields or looking for honey, the people of Ba Lin village often pass through national landmarks. From men to women, young to old, everyone has the spirit of protecting borders and landmarks
The people of Ba Lin village (A Vao commune, Dakrong district, Quang Tri province) automatically call the A Tang valley (where the residents of the Pa Ko people live) an 8-house village. In fact, now this version has “layed” many new houses, surpassing the number 8 for a long time.

Isolated in the middle of the forest Panting, I followed Lieutenant Ho Van Giang, an officer of the A Vao Border Guard Station (Quang Tri), crossing steep slopes to find the 8-house village. Giang is good at going to the forest, crossing slopes, so his feet are always pounding, sometimes even making jokes. I don’t make up for it, sometimes my heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest. “Ba Lin village is the most remote and most difficult area of ​​Quang Tri province. But in Ba Lin, the place with the most things must be this 8-house village” – Lieutenant Giang said, while his feet were still fast. mountain pass. The road to the village of 8 houses is just a small path, enough for one person to go. There is a passage through the reed grass and myrtle forest that is in full bloom. The distance to the village is about 3 km, but it took us more than 1 hour to arrive. That’s right, the steep slopes to overcome have consumed all of my time and energy. A corner of the 8 house version Kitchen corner of the people of the 8 house village The people of the 8-house village swim and catch fish in A Tang stream The 8-house version now includes 10 roofs with nearly 50 people. Standing from above, looking down, the village is picturesque with close-knit houses on stilts, thatched roofs with dark thatched grass. The village is located right at the foot of A Le hill, upstream of A Tang stream. In this place, the summer is cool but the winter is bone-chilling because of forest dew and mountain air. Mr. Ho Van Sau, nearly 60 years old but his muscles showed no signs of slackening, welcomed us into his house. While the two- and three-year-old children saw a stranger, they rushed into the kitchen, nestled in the gap in the door and looked out. They may squeal if strangers try to get close, even if their faces widen in goodwill. Old Ho Van Sau and his son reported the situation of the border and milestones to border guards A student from the 8th village carried him back over the mountain after a day of studying Pouring water to invite guests, Mr. Sau said that people’s lives here are almost self-sufficient. In the rainy season, the spring water rises, this place is completely isolated from the outside. In the village, people do not use money to transact. Only when going out, do people use money to buy food and reserve food. “Here, the grid system and phone signal are still not available. The way to become people’s life is separate from the outside. Our relatives mainly live in the forest, fearing the Giang (heaven) and old age. All children are united in one heart,” said Mr. Sau. Ong Sau was one of the first two people to enter the A Tang valley to build a house and make a village. It was 1991. At that time, he and his brother went through the forest to find land to build a village. The forest is immense, it takes 3 days to reach A Tang valley – where many species of birds and animals live. Seeing that the land was good, they offered a posthumous ceremony to ask Giang to establish a village and settle down to this day. Drink roots, eat “specialties” In the dry season, people in the 8-house village go up the hill to burn, hoe, and chop. In the rainy season, they go to the forest to find cardamom and hunt wild animals. In addition to upland rice cultivation, they grow pumpkins, potatoes, and cassava to eat. During the year, they rarely bring goods outside to exchange. Sometimes, hunting wild animals, catching big fish or getting a nest of wild bees, they bring them outside to sell or exchange for food. In the whole village, only the head of the village, Ho Van Au, has a motorbike but posted it outside the center of Ba Lin village. Because the road becomes different when someone is sick, the boys in the village have to take turns going to the military medical station in Bali for treatment. The sick, after being cured, cross the mountain to return. Everyone is like that in the past. I went to all 10 rooftops in the village, seeing that almost every house invites guests with a bowl of crimson water. Is it new or is it the water cooked from the roots of a forest tree called “blood tonic”. Throughout the year, people drink water cooked from the roots of this tree. According to the people, the root of the tree tonic blood is very good for health and cures many diseases. In the A Tang valley, just tiptoe into the forest to find this root species. Step out of the door to see the forest. The forest is very primitive, with trees so big that some people can’t hug them. It is home to many rare species of wild animals. Three years ago, people also saw the footprints of a bear by the A Tang stream. Footprints are bigger than adult feet. “Tigers and leopards don’t exist, but wild boars, gills, chamois, and weasels are abundant. They often drag their herds to clear fields to plant rice, corn, and potatoes. In the season, people have to put a lot of effort into barricading the fields. trails from the forest and keep watch through the night,” said Mr. Sau. The day I went to the village, the young people caught a flying weasel about 2 kg. Asking to know that they set traps on trees, disguised discreetly, so they tricked it. One sister, when she returned from the upland, still dragged along with her a black tiger snake, as big as an adult’s wrist. She smiled and said that she went to work in the field and saw it lying in the sun in the middle of the road, let’s catch it! In the forest, there are countless holes and deep waterfalls along the A Tang stream. This is an ideal place for eels and cool fish to live. These two species of fish are now specialties in the lowlands and although the price is very “expensive”, now looking for red eyes can’t find it. “Sometimes people catch eels that weigh more than 10 kg, and those that weigh more than 3 kg are often. When they catch fish, they divide and eat. Too many people can’t eat it all, they cross the mountain and bring it outside to sell or exchange rice.” – Mr. Ho Cu Chang – 35 years old, a “fisherman” in the 8th village – said leisurely. Let’s keep the milestone together In village 8, the house has 2 main roads. That is the road to the village and the path to the national landmarks on the Vietnam – Laos border. The village is located between 3 national landmarks 627, 628, 629. In which, the nearest landmark is about 2 km from the village. Among the 10 national landmarks that the A Vao Border Guard Station is managing, these are the landmarks with the most dangerous and craggy terrain. Veteran Ho Nhat (79 years old), white hair like clouds on the top of A Le hill, said that every day when going to the fields or looking for honey, the villagers still often pass through national landmarks. From men to women, from young to old, everyone has the spirit of protecting borders and landmarks. “We always tell each other when crossing a border marker to stop to observe. If you see high grass, you have to break it, if a tree falls, you have to clean it up, if you see a mold that’s chipped, you must report it to the official immediately. border guard” – veteran Ho Nhat confided. Senior Lieutenant Ho Van Giang affirmed that the people here are very responsible in patrolling and protecting the borders and landmarks of the Fatherland. Among them are typical examples such as father and son Ho Van Sau, village chief Ho Van Au or veteran Ho Nhat. “The evidence is that every time we go on patrol, we see that the national landmark area is cleared by people. If there is anything at the border, they also send people to cross the mountain to report,” said Lieutenant Giang. Difficult words On the way to leave the 8 house village, we met a lot of students returning from a day of study. The children go in groups, sometimes the older child carries the baby over steep slopes. According to the head of Ba Lin village, Ho Van Nhien, because of the bumpy roads, children’s education in the village is interrupted and they do not reach their destination. In the village, no one studied until grade 10 and many children dropped out of school very early. Stopped learning so the pickaxe, the machete, therefore, “sticks” tightly to the hand.