When Dervla Murphy mentioned that Laos was to be her next destination, most people looked a little puzzled. For this country hardly ever hits the headlines, although its small population played a significant part during the Secret War (the covert operation carried out by the US, running parallel to the Vietnam War). In 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War, a Communist government took over and tourists were excluded until 1990 - not that many had ever put Laos on their itinerary. Dervla's plans to trek though the high ...
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When Dervla Murphy mentioned that Laos was to be her next destination, most people looked a little puzzled. For this country hardly ever hits the headlines, although its small population played a significant part during the Secret War (the covert operation carried out by the US, running parallel to the Vietnam War). In 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War, a Communist government took over and tourists were excluded until 1990 - not that many had ever put Laos on their itinerary. Dervla's plans to trek though the high mountains, far from the country's few motor roads, soon run into complications, for which a variety of explanations are given, both comic and sinister. After injuring her foot she buys a Thai-manufactured bicycle, which purchase spawns new complications and a few hazards in the mountainous provinces of Xam Nuea and Xieng Khouang. However, the machine proves useful as a bag carrier while Dervla goes on her one-footed way. Frustrated trekking plans, torn ligaments and a defective bicycle might, in any other country, induce gloom and despondency. Not so in Laos, where the people more than compensate for everything that goes wrong. Kindly, gentle and welcoming, Dervla finds their laid-back nature infectious. However, Laos is no Shangri-La. The persisting problems bequeathed by its recent past are tragic and other problems loom, threatening its immediate future. Dervla leaves Laos in a melancholy mood, but grateful for having been privileged to glimpse a unique culture on the verge of extinction.
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Add this copy of One Foot in Laos to cart. $12.62, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Overlook Press.
Add this copy of One Foot in Laos to cart. $19.96, very good condition, Sold by Books of the World rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Harper Collins / Flamingo.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. London: Harper Collins / Flamingo, October 2000. Trade Paperback. Very Good. Unmarked. Spine straight and tight with slight crease. Covers clean and b right with light reading wear. Not from a library. No remainder mark. xx + 292 pages.
Add this copy of One Foot in Laos to cart. $29.69, very good condition, Sold by Pistil Books Online rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by John Murray.
Add this copy of One Foot in Laos to cart. $40.00, like new condition, Sold by Mark Post Bookseller rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Francisco, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Overlook Press.
Add this copy of One Foot in Laos to cart. $74.11, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Overlook Books.
