Laos review

Currently on a bus ride through the south of Laos heading into Cambodia, I thought it would be a good time to write up a review of this country. My experience is more of northern Laos at we have had only this bus to see the south. There are a few notable places in southern Laos that we would maybe have seen, these are the bolevan plateau and Si Phan Don (Four thousand islands). We opted to see the north instead.

Laos is a very poor country. It has a two lane road significantly patched, a medical system in the dark ages, and many many landmines and unexploded bombs to deal with. What makes Laos unique to other countries we've seen is that while it lacks in wealth it is very rich in life sustaining resources. Rivers are abundant with fish, chickens and ducks are easy to raise, and gardens can be grown year round with a little irrigation. Laos is at a unique stage in its development which makes it an exciting country to see.

Something is always on fire in Laos. Hillsides, roadsides, garbage, cookstoves, and sometimes backyards are not safe from being burned. The people burn the ground before and after planting and sometimes it seems just because. The burning situation is actually terrible, especially during the dry season. We had days when ash was falling like snow and there was always a smokey haze covering the land. Garbage is also burnt to be disposed of which may not have been such a big deal in the past but since plastic has come in to play there needs to be better ways of disposal.

Laos has a very small population. There are roughly 5 million people with 70% of the population living in small agricultural villages. Power and roads have yet to be available to all villages still. This makes Laos a very unique country in many ways uncorrupted by tourists but it is all changing quickly. Here are a few things that we had to become aware of as we went along:
-Pointing your foot at someone is equivalent to flipping the bird.
-Shoes are taken off before entering a home or a business.
-Holding hands or any public display of affection is very offensive to the older generation.