Laos April '00

As you know by now, I generally hate Songkran, the Thai New Year festival that involves throwing water at strangers for a week. So this Songkran, we escaped to nearby Laos, so we could get soaked by Laotians rather than Thais. We spent close to a week in Laos, a couple days in the capital, Vientiane, followed by several more in Luang Prabang.

I noticed I've been ending my last posts at each holiday with a variation of "I can't wait to go back", so Laos is a good oppportunity to break that pattern, and end with a "never again" instead. It's not that it's a horrible place, it's just that a week in Laos is more than enough time to explore its limited charms. A quick summary of the place: poorest country in Asia, population about 6 million, with less than 10 % living anywhere near a road, completely landlocked and mountainous. Originally a separate Thai kingdom like Lanna in northern Thailand, it gradually grew apart culturally and linguistically so it's like Thailand, only different (and much poorer). It got tossed around among various countries, became a puppet state controlled by Thailand, then became a French colony. Became independent after World War II, got embroiled in the Vietnam War, Communists took over and imprisoned (and later killed) the royal family. Laos then carpetbombed repeatedly by the Americans. More bombs fell in tiny Laos than in all of Europe during the second world war, still holds the record for the most bombed out country and still full of unexploded bombs and land mines. Communists continue to run the place, ensuring that the unlucky country will continue to widen the gap with the next poorest Asian country. So let's go exploring!