Adults and teenagers carrying heavy bundles of bamboo down the steep path to World Heritage-listed Wat Phu

Leaving Laos

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September 21st 2005
The motorbike wobbled protestingly as we involuntarily headed for the nearest tree. "Go faster!" said the exuberant bundle of ballast perched precariously behind me. At 82, my uncle was the oldest surviving member of my family and seemed keen to end his innings right there and then. "Not on my watch, uncle", I yelled back, wondering how I would explain this to my parents. Travelling through L ... read more

Asia » Laos

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Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathe... ... read more