It's Bohemian

We witnessed many spectacular things in Laos. Here is a list of certain peculiarities I found interesting about the country:

Lao Lao is a liquor made locally from sticky rice. It is at least 50% alcohol by volume. It is also the drink of choice for most locals because it is so cheap. By comparison, just one Lao Beer (a tourist favorite) costs more than a day's wage for Lao people working minimum wage…less than $1/day!

Most businesses close at 11:30 because there is a government curfew. Technically ALL people should be at wherever they are legally registered to be staying by midnight. Businesses have to close by 11:30pm to allow enough time for employees and guests to be home before curfew. These laws are loosely enforced for us tourists, however, business owners can be fines up to $2,000, incarcerated and lose their business license if they don't abide.

In Thailand we were called Farangs but in Laos we were called Falangs. It is not a derogatory term, but quite the contrary… It literally means only 'French' and the Lao use it to refer to all Caucasians. It carries a respect and endearment that oftentimes may not be deserved considering the history of foreign influence.

It is uncommon in South East Asia to tip. Some places recommend that you tip staff about 5% or at least leave your small change if you are happy with their service. Tips are usually shared by the entire staff every month and businesses usually match (double) the tips you give as a bonus. The average income in Laos is still less than $1,000 a year…So by tipping you help the locals use that extra income to pay for education and basic healthcare that their families otherwise could not afford.

In Laos, all food is served in the middle of the table and every dish is shared by everyone as it is prepared. It is considered extremely rude to pull an entire order in front of oneself. The concept of possession is completely foreign to the Laos people. To illustrate this point, the word for 'mine' and 'yours' is the same- and their isn't even a word for an individual person. Laos is perhaps best described as 'communalist.'

If tourist live like locals, they can live of $1 per day! Stay with 10 people in a bamboo hut with no water or electricity, grow your own food, rarely eat meat, drink only water and Lao Lao, bathe and do laundry in the river, and whatever you do DON'T get sick. The only things made in Laos are basic farm crops, handicrafts, textiles, wood products, cement, electricity, cigarettes, beer and soft drinks. Absolutely everything else must be imported. You are in a place so remote that is was not accessible by road until late 1990's. Most area businesses operate at laughably small profits margins to stay competitive. Lao people have to pay the same prices for products as in Thailand - plus the increased cost due to resellers, taxes and shipping - and then have to sell it for far less than the retail prices in Thailand. Anything 'modern' costs 2 to 10 times more than in a developing country. Local inflation averages 15%. Most significantly, property values are spiraling out of control - normal rent had increased 1,500% in the last 3 years!

Motorbikes are illegal to rent in Northern Laos, not because of the Tuk-Tuk mafia, but because there are too many accidents involving tourists and woefully inadequate healthcare. Injuries or death wouldn't be good publicity for tourism.

Monks are mysterious to us 'falangs.' Foreigners always wonder about their lives, and if your lucky enough you can talk with one to find out, but most tourists keep their distance and instead snap pictures of the monks like they are monkeys in a zoo... Monks are always on the move, many young monks with their orange robes, brown shoulder slings, and black umbrellas…but where are they all going?!… We found out that they go to the same places that anyone would go - School, the temple, and to visit family and friends. They wonder why us tourists take so many pictures of them and what we are looking for if you already have everything we need?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT~

Cultivating a non-discriminating mind provides the serenity for practitioners to let go of afflictions, wandering thoughts, and attachments. It is difficult for us to let go due to the injustices we feel we have suffered and the grudges we thus hold. However, feeling this way only puts us at more of a disadvantage because then we suffer the consequences of our grudges. Inequalities exist in this world because of our discriminating minds.