World’s Most Dangerous Roads – Laos: In The Middle Of The Golden Triangle

World’s Most Dangerous Roads – Laos: In The Middle Of The Golden Triangle

Every day, somewhere in the world, normal people risk their lives just getting from A to B. In far off countries and isolated, forgotten villages our camera crews follow the journeys
of those brave enough to travel on the
world’s toughest most dangerous and deadly roads Buckle up for a hell ride ! This is Deadliest Journeys. Nakhai is a small, isolated
village in the middle of Laos. When the rainy season ends, the traveling salesmen
can hit the road again. Suta is a typical vendor, hiking
through the remote villages, selling her wares. Because of the
tremendous downpours, she hasn’t been able to get to
her customers for three months. The phone isn’t working, which is never a good sign. The journey will be difficult, but Kem, Suta’s husband, has to make his
new truck profitable. Cost the equivalent of nearly
22 000 euros a fortune in Laos. Kem and Suta can’t afford
to risk the family’s investment. But the roads here are
notoriously tough on vehicles. Laos is landlocked and is one of the last
Marxist Leninist regimes on the planet. The country has long been
isolated from the rest of the world. The recent introduction
that limited capitalism has yet to improve the lives of the
country’s 6.5 million people. Three quarters of the road
system in Laos are simply dirt roads. Some roads completely
disappear under the monsoon rains. Faced with battling
mother Nature, humans often have to resort to
brute force and give up on mechanics. Suta and Kem are awake long before
daybreak to begin loading up their truck. With their truck
loaded up with goods, Suta, Kem and their daughter
head off into the jungle. The father knows the route, but every year there’s no
knowing its condition of the road. Ferocious rainfall in the region
has caused huge potholes. And, in some places, washed
away whole sections of the road. Kem has to constantly
slalom between the huge holes. Two hours later, the road turns
into a roller coaster. Kem is mainly concerned about
not damaging their precious truck. If the 22,000 euro
truck gets broken, it would spell disaster
for the entire family. At the bottom of the
slope is the first stop, the village of Vang Diem. There is not much here. And the arrival of a travelling
salesman is a much anticipated event. The locals are a little timid, but Suta knows
how to land the catch. The sales pitch
seems to be working. Suta never sells medicines, but she always seems to have
some miraculous products to sell. The take comes
to under 100 euros. Just about enough
to cover the petrol. They hope the next village, Bantam, will prove
more profitable. Along the way, the impact of the monsoon
can still be seen and felt. By trying harder and harder, Kem is getting more
and more bogged down. The solution just maybe, to take a
run-up and force the truck through. But about 30 minutes later… The plane is completely flooded. Just the electricity pylons indicate a
road might have once run along here. The monsoon has
been particularly heavy, and it’ll take several months
before the water recedes. In the meantime, Kem and Suta will need to drum up business
in new villages to make up for the delay. Laos has many areas that
are virtually unreachable, including vast tropical forests. Precious woods
attract fortune hunters. To help reach the
sought-after and rare woods, humans have a powerful ally
that dates back 6,000 years. Elephants, are perfectly adapted to
work in the ravines of the forest. Kambou is a male aged 28. Boun Tang, his driver, directs by using his
feet and the tone of his voice. The animal’s only failing
is its immense appetite. The animal chomps its way through
250 kilos of plants and leaves a day. The lumberjacks paid Boun
Tang and his elephant to fetch the wood they’ve cut
in the more inaccessible places. On such steep slopes, the symbiosis between
man and animal is vital. The elephant needs barely 10
minutes to release the 850 kilo tree trunk. Kambou makes his
driver very proud. Getting the huge hunk of wood
down is a long and perilous process. If the tree hurtles
down the slope, it could break
Kambou’s rear legs. To avoid accidents, the assistants need to
act as counterweights. Being able to get through
the wildest forest and the hardest to reach places
is what elephants are for in Laos. Soon, trucks will come and remove the
rosewood tree gathered by the elephant. The wood will be used in luxury
furniture and fittings in Beijing, Hanoi and elsewhere. To elephants, a swim is more than
just a pleasant break. Despite its tough appearance, the animal’s skin
is very sensitive. The water helps
destroy parasites, as well as preventing its
hide from becoming too dry. The maneuver soon turns into a
game between human and elephant. Their relationship goes
back more than a dozen years. Man and elephant have
similar life expectations. And if all goes well, Kambou and Boun Tang will
continue to work together into old age. Despite their strength, elephants are slowly
being replaced by machines. Even these ancient
Soviet-era trucks. Seng has been driving
one for four years. This truck was made in
the Ukraine in the 1960s. It’s a Kras 255. It’s been modified and its parts stripped
down to basics and, in others, reinforced. Not much is left
of the original. With an engine
in that condition, even filling the
tank is a challenge. It takes 300 liters of
fuel to fill the tanks. So, 50 liters for
100 kilometers. Seng hits the road
with his assistant, Tent. The truck’s nine meters long, 2.7 meters wide, and 3.6 meters high. One of the largest trucks
the Soviets ever built. Driving this 12-ton heap of
scrap metal is no easy matter. During the Cold War, power steering was rare. Visibility isn’t great, either. Once in the forest, the assistant has to guide
the driver through the trees. Further on, a tree trunk
has fallen across the road. The two men are experienced
and know how to deal with this. With Seng at the wheel, the truck acts in much the
same way as an army tank, clearing all before it. 25 kilometres and
five hours later, Seng and Tent finally
reach the loading site. The pine wood is on its
way to a furniture factory. Each trunk weighs between
three and five tonnes. To move it, all they have is a simple winch. Moving such bulk with such basic equipment
means going one small step at a time. Once the front’s in, the back end needs lifting. It’s a dangerous procedure, especially when
the cable comes off. The trunks are unstable. The worn-out equipment
only adds to the risk. The giant game of pick-up
sticks stretches on for three hours. The trunks are twice
as long as the trailer. To stop the truck
from tipping backwards, the loading has to be as
far forward as possible. Seng, who’s not big, can barely
get his head above the dashboard. Transporting 30 tons
of wood and scrap metal in such road
conditions is a real test. The two men are paid by
the cubic metre of wood. This journey will
let them 37 euros, two thirds for the driver, the rest for his assistant. It’s well paid, even if
the risks are substantial. Most people in Laos get by with barely
one and a half euros a day on average. In northwest Laos, the former royal capital, Luang
Prabang, is celebrating a daily ritual, the Takbat ceremony. Every morning, the monks walk the streets
looking for donations from the public. Glutinous rice, fruit, even soap. The Buddhists depend
entirely on begging for survival. Sumsak visits the
temple before each of his trips. He looks sweet, calm and pious, and yet this 42-year-old
lives a life that’s far from safe. He’s a speedboat pilot. The boats are used to travel at high
speeds up and down the Mekong River. For those in a hurry, it’s an ideal solution, so long as you have the physical
and mental guts for the ride. Sumsak has been
doing this for 14 years. His boat is a basic cockle shell
with a powerful outboard motor. Such power costs more than 3 000
euros and a good deal of resourcefulness. The speedboat corporation
is well organized. It sets the fares and imposes
the traffic regulations for the pilots. The number of customers
is limited to those who can afford the fares of between
14 and 30 euros a trip, the equivalent of several
weeks salary for most farmers. So while they wait… The pilots pass the time
playing the national sport, an activity reminiscent
of the south of France. The pastime is a legacy
of French colonialism. The arrival of some
customers cuts the game short. Sumsak casts off. After distributing
the safety equipment, he sets about making sure his
fragile vessel is well balanced. Their destination is Pak Beng, a village 150
kilometers to the west. The pilot should be able to get them
there in a bit less than three hours, compared to a normal boat,
that takes the best part of a day. Somsak is speeding at
70 kilometers an hour. Every minute counts, and it’s the reason the passengers
are willing to pay so much, despite the noise and the bumps. All you can do is put
yourself in the pilot’s hands. The speedboats aren’t
renowned for their responsiveness Depending on the
level of the Mekong, the rocks disappear or reappear. Sumsak has to remember
where they all are. But preparing for the
unexpected, like tree trunks and other
obstacles carried down river, is also a useful trait. The speedboat is the taxi of the river
and drops off passengers along the way. Somsak then continues
his race against time. How many more years he thinks
he’ll do this dangerous job ? That’s uncertain. As the road networks
slowly improve, the number of
speedboats is falling. The country has seen
a decade of change.

Laos, a landlocked country hidden in the heart of Southeast Asia, remains isolated due to a long-standing communist regime. This journey follows the toughest routes in the country, revealing the challenges faced by its forgotten ethnic groups and the remnants of war.

Written by Tony Comiti