From the higgledy-piggeldy fields and farms to the Heath-Robinson construction of the houses, rural Laos has the feel of one massive allotment.

It’s muddy, patched together and very, very green. As a result the people we see as we plod through villages seem to have the same happy smile I’ve seen on my Dad’s face after a mornings digging at his small plot in ‘Udders.

I don’t know if it is the hard work or the fact that like him, they come home from the fields to hundreds of satellite TV channels (every house has a massive dish) showing wall to wall football but the similarities between the rural Lao and my pop are striking:

Love football? Snap.
Try to live off the land? Snap.
Cold beer on hot standby? Snap.
Waste not want not? Snap.
Noisy eating? Snap. 😛