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nPostednon October 12, 2015
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nThenLao People’s Democratic Republic is a landlocked nation—the onlynlandlocked nation in Southeast Asia.
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nWenare used to seeing scenes like these from Southeast Asian nations:
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| Vietnam |
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| Thailand |
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| Philippines |
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| Cambodia |
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| Burma (aka Myanmar) |
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nManynof the countries of Southeast Asia are known for their beautifulnbeaches and coastlines.
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nButnthe water you see in pictures of Laos, such as this one, is in rivers and lakes, not oceans…
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nBeingnlandlocked is usually not a great thing, because a landlocked nationnhas to depend on other nations in order to have access to worldwidenshipping. There are other really bad things about Laos: it is one ofnthe most corrupt nations in the world, with a bad human rights recordnand a low-income / high-poverty economy. About a third of thenpopulation lives below the international poverty line, and the nationnranks as the 25thnhungriest nation in the world.
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nReadingna bit of history, we find that Thailand grabbed Laotian lands, thennceded the lands to the French, and that during World War II, Laos wasnoccupied by Japan. When WWII was over, Laos declared itsnindependence, but France stepped in to resume their earlier control.nThis holiday celebrates the Liberation of Laos from the French inn1954. n
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nOfncourse, after becoming independent, things weren’t necessarily peachynand peaceful; there was a civil war, and Laos got dragged into thenVietnam War – parts of Laos being invaded and occupied by NorthnVietnam, and those parts being bombed by the United States!
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Despitenall of this corruption and war and other disagreeable stuff, a hugeninfluence on the nation is the relatively peaceful religion ofnBuddhism. Check out the amazing Buddhist temples and statues:
Despitenall of this corruption and war and other disagreeable stuff, a hugeninfluence on the nation is the relatively peaceful religion ofnBuddhism. Check out the amazing Buddhist temples and statues:n
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nAndnof course there are other marvelous and beautiful things to see innLaos. Luang Prabang, for example, sounds great!
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It’s one of thenUNESCO World Heritage Sites, and its nickname is the “Jewel in LaosnCrown.” There are 33 temples, former royal palaces, beautifulnwaterfalls, and even a cave adorned with more than 4,000 Buddha icons!!
It’s one of thenUNESCO World Heritage Sites, and its nickname is the “Jewel in LaosnCrown.” There are 33 temples, former royal palaces, beautifulnwaterfalls, and even a cave adorned with more than 4,000 Buddha icons!!n
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| These caves have natural limestone-cave features (above) PLUS more than 4,000 statuettes of Buddha (below). |
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nAlsonon this date:
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nColumbusnDay,naka DiscoverynDay
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nNationalnDay of Mourning,naka
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nIndigenousnPeople’s Day,naka
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nDiande la Raza
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nNativenAmerican Day in South Dakota
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Fiesta Nacional in Spain
Fiesta Nacional in Spain
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nBirthdaynof claymation pioneer Art Clokey
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nAnniversarynof the death of nurse and heroine Edith Cavell
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nNovembern holidays
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nNovembern birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in November
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