Culture Smart! Laos offers in-depth information to visitors seeking a
genuine experience, including insights on local customs and lifestyle,
and is also of great use to businessmen and prospective investors. Once
known as "the Kingdom of a Million Elephants under the White Parasol,"
Laos is a landlocked country of great contrast and beauty in the heart
of the Indochinese peninsula. Visitors quickly relax and enjoy the
vibrancy and color of bustling marketplaces with their aromatic spices,
tropical fruits, and huge wicker baskets containing many varieties of
rice. Visitors may glimpse a group of monks of all ages wandering past
in flowing orange robes and later hear their chanting emanating from
within the temple walls. Passing a line of children in school uniform,
chattering and laughing noisily, you will always be greeted with a
gracious bow and "sabaidee." Whatever the purpose of your visit, in
Laos you will always be greeted with warmth, courtesy, hospitality, and
a feeling of completely safety.