Driving along 'gong highway'

In eastern Thailand, a 34-km stretch of road near the border of Laos is the center of a thriving industry

It's a noisy day at the gong factory.

Between the bangers, the bongers, the grinders and the polishers, there's not a square inch of silence to be found. The hardware symphony is punctuated by the putt-putt of passing motorbikes and, amid the mayhem, a gong tuner searches for the right sound.