At the mouth of the Lo Liam Cave, Ip pauses to greet a passing fishing boat.

Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

Hua Dao and the booty. Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

Samane shins up a bamboo pole to reach the entrance to the Chang Luk Cave. His mates have moved the boat in case he falls. Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

Ip, Sahat and his son Em search for nests by torchlight, clinging to vines lashed to the cave walls. Em, directed by his father, reaches for a cluster of nests. Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

Balanced on bamboo scaffolding, Ip plucks a nest from the wall. Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

Ip and Sahat. Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

Sahat is perched to take the nests. Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

The guards. Bird's nest soup has been a prized Chinese delicacy since the Ming dynasty. The coveted nests are made from the saliva of tiny swifts living in inaccessible sea caves along Thailand's southern archipelago. The harvest is big business and the nests are taken under armed escort to the mainland, to be sold for vast sums of money. The men who risk life and limb to gather 'the white gold of the caverns' have to scale dizzying heights to reach them.

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