Laos is a small inland country, located in Southeast Asia. It is one of the least visited countries in this area, which makes it even more fascinating. If you have decided to prepare your trip to Laos, on the blog you have many posts to help you organize your trip to Laos, with many destinations, routes, tips... In this post I tell you about the 10 best curiosities of Laos so that you can discover a a little more about this incredible place.
10 BEST CURIOSITIES OF LAOS
1. Laos is one of the most bombed countries in the world
Unfortunately Laos has been the most bombed country in the world and it was not even at war. During the Vietnam War, between 1964 and 1973, the United States bombed Laos every 8 minutes daily. He dropped more than two million tons of bombs on the country and it is estimated that just over 30% of these bombs never exploded. Many of these bombs exploded years later, when a field worker or citizen stepped on them, resulting in injuries or deaths.
The main reason why the United States dedicated itself to dropping constant bombs on Laos is that many Vietnamese used the mountains of Laos to hide, flee or trade with the neighboring country to get supplies.
2. Laos is one of the countries where the most rice is consumed
We have always heard that in Asian countries a lot of rice is consumed, but Laos is the country that wins them all by a landslide. More or less each Laotian consumes 155 kilos of rice per year. They like to cook sticky rice, which they eat with their hands. But not only do they use it in the more traditional "cooked" way, but many sweets are made of rice, they have rice bread, fermented rice, sour rice... To give you an idea, in Europe on average we only consume 7.5 kilos per day. year per person.
3. Although Laos has no sea, it has thousands of islands
Laos is an inland country with no access to the sea anywhere. But the Mekong River does cross the country, as well as some other smaller ones. The Mekong River, along Laos, has an extension of 4,350 kilometers along which thousands of islets and islands extend, the vast majority inhabited by small towns.
4. Wildlife in Laos
Laos is home to an abundant jungle spread throughout the country. There is a great variety of wild fauna, including sun bears, tigers, Asian black bears (these are increasingly in danger of extinction), the king cobra, among many other types of snakes, leopards and leopard cats, and deer. sambar, different types of monkeys... It is possible to go on a safari through the Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park. It is usually a night safari, since most of them are animals that go out to look for food at night, and during the day they sleep.
5. Lao coffee
Laos exports excellent coffee. In fact, it is the largest coffee producer in Southeast Asia. Throughout the country, coffee crops are increasingly replacing what were previously fields growing vegetables, tea and even rice paddies.
6. The oldest modern human fossil in Southeast Asia, one of the best curiosities in Laos
In the Tam PaLing cave, in northern Laos, a skull and a jaw dating back to at least 46,000 years were found. Becoming the oldest modern human remains in all Southeast Asian countries.
7. Laos is home to 60 Irrawaddy dolphins
Irrawaddy dolphins are a species of dolphins characterized by having rounded noses and upturned mouths, appearing to always be smiling. They are freshwater dolphins that live in the Mekong River. It is an endangered species and currently only 60 specimens remain.
8. Producers of 100% hand-woven silk, a curiosity to keep in mind when you think about bargaining
Silk is a very popular product in Laos and its neighboring countries. However, Laos is characterized by treating and weaving 100% silk by hand. The details and process depend on each family, as do the designs and patterns. They can approximately weave half a square meter per day and person. It is a very laborious and delicate job. Therefore, keep this in mind and if you are going to buy a Silk fabric in Laos, do not haggle. The prices are already very low.
9. Laos is the kingdom of a million elephants
Lan specimens of this species. And although it is estimated that centuries ago there were many more specimens, it never reached this number. Currently, there are at most 1,000 copies throughout the country.
10. The white elephants of Laos
And speaking of elephants… Do you know what the locals call us foreigners? White elephants, mainly to Europeans, North Americans and Australians. Basically because of our height and our white skin. For Laotians we are quite tall, taking into account that in Laos the average man is just over 160.
PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you enjoy your trip to Laos and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue readingmany more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!