After China, two things hit me hard about Laos. The first is the freedom of religious expression. There are almost no visible places of worship in China outside of Beijing and a few Buddhist monuments in Kunming. In Laos, shrines appear as frequently as they did in Catholic Poland, but these are either to spirits or Buddhist in nature.

Second is the lack of infrastructure development. The roads are almost all dirt tracks, with little concrete in sight. There is currently only 1 train station in the country and efforts are being made to construct a railway from China to Thailand through Laos. We heard this and were excited at the prospect of easier travel, but some locals fear that this will mean that wealthier Chinese businessmen will invest in the cheap Laos real estate and their national identity may be lost.

Laos is a country that I had very few preconceptions about. I feared that it would be full of backpackers on their way to or from Full Moon parties in Thailand and in truth there are a lot of tourists here from all over. However, they are no signs of drunken debauchery and the town is far more cultured and the scenery is wonderful. The Laos people are also incredibly friendly, gentle and welcoming. They are quite reserved as a whole, but their open attitude is endearing.