Laos!

Laos has very much surprised me! I knew very little of the country before coming here, and really wasn't expecting much, but it is simply beautiful here. In Cambodia, the people were desperate poor. The locals were hungry and even appeared malnourished at times. None of the locals were laughing, relaxing, no children playing, in fact most of the children you see are working, selling anything they can, or simply begging. It all made one uneasy because as a tourists you are constantly asked "you buy?" It was hard to say 'no' because you could see the desperation in their lives, but at the same time it became very tiresome very quickly. In Bangkok the situation was much the same, except the locals were well fed, they have just become very accustom to dealing with tourist and taking their money. In fact in Bangkok you quickly get the feeling that there are as many people looking to rip off the tourist as there are tourist. In both places there were very strong lines dividing the locals and the tourist- they shopped, lived and ate completely separately. Laos (the locals don't pronounce the 's') is the exact opposite. While still definitely poor, the standard of living here is a major step up from Cambodia, and there is no desperation. And it's a very different kind of poor, the children are fat and happy, and are playing- and not working. Some of the locals are acctually pudgy! The restaurants are filled with tourists and locals- at the same restaurant. Everyone is very relaxed, happy and friendly. No one asks you to buy anything. The mood and environment of the whole place is very warm and welcoming. And the landscape is stunning, simply breathtaking views of forested mountains and wide river valleys. And it's cheap! Hotel $10, lunch $2, steak dinner (not that I eat steak, but still) $4! Needless to say there are a lot of foreigners here, a good many of whom seem to be here for the long haul! I will try to post some pictures soon, though the internet feels like dialup here!