I have nothing but sweet memories of Northern Laos. After the gloom of Northern Vietnam, it was such a relief to make it to sunny, relaxed Laos. Who cared if our overcrowded/overloaded bus got stuck in a river and we had to pull it out? Things were going to be better now!

Northern Laos is like a big green rollercoaster: forested hills as far as you could see, and no 500 metres of straight or flat road. It makes for tiresome travelling, but when you’re not moving, it is a feast for the eye.

I must say though, it is probably one of the poorest, least-developed regions I have ever been to. I’ve been to some backwater places in Guatemala and Bolivia, but this was still next level. Never before have I seen people live in such primitive conditions. Apparently, Laos is one of the world’s 20 poorest countries. Basic wooden huts, with dirt floors, no running water or electricity. It feels sort of weird walking through one of those villages, you the farang with all your fancy stuff … 

But the country is changing fast, lightning fast. Even as a tourist, this change was palpable. I spoke to some older people who told me how tourism had exploded in recent years. Economically too, Laos is growing quickly. Every day new roads are built or paved, everyday the electricity grid reaches further. (And the first thing people do when they get electricity, is getting a huge sound system so they can blast out cowbell-heavy Lao and Thai pop-tunes all day.)

I went on a two-day trek to a village high on a mountain top. The Hmong people there still believe in ghosts to cure the sick. There is no road, no running water or power. Imagine how rudely my illusion was shattered when I saw two people there talking on their cell phone! There was perfect reception on the mountain top. To charge their phone, they just went down to the nearest village that was connected to the grid.

China is the biggest driver for this change. The northern neighbour is extremely keen to tap on Laos’s natural resources as much as possible. If they build more roads, it is easier to get the timber out! (Deforestation is a massive problem here, and might one day well do away with the green hills …) Next to the road building, they are also planning to build a high-speed rail link that will eventually connect Kunming with Singapore. This means 421 km of rails in Laos (including 190 km of tunnels and 90 km of bridges!), built in just 4 years by over 50.000 Chinese workers. Furthermore there are some insane plans for a hydro-electric scheme on the Nam Ou river, with seven (7!) dams that would all but annihilate life on this beautiful river, which is at present one of the main tourist assets of the country. The saddest thing is the locals don’t even seem to realise how bad this would actually be for them.

I think people who went to Laos 5 years ago would hardly recognise the place now. (Wait, you’re saying there are ATM’s now!?) And if I go back in 5 years, it will be totally different again. For now, I will just cherish the memories of this sweet green paradise. Because it was not only of the poorest places I’ve ever been to, but also one of the most beautiful, relaxing ones, with friendly people who still live life at an unhurried pace, and invite you to do the same.