Bamboo-zled!

Today's topic is about something I know absolutely nothing about: Construction.

That being said, after watching so many factories go up over here in the past eight years, I know more than I ever thought I wanted to know about construction. Further to that, because it remains an area where my level of expertise is sorely lacking, I'm still able to make eye-opening discoveries ranging from the amazing to the intriguing, sometimes to the terrifying!

One thing that's always captured my attention at construction sites around China is their use of bamboo scaffolding. Little did I know that bamboo is one of the strongest natural elements on the earth - and it's a grass!! Yes, construction sites throughout Asia are using the fastest growing grass on earth to erect everything from mini-markets to skyscrapers! (The textbook record for bamboo growth in a single day is, believe it or not, 39 inches!)

There are no joints to connect on these scaffolds, no bolts to tighten, no steel girders to weld together - these scaffolds are 100% constructed using long bamboo "poles" bound together with a special black cording, which is wrapped, tied and secured in a very specific way. The poles are cut and fit together in what appears to be a chaotic jig-saw puzzle, but which, in fact, is a highly calculated design plan aimed to insure the ultimate safety of the workers.

These men have been hired specifically to construct the scaffolding around a high-rise building on Wyndom Street in Hong Kong. Clearly experts in their field, as with so many tradesmen in Asia, their knowledge and expertise has been (and will be) passed down from one generation to another, father to son, master to fledgling, effectively maintaining a continuum of this essential skill in the construction world.

We've watched them build these scaffolds, expertly tying the poles together with the cords swinging from their belts, hoisting themselves up higher and higher as they build, wrapping their legs around the poles on one level as they reach out to construct the next. Their shoes say so much about their particular skill - flat, rubber tie-shoes fit close to the foot to insure they can "feel" the scaffold, grip it with their toes and maintain balance even while hoisting 30-foot poles several stories up into the air.

They're like modern-day acrobats, these high-flying bamboo builders, but with no harnesses, no safety nets, not even a rope ladder to climb down once they finish for the day. These guys are the real deal, experts, professional tradesmen who have mastered their craft and work tirelessly at it. One can only hope they're well compensated for the risks they take everyday in their particular profession, working diligently to ensure the safety of others.

So the next time you see a construction site in Asia on the Discovery Channel, remember if you think you're seeing steel girders, you've probably been? bamboo-zled!