Chapter 1490 Resource Curse (1/2)

The mother and daughters started to get busy since they saw many customers.

They depended on their resources. Since they were by the river, they mostly used fish and shrimps in cooking.

A few large white fish were bubbling in the pot, and on the grill, there was a small, palm-length fish with flesh was so thick that bits of skin soon turned brown.

Li Du sat on the edge of the river, looking out at the water.

The river was clear and billowing, and boats of all sizes rose and fell with the waves. As it was lunchtime, some of the boats were docked.

On both sides of the river, there were many man-made shady spots. A few pieces of wood held up black nets to serve as shelter from the sun. There were a few tanned locals with their tea jars talking underneath these improvised awnings.

It was the first time Li Du came to Myanmar, so he was curious about everything and could not help looking around.

At this, the local people nearby shed turned pale, and several young men pointed at him and shouted.

Godanwei got up quickly and smiled kindly at the young people, and said something.

Big Markelov translated, ”The guys asked what you were looking at and the tour guide told them that we were foreigners and that this was our first time here.”

Li Du did not want to make trouble, and when he heard this he withdrew his eyes from the men, then disdainfully smiled and said, ”These locals are quite a handful.”

Young Markelov spat and said, ”I see that they are not afraid of death!”

Big Markelov stared at him immediately and said, ”Don't mess around here, idiot. We're on the front line. No logistics, no supplies, no support, nothing. Be reasonable.”

Godanwei sat down after he placated the people on the other side. He said, ”They are the local gold-diggers, so they hate it when people look at them. They misunderstood your intention.”

Li Du suddenly realized that there must be gold in the river.

The roast fish were ready first. These fish were skewered with bamboo sticks so that one could eat them without getting one's hands dirty.

The fish was tender and fresh, with no earthy smell of freshwater fish, but a sweet taste, with spices like cumin and paprika, that the group enjoyed.

The cost of living in these places was very low. Their group spent less than 200,000 Kyat on the meal. According to the exchange rate, one RMB was equal to 200 Kyat.

They were all very big men, and they ate a lot. For a meal like that in the United States, Li Du estimated they would spend more than fifty dollars each.

Before leaving, Li Du gave the landlady a little tip, which was a hundred dollars.

The lady laughed with joy when she saw the piece of money. As the gold diggers would occasionally trade in dollars, she knew the value of this currency.

This hundred-dollar was worth hundreds of thousands of Kyat, and the landlady hid the money carefully. She took some baked fish wrapped in oiled paper and offered them to Li Du, motioned to him that it was for them to eat on their way.

At last, the road became better, and the desolate mountains were replaced by hills riddled with mines.

They had arrived at the Hpakant district!