Laos - Learning and Discovery
Hard working people - the majority of the people have to devote most of their day to either making the handicrafts (weaving cloth, basket making, painting, cooking food) or setting up booths to sell their goods. There are a huge number of food vendors offering many different types of cuisine all along the streets. If they make $20 a day it is considered a good day.
Farmers up in the mountains and along the river banks supply fresh vegetables and fruits to the city vendors and restaurants. Much of the work is still done by animal power and manual labor. Boats are used to take the produce to market.
I found the people to be very friendly and easy going. They seem happy overall and content with their lives while striving to achieve better conditions for themselves and their families. They willingly shared their humble homes and daily living routine with us.
They shared their customs.
Communist Country - it was very evident we were In a communist country with the red hammer and sickle flags on almost every business establishment and personal homes. The military patrol with guns was evident especially around government facilities. There was additional security as they were preparing for the country's 40th anniversary of communist rule.
Freedom of speech - there is no real freedom of speech in a public sense. People who are vocal about the problems of the country or the government have been known to disappear. The government monitors social media (Internet, Facebook, etc.) for negative comments and try to track down the people for arrest. Our local guide Sean wouldn't answer certain questions we asked until we were on the bus because he said there were many undercover police that mingle among the crowds and listen for comments. That is why I didn't post this until I had left the country.
Government corruption - from my understanding there is rampant corruption among the government officials. They get kickbacks from companies and countries that want to do business in Laos. An example is they recently signed an agreement with China to build a high-speed rail system In the agreement, they gave the Chinese a 5 mile wide land usage right-of-way which means they can have all the mineral and natural resources within that right-of-way. The original agreement gave them a 15 mile strip but due to public outcry it was reduced to 5.
Mekong River Dam - there is some controversy over the plans to build a massive dam across the river. It will displaced a lot of people and entire villages. The people are worried that they will have to move to a mountainous area where they won't know how to farm and make a living. The dam is being built so electricity can be exported to surrounding countries. Fishermen may lose the ability to make a living on the river.
Living standards - there is a severe shortage of medical care especially in the remote regions. When I asked the village leader about health care he got very upset. We learned his wife is very ill and even though he took her to the hospital in town, they wouldn't do anything to help her other than recommend he buy some medicine. This really bothered him because he is a party member and had showed his card. Many still live in grass huts with limited resources. Although, where there was electricity available, it wasn't unusual to see a satellite dish. Cell phones and towers were abundant.
The rural schools have no electricity and the walls have open spaces between the boards. There is no toilet facilities for the children and they have to go out into the bush.
Yet the children seem happy and enjoyed our visit.
It still amazes me that even with extreme poverty, the people are so devoted to their religion that they make great sacrifices (daily donations of food for the monks and regular giving of money to the temples) to gain merits in both this life and the next life.
Fear of the people - our guide said he is concerned that they will be totally taken over by the Chinese within the next 10 - 15 years. They currently are having disagreements with Cambodia and are relying on Vietnam to remain their ally.
After effects of the war - it was very sobering to learn that even 40 years after the war, that the remnants of bombs we, the US, left behind still impact the lives of the people on a daily basis. Families building fires over an unexploded ordinance buried in the ground for years and then all at once having it explode; Farmers tending a field and accidentally hitting a bomb; Children finding them lying around and picking them up to play with; and people purposely harvesting them to sell for the metal.
It was a fantastic journey through a land that I never dreamed of ever visiting. It will be interesting to keep track of the country as it moves forward.
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