Laos has much of the same, but is yet so different.

Our first impressions as we drove out of the airport at Luang Prabang towards the "town centre" brought back strong memories of times gone by during our days in India. Vix was reminded of his childhood holidays at Gua, while Sabs remembered her frequent visits to India's West coast: Kerala and Mangalore. Lush green scenery, fruit laden banana plants, heavily tropical jackfruit plants, and breezily tropical coconut palms set against a rural backdrop, sprung up in between houses with thatched roofs and bamboo walls, a truly rural moment.

Every other building in the town turns out to be a "wat" or temple. Well preserved wats that are not merely historical, but are actually being used by a large population of monks as places of religious worship and study, are interspersed all over the town between houses, shops and restaurants, making for a quaint picture.

Perhaps the single most attractive reason to visit Laos is the singular lack of the ubiquitous tourist groups and unabashed touting of tourist services, which at least allows you to enjoy a peaceful stroll without being attacked by a mob of dollar hungry service providers. Tourists are largely backpackers, who prefer walking or biking to tourist buses.

It turns out that Laos does not have one single defining characteristic, but is an exotic and heady mix of French, Indian, Thai, and other Asian influences. In fact, the seamless intertwining of these various cultures is visible in every aspect of Laotian life, be it the various constructions, the food, the signage, or almost everything else. The other beguiling aspect of Laos is the continual feeling of being in a time warp. The little manufacturing that takes place is only cottage industry: mass production must be a term as familiar to them as snow is to Africans!

Laos is one of the last great escapes from concrete: bamboo/straw structures are scattered all around the place, with the maximum number of floors in any building being only two! Even the few concrete structures we saw had very colonial architecture; no ugly monoliths to spoil the serenity and the sense of otherworldliness.

Carrying this concept a bit further, families make their food from first principles, including drying their own rice/mango papads. The "icing on the cake" for us at least, was of course, the surprisingly ample vegetarian choices available in traditional Laotian food: sparing us the need to go Italian yet again! Whether due to the backpacker ("hippie" /"alternate") crowds, or the Buddhist tradition, or the sheer variety of vegetables, the veggie choices were truly awesome! Fried rice, papaya salad, and rice noodles are just some of the refreshing Laotian food that we had.

One unusual scene was the complete absence of radio in these people's lives. In LP, people seemed to be ruled by the TV, which has pride of place in the shop/restaurant/internet center, with someone or the other perpetually lounging in front of it.

Another thing we observed was the early education of children into business. A number of shops we visited was manned by kids, who do all the negotiating and selling with aplomb: natural business men and women. This is perhaps because the entire family is normally present in the shop, doing their homework, watching TV and living their daily lives, even as they conduct business!

So, while there may not be a single compelling attraction to draw people to holiday in Laos, its sheer laid back nature and simple charms are beguiling enough. A holiday in Laos can prove to be a wonderful restorative, while being more engaging than your average beach holiday. We vote Laos as one of the best places in Asia to have a reading holiday: very restful to simply hang out at a resaurant with a tall drink and a book. You can sit there for hours undisturbed, reading, thinking, or whatever your mind beckons you to do.

June 22, 2004