anthony: when you get off the plane james: yes. anthony: what s the first sort of recognizable smell that registers? james: wood smoke and grilling. river, as well. you know, it s just like the mekong. anthony: diesel, or whatever the fuel is here? a little bit of james: yeah, yeah. anthony: from the first time i heard of laos, i was hooked, and filled with a desire to see the place. once a storybook kingdom of misty mountains and opium. at one time, a protectorate of france. mysterious landlocked nation bordered by china, thailand, cambodia and as fate would have it, vietnam.
foreign voice: attention to each watcher! please report your safety, over. radio voice: all is safe, over. all is safe, over! [ man on loudspeaker speaking in foreign language ] man: 3, 2, 1 shoot! [ explosion ] anthony: wow. [ explosion ] it s a big bang. man: imagine how the children pick it up. anthony: yeah. laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in the history of the world. 80 million is the number of cluster bombs that did not detonate. since the war in vietnam ended, and we left our secret war here behind, 20,000 people, many of whom were not even alive during the conflicts, have been killed or maimed.
or make me feel like i m not really there. talk to your doctor, and call 844-234-2424. megan s smile is getting a lot because she uses act® mouthwash. act® strengthens enamel, protects teeth from harmful acids, and helps prevent cavities. go beyond brushing with act®. anthony: luang prabang, laos ancient capital is a sleepy city of ornate palaces and temples. this town enthusiastically observes wan ok phansa a big party marking the end of buddhist lent.
many generation, we start maybe on 6th century. anthony: uh oh, what are we doing? older sister: anthony: lao lao? both sisters: yes. lao lao. we re doing some lao lao. so made by the sticky rice, so anthony: yes. older sister: it taste good. [ laughter ] anthony: look, this is close! both of you born here? older sister: yeah, i m the older sister, and she s the younger. anthony: how has the country changed since you were little kids? older sister: wow. the country change a lot. we open the tourism scene so it s good for the local economy and local people they can earn money direct from the visitor and tourists. anthony: well, president obama was just here a few months ago. younger sister: he was here. a few months ago. yeah, he got off a lot of, ah, helpful, the education and for the
anthony: motorbike. the only way to see this part of the world. the thick, unmoving air. the smell past rice paddies, water buffaloes, what feels like another century. anthony: laos is a kind of place that could easily capture your heart, and not let you go. anthony: it s what you do, right? i mean, if you re thinking of a place to open a bar or a restaurant, you re gonna put it by the river. right? french guy: yeah, yes, yes. anthony: nice breeze, nice view. french guy: and you see lao, lao people, they come here during the afternoon. they have a drink. it s nice. french guy: perfect. anthony: more than a few people came here for vacation, and never went home like ben. anthony: so how long have you been in laos? french guy: in laos, oh, around 15 years. i haven t been back to france for a long time. anthony: when you first came here, what was it like? french guy: heh. ah, it was just opened, you know, it was beginning of 2000. anthony: what do you mean by