Sabaai-dii means hello and is a standard Lao greeting and is pronounced "saba-dee" and is often said by Lao's in a sing-song type lilt stretched out and sounding like "saaabaa-deee". It is the first Lao word that most foreigners learn and often the only one. I also know kwawp jai (pronounced cup chai) which means thank you and kwawp jai lai lai which mean thank you very much. There is a Lao word for toilet (suam) but everyone understands toilet. Oh, one very common word is BeerLao, the very tasty national beer that is served everywhere and is quite inexpensive.

Sabaai-dii is a great greeting and almost always accompanied by a smile. Little kids, especially those in the small villages, love it when you say sabaa-dii to them and they all say it back and giggle or hide in their Mom's skirt. It is so cute. When a bunch of kids are together and they all say sabaai-dii to you your heart just melts!

They say Thailand is "The land of a thousand smiles" and it is true that Thai's are very friendly but in my admittedly limited experience I think the Lao people are much more friendly, nice and smiley. I have heard the same comment from many fellow travelers who have visited both countries.

It's amazing to me that the Lao people are as friendly and open as they are considering the economic and political state of their country and its history of a society constantly attacked, conquered and torn apart. Maybe it shouldn't be that amazing to me because material wealth and all that it brings is no substitute for a loving family and a community and society that takes care of its members. While most of the Lao people are quite poor by any standard it does not appear that many go without the basics of food, clothing, shelter and love.

Laos is one of the 10 poorest countries in the world with a per capita income of $263 (in 2001). It has a 60% literacy rate (meaning 40% of the people in the country cannot adequately read or write).

Laos is a landlocked country surrounded by ancient adversaries and fellow communist countries. A military dictatorship and a constitutional monarchy make up the governments of it's neighbors. Its neighbors are China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. Laos borders are quite mountainous and thus it is not easily entered. It has a land mass similar in size to Great Britain but a population of only 5.5 million (versus 60.0 million in Great Britain).

Laos also has the dubious distinction of being the most bombed country ever in history based on tons of bombs dropped per capita. The bombing of Laos came primarily during the Vietnam War between 1964 ad 1973. While not officially a combatant in this war (it was in fact officially neutral), Laos, due primarily to its proximity to North Vietnam and its geographic borders, was used as a staging ground and travel route by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army. Once this was recognized by the United States the US military undertook a decade-long and unofficial campaign to keep the VC and NVA out of Laos. They attempted this through massive bombings, defoilants and the use of landmines and covert human operatives.

By the end of the war the Americans had let loose over 1.9 million metric tons of bombs in Laos, that's 10 tons per square kilomenter and over 1/2 ton for every man, woman and child living in Laos. This is a fascinating and very scary statistic!

Since 1975 Laos has been under communist rule. The leadership and ideology has primarily been directed by Vietnam. Laos isn't necessarily a puppet state to Vietnam but its ideology and politics are very similar to and most of the governments leadership were educated in Vietnam. Laos official name is "Laos Peoples Democratic Republic" or Laos P.D.R. Typical communist propganda as there really are no democratic institutions in this country, no alternative political parties and no public dissent is tolerated.

So far I've visited five cities/towns in my 2 week Laos visit (I only received a 14 day visa for the country) and each one is quite distinct, as you would probably expect since they are all pretty far apart. The towns are Huay Xai on the Thailand border, Pakbeng on the Mekong (both briefly discussed in previous blog entries). I also spent 5 nights in Luang Prabang which is a great town and subject of my next blog entry. The next stop was the crappy town of Vang Vieng where I thankfully only spent 2 nights and 1 day and finally the capital city of Vientiane where I'll spend 5 days and 4 nights before heading off to Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday, January 16th.

Some general Laos observations:
- The people are great, very friendly and much less pushy than those in Thailand
- The children are cute, friendly, playful and always look happy. Any society that nurtures kids in this way is doing something right!
- The food is decent and healthy but not as tasty as that in Thailand
- Service standards generally suck but that's in comparison to western standards. You just can't be in a hurry in Laos and if you are then be prepared for frustration. Things happen when they happen, the menu will eventually show up at the table, the Beer Lao will get served and it might be cold, you will get your check when you ask for it (never proffered for some reason) and the food will get to your table and it will be prepared well.
- The beds are all hard! I don't know why but it makes my back sore. I'm getting used to them though and an occasional massage definitely helps!
- Beer Lao, the national beer is served everywhere. It generally comes in a 22 ounce size glass bottle (although you can get it in a can or smaller bottle but these are uncommon), is fresh and tastes great and costs anywhere from 5,500 to 10,000 Kip ($0.55 - $1.00). Jason - You would enjoy Beer Lao!!!
- It is very uncommon to find a comfortable chair anywhere! Padded chairs are not the norm.
- Rarely do things happen on-time or on schedule.

Sorry for not posting any pictures today. The story I am telling did not lend itself to pictures. I promise to include them on future entries and if I find some that are applicable here I will go back and add them and let everyone know.

Thank you for reading this. I hope to make this blog both interesting and entertaining. Please post a comment and let me know your thoughts, observations or counsel. Hearing from readers and knowing I have an audience is a great motivator and will be a great morale booster during down times on the road. Don’t forget to bookmark this site and tell a friend! Please feel free to e-mail me at “JeffMichie at Yahoo Dot Com”