One of the excursions on our trip to Northern Laos was a 4 hour ride in a four-wheel drive jeep into the hills where we visited 2 villages of the Hmong people. The way the children looked at us (and our guide informed us) that not many people who look like us make it back to these villages.
Our guide (who was native to the area) and spoke the language engaged these two women – a grandmother, her daughter and her two children. They were sewing as he translated the conversation. The daughter in the light colored shirt got up, went into their home and brought out two more wooden stools. I was so struck by the kindness and hospitality of this woman, I remember it years late.
I like many elements in this image – you can see the structure of the roof of their home with the bamboo bracing and the thatching; the women engaged in their sewing tasks; and the one young girl looking so curiously at me while I captured the photo.