Cultural Hints
Laos by and large shares the same attitudes to dress and social taboos as other Southeast Asian cultures . One additional taboo applies to women sitting on the roof of anything - including a bus or a boat. The Lao believe that a woman has the power to ruin the potency of a man's amulets simply by placing herself physically above him. Furthermore, boats are thought to possess a guardian spirit, and a woman riding on the roof offends this spirit, which is to invite dire consequences for passengers and crew. The lowland Lao traditionally greet each other with a nop - bringing their hands together at the chin in a prayer-like gesture. The status of the persons giving and returning the nop determines how they will execute it, so most Lao prefer to shake hands with Westerners. If you do receive a nop as a gesture of greeting or thank you, it is best to reply with a smile and nod of the head, the customary way for strangers to show that they mean well.
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