Seven days in Laos (part 3 of 3)

The seven days in Laos has been very interesting. I have been able to travel around in villages quite far away from anything resembling western civilization, talking with and learning about the Lao Theung. I believe that the scholarship SSPL are giving will make a difference for the student and the local community. That is, in the long run. And what we are doing is just a small contribution. But it's still important, I believe.

A normal village house

Driving in Laos
It has also been exciting. We have been traveling in a beautiful landscape, and experienced some unexpected situation. The roads where we were driving were in a bad condition. But when you remember that there are very few cars and pick-ups driving those roads - most of the vehicles are motorbikes and agricultural machines, then I guess the condition is not that bad. However, during the rainy season, many of the roads will become impossible to drive on. We were crossing small rivers all the time, and this was only possible because it was the dry season.

The following pictures are from a river crossing. I am glad we were driving in a steady Toyota Vigo!

Coffee

On the way up to a village close to the Vietnamese border, we noticed a small coffee farm just next to the road. This is coffee beans drying in the sun:

The river
The river is important for the villagers. The rivers provide water for drinking and washing, and it is also a source for fishing. this picture is shot late in the afternoon. Kids fishing from a river boat.