The belief

The Laotian people believe in one true love.
In life thus, Laotians can only say they love someone once and they must mean it.
As a result, once this profession of love has been made, it is expected one marries and lives and protects eachother forever.
When a man knows he has found his love, he must pay for his wife and can not have a girlfriend unless he pays the family $50 to $100 dollars which is a fortune here.
If a man is caught kissing a women before this dowry has been made, the man must pay the family for the kiss.
If a man can not afford to pay the family, his family will find a girl and arrange the deal for you. Until then, men must not been seen with girls.
Thus, the Laotian police are also very strict on affairs of lust.
It is illegal to watch illicit TV or videos.
This belief system makes Laos very different from other South East Asian countries, for instance Thailand and Vietnam, which have made million dollar industries from controversial exploits.
The strong belief in love and family and obligation is a root of this family structure; Thus this is a naïve utopia of sorts- where the love is forever and family comes first and while these customs may seem unforgiving for a modern cosmopolitan soul, it fosters a sense of commitment and satisfaction amongst the family system here.

Traveler to Laos will never forget the Loatian smile.
The locals here live in a standard that most would consider improverished and yet they display immense, peaceful smiles on their faces.
The ideas of capitalistic tourism has not arrived here (neither has DVDs or cellphones really, except for in some hotels) and thus, travelers can be assured they will not be haggled, instead allured by the laid-back and kind-hearted people of Luang Prabang. It is a simple life here, with rich culture, that spellbinds all visitors.



~Laos seemed like a really cool place to visit next~