Sabaidee (Laotian "Hello")!

An old saying in Southeast Asia is that the Vietnamese plant the rice, the
Khmer (Cambodians) watch the rice, and the Laotians listen to it grow.
Indeed, things seem much more laid back here in Laos than where I spent the
previous week in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Luang Prabang is a relatively sleepy town among the mountains and rice
fields of north-central Laos and along the Mekong River.  Aside from a
smattering of guest houses ranging from rustic to decadent, the town is
occupied by more than its share of brightly ornate Buddhist temples (called
wats), some of which exceed 400 years in age.  Yellow robed Buddhist monks
can be heard serenely chanting their prayers from these wats every day at
sunrise and sunset.  It appears that monks often choose the lifestyle for
their school and college years but abandon it in their adult years, perhaps
to marry and lead more normal lives.  We were told by one monk that few stay
for religious purposes during their adult years, but that some return to it
in their later years.

Even 800 kilometers upstream of its delta, the Mekong River is a broad and
impressive sight to behold as it carries the daily monsoon rains downstream.
  Its brownish red color may be partly due to the fact that many farmers
have chosen to farm the steep mountain slopes, clearing the forests while
contributing to massive soil erosion that choke the tributaries with
sedimentation and kills the fish.  To counter this trend, the United
Nations, the U.S. and others have contributed to irrigation projects that
help control lowland flooding and make growing rice in the lowlands more
practical, so that farmers are not so tempted to farm the slopes.

Occasionally, one sees bomb shell casings and other artillery leftover from
the war, some of which are being used in unexpected ways, such as troughs
for providing water to farm animals.

I'm going to keep this brief because the internet is very slow here, much as
is the pace of the country, and the day is calling me to go out and enjoy.

Drop a line if you have the time.

Deano