Goodbye Laos - a few reflections

In the end we spent a total of five weeks in Laos, and really enjoyed our time here. To follow; a few reflections on Laos.

Laos was more expensive than we expected – more so than Thailand for instance – particularly in terms of food (although of course still cheap by western standards).

Laos is really on a timeframe all of its own, and is commonly referred to as ‘Laos PDR – please don’t rush.’ This is something that takes a bit of getting used to, but after a while, you do adjust to Lao time.

Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world, and a lot of people live in real poverty, yet despite this we only encountered one or two beggars during our entire time there.  Also, even the most basic of bamboo huts have massive satellite dishes attached.

We spent a lot of time in hammocks, which was fantastic.

Laos has some truly stunning scenery.

The food wasn’t particularly exciting, however beerlao was great.

Pi mai Lao, or Lao New Year, is a fantastic celebration, and a brilliant excuse for the whole country to let their hair down for a few days.

Bumpy, windy roads; and many a long bus journey. Oddly, for some reason, all the bus stations in Laos seem to be very far of town, often 5 or more kms out. Often the smallest towns have more than one bus station as well. Perhaps this is so that tuk tuk drivers can then ferry people to and fro and gain an income this way.

Lao pop music was ubiquitous; many a long bus ride was spent with this blaring loudly from the speakers. The music seems to have only the one tune. This could have something to do with the fact that it hasn’t been around long; apparently prior to 2003, it was illegal to make pop music in Laos.

Laos is changing at an amazing rate. Development is often being prompted by investments from countries such as China, which in turn has an influence on the country, with some of Laos’ natural resources being provided to China.

Much of this development is bemoaned by tourists and others for the detrimental effects on Laos’ environment. However it’s important to remember that much of this development is welcomed by the Lao people, as it often increases access to medical services, education, and more. How to continue development while still preserving the environment is perhaps Laos’ million dollar question.