Laos for the overwhelming majority of tourists, it is Terra Incognita, having worn by his unknown, as well as Manila's heroes of the Nabokov's story of the same name, which was necessary to cross, to get to the hills of Gurano. However, that would travel to Laos, was not as ill-fated as Nabokov's heroes, a visit to the "kingdom of millions of elephants" it is necessary to plan in advance and consider what it is impossible to do without learning about local customs, rules of behavior and household nuances. And it is about this that will be discussed in this notes.
Residents of Laos, surprisingly friendly and smiling people, and even sometimes it seems that the country was not called the "country of smiles". In Thailand, still smiles are more stretched, and politeness is somewhat narrative. In Laos, this is not. All sincere, frankly and friendly. However, the level of english penetration, due to the poorly developed tourist industry in the country is very low. French is more common, which is a consequence of long-term colonization. However, with the help of gestures and a small set of commonly consulting words, it will be not difficult to explain with the locals.
A special place in Laos has a ritual of greetings, referred to as "Wai". Alas, but it is not just folded palm boat, lifted to the head or to the chest. This is a whole tradition that has a large number of nuances and features that can not be broken, so tourists are encouraged to welcome the locals familiar around the world "High" or a simple nod of the head. Handshakes in Laos are not accepted.
Staying in Laos, it is worth remembering that this is a very patriarchal and very religious country, and therefore the Buddha statue and other religious artifacts are sacred. In no case can not be closed on them, hug them in order to take pictures, etc. In this case, you just take a memory card from the camera. In addition, the insult is the touch towards the head of the Lao, including young children. It is possible to take pictures of local residents, but for this it is before you need to ask them permission.
Laos is one of the poorest countries of the world, and this fully affects the level of medicine. Alas, but the main scourge of the country, the epidemics of malaria, are defeated only in the metropolitan region, in all other risk to pick up this infectious disease is very high. By the poet before the trip, it is obligatory to undergo vaccination from malaria, as well as from hepatitis B and E. and even after they made vaccination, it is not recommended to drink water from local sources in Laos. For drinking, it is necessary to purchase bottled water, and the fruits purchased on the market or in stores must be worn thoroughly, and ideally process with lemon juice.
Souvenir products of religious sense, somehow: figurines and pictures with the image of the Buddha, antique things and the like, it is worth buying only in stores in the temples, in which a certificate with a sequence number will be issued, allowing you to remove the product from the country. Otherwise, souvenirs are confiscated when crossing the border, and in the case of antiques, which has been more than 100 years old, can make a fine.
For communication with the homeland, it is best to use the SIM cards of local operators, or tourist SIM cards. Roamming rates from the operators of the Russian "Big Troika" with Laos, there are some incredible money. You can also call large hotels or post offices. But telephone booths in Laos are absent as a class.
From the point of view of security for tourists, Laos is a very calm country and violent crimes against traveling here practically does not happen. However, small theft in crowded places are still there, and that is why you should not wear large amounts of money and very valuable things. In principle, throughout Laos, you can travel without fearing for your safety, with the exception of the "special zone" and the eastern regions. "Special zone" is controlled by the military and it is closed for tourists. It is located south of the 7th highway. But in the eastern regions there are still the consequences of the War in Vietnam. In Earth, there is still a huge number of unexploded shells and mines, and therefore the movement on them is necessary exclusively accompanied by a conductor. At the same time, it is impossible to go to the side of the paths and roads, as well as it is also impossible to raise incomprehensible items from the ground.