Lovely Laos... it was amazing to be back in Asia again. The organization, the food, the smiley people -- I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it. I spent a week in the capital city, Vientiane, leading an advocacy workshop. This proved a fairly easy task, as Laos is one of the only communist countries left in the world, so the government makes all the decisions and pretty much laughs at external pressure. So, in many ways, our action plan boiled down to knowing who to take out to a fancy dinner and who to send a bottle of Johnny Walker.
I strolled around the city in the evenings, which is perfectly safe and relatively small. The Mekong River snakes through the main part of town, and the entire area is saturated with Buddhist wats, open for prayer every few blocks. Religion is still a vibrant part of local life and seems to have missed the oppressive thumb of authority completely. I ate food so hot it made me cry and walked around so long on my day off that I almost melted into a puddle. Everywhere I went I was greeted with a sweet smile, folded hands and a slight bow. Asia, oh Asia, I hope to see you again soon...
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| Mekong River at sunset. |
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| Spicy green papaya salad -- it brought tears to my eyes! |
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| Wats wats everywhere |
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| Shoes off before entering... always. |
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| As always, I found a little street art to bring home. |
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