Us and the Kiddos: Laos

After Mexico it was back to the bag of tricks and the first victim was Laos. I had limited knowledge of Laos. I had a friend (use the term loosely) in high school who was Laotian. He was a tiny little dude- hence why we called him Tiny..... anyways shy of thinking it was an island and knowing that he ate rice for every meal- was about as far as my knowledge went.

Laos was a hidden killer. The food looked and even smelled good, but I got one bite in and spit it into the trash.....and it was just chicken.....I'm not going to lie and say I have this crazy sophisticated palate, because I don't, but chicken marinated in a sauce of fermented fish was not edible for me....

Laos is a Southeast Asian country traversed by the Mekong River and known for mountainous terrain, French colonial architecture, hill tribe settlements and Buddhist monasteries. Vientiane, the capital, is the site of the That Luang monument, where a reliquary reportedly houses the Buddha’s breastbone, plus the Patuxai war memorial and Talat Sao (Morning Market), a complex jammed with food, clothes and craft stalls.

Capital: Vientiane

Spoken languages: Lao; Hmong; Khmu

Currency: Lao kip

Cool Facts about Laos:

The mountainous, landlocked region of present-day Laos was inhabited by the end of the first millennium AD by the Lao people, who belong to the Tai language group. They are believed to have migrated from southern China. In fact, Laos forms an ethnic mosaic with its numerous highland groups. Each of them has their own belief systems and cultural expressions, including ceremonies and dances.
Laos is surrounded by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Burma. It is twice the size of Pennsylvania. Laos is a mountainous country, especially in the north, where peaks rise above 9,000 ft (2,800 m). Dense forests cover the northern and eastern areas. The Mekong River, which forms the boundary with Burma and Thailand, flows through the country for 932 mi (1,500 km) of its course.
Theravada Buddhist is the major religion in this country. With just over five million inhabitants, Laos is one of the least populated countries in the region.
Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. They rely on the rich fertile soil along the 1,865 kilometers segment of the Mekong River that flows through Laos. The Mekong is therefore the country’s main thoroughfare.
Plain of Jars is an area where there are over 300 giant jars of unknown origin. The jars vary in size and weight and from 2.5 to 11 meters in height. It is thought they must be over 1000 years old and used as a burial ground, although this is just a theory.
That Luang Shrine, which means great Sacred Stupa, is a golden dome believed to contain a relic of Lord Buddha. The Luang Festival occurs annually on the full moon of November and continues for seven days and nights with traditional performances.
The official language of Laos is Lao, which sounds similar to Thai. Many of the older generation speak French, while the younger generation speak English as well as their native languages.
Nong Fa Lake is a volcanic crater lake located about 3,786 feet above sea level in the mountains about 39 miles from the border of Vietnam. Although its depth is reported to be 256 feet, the locals claim the depth is unknown. They also believe the lake is home to a giant snake-pig that will eat anyone who bathes in the water.
Pimai, the Lao New Year, is the country’s most important holiday. The three-day celebration usually takes place in mid-April and is characterized by the ceremonial washing of Buddha statues in temples. Other festivals include the Baci ceremony, the Rocket festival, the October Water Festival on the Mekong River, and the weeklong That Luang Festival.
Wat Si Muang is one of Vientiane’s popular tourist destinations. This Buddhist temple is built on the ruins of an earlier Khmer Hindu shrine, traces of which can still be seen. The current temple, built in 1563, is said to be guarded by a spirit: that of a pregnant local girl named Nang Si, who is said to have been sacrificed at the time the temple was built.
The climate of Laos is tropical and monsoonal. It has a rainy season from May to November, and a dry season from November to April.
Laos has been tagged as the “World’s Most Bombed Country.” Over two billion tons of bombs were dropped in Laos during the Vietnam War.
Most meals in Laos are based on sticky rice. The locals roll it into balls in the palm of their hand and then dip it in delicious sauces. This more or less means you can play with your food in public.
Laos is home to the best coffee is South East Asia. In fact, coffee is its biggest export. The fact that they serve it with condensed milk takes it to a whole new level of sweet-trippin’-caffeine-shaky goodness.
The Khone Phapheng waterfall situated in Laos is the largest waterfall in whole of Southeast Asia.
Sports in Laos is quite primitive as people play Kataw, which is like Volley Ball but instead of using the hands to play the sport, these people use their feet to kick a ball made up of woven bamboo to cross the net. Another sport is rhinoceros-beetle wrestling in which people bet on beetles to predict the last beetle standing.
One of the few mystical creatures which reside in the wilds of Laos is one of world’s longest venomous snakes, King Cobra, which measures fourteen foot in length. Along with it, Irrawaddy Dolphins also are found in abundance here.
The oldest modern human fossil was found in a cave in northern Laos and is believed to have been 46,000 years old.