The children of Laos

The children of Laos are happier, I think, than the children of Thailand. In the last few weeks I have wondered why this should be. I can speculate, but that's all. It's very humbling being farrang - a foreigner, barely getting to grips with a country before moving onto another, different, country - a stranger in strange lands.

Same same but different, they say over here. Malaysia, Thailand are countries that, to the casual observer, may seem to have a lot in common. They are all poor countries, relatively speaking. There are people in these countries, living in the jungle and the mountains and the cities, who have next to nothing, earning as little as a dollar for a day's work.

Laos is the poorest of the three countries that we have visited, and yet somehow the people here seem happier, more open and friendly, more sincere. I think this is because tourism hasn't really damaged Laos' culture yet. You fly to Bangkok, you jump on a bus from the airport into town, you set one foot on the Khao San Road and you will be left in little doubt that Thailand has been damaged by tourism. The Thai people understand how much money can be made from tourists. They know how easy it is to make money from tourists. They understand that there are diffent kinds of tourists, looking for different things.

We use the phrase 'sex tourist' out here quite a lot, to describe an older western man who is with a younger local woman or man. You see a lot of sex tourists. It's easy to be cynical, to judge them harshly, but who am I to judge these men, not knowing anything about an individual situation, an individual relationship? In reality, there are an awful lot of western men in SE Asia who would be shocked if they were described as sex tourists, but in fact are: maybe they're not here purely for the sex industry, but they understand that it is easy to sleep with an asian girl and they make the most of it. Men are men all over.

Again, I don't want to judge. The point is that Thailand understands that there is a huge market for sex, that a lot of money can be made from it, both directly and indirectly. Of course there is prostitution everywhere - they say it's the oldest profession, don't they? In Thailand there's a kind of pseudo prostitution. Girls will attach themselves to men in order to get a free drink, a free meal, a bed for the night, a gift or two - perhaps a mobile phone or a new pair of shoes. These girls are being exploited, but they in turn are exploiting. When their farrang boyfriend has left, will they keep there mobile phone or there new pair of shoes? Probably not. More likely they will sell them and send the money they make home to their families. Families who live in poverty in the Thai countryside. Families who know what their daughters are doing and who bless it. Mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles who know that their daughters (and their sons) can lift them out of poverty.

How must this knowledge subtly twist and pervert a natural family dynamic in a culture where sexuality is expressed freely and simply, where little is taboo? It's a complicated question, one that I don't really understand, one that I'm not really qualified to answer. I just want to express an opinion. I don't think that the children of Thailand are loved as much as the children of Laos. They are not as safe, not as secure. Materially they may have more, but emotionally they have less.

In one week's time, officials, diplomats and businessmen from all over Asia will meet here in Vientiane for the tenth Asia Summit. Top of the agenda: how to increase tourism in Laos.

There is a bridge over the Mehkong, spanning the waters between Thailand and Laos. Built a few years ago with Australian money, it is called the Friendship Bridge. The people of Laos have another name for it: the AIDS Bridge. Perhaps they understand only too well what tourism in Laos will lead to. Perhaps they are powerless to stop it. Perhaps they don't want to. The flow of money into this country, increasing as tourism increases, will make things better - and worse -for the people here. I think it's something of a tragedy, really.

But who am I to judge?


Village children we encountered on our way down the Mehkong

Trouble, I reckon

Stunned by his first experience of Sasha and Digweed

Fascinated by my magical musical machine

The adorable little girl in the background didn't want her photograph taken

A shy little girl we met as we cycled down the road to the blue lagoon

Some kids from Vang Vieng

A really big smile