Even monks smoke sometimes

One Million Elephants and a White Parasol

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November 30th 2008
Long ago, two great gourds grew at Meuang Thaeng (now Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam). As the gourds grew in size, sounds could be heard from inside their thick rinds. Khun, divine rulers, pierced the skin of one of the gourds with a red-hot poker, and out of the charred hole poured the dark-skinned Lao Thoeng (Upland Lao). The khun employed a knife to slice a hole in the other gourd, through which march ... read more

Asia » Laos » West » Luang Prabang

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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