It would be a mistake to assume that this guy is protected, the rope is there to lower tree limbs. This man’s life is in his own hands, and bare feet. The can of insecticide in his pants is for the red ants. Their are 10,000 of them in the tree.

In America our tree destruction artist, going up without shoes or a harness, would be in violation of a dozen laws. Here it’s just another day. A good rule of thumb is that precaution is proportionate to wealth. The minimum wage is $10 a day in Thailand and safety is an abstract ideal.

*Bonus, one of my favorite pictures, a Russian man trusting his life to an air conditioner.