Craig has surprised me with a crossbow making course. We get ready for our activity, our guide picking us up at 11am. We drive to a villiage just outside of town and wander to a small house with a family and a garden full of chickens.
Our host Keshon Lee is an 85 year old master crossbow maker. He is from the Hmong tribe and the skill he has will be lost once he is gone. His family have no requirement to learn the ancient craft. Our guide is from the Khmu tribe and the Lao language is different from Keshon's so communication is limited.
The wood we are using is teak with a bamboo arch that has been fired and dried to make it strong. The tools we use are an iron spike that is filed and a block of wood to hammer. In the baking heat this adds to the challenge. Our guide explains the heat to the Artisan and I can only guess what he muttered "man up boys, I'm 85 and can do it". We file and cut out the main bow and then chisel a hole to insert the bamboo arch. Sanding the bow until the master is happy. An iron rod is inserted into the fire so we can burn a hole to place the trigger. The trickiest part is weaving the bow string, a lifetime to fully understand the process of rubbing 3 separate strands on your leg before twisting together. Some folded bamboo strands are used to smooth the bowstring. Eventually finishing we get to test our creations. Very satisfying hitting the target and the Grandmaster seems happy with what we have produced. A brilliant birthday present (LT)
We rest after the long day, then head to the Hive bar. We are in time for a Laos fashion show, the girls parading in a remarkable range of clothes from tribes around the country. Also a smokehouse, I get some delicious ribs and BBQ chicken. The show ends and some local Bboys come on and do a breakdancing routine. Great birthday entertainment. We talk with a nice American couple called Erin and Salem. We mention Utopia and they join us for some drinks. Bars close around 11:30pm but there's a loophole with a bowling alley just out of town. We jump onto the crowded tuk tuk and the 4 of us get a lane to test our skills. A fun way to finish the day and a lovely couple who added to todays celebrations. An unusual and great birthday.