I was walking through the outskirts of Lai Chau (Vietnam) when I came across this little boy herding his big friend with a stick. TSSST TSSST, he'd say and the big one would move along. "Hi!" I said. He yelled back "HI!" with a shit-eating grin. Figuring the boy would know bare minimum English, if any, since he lived in a mountainous hill tribe that spoke their own language called Mong, i said simply "Is this your cow?"
"No!" He shouted back, then climbed up one terrace tier of the paddy field and hoisted himself over the animal's back.
"My water buffalo!"
How amazing these little kids are to pick up languages and vocabulary through interaction with tourists!!!
I managed to snap this moment shared between the pair before they rode away. It is by far my favorite photo I've captured on this mess of a trip.
