Elephant Rock, Wat Phu

Land of a Million Irrelevants

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January 31st 2007
Laos - Land of a Million Elephants so named by Emperor Fa Ngum. Foreign correspondents stationed here during the Indochina wars used the more cynical term. I would agree. Laos is the most unremarkable and boring country I've ever visited. I've seen exactly one elephant. A better name for the country would be Land of a Million Barking Dogs and Crowing Roosters at 4 am. Probably been victimiz ... 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