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Laos
“Imp”
The Imp, a member of one of the northern Hill Tribes, performed with a group at the Royal Palace In Louang Phabang which is an ancient mountain kingdom.
Laos is a land devastated by many wars. Half of the people, mainly the educated ones, fled the country during the last 3 decades. This has left the country struggling to rebuild. China is helping by improving the roads in Laos. China imports many goods from other countries and use the Mekong and the roads in Laos to transport these goods.
The people are reserved, friendly, and welcome travelers. If you stay at a small guesthouse you become one of the family. You may be invited to a wedding, a party, or a celebration if one is occurring while you’re there.
There is a problem with opium addiction for some of the hill tribes. The French colonial government had an opium monopoly during the first half of the 20th Century and now the foreign tourists are making opium lucrative. Currently the Laos government is cracking down on the opium trade and a foreign non governmental organization runs an opium detoxification program for addicts in the villages surrounding Muang Sing. The women of an addict do the heavy work while the addict cares for the children because he is physically unable to do the work. Poverty is the result. |
