Random images of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar
--- Hill villages & countryside ---

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A super simple, rustic and down to basic living hut in a village in a Hinboun river bank village in central Laos. On one side of the village is the river; the othersides are paddy fields and wood.

Paddy threshing is a family activity in the village. A lot of works have to be done just for basic food and shelter. Beyond the paddy of the village are vertical cliffs of limestone mountains that divide the region into valleys.


A relatively more developed Lao village on the Mekong river bank in northern part of the country. This village has access to seasonal dirt road leading to bigger village or a town. The Mekong waterway still provides main communication and transportation route. In addition to traditional farming, fishing and raising poultry and cattle for mostly home consumption, the villagers have opportunity for other jobs such as timber extraction and processing, carpentry and construction, transportation, crafting products to sell, and trading.


The development of the Mekong villages are far from equal. Even in the same village there is rich-poor divide. This small village somewhere in northern Laos still depends largely on farming, fishing and gold panning. With gradual depletion of resources (forest, fish, and Mekong river) and change in the weather pattern, the life, cultures and ways of living of peoples there are changing.


Gold panners meet on a river bank sands, and check their little finds for the possible gold content.


A beautiful sunset view of paddy fields, cows and buffaloes grazing in the valley surrounded by high hills in northern Laos, Nam Ou river.


Wooded hills, the village of wood and bamboo homes, paddy field and the cattle grazing in the afternoon sun, Nam Ou river in northern Laos. The arrival of loads of tourists carrying different kinds of powerful attractive cultures and life styles also contribute to the change of villagers life.


A hiker's bed in a village home in northern Myanmar (Burma), Kachin state. Compared to many Laos and Thailand villages these villages are less touristic. They are far from the cities and main transportation hubs, thus the travel is difficult and inconvenient. The situtions also keep the place more or lesss in the ways it used to be in the old times.
Myanmar local travel operator

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Photos from Myanmar (Burma) | Old and rare Myanmar photos from 1923 to 1960 | Rural scenes of Myanmar in hand paintings