It took us about 18 hours to travel from Singapore to Laos (flight to Bangkok, overnight train across Thailand to the border, and a bus over the Mekong), and the contrast could hardly have been greater. Singapore is a gleaming, wealthy, dynamic, high-rise city. Vientiane (the Lao capital) is just the opposite. Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world, and Vientiane has the air of a decaying, sleepy, and grubby provincial town. There are hints of a more prosperous past, with crumbling villas that once would have housed the French colonial rulers.
Our first full day in the country was spent trekking through the jungle in a national park a couple of hours to the east of Vientiane. Our objective was a waterfall, and we were to take a boat trip before making our way on foot through the jungle. It didn't quite go as planned, as the engine of the boat cut out and we had to walk further than expected, but it was a great day anyway. We were stopped by police on the way back to Vientiane that evening. There was nothing wrong with our minibus (other than the fact that we had to push-start it on several occasions during the day), and our papers were all in order. However, our guides did feel it necessary to hand over some money to the police, nominally so that they could supply themselves with coffee during their period of duty by the roadside. A likely story...
We had no idea when we sat down for breakfast the next morning how our plans for the next day and a half were going to turn out. We were introduced to a Vietnamese lady who works for a charity in Laos, and she invited us to visit a local school, Don Koi, that she works with. 'Invited' isn't quite the right word - she has the kind of forceful personality to which it is difficult to say 'no' (although we were more than happy to go). Actually, her project provides after-school activities in a building adjacent to the school that gives children the chance to learn useful skills (carpentry, weaving, etc.), and encourages them to stay at school until their education is complete, as well as having fun. Many of the volunteers who help run the project are young people who either have had problems (typically drug-related) or would be at risk of such problems. We were treated to a drama performance, which the children enjoyed - and so did we. The typical salary of a teacher in Laos is US$20, and the only resources they get are a blackboard and an annual allowance of chalk.
Our Vietnamese host does a wonderful job of getting other resources from places like the local international school (which we also visited). I do wish the children at the international school weren't dropped off at school in 4-wheel-drives that were quite as enormous. The next morning, we joined a group of children from the school at Don Koi, and some from the international school, in the rice field to cut rice. My wife and her teaching colleague became very nervous when they saw the sharp implements the children would be wielding, so lent a hand to prevent accidents. They were quite glad not to be responsible for the trip.