In the words of our Chinese driver: "These people are very primitive."

True, they have had little direct exposure to the outside modern world, and do odd things like steal all the rubber collecting bowls and willingly pull out their rubber contracts for us to read (this because they couldn't recall the name of the company they signed their land away to, nor could they recall the profit split promised to them).

Here's an outhouse... without the house:

They do, however, have satellite TV, a must for all primitive societies.

Overlooking the second village we stopped by, Songma, is a contraption used for a few days each year in a religious ceremony during which no outsiders are allowed in the village. The ceremony is supposedly accompanied by lots of wailing, and has something to do with demons. In the words of our Chinese driver: "They don't have Buddhism here."

Overall though, the villages are similar to what you can find in very remote parts of China.

Obviously these people wouldn't mind improving their standard of living to resemble their counterparts across the border.

Note that in these rural areas we were actually visiting villages of the Akha (Ani) minority, not Laotians. But even the provincial seat is a tiny little town, not something you'd really call "urban" by contrast. On the outskirts of town (i.e., a five minute walk away from the main road) there are somewhat more modern villages.

This school design somehow brings to life the prison analogies so common among students.

[that's all, wasn't much]