Apart from some crazy drivers, you do not have to be concerned about 'people problems' (like violent crime or robbery). It's everything else around you that can be a bit frightening. Although I do not want to paint a negative light of Laos, since its understandable that sometimes growing and modernizing quickly leads to challenges and some things falling to the wayside.
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| Downtown Vientiane. That could have been quite a show on the main street |
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| Are you surprised? |
Scooter accidents are all too common. This returns to my very first post from Laos - Road Safety. I still don the full protective outfit, so I have been safe from problems (**knock on palm tree**). Others I have seen on the road have not been so fortunate.
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| There is always one shoe left behind |
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| The girls were okay! Just shaken |
If you remember reading, the dogs are a challenge that require special gear to cope with - it's called a bamboo stick.
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| The dogs can get vicious and I have heard of a few big bite stories. Imagine being that tail... |
The other night I saw five dogs surround another dog who obviously crossed into the wrong territory (History Channel's Gangland: In the Heat). As much as you want to intervene, there is little you can do without just throwing your bike at them. The last thing you want to become is the next target though. Fortunately the victim managed to get away, with me on my bike not too far behind.
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| They actually swarm in group formations. Here they are still practicing. |
Apart from the protective face mask to deal with some of the dirty air, sometimes I think a fireman's mask would be more appropriate to help put out some of the garbage fires.
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| Burning garbage >>> Grass fires |
Like anywhere in the world, there is no shortage of problems associated to alcohol. In Southeast Asia, sometimes you worry less about the effects of alcohol, and worry more that you are actually drinking alcohol. Although normally safe, I have heard stories (especially from Indonesia) of shop owners mixing methanol into spirits to save money. If you do not die from the methanol, you are likely going blind. Always a safe bet to have a trusted source and make sure the bottle has not been tampered with.
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| Here a village is distilling whiskey. The headache the next day must have been caused by methanol poisoning ;) |
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| Don't eat the soap....despite the temptation (another case of tampered alcohol) |
There is nothing wrong with being overly cautious. Danger is often lurking around every corner. BUT...
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| For the next time you bump into a terrorist |
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