This is the story of a river which begins life on the frozen expanse of the Tibetan plateau.
Considered the fourth most important river in Asia,
its source was, however, discovered just six years ago,
by the French writer and explorer, Michel Peissel.
As it flows through China, it is known as the Turbulent River.
It then enters Laos, where it is called the Mother of Waters,
while for the Cambodians, it is simply the Great Water.
Finally, in Vietnam, at the point where it flows into the South China Sea,
it becomes The Nine Dragons.
This is the story of the Mekong river,
as it crosses the countries of south-east Asia,
a region full of legends and forgotten cities,
lost empires whose remains have survived to the present day,
and tribes hidden in the depths of the jungle.
But it is also a land scarred by the horrors of human savagery.
Dawn is rising in the mountains of Annam
and, like every morning, Busneng starts the day with the opium ceremony.
There is a traditional rule which allows men to smoke opium
once they reach the age of forty, and have had children.
Bunseng is forty three years old, and is married to Bojam
who is only 29, though a hard life has made her look much older.
Together they have had five children, with another now on the way.
They live in a modest shack made from bamboo
and, unlike the majority of the tribes of south-east Asia,
their house is not raised up above the ground.
There are two entrance doors, one for men and the other for women,
but this division is only used for the wedding ceremonies.
Inside there is just one room
this is where everyone sleeps, as well as being the kitchen,
and the place where they store rice.
There are no windows, and around the walls they hang the baskets,
tools for working the land, medicinal plants, food and kitchen utensils.
Bunseng and his family live in Salaebe,
a small village in the north of Laos,
very close to the border with China.
They belong to the Ekor tribe, one of the thirty ethnic minorities
which originated on the high steppes of Tibet and Mongolia
and now live in these lands, at an altitude of 1,300 metres.
Their fear of the lowlands comes from a Mong proverb which says:
"If you don't fear hunger, stay in the mountains,
but if you don't fear death, then go to the plains".
Activity in the village begins at sunrise,
but by this time, the married women have already been at work for hours,
cleaning the house and preparing the fire and the food.
Then, they meet at the spring, to collect water which they transport in bamboo canes.
Twice a day, Bojam has to walk the three kilometres
from the spring to the village, carrying on her back a weight of over 50 kilos.
Meanwhile, both Chang Vang and Niai,
the eldest daughters of Bojam, grind the rice.
For the Ekor, rice is not only the basis of their economy and their diet,
it is the centre of their lives, and as such, occupies much of their time.
Agriculture is their main activity,
though they also own buffaloes and farm animals,
which are a valuable additional food source,
especially at the end of the dry season, when rice is at its scarcest.
But today is not just any day in Salaebe.
Today is the 5th of February, and the women are preparing the rice,
in order to celebrate the new year.
Then, they prepare special cakes and rice liqueur.
They dye the rice red, green and yellow.
Red represents raw meat, blood, and the dragon.
The green rice represents the crops, including rice itself,
while the yellow represents all other foods.
Every home prepares this three-coloured rice,
which will be offered to the family spirits.
Another important element in the Ekor culture
is the ornaments they wear on their traditional costumes,
and which both men and women use every day.
These are made from cotton, dyed indigo and different shades of blue.
The women's costumes are decorated with complicated embroidery
and the half piaster coins of Indochina,
and they also wear earrings, bracelets and chokers of rigid silver,
made by the silversmiths in nearby Yunnan.