Blog Post #37 - The Land of a Million Elephants....Minus the Elephants

Throughout history, Laos has been referred to as the "Land of a Million Elephants." While I never expected to see them walking along the side of the road, I am surprised that they seem to have disappeared from society completely. No sightings, no posters, no shows, no mention (although there was recently an elephant festival in a province nearby). While I am glad that I do not see them being exploited in entertainment or for elephant rides, it cannot be a good sign.

The only elephant I have seen in Laos....and it was chained to a tree :(

Maybe war explains their disappearance?

In fact, biodiversity in Laos seems pretty scarce. Despite lots of interesting plants, insects, lizards and fish, you will not find a bird or wild mammal bigger than the size of a squirrel.

A lively bee-hive

More bees!
Mouth is watering for that honey

This spider was the size of my palm :O

For a country very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, I can only hope that its people realize that reducing carbon footprints should be complemented with a commitment to protect the wildlife that keep the ecosystem balanced.  They may consider some species delicious, but that's not an excuse to exterminate them (except maybe the spiders).

I think they came from a different planet

The country only has six million people, and therefore there is no shortage of natural beauty, especially in the less populated areas outside of Vientiane Capital.

Nam Ngum. Still my favorite day in Laos

Boating around without a tourist in site.
Easy to stop in at the small beaches on each of the islands

Nam Ngum in the dry season
We slept on one of the islands this past weekend....without a tent, under the stars

National Geographic 'action shot'...with my iPhone

View from a monastery in the center of Luang Prabang

Asiatic black bears rescued from poachers...and now lounging

Artsy tree shot with the sunset in the background
(Phonsovan, Xiengkhouang)

ONE WEEK LEFT IN LAOS! Then on to the next adventures in Malaysia and India. The trips will be for personal travel before returning to my work at Deloitte back in Canada. I will not be bringing my computer so cannot continue with the blog posts. When back in Canada, I will find some way to share photos and stories with everyone that has followed along so far.