New Visitor : Laos

The first visitor from the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) hit the Peculiar Press website in September 2009. Laos is the 48th of 50 Asian countries to visit, leaving only Turkmenistan and the Maldives. Lsos is a mountainous, land-locked nation sharing long borders with Vietnam to the east and Thailand to the west. The shorter southern and northern borders are with Cambodia and China/Burma, respectively.

This communist nation is home to 6.8 million people, but its infant mortality rate of 77.82 per 1,000 live births is one of the highest in the world, and its life expectancy of 56.68 years one of the lowest. Buddhism is the dominant religion with only 1.5% Christian. Leo is the official language, although vestiges of French remain even 60 years after Laos' independence.

While there is evidence of human presence as long as 40,000 years ago, the roots of modern Laos date back to 1353, when Fa Ngum founded the Lane Xang kingdom with Xiang Dong Xiang Thong (modern Luang Prabang) as its capital. King Sai Setthathirat I moved the capital south to Vientiane in the mid 16th century, but Luang Prabang remains an important religious and spiritual center as home of the pha bang, a sacred golden Buddha image.

The deaith of King Sai Setthathirat I in 1571 plunged the Lane Xang kingdom into 70 years of bloody chaos until King Suriyavongsa (1638-1690) emerged. His reign is known as the second golden age of Lao culture during which Vientiane emerged as an important regional centre for Buddhist learning, but his death marked the end of the Kingdom.

Laos was put under the French administration in 1893, beginning a lengthy national struggle for independence. Punctuated by Japanese occupation during World War II, the current communist regine claims final victory in 1975. Many Americans probably associate Laos with the Vietnam War because the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail that served as a transit for North Vietcong incursions into South Vietnam passed through the county.

U.S. action in Laos continues to be a sore point as evidenced by comments at the Laos National Tourism Administration website:

The situation worsened during the Vietnam War, even though the Geneva Accord of 1962 had recognized the neutrality of Laos and forbade the presence of all foreign military personnel. By bombing the portion of the Ho Chi Minh Trail across Laos, US forces dropped more bombs on Laos than they did worldwide during World War II. Laos remains the most heavily bombed nation in history. This was particularly the case in Houaphanh and Xieng Khouang Provinces, where international teams are still clearing the terrain of unexploded ordinances (UXOs) and people continue to suffer from the legacy of war.

Unless you're really into Buddhist monuments, there's probably not much reason to visit Laos, but if you do, most tourism advisors recommend a visit to the UNESCO world heritage site of Luang Prabang. Sixteen miles upriver from there you can also visit the Tham Ting cave and its thousands of Buddha figures.

Welcome Loatian!
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Sources: CIA World Factbook at www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/, Country ranks at http://www.photius.com/rankings/, City population figures at http://www.citypopulation.de/