world: laos

Travelling up the Mekong deep into the Golden trangle, you feel a shift. Bags of opium stacked on the riverside, Chinese truck drivers dressed in knock-off track suits slurping tea, an AK-47 over their shoulder, it feels outside the realm of the world most of us know.

Laos has the feel of a place history passes through on it's way somewhere else, a country afflicted by the surge of larger events and larger players.

A lack of infrastructure, spotty electricity and horrible roads make Laos a challenge. But Laos also holds a rugged charm, something that passes into the national character, leaving the people wonderful and warm.