Mexicans in Laos???

I know the prevailing theory is that American Indians came into North America from northeast Asia by way of a land bridge, then distributed down through Central and South America. That seems to me a load of hokum, not least of all because there is almost zero resemblance between the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas and people in northern China (or Russians, for that matter).

Indigenous Americans do, however, look almost exactly like the inhabitants of Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, and various Pacific islands. Imagine my shock, then, to find in Laos the above carvings, which look exactly the same as Mayan carvings in Central America! Obviously the centerpiece gods are different, but otherwise the above art looks to me about as American as it gets!

Stop 31: Wat Pho (near Pakse, Laos)

The enormous Wat Pho (pronounced "poo") temple complex was once part of Cambodia and the Khmer empire. It's now a good 150 km into Laos. Apparently Cambodia has been losing territory to its neighbors throughout the last couple centuries (though, unlike its relations with Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia is currently on very good terms with the Lao P.D.R.).

The temple complex was fascinating because it was Buddhist only in the loosest sense. Bas relief carvings of Hindu deities were everywhere, as were more animistic relics, such as venerated rock formations resembling an elephant's head and a crocodile.

Stop 30: Cambodia-Laos border

Laos is an interesting place. It's reputedly as poor as Cambodia, if not more poor, but signs of collective wealth are everywhere. Unlike in Cambodia, the major roads are all sealed. Again unlike Cambodia, heavy industrial and farming machinery is ubiquitous. Each village has its own sign in Lao and in English, and the little stalls on the side of the street are very well stocked.

That said, on the individual level, the Laotian people are dirt poor. They largely live in ramshackle wooden and corrugated metal shacks, and are engaged in the same subsistence-plus farming lifestyle as the Cambodians. It just seems that on the collective level, money is actually used for infrastructure projects -- where in Cambodia, the vast majority of funds coming in, at any level, are skimmed by government officials.

Stop 29: Ratanakiri (view from an elephant's back!)

The red dirt of the Ratanakiri area in Cambodia is legendary. It coats everything everywhere and, since none of the roads are sealed, is sure to leave a mark on any traveler. The area also produces exquisite hardwoods; my friend and I stayed at a guesthouse with $3 rooms and gorgeous teak furniture and paneling everywhere that would have cost in the tens of thousands of dollars in the U.S.

Kratie cont'd

Does this look to you like a stupid place to swim? It did to me too, but my Cambodian friend decided we should jump right in (people swim out here fully clothed) -- it was quite a workout!

Stop 28: Kratie, Cambodia

We saw maybe a dozen freshwater Irrawady river dolphins on an hour-long boat tour, but none of the pictures of the little buggers came out very well -- these dolphins don't jump and frolic like the ones in Maui!

Stop 27: Phnom Penh

Stop 26: Hanoi

Saigon: Uncle Ho

Stop 25: Saigon (HCMC)

Stop 24: Chau Doc, Vietnam