All of the original metal bridges on the Ledo Road in northern Myanmar have rusted and collapsed. Many of them have been replaced with makeshift bridges built using boards and long wooden poles lashed together with rattan. Our two portage elephants had strikingly different reactions to these bridges. Loi Mai, the lead elephant, walked across without hesitation. Aung Bu, on the other hand, refused to cross even after much prodding and his handler had to find another route (thx, Tun Shaung). [NOTE: see Bathing the Elephant and Hukaung Valley Rattan Survey for more footage of Loi Mai and Aung Bu.]