What do you know about Laos?

I know pretty much nothing about Laos.

Before about a year ago when I starting thinking about making my way to this country, I couldn’t have pointed it out to you on a map. I didn’t know it was a country, really.

Since then, I haven’t learned much. I can’t speak a word of the language. I don’t even know what their language is called. Lao?

I don’t know what their flag looks like.

I don’t know what their money looks like or how much it’s worth.

I don’t know any of the cities or places to go, except Vientiane, the border city capital where I’ll first experience the country.

I don’t even know for sure how to pronounce the name of the country. Is the “s” silent or spoken? Does it rhyme with Mao, the Chinese leader, or sound like the singular form of lice?

This is definitely the blindest I’ve gone anywhere. I’m looking forward to opening my eyes inside, though, seeing who I meet and what I eat and how it all turns out.