Rural Laos

We drive an hour out of town to Kuangsi waterfall. On the way we see rice paddies. We see teak plantations. It takes at least 35-40 years for a teak tree to mature so that its wood is furniture quality. And even then the tree trunks are still not that thick, only about 25cm in diameter.

One of our guides reaches up and pulls a bunch of bananas off a tree growing by the roadside. Small, sweet, perfectly ripe, delicious little bananas! This same guide was a monk for 14 years both in Thailand and in Luang Prabang. He does give off a vibe of contentment and optimism. He left it because he had to work to support his family. This was in 2005 and we marvel that he is already married and has 2 sons ages 5 and 1! He just chuckles proudly!