Celebrating some Lao ingenuity

Tad Lo Lodge, Tad Lo, Laos – Some assignments are difficult to take. This “simple” lodge blew us away with its amazing panoramic view over a river, cascading through rocks, water tumbling & burbling over a wonderful waterfall. We took advantage of the cooler morning and set off at first light to walk beside the river. It was peaceful & quiet, apart from a couple of young local village lads checking the snares they had set the night before. Clambering across massive limestone boulders, watching the sun slowly rise, in search of the perfect vista, and best Kodak moment… few moments in time rise to this level. Perfect.

Returning to the Lodge for an early breakfast, we experienced a visual escalation… what’s beyond perfect? Three elephants gently strolling down a brick-red mud path, coming to bathe in the cooler morning air, heading for a river pool directly in front of the Lodge. My camera went into overdrive, snapping away as the Mahouts (Lao: Elephant Keepers) gently rode their elephants into the river, encouraging them to bathe. Perfect-er!?

Then the moment each photographer dreads; the perfect shot, but you’ve got the wrong lens on the camera. Action stations! Lens off, lens swap, lens on… the good news was that when I dropped the lens cap, it didn’t fall into the river. As I bent down to pick it up, I realised it had fallen into a crack between two boulders. On closer inspection, I couldn’t see the lens cap - it appeared to have somehow bounced under one of the boulders. It was obvious that with my massive paws, I couldn’t squeeze a hand down. But help was at hand – two local lads (one a Mahout) came running over to join the thrill of the chase, the “search for the missing lens cap”. Despite much smaller hands and the careful use of various sticks, they too failed. I was resigned to my fate… but with no Lao other than “Sabaidee” (Hello) & “Kopchai” (Thank you), how should I communicate “It’s OK”… in particular to the Mahout, who had taken the task on with relish and didn’t seem to want to return to washing elephants in a hurry! He stood up purposefully and moved off – no words were spoken, but I sensed I should wait and that he was going to get something… a longer & more flexible piece of bamboo maybe?

Several minutes later, the Mahout returned. Imagine my surprise, when in one hand he held a hammer, and in the other a massive bolster chisel. Note to conservationists: I regret what happened next, but my lack of language - and consummate wonder - blocked me from doing anything but gawp. The Mahout proceeded to apply said chisel and hammer into the small crack between the rocks, and with three or four deft blows, small pieces of rock were removed, allowing him to finally insert his hand into the crack and retrieve the lens cap. The gathered crowd (this was by now an incident of International import) showed their appreciation, and I stood there amazed… as after my profusive “Kopchai LaLa” (Thank you very much), the Mahout casually strolled away, mounted his elephant and proceeded with his day.

Perfect... Perfect-er... ???