Well, I don't understand how houses built with wood costs so much. And that's not the only problem with the houses, but it's how they've been building and they're not going to change.
That was the kind of blackmail some acquaintances and I experienced on a boat traveling from Luang Prabang, Laos to Chiang Saen, Thailand many moons ago. As a non-swimmer, I was pretty scared by their antics.