Laos: Children of the villages

We love to get off the beaten track and find small villages where tourist don't normally roam. You can tell this by the reaction of the children. If they ask for money to take their photo, they are used to seeing tourists…. If they are happy to just see their image in the camera… then they are not used to seeing tourists.

The following photos were taken in a little village just outside of Vientiane. We had so much fun photographing the children as they were so happy to see us.

This little guy caught my eye. I loved his handmade necklace!

D having a chat… the children spoke a little English.

Their moms were nearby so we asked them if we could take the children's photos. Notice the house in the background.

As soon as you hold up your camera, they give the peace sign. This is universal in most Asian countries.

This was another group.

Love this little one peeking out from behind his big brother.

Such a little old man!

This group was precious! They were squealing with excitement… wanting us to take their photos, yet a little bit afraid.

Their mother was right by them, but they were still shy.

This photo deserved to be blown up to see the middle girls face – priceless!

There seemed to be more boys than there were girls. Unfortunately, mortality rates for children under five in Laos are the highest in
Southeast Asia (70 per 1,000 births) and second highest in all of Asia, behind
only Afghanistan (stats as of 12.12).

The next set of photos was taken in the little village across the river from Luang Prabang. We had heavy rain the day before, so the streets were very muddy.

A beautiful child!

Look closely at the photo below – the little girl is playing with her doll on the porch next to the family rooster.

D loves to buy food and give it out to the children. Below, he is buying popcorn balls and peanuts. He tries not to buy candy and buys from the local shops to help support the community.

Here he is giving out popcorn balls to children coming home from school for their lunch break. Even the dog wants to see what is going on.

This yound boy is so serious. D tried to get him to smile, but he wouldn't.

The pied-piper… children and dogs following D.

Where are all the mothers? Gambling! We couldn't figure out what the game was, but they were busy playing it. I love how they all are so busy except the older woman in the middle – she is watching us.