Visitez Luang Prabang, et le reste du Laos

Traditional training in Laos

Benolaos — 2015-12-31T07:45:00Z

More about dressage:

translated with Google...

The elephant must be four to seven years old.
The shaman (there is very little left in Laos) chooses the most favourable day to build "school" because it is a teaching that the elephant will follow.
A ceremony, the baci, is organized.

It is run by the oldest village. In addition to the usual accessories, are added twelve silver coins, the payment for the master trainer.
We build the school, a roof, a cage.

We are looking for a godmother.
The godmother :
The shaman celebrates a new baci, looking in the village for a woman with great qualities: hard-working, gentle, intelligent, female, in short all the criteria that the elephant must have.

He addresses the elephant, explains that he must become like this "godmother", adopt all the qualities.

He explains the same thing to the godmother, and for three days, the elephant and she, although separated, will do the same things at the same time: toilet, work, meals and sleep.

All the mahouts say that the animal inherits even the defects of his godmother! For example, if she is a runner, he will run away; if she is angry, the elephant will be too!

Thus persuaded of the reality of this mimicry, it is better understood that the choice of this person is decisive.

We expect a favourable day for a third baci. From this day, the godmother must not leave her house.

The model shaman in the clay a whole series of miniature animals, he puts them in a boat made of banana leaves, then removes a hair from the animal and places it in the boat. His assistant goes at full speed put this boat in the water. He starts again the same operation with the urine then with the droppings of the elephant. The speed of the launch is important. Then he jumps on the animal's back, on his head, and rubs it with a living hen which he will then release.

During training, the shaman will talk a lot to the elephant. He has the gift of communicating with these animals. He also sleeps in a cage next to his pupil.

A box is then built in the school, consisting of four sturdy posts adapted to the size of the pupil-elephant.

Ten elephants blessed during the baci are brought into the school: five will surround the mother, supporting her "morally" the loss of her baby and stay with her for more than a week; the other five will take care of the baby.

To get the elephant in the box, we attach to the back leg a rope on which we pull to advance. He goes to bed, he does not want to enter. A new rope is then tied around his neck and pulled back. In order not to fall, he is obliged to advance. You can also use an elephant to push it.
When he has finally entered, he is fastened on all four legs to the posts, an iron bracelet attached to one of them. To accustom him to this obstacle without hurting him, one takes care to withdraw it from time to time.

The verbal learning begins: "niok tin" (raises the paw); As long as the animal has not responded by the action, the trainer pricks it lightly with a pointed stick. If we want him to learn quickly, he is prevented from sleeping. For this two straps are slid under her belly, one at the front and one at the back, both fixed at the top of the posts. A third supports the neck. His mahout gives him food and drink because he can no longer feed himself. The shaman prepares a herbal paste that he inserts into pieces of sugar cane (secret recipe).

When the elephant has understood the gesture that should respond to this order, it is detached, but he must not move away from school. He must learn the commandments.

To the order "doun say", he must go to the left, at the same time we pull his left ear. If he does not understand, the top of the opposite ear is slightly pricked with a nail attached to the end of a board.
Same thing on the right: "doun what". To make it progress, we say "pay" and the mahout shakes his ears with his feet. If that's not enough, you sting your buttocks by repeating "pay". To make him go back, we tap him on the top of his trunk and we say "retreat". To make him raise the paw he is stung under his foot and he is told: "niok tin". And so on.

Then, it will be enough to say the word, without corresponding binding gesture. The stimulation with the foot will suffice once the learning is completed. When all orders are integrated, the elephant can finally get out of school.

A new baci celebrates the event during which he chooses his name.
One writes on three pieces of sugar cane three different names which one throws in front of the animal: the one which he chooses first will be his.
Of course, then, he hastens to eat the others; Elephants are crazy about sticks of sugar cane!

Small dictionary of the Lao Elephant (incomplete :-(

advance: pay
right: doun what
left: doun say
back: touay lan
raises: niok
lifts the foot: niok tin
grows: houau niou
raises the paw: his (so that the mahout uses it as a ladder to climb on his neck)
pushes the trunk of the foot: can
less quickly: sassa
pulls: pay
get down on your knees: moup
take: tiap haou
when two trunks are on top of each other: tom long gniat
bring down the trunk from above and take it: you can haou souane
put your string: doun so

It can record up to fifty orders, and even more.

To learn more about Bounmy and "The Bamboo Raft", visit the official website Leradeaudebambou.com

Cremation

Benolaos — 2012-06-19T01:55:15Z

Death. Even though it is painful, it is also looked on as a deliverance by Buddhist religion; which leads to reincarnation or Nirvana (the end of the reincarnation cycle.)

For several days, the coffin stays in the middle of the main room of the house, where close member of the family eat, drink, play cards and have a good time. Crying could hold back the dead person's spirit which would then be held between the two worlds . Its preferable to hold back one's tears, even if ...

Then there's the cremation, where hundreds of people, neighbours, friends, members of the family who sometimes come from far away) ; death here, is still a sacred moment. La ceremony starts by a long prayer, followed by the traditional photographic session, then a wreath of incense and wood will be used to light the coffin's fire, which will burn for several hours.

The next day, close family members go to the cremation area to gather the rests which will be put in an urn. The dead person will reward those that he wants to pay by helping them to find valuable objects which haven't burnt, especially those in gold.

Two days afterwards (or later, according to the means that the family manages to get together), after a last ceremony, the dead person is taken to his last abode, carried by dear friends and family. The stûpa will stay in the temple, with the dead person's ashes inside.

Traditional Lao wedding

Benolaos — 2012-06-19T01:50:50Z

Lao marriages take place over a period of 2 days. The evening before the ceremony, the bonzes come to bless the future house of the married couple. Later there will be a communal “stag and doe” party for the future spouses. Family and friends will gather to drink and celebrate the event of the next day. The future couple, are supposedly virgins, and are not allowed to sleep together either that night or the following night.

The next day, a procession goes all through the town to tell all the inhabitants about the marriage, then everybody meets up at the future couples house. The man, with help from his friends, has to force the human wall made up of his future wife's friends, who will only let them through if they are given envelopes of money.

The spouses will meet for a benediction ceremony, during which they will sign the marriage contract in front of witnesses, who will also assist in the handing over of the dowry by the husbands family. Photos will be taken, especially the traditional one of the spouses in the nuptial bedroom, which they will only be able to use for the first time the next day. A huge festival follows in which there are rarely less than 300 guests and sometimes more than 1,000.

Lao silk

Benolaos — 2012-06-18T23:16:26Z

Lao silk is a wild silk, and is defined by its exclusively hand-made method of manufacture.

Because of this, it has a more unrefined look, which is more natural, not as smooth as its Indian, European and Chinese counterparts, which makes it noble, natural, and most of it is 100% bio.

Pure craftsmanship, with no machines

Nearly all the silk manufacturing countries (Japan, China, Thailand, etc.) have chosen to industrialize their craft, especially because the cost for the workers they need, is more and more expensive. Laos stays one of the countries where natural silk is ordinary and affordable.

In Laos, sericulture (silk farming) is organised in production units where the reeling, colouring and spinning is all done by hand, often by women. Weaving is rarely done with semi-automatic looms : most of the time, the man or the woman manually weaves about 1 metre per day, when making simple designs, and only a few centimetres for the more complicated designs.

In Laos, each person has his own technique

In this country, each family develops their own technique and sometimes their own decorative patterns, although most of them are reproductions of traditional designs and ikats (weaving that uses a resist dyeing process, similar to tie-dye on either the warp or the weft, before the threads are woven to create the pattern) specific to the artist's ethnical group.

In this way, each region and even each family produces an individual silk, according to their particular method of reeling and forming, so obtaining mat or lustrous silks, which are more or less thick and more or less soft. The region of Sam Neua, on the Vietnamese border is recognised for its thick and extremely solid silk whereas, further South, in the region of Xieng Kouang, the silk is finer, lighter and softer.

Numerous stages

First of all, the silk worms must be fed 4 times a day, with fresh leaves from the white mulberry. These larvae must eat, without stopping, for 1 month. At the end of that time, the worms are put onto spines "hedgehogs" between which, for a few days, they can weave to produce their protective cocoon.

When the worms are ready to pierce the cocoon, they are scalded in hot water, then the silk is extracted by alkaline baths. The threads are then boiled in pure water so as to obtain the required softness. The more times this operation is repeated, the softer the silk; the spinner needs to have an excellent knowledge of the raw material he or she is using.

No less than 5000 cocoons are needed to make 1 kilo of raw silk, using a process that can last 8 days.

Then come the different stages of spinning (see the video), dyeing (see details), then weaving. All these stages are done manually. To make a long, traditional stole, it would sometimes take more than a month's work.

Different qualities of silk

Several qualities of thread are obtained : a thread with an uneven texture will be extracted, when the whole cocoon is used (mai sao lueai), a thread with a rougher texture, by using the outside of the cocoon (pueak mai) a smooth, fine thread, by using only the interior of the cocoon, this is royal silk (mai nyot).

At this stage, the spinner's knowledge and dexterity are very important to form the final thread (the one that will make the difference to the weaving) of 1, 2, 3 or 4 folds, the 1st fold giving the finest, softest, more resistant and more lustrous silk. According to the pressure of the fingers during spinning, according to the technique of joining the threads, the silk will be more or less smooth.

A craftsmanship for the locals

The first Lao silk market is local. Laotians have kept their traditions, and use pieces of silk (shawls, scarves, skirts, stoles, etc.) for traditional Buddhist or Shaman ceremonies, or simply for marriages, official meetings, etc.

Sericulture is often taken up by families so as to increase their income which is relatively low in Laos. It needs a lot of maintenance, especially feeding the hungry larvae 4 times a day with fresh Mulberry leaves. A kilo of silk (which, as you can see, is a lot of work) is worth about 25 dollars in Laos, which enables the making of pieces of cloth affordable for the Laotians.

Article extracted from the site Sanlao.org, The Craftsmen of Laos

The National Anthem

Benolaos — 2012-06-16T09:45:56Z

The melody of the National Anthem may not have changed between the old monarchist government and the communist one that has prevailed since 1975, but the words have, of course, been "reviewed and changed" after the events...

See the difference between before and after the revolution...

The actual National Anthem (since 1975)

For all time the Lao people have glorified their Fatherland,
United in heart, spirit and vigor as one.
Resolutely moving forwards,
Respecting and increasing the dignity of the Lao people
And proclaiming the right to be their own masters.

The Lao people of all origins are equal
And will no longer allow imperialists and traitors to harm them.
The entire people will safeguard the independence
And the freedom of the Lao nation.
They are resolved to struggle for victory
In order to lead the nation to prosperity.

(Extracted from the website of Maps Of World)

The National Anthem during the time of the monarchy

The Lao race was once of great renown in Asia,
Lao's were united and loved each other,
Today they still love their race and their country and group themselves around their King,
They have preserved the religion of their fathers and they know how to hold on to their ancestor's soil,
They will not allow a foreign nation to come and trouble them or to take their land,
Whosoever would like to invade their country will find them resolved to fight to the death,
All together they will restore the glory of Lao blood and help each other in times of trial.

Extracted from the site Forum Lao. You can even listen to these hymns in MP3 format.

History of Lao country

Benolaos — 2012-06-16T09:41:42Z

According to the latest studies being carried out by Amphai Doré, a Frenchman of Laotian Origin, the people of Laos originally came from China, where there are still about 20 million inhabitants who speak Lao, having the same ethnical structures composed of Lao Loum, Lao Theung and de Lao Soung.

From the Palaeolithic era to the XIIIth century

The first archaeological findings of Man in Laos go back to the Palaeolithic era in the form of sharp or pointed stone artefacts. To the north of the Annamite chain, in the Phou Loi (Tham Pong) chain of mountains, Proto-Australians are supposed to have lived. Even so, the people of Laos are the most ancient people in S.E. Asia.

From the 2nd to the 5th centuries, South Laos came under the control of the Chams (Indianised Malays); and as from then, whilst Indochina was opening sea-routes to India, Middle-Laos was probably colonised by Buddhist Indian Indonesians. This civilisation came into being in southern Burma where it lasted until the 13th century, as well as in Thailand (then called Siam).

Between the 6th and 13th centuries, South Laos (the realm of Champassak) was dominated by the Khmers whose influence reached as far as Thailand and Cambodia. Different ethnical groups were mainly under the pressure of the Chinese in the south, the Khmers, whose power was great at that time, and the Vietnamese, immigrated to Laos and installed themselves mainly on the banks of rivers. They absorbed the local cultures and created several realms to the south of China, from East India to Vietnam. The Thaïs Siam followed by the Thaïs Lao took over to the South of China and founded two realms in the North of Laos having as capital Louang Prabang and Xiang Khouang (now the Jarres Plain).

Up until the middle of the 14th century, most of the principalities depended on the realm of Sukhotai (Siam). But the region was torn by war: Sukhotai ended by breaking up whilst the new realm of Ayuthaya was at war and the Khmer realm collapsed, due to internal problems.

The XIVth century and the beginnings of Laos

Chao Fa Ngum was born at the beginning of the 14th century (1316 - 1373). For the first time, supported by the Khmers, whose king became the adoptive father of Fa Ngum, the young prince conquered the 3 provinces of Muang Seua (actually Louang Prabang), Wieng Chan (Vientiane) on the Khorat plain, so reuniting the 3 realms into one; the realm of Lan Xang "realm of a million elephants and a white parasol" whose capital naturally became Louang Prabang, Fa Ngum's birthplace. The realm became one of the largest in South Asia, at that time, even though it was relatively unpopulated compared to its neighbours...

During the reign of Laos, the country became bigger, due to its chief, who put the pressure on and was nicknamed "the conqueror". He was finally overthrown by his ministers who wanted to end his megalomania; he was replaced by his son Oun Heuane, who led the country to its present situation.

Up until 1421, the realm was rich, arts were developed; Buddhism gradually replaced animism (even though there are still traces) due to the Khmer's sending instructors, artists, and bonzes. Security reigned all over the realm which was governed intelligently and efficiently by the person who called himself SamSenThai, the king of 300 000 Thai.

The 16th century, or the second apex

On the death of SamSenThai, the throne was viciously disputed, and it wasn't until 100 years later, in 1520, that the instability, provoked by the continual changing of kings, was quietened with Phothisarat's sacrament. The situation up until then had been critical and there were many intrigues. The realm was threatened on all sides, beginning with the capital of that time, Louang Prabang, which was not far from the terrible Burmese. The king had 2 alternatives: play the « Northern » card and unite with the Thai principalities or the «Southern» card by uniting with Vientiane and making an allegiance with the Cambodians.

It was the “Southern” option that was chosen. Photisarat, as from that moment on, rearmed and re-equipped his army, improved security in the country, and made Buddhism the only official religion. At the end of his reign, his son was put at the head of the realm of Lanna and 3 years later he became his father's successor. In 1560, the pressure from the Burmese was such that the capital, being too exposed to raids, had its administrative and governmental functions transferred to Vientiane. Ventiane was taken over in 1565 by the Burmese who were in turn quickly hunted and beaten in 1569. Two years later, at the time of the sudden death of the young king Setthatirath, the realm finally came under the Burmese yoke for 20 years.

After a period of anarchy under 5 kings, Surya Vongsa came to the throne in 1637 and managed to bring back peace. Buddhism was at its peak, arts were developed and Louang Prabang became the commercial centre of the whole region. During this reign, which was the longest in Lao history, being as it lasted 57 years up until the death of the king in 1694, Laos went through its golden age, its second peak before breaking up, to the advantage of the surrounding stronger realms.

The fall of Lan Xang and the slow decline

At the beginning of the XVIIIth century, the realm of Lan Xang broke up into 3 realms, those of Louang Prabang in the north (under China and Siam), Vientiane (under Annan), and Champassak (under Cambodia and Siam).

In 1764, the Lao's of Muang Chan appealed to the Burmese of Alaunfra to help them against the Burmese of Muang Prabang. The ancient capital of the “realm of a thousand elephants” was burnt to ashes, whilst the realms of Vientiane and Champassak to the south, ended up in the hands of the Siamese, who brought back from their conquest the two palladiums of Laos: the Phra Bang and the Phra Kéo. Only the Phra Bang finally came back from Bangkok ...

After a failed attempt by king Chao Anou (1805-1830) to take over the sovereignty of Laos, the country sank to a point where it nearly disappeared completely.

The French protectorate

Times are hard for Laos in the XVIIIth century, and it wouldn't have taken much for them to disappear under the pressure of the large dominating countries that surround them; China, Vietnam, Siam, Burma and Cambodia.

It was at this time that a certain number of Frenchmen discovered the region of Indochina, and brought back treasures from this region that the Europeans loved, especially during the Universal Exhibitions in Paris in 1878, 1889 and 1900. Amongst these "adventurers", was the naturalist Henri Mouhot, who arrived in Louang Prabang in 1861 and died there (his tomb is situated not far from Phon Phau). Between 1866 et 1868, Doudard de Lagrée and Francis Garnier went up the Mekong River and visited Vientiane. In 1867, Auguste Pavie took part in the conflict against Siam and against the Ho plunderers, who ransacked and burnt Louang Prabang in 1887 (see The History of Luong Prabang).

France already possessed 2 Protectorates in the Indochina peninsula : in Cambodia (1863) and Vietnam (1885). In 1893, France signed a treaty with the principality of Louang Prabang whose King wanted to get rid of the Siamese military troops who had come to get rid of the Chinese Black Flag Army.

A final treaty was signed in 1904, with Siam recognising the actual borders of Laos. In the dealings of that time, Laos unfortunately lost the the richest region in Laos, the Khorat plateau, to Siam. This is still a bitter memory, a little like the French with the Alsace and Lorraine district at a certain period.

Even though France had engaged a lot of work in Laos, trying to restore the realm (reconstruction of Vientiane, organisation of schools and the university of Vientiane, development of the road network), we must realise that for France, Laos was not as interesting a country (by that we must understand, exploitable) as its neighbours, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The French police station, situated in Louang Prabang in what is now the Phousi Hotel, was only ever intended as an occasion to prevent the potential accessibility of this territory to the English, who were very much present in the area. Several hundred Frenchmen lived in the country, which was in itself a mixture by its population and its resources, living mainly from the growth and distribution of opium, whose quality was reputed as being the best in the Far East.

The Second World War

All the Indochina colonies came under the yoke of the Japanese, in this period. In Laos, very few Japanese actually lived on the territory. The Japanese said they were anti-imperialists, and openly tried to liberate the people from Western takeover, to expulse the “whites” from the area. Even after being beaten in 1945, they only left the country after having killed or deported some of the French expatriates, and by proclaiming the country's independence; hoping that his would definitely throw the “whites” out of Laos.

This idea of independence started up a nationalist movement, the Lao Issara. In 1946 the French troops came back to Laos to restore the protectorate. As from that moment, three influences existed : Prince Phetsarath of Louang Prabang, (nicknamed the Blue Prince), he represented the neutral tendency. Prince Souphanouvong (nicknamed the Red Prince) allied with the Viet Minh who founded the Pathet Lao (The Lao Country). He had studied in France and was a former student from the Chartes School. Lastly, Prince Boum Oum, former captain of the Foreign Legion, who had to give up the throne and who was nicknamed the White Prince.

In 1949, France passed a treaty with the Lao royal family, according the country its internal autonomy and its reunion under the control of the king Sisavang Vong of Louang Prabang. Unfortunately, the financial issues of this union were important (especially because of the traffic of opium and arms) and the numerous people involved : 3 Laotian movements, to which must be added the French with their leanings towards the neutral faction, the Americans who were trying to end the protectorate, the Viet-Minh communists, the Siamese...

Independence

In 1954, the Vietnamese victory at Dien Bien Phu marked the end of the French protectorate in Laos. The arrival of the first Geneva conference in 1957, dates the start of the first combined Government for the national union, headed by Prince Souvanna Phouma. Theoretically, the French, and more globally the West, no longer controlled the country. In reality, a dark war started, including the French, the Americans, the Vietnamese, and even the Chinese and the Russians ...

In 1958, after the partial elections gave victory to the left wing, the right wing leaders organized a coup d'état and asked for American help to get rid of the menace from the Pathlet Lao, which was more and more actively supported by the North Vietnamese.

In 1959, Souphanouvong, the leader of the Pathlet Lao, was incarcerated with a dozen other pro-communist leaders who managed to escape a few months later. Meanwhile, the Americans brought help to the new government, and armed the Hmongs to fight against the communists. So armed, the pro-American forces invaded Vientiane which resulted in forcing the neutrals to join up with the communists, which was the only credible alternative against the Hmongs.

In 1962, a second Geneva conference led to the formation of a second Coalition Government. Laos was more and more implicated in the Vietnamese conflict. This started the secret war which brought the USA to the north of the country, which resulted in enormous bombings especially near the Ho-Chi-Minh road.

The following 10 years saw the elimination of the neutral clan and the development of a communist ideology all over the country. The increase in the fighting between the Viet Minh communists intensified and boiled over into Laos, where the Americans were carrying on a "secret war", which didn't officially exist, but whose figures today show the enormity. North Laos was under intensive bombings from the American B-52's (10 tons of bombs per square metre!) of destructive weed killers of the "orange agent" and "yellow rain" type that destroyed nearly all the vegetation, poisoning the water as far down as the groundwater...

In 1973, a cease-fire treaty for Laos was signed between the North Vietnamese and the Americans. A temporary National Union government was proclaimed in April ‘74, reuniting all the political forces under the presidency of Souvanna Phouma, but end ‘75, the right wing completely collapsed, leaving the field clear for the pro-Vietnamese.

On the 1st and 2nd of December ‘75, congress representatives had a meeting, accepted the abdication of the king and proclaimed the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.

The Beginnings of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos

After nearly 30 years of war, this new nation had to face up to serious difficulties. Western help was withdrawn, the kip (local money) collapsed, and there was a food shortage - whilst, for the first time in its contemporary history, the country was going through a period of executive stability. As from 1975 "re-education" camps were opened, notably in Sam Neua, where numerous students and other intellectuals were incarcerated.

This repressive period, in the same trend as Cambodia or Vietnam, was not nearly as severe in Laos as in the neighbouring countries. It was at this time, between 10 and 20% of the population escaped firstly to Thailand, then mainly towards the USA (2 thirds of the refugees), France (15%), Canada and Australia. The consequences of this exodus were catastrophic. It drained the country of many of its tradesmen (especially Chinese), civil servants and the better educated, all afraid of a repression which was mainly carried out on teachers and other qualified people.

Between 1978 and 1982 whilst diplomatic relationships between France and Laos were suspended, close links were formed between Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. In many respects, Vietnam with its 80 million inhabitants, having good schools and educated personnel, helped its little brother country by sending men and equipment, accepting and forming the best Laotian scholars. Up until 1988, the Vietnamese put 40 000 soldiers at the Laos's disposal, to support the regime (in other words as many as the whole Laos army).

The reforming era

In 1986, there were changes with the adoption of the "new economical mechanism" which led Laos to the opening of a market economy. In 1989 the first communist constitution of Laos was born. Laos started a period of negotiation with China, renewed the ties with the West, and in the search for peace, liberated the last political prisoners held in the re-education camps. And so the first economical reforms started, notably the first denationalisations; which was done to revive a bankrupt system.

Finally, at the beginning of the 80's, Laos distanced themselves from stringent communism, and little by little reintegrated the international scene and in 1991 rejoined the ‘Chaillot', French speaking countries. In 1997 Laos was admitted to the >ASEAN (Asian Economic Community).

For several years, Laos has truly opened up to the ‘outside', whether it be tourists whose currencies are very much appreciated, or investors who profit most of the time from different advantages (mainly fiscal) to help them establish themselves in this country which is in desperate need of capital and qualified craftsmen.

General information

Benolaos — 2012-06-16T08:52:20Z

Laos is definitely a ‘green' country; luxurious vegetation, mountains and forests interspersed, here and there, with deforested areas which are a proof of human presence. Numerous species find refuge in these unexploited areas, some of which are still to be discovered. Others are becoming extinct, because of man's excesses mainly from China or Vietnam …

Geography

Journeys in these surroundings take on a feeling of adventure. However, neither bus nor canoe (the two most usual means of communication) are quick ; travelling in this country takes time, a lot of time.

surface area: 236 800 km2 (France : 549 000 km2)
capital: Vientiane
number of regions: 18
number of districts: 142
number of villages: 11 386
length of borders: 4 700 km
bordering countries: Burma, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
% of forests: 82% (of which 63% are subtropical)
% of mountains: 70%
length of the Mekong river passing through Laos: 1865 km (out of the total 4374 km)

Climate

Most of the time, the sky is blue, wind is nonexistent or very light and comes from a North-Easterly direction. Natives get up at dawn so as to be able to give donations to the monks on their daily request for alms. The weather is mild at that time of day. At Louang Prabang, the temperature climbs suddenly around 10-11 o'clock when the sun breaks through the morning mist.

It gets very hot around 1h to 3h o'clock in the afternoon, then the sun again becomes milder and proposes sunsets of magnificent colours, which reflected in the waters of the Mekong become a lovely tint of orange...

type of climate: tropical
wet and hot seasons: April to September (rain is frequent during the night in July to August, spectacular monsoon thunderstorms)
dry and cool seasons: From October to March
average temperature: 28 degrees
cold nights in December to January: 14-15 degrees in Luang Prabang

Population

Laotians are of a calm constitution which is well illustrated in their favourite saying: "Bo Phen Yang", which means "no problem". Laos has never known development equivalent to our Western countries, and has stayed mainly poor, happy, and free, just like they were 50 years beforehand and just like they are described by the author, Larteguy, in his book "Bronze drums" : they like simple things, appreciate 'now' more than anything else, just like it is advised in Buddhist philosophy, they don't worry about the uncertainty and improbability of tomorrow. They are a smiling, welcoming, and unconcerned people.

All the people from the Indochina peninsula are not the same, and travellers are often very pleasantly surprised, subjugated by the charm that radiates from Laos, by the tranquillity that reigns there, as well as the atmosphere of abundance and meditation.

number of inhabitants: 5,218 million (FEL* source)
density per km2 : 22,8 inhabitants/km2
number of inhabitants in Vientiane : 130 000 (600 000 including the outskirts)
life expectancy: 50 years
population under 20 years of age: 54%
average size of a family: 6,1 people
yearly increase of the population: 3%
rural population: 85%
percentage of primary schooling: 72% (FEL* source)
average rate of literacy: 58 %; men: 64 % / women: 42 % (FEL* source)
access to drinking water: 51 % (FEL* source)
rate of infantile mortality: 82 ‰ before 1 year of age (FEL* source)
number of French residents: 1000 (FEL* source)
rate of exchange (in January 2011): 1 US dollar = 8 000 kip

Economy (FEL* source)

Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world. There is now an irrigation plan which has increased irrigation from 18 to 100.000 hectares.

GDP (Gross Domestic Product): 1,56 billion US $
distribution of GDP: Agriculture: 51,8% - Industry and mines: 22,3% - Services: 25,3%
average income per inhabitant: Less than 1 euro per day
number of civil and military bureaucrats: 129 000
manpower in the army: 37 000
type of products: Agriculture, timber, small craftsmanship. Very little industry
rice production: 52% of the GDP
opium production: 118 tons on 17.250 hectares (3rd world producer)
public expenditure: 20% of the GDP
public proceeds: 10% of the GDP
debt: 90% of the GDP
International help (1998): 281 million US $ (18% of the GDP)
French help (1998): 12 million US $
total importations to Laos: 528 million US $
total exportations from Laos: 338 million US $

FEL* : French Embassy in Laos

Introduction

Benolaos — 2012-06-15T04:40:44Z

In this very poor country, one of the things you notice, is that nobody dies of hunger. Most families manage, not only to meet their needs, but even to put an important part of their small earnings to one side so as to participate in the small futile pleasures that make life enjoyable. Laos is a country of smiles, where composure and serenity reign and from where a sort of karma and an invigorating energy exude. Laotians say that this special karma, was born with Laos, many centuries ago.

Laos was born at the being of the XIVth century of our era, with the “Realm of a million elephants and a white parasol” of Fa Ngum, and gained its independence in 1954. They only found their political stability some 30 years later by adopting the communist regimen, especially under the pressure of Viet-Nam.

Head of a realm (or even several realms, as was finally the case for most of Laos's history), Laos managed to develop commerce and crafts. They initiated an extension of Buddhism in its most primitive form, that of Theravada or Small Vehicle, under Khmer influence. Even today, it still conserves a large influence in Laotian everyday life even if we still find strong allusions to animism and the cults of their ancestors.

Laotians generally have an easy, smiling and pleasant character; generally preferring to take their time, the same as in their way of life, they savour each moment and don't try to think too much into the future. Overall, Laotians have a definite tendency to put everything off until the next day as much as they possibly can without having too many inconveniences. This is one of the things that decidedly give this country its exceptional charm, completely the opposite to the Vietnamese or even Thai restlessness.

The years of French protectorate finished in the middle of the 1950's. Laotians sustained heavy bombings during the next few years from the Vietnamese war. In spite of this and the intrigues put into motion by Occidental Powers and of which their country was a victim; Laotians didn't hold any animosity towards the farangs (European foreigners).

The country opened up to tourism quite a few years ago, but it wasn't until the years 2000 that a tourist could move about freely in all areas, even the most remote (at their own risk). Its a magnificent country by its wide open spaces with dense vegetation and many animals (you can still find tigers and wild elephants). Many ethnical groups continue to live according to their ancestral traditions.

Its also an authentic country due to development which is controlled by the communists, and whose authority, has not allowed the country to grow just any old way, as had been the case over the years with certain newly emerging Asian countries.