VIEW-MASTER REEL 30 DAYS THROUGH LAOS
Click. My month-long journey through Laos flicked from plains to plateaus, between forests and farmlands, from karst mountainscapes to coffee plantations. It offered me a view of everyday life – a blend of minority hill tribes, ancient Khmer temples, Buddhist culture and remnants of French colonialism. Like the seven-frame reel of my childhood View-Master stereoscope, I clicked through seven places from south to north by scooter, overnight bus and private minivan. Click.
SLIDE 1
SI PHAN DON
This riverine archipelago within the mighty Mekong River is in the far south-west of Laos, on the border of Cambodia. Its waters bring a dichotomy of harvests, opportunities, tourists, supplies and misfortunes, as the number of islands, islets and sand banks – about 4 000 – halve during the wet season.
As sunrise appeared I watched saffron monks glide between Don Det, Don Khong and Don Som islands aboard motorised sampans. With each
