Soliloquy

Laos is a small country that borders China to its north, Vietnam to its east, Cambodia to its south and Thailand and Myanmar to its west. It is one of the few remaining bastions of communism in the world, and houses a full-fledged red government in power.

I hopped on to a rickety-looking plane from Hanoi towards the end of my stay in Vietnam, and landed soon in Luang Prabang, which is, in many ways, the cultural capital of Laos. The town takes its name from a special Buddha statue housed inside its royal museum complex.

The name Luang Prabang directly translates to ‘Royal Buddha Image,’ the namesake that visitors can see at the museum, which was earlier the royal palace. While I failed to see much of Laos beyond Luang Prabang, I was mightily impressed by its easygoing pace, and the smile of its people.

I found the latter to be most surprising given how much, and how often they had been affected by American bombing during the years of the Vietnam War. Laos is, according to many reports, the most bombed country per capita in the world. The tenacity, resilience and warmth of the Lao people, therefore, is incredible.

This post is dedicated to Luang Prabang in Laos.

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