Returning to the Lisu village in N.W Thailand where I had stayed last year, I had a surprise in store for Asur and Asa

Returning to the Lisu village in N.W Thailand where I had stayed last year, I had a surprise in store for Asur and Asa
Asking to take a stranger’s portrait is a bit like riding a horse. They sense when you’re frightened. As soon as I’d had one good experience, my approach must have subtly changed as I suddenly started to get much more positive responses, and started to get the photos I had wanted
It seemed an unlikely place to be going for breakfast, as Cho lead us into a little low building with […]
Pinned to the wall of a home stay I’d been at last year in N.W.Thailand, was a torn handwritten map on a scrap of paper marking out where some of the local settlements were. It was a bit like Christopher Robin’s map of Hundred Acre Wood, and on it were little black dots on wiggly lines indicating where the various ethnic minority people lived.
We have to stay sensitive to our impact both on our subject and the ground we lay for future passing tourists/photographers, and try to keep the interaction a positive one for both. Ultimately I think it will make for a better travel experience and better photos too, and done unthoughtfully we risk ‘killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
By the time I reached the Black Lahu village in a mountainous area of N.W Thailand I was a bit ‘languaged out’. This was unfortunate timing, as soon after arriving in the village I noticed the lady living in the house opposite my homestay, who had a sparkly twinkle in her eyes and a face full of character. I knew straight away I wanted to meet her.
It was a really exciting experience if a little daunting. There was a sea of bright colours and frenetic activity, and although I’ve visited many traditional markets before, this one felt a bit scary.
Phongsali province is in the far north of Laos, wedged between Yunnan Province in China and Vietnam, and the heavy […]