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Lao. It's pronounced Lao. Not Laossss.
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Lao, cool? Okay, now we can al-Lao this episode to begin properly.
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Sorry, I'm just, I'm so used to getting punched or hit or whatever whenever that happens, just um I guess I'm off the hook.
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Sorry I'm late, traffic was ridiculous out there.
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Oh, okay? Ready for this? Yeah OK.
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*Nope punch*
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Everybody I'm your host Barb's.
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Today, we cover one of the least understood Asian countries on the planet, Laos.
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You know, Vietnam and Thailand get all the attention but across the Mekong,
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you'll find yourself in a unique place of rustic traditions driven by history, spirits, bombshells and spice.
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Let's begin.
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If I could describe Laos location in two words, I'd probably say: "beautifully unfortunate."
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First of all, Laos is landlocked in Southeast Asia bordered by all the other mainland Peninsular Indochina nations
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as well as China to the North. The country is divided into 17 provinces and one prefecture, Kampheng Nakhon
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Which includes the capital Vientiane or Vien-Chyen.
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I've heard Lao people pronounce it both ways. I don't know exactly which one is correct.
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I'm more inclined to say Vien-Chyen though because I don't trust that T but eh, whatever.
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Oh and the shape of the country looks like a palm tree. Anyway.
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The largest cities after the capital are Pakse in the South and Savannakhet, a little further North
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and the busiest and only international airports are Vientiane's two twins,
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Wattay International and the smaller Luang Prabang International
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as well as Pakse International in the South.
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Otherwise, Laos doesn't really have any border disputes or territorial anomalies except for maybe the
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Kings Romans Casino right at the tri-point border with Thailand and Myanmar.
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This place is located on what is known as the "Golden Triangle Zone",
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a controversial area in which most of Asia's opium is grown and distributed mostly headed to China.
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The Casino lies right at the heart of the triangle and is kind of like a Chinese enclaves lease out to China for
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99 years since 2007 and even has the Chinese army stationed there.
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It's kind of like a 'lawless free zone' where controversial practices like exotic animal breeding and harvesting can happen.
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Look, China. We know it's not a secret.
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Do you said the second consecutive episode where you criticize China?
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I mean do you have something against them, or what's going on there? I mean you want to explain them...
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No! I don't. It's just they kind of have a lot of controversial undertones when it comes to the research when I write these scripts
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Like what research?
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Well for one, the actual subscribers that are from these countries that have emailed us at
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GeographyLater@gmail.com that have mentioned these things so I kinda have to take the info that they give and analyze it.
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Haha, analyze.
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Okay, well we don't want this channel to seem like it's working towards some kind of agenda.
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Oh trust me, I'm about to throw my own country under the bus in about three two one
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One thing you have to understand is that in Laos, bombshells are everywhere
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and they came mostly from the USA during the Vietnam War.
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Even though Laos was theoretically neutral, as a tactic the U.S
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sought to destroy the Truong song supply routes or the Ho Chi Minh Trail that passed through Laos.
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With minimal warnings to the people before starting, they dropped 260 million tons of bombs
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making Laos the most bombed country per capita in history.
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About a third of the bombs did not explode and so to this day,
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there's still a potential danger in certain areas and the entire country is littered with metallic shells.
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They even made their own little economy of recycled shell casing and war memorabillia such as
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the fuel tank boats of Tha Bak and bullet shell necklaces like this one
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that was sent to me from geography Nicole who lived in Laos!
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Thanks, Nicole!
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Speaking of which, some places of interest might include:
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The Plain of Jars (at Xiangkhouang Plateau)
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Xien Khan Buddha Park (at Vientiane)
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Golden Stupa of Pha That Luang
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The Lao National Museum
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Tham Sakkarin Savannakuha Cave Temple (at Luang Prabang)
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Craters Restaurant, surrounded by bomb fragments
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Royal palace of Luang Prabang
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The Ancient Hindu temple of Vat Phou
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Patuxai War Memorial Arch
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Chao Anouvong Statue
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And so many Wat in temple, like:
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Wat Dane Soung, in the jungle
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Wat Si Saket (at Vientiane)
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Wat Xien Thong (at Luang Prabang)
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And Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham (at Luang Prabang)
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Depry Tourist: Wat?
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Suwannaphumaham
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Derpy Tourist: Wat?
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Look, I'm not gonna do Cambodia episode thing again (What?)
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Alright, well that just about covers it. Let's venture into the jungles now shall we?
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You know what I love about Southeast Asia? The colors, the biodiversity, the immeasurable
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varieties of fruit and vegetables that I've never even heard of
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The downside, the humidity.
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Laos is just like you'd expect
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Located in the hot humid jungle zone of the Annamite Mountain Range to the Southeast of Asia,
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fed by the mighty Mekong River, the longest in the country.
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The tallest peak, Phou Bia, lies in the central part of the country, nearby Vientiane.
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And is actually restricted to climb due to the high number of unexploded bombs that still lay at the area.
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Yeah, we're back on the bomb thing. It's like a reoccurring theme here in Laos.
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Laos was a nation of very notable waterfalls like the:
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Kuang Si (at Luang Prabang)
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and Khone Phapheng (at Don Phapeng)
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as well as the cave like Pak Ou (at Luang Prabang)
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and Kong Lor
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yeah, I know Southeast Asian languages aren't really my forte.
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Animals are abundant. The national animal being the Asian Elephant
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Here you can find way too many species of animals like
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Monkeys
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Sun Bears
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Tigers
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Monitor Lizards
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Marble Cats
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Even a few Javan Rhinoceri.
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Aah, The physical geography part is always like the most boring because it leaves a little room for witty comments or skits.
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I feel like you guys are getting bored. Ken! Get over here do something interesting
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Okay, I get it you're talented. That's good. That's whatever.
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One of the weirdest things that would probably be the "Naga Fireballs", a strange natural phenomena that
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supposedly occurs on the Mekong River in which strange fireballs arise from the water
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Scientists say if it is real, it might be caused by Phosphine gases admitted by bacteria that combust
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But so far nobody is completely sure as to how it happens.
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Either way, It's fun and people gather around to watch it
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but yeah, can you imagine just crossing the river during a fireball show?
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Yeah, that was the only skit I could write for this segment.
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FOOD! Over 80% of the population works in agriculture
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and Lao food is quite delicious, similar to other regions around them
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But noticeably 'spicy'. You have things like:
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Papaya Salad (or Tha mak Houng),
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The national dish, Larb, Bamboo shoot soup, Mok,
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Sour Sausage and Khao lam, which is sticky rice made in a bamboo pipe.
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Ohh, and They have this rice whiskey thing called Laolao. That stuff is weird like, sometimes they ferment it with snakes.
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Okay, so I'm part Asian so I can say this. Asians, why do we do that? Why do we ferment whole animals in our drinks?
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What's the appeal? Power? Stamina? Dude, it's a rotting corpse extracting decompose carcinogens. Stop doing it!
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But you know that's none of my business...
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Every so often though, you might find the baguette or
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croissant on the menu in many restaurants.
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The reason why has a little something to do with something called the 19th century, which we will explain in,
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Now Laos is funny because it's like an "alternate universe Thailand"
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that got thrashed around in a completely different upbringing in history.
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First of all, the country is made up of about 8 million people and has 47 recognized ethnic groups
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divided into a 160 subgroups and tribes. Of these groups,
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the ethnic Lao people make up the majority and a little over half of the population.
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Next are the hill tribes of the Khmu, the Hmong and the rest are numerous other tribes
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as well as an incredibly small community of Europeans mostly French in origin.
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They also use the Lao Kip as their currency but also accept Thai Baht And US Dollars,
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they use the type-c outlet, and they drive on the right side of the road
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which makes things interesting when they're cousins in Thailand visit.
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And remember, not everyone in Laos is Lao. The tribal people like the Hmong and
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The Mien speak their own language, virtually unintelligible to the Lao language.
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And this is why there's a distinction between the terms Lao and Laotian
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Lao is ethnically 'Lao' whereas Laotian is just someone from Laos
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but might not necessarily identify as ethnically Lao. Got it?
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It's like that whole thing we had to explain with 'Bengali versus Bangladeshi' or
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'Azeris versus Azerbaijani'. You get the picture
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So anyway. ethnic Lao people (no shocker) speak Lao.
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I love how simple this word is it's like an adjective pronoun and noun all in one, Lao.
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Lao is a language that is almost completely intelligible to Thai
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although Thai people might have a little bit more difficulty understanding Lao.
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Even their alphabets are similar based off the same ancient brahmic source.
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However interestingly enough, because of the former french colonial days,
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Laos is actually part of La Francophonie the second largest in Southeast Asia
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and possibly the largest French-speaking population per capita in the area
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more than Vietnam or Cambodia as over a third of the students study French in school
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And they actually use it sometimes in business and tourism.
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(French)
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No but seriously, Norman Lewis once interviewed a French officer who was quoted for saying:
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Faith-wise, Laos is interesting because about half the population considers themselves kind of Buddhist to varying degrees.
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However traditionally prior to the spread of Buddhism, Laos is actually heavily Animist
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and to this day, the remaining half still practices traditional spirit worship
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especially the hill tribes, which has rituals that have synchronized into mainstream Lao Buddhism.
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For example, most people even Buddhists still believe in the 32 Guardian Khwan Spirits that balance life.
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According to the belief, sickness can be caused if one of the spirits strays away
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so they tie cotton strings around their wrists to keep them around.
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Laos also celebrates a different new year for the beginning of the monsoon season in April called Songkran.
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Prior to 1975, Laos was under a kingdom until the Communist Party came in and deposed them.
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There's actually a living descendant of the last king, this guy, who lives in exile in Paris.
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Today, Laos is under a one-party Socialist Republic, the Laos People's Revolutionary Party that supposedly exposes Marxism and Leninism
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until 2012 when Obama was like:
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Laos: So, you visited our country so the cool stuff gave you the meat,
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dumplings and papaya salad. What do you think Obama?
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Obama: Yeah? I guess you're not that communist. Let's open up trade deals.
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Laos: Sweet. I'll get the paperwork!
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Wait so just cuz Noah was black, I was gonna make him play Obama?
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Okay here at GN, We are colorblind. Plus,
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You know we'd probably get some complaints from the Diversity Commission.
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Anyway, speaking of government, history. In the quickest way I can put it, here's how Laos, went down:
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Ancient agricultural societies, Laos Bronze Age, Tai tribes move in probably from the areas of South China,
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This guy comes in he makes Buddhism the state religion, three kingdoms period, the kingdom of Lan Xang comes in.
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By the way, the name means "millions of elephants with white parasols"...
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Fights with the Burmese, this guy gets the throne, Golden Age begins, the kingdom collapses to the Siamese,
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The Chinese try to attack but France was like: "Nope!", they agreed to become a French protectorate,
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the French kind of leave them alone and don't really care because they just want to buffer with Thailand,
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World War Two, the Thai, Chinese, and Japanese all try to grab at them,
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They break free and declare independence, but France was like haha JK, you're still mine!
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But Laos was like: "Mmm mmm"
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and then France gives them autonomy and finally 1953 independence,
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the monarchy is deposed and exiled, the Communist Party takes over,
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tons of Lao leave the country especially the hilltribe minorities like the Hmong.
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Economy and population steadily increase but not substantially, and here we are today.
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Speaking of which, outside of Asia, the US has the largest Hmong community in the world
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taking in refugees since the 1970s with more Hmong people than there are in Laos.
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The largest concentration being in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
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So much that they even have public signs written in the Hmong language.
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You want to learn more about Hmong people, just watch the movie, Gran Torino
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with Clint Eastwood and the barbershop scene.
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Anyway, some famous people from Laos or of Lao descent might include people like:
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Vang Pao, Ken Lo, Boun Oum, Chloe Dao,
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Choummaly Sayasone, Jerry Yang, Kaysone Phoumvihane, Prince Souphanouvong,
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Sisavang Vatthana, Sisavang Vong, Souvanna Phouma and Thongsing Thammavong.
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So many other things we could have talked about like how the national sports,
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Sepak Takraw, which is incredibly difficult to play
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and Muay Lao which is like Muay Thai but a little bit crazier.
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You have the monks with the morning alms, the traditional hill tribe clothing looks pretty cool,
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Bamboo mouth organs are like the most popular instrument,
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home theater looks cool, Animist shrines and all those taboo rituals are found all over.
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Yes, there are some controversies with persecution against certain people groups
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but we really don't have time to get into that.
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Oooo, are you sidestepping it because you're avoiding a potential argument that could be discussed?
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I literally just talked about the bombings of the Vietnam War. Trust me, we literally just don't have time to get into it.
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Oh, and do not touch someone on the top of the head!
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It's considered sacred, and you know what else is sacred? Friendship. Okay time to move on to our last segment,
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Laos is interesting because technically it's one of the last remaining Communist countries in the world
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but they operate different from what you would typically assume a Communist country acts like.
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Despite the colonial past, they still get along pretty well with France since France didn't really do too much
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And they kind of left them alone during the French Indochina years. The French left marks on architecture and food
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and today, they make up the largest EU tourist group.
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Laos kinda takes political cues from Vietnam.
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However recently, Laos has been shying away from dependence and has been looking to outside investors when Vietnam isn't looking.
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Surprisingly Laos is one of the 37 states that recognizes the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.
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They have diplomatic relations and even a non-resident embassy hosted in India.
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When it comes to the best friends however, most Lao people I've talked to have said Thailand
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and believe it or not, the Philippines, kind of. The Philippines sent doctors and volunteers during war times
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and the heads of state have repeatedly visited each other over the past 20 years.
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Filipinos are known for being the English teachers to Lao people and they hold the most teaching positions in the country.
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Thailand not only gives them access to the sea and is their biggest trading partner
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but is also their big brother that understands them the best culturally.
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Most Lao people watch Thai TV shows and movies on a regular basis and are fairly familiar with their brother's culture .
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Even though most Thai people probably couldn't say the same about Laos but still they generally love each other.
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In conclusion, what do you get when you mix Communism with a splash of Buddhism
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mixed with some French buildings and 32 guardian spirits, you get Laos.
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Stay tuned,
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Latvia is coming up next.