Photos In Pak Baang

This morning I got up a bit late and dashed out of the room to make a few photos before I had to go to catch the morning slow river boat to Luong Pra Bauk. First stop was about 100 meters behind my guesthouse where I saw several hilltribe homes way up (way way up) on a nearby hill. I did not have time to climb up and make photos but thought I would do a landscape shot of the houses, trees etc. As I was setting this shop up I saw workers building nearby with brick. I went to where they were working and started to set up for a portrait. I tried speaking to them in Thai but that went no where, eventually I realized that these construction guys were manderin speaking Chinese. Not sure why they were not using Lao workers but for some reason the workers from from China. I know that China has several business interests in Laos (both Communist countries) maybe they imported workers from China to construct this building. Eventually I was able to photograph 4 or 5 workers doing various things (carrying bricks, hammering stakes, mixing cement). I was struggling to find any words of Manderin that would help me the only thing I came up with was sort of a pathetic Thank You, SHEY SHEY(think thats thank you!).

On the same site as the hilltribe house and the Chinese workers I made several potraits of 2 young hilltribe boys standing in barefeet on a mound of dirt., gave them 20 baht after.

By the time I finished at the construction site it was 855am, my boat was supposed to leave 830-9am but I was unsure if had missed it. I hurried down the road with the Linhof on my shoulder and came to a beautiful if smoky (fires in the area) view point, made a few pics there of the viewpoint and also of a big sign with the Lao leader on it and an old hut with a man on one side looking down at me.

I looked for the boat from the viewpoint high above but saw nothing! Damn I missed the boat! There were no farang around either so I thought I was done. I walked father down and was about to look again for the boat when I saw a young Lao boy with a hat on leaning on a truck. I thought screw the boat got to get this portrait! I asked him to pose and did 3 quick shots, as he was driving away I asked him and he told me his name. Just as I had finished with the hat boy I felt a tug on my sleeve and a boy pointing down to the river. I looked down and low and behold there was the boat loaded with farang waiting for me!!! I grabbed my camear bag and my tripoded Linhof and ran, trot trot trot trying not to fall down the hill. I went from a happy relaxed guy making pictures to a frantic running dude. When I got to the boat, I realized I did not have to run, people were still standing around and the boat did not leave for another 10 minutes.

I was very happy I made the portraits it helped me get through the 8 hour boat ride that followed. A very quick photo day but a good day.