As we rose in elevation, we came across the remote Hmong village of Phou Luang Tai. The only way to get here is on foot, and it’s a seven-hour walk from Luang Prabang that ends with a steep climb, the kind that leaves you with sore thigh muscles and a pain in both knees. Add to this the hot weather – It was over 30°C when we did it, which didn’t help. But as we rose above the treeline, the last stretch was beautiful, with hills covered in virgin vegetation.

We arrived at the village – thirty wooden huts were scattered across the slope below us – before sunset, just in time to play with the curious kids and take a “bath” with the locals at the small spring flowing one hundred meter from here.

Phou Luang Tai is the definition of remote: it has no electricity, no running water, so when our little five-person group – 2 guides and 3 tourists – came equipped with digital cameras and cell-phone, all this high tech sophistication imediately captivated the kids and their shy parents’ attention.

But again, what garnered the most interest though, was the Polaroid camera. All what they wanted was a picture from what they called the “magic camera.” With it we were able to instantly hand out prints to people, many of whom lacking household accouterments like mirrors, had never seen themselves before. All without USB cables, electrical plugs, printers or computers. Magic.