Faces of Laos!

Laos has 60 different racial groups - although Noh says it's actually only 45 - but the one thing they all have in common is fabulous noses. Gosh, you have never seen so many great noses in one place in your whole life. I'm not kidding.

Yes, everyone knows the Khmer have the best cheekbones seen anyplace, but I bet you didn't know that plastic surgeons the world over should start offering "Lao Noses" on their menu of services. Let me see if I have any photos you can see so you know what I mean:

Random strangers on
the streets of Vientiane.
Hard to believe, but no
plastic surgeon created
these faces!

My little beggar-boy.
The only orphan not already
adopted by Angelina Jolie

A bird-wish-seller at Pak Ou
sheltering from the rain.
Isn't she just drop-dead gorgeous.

A Hmong fashionista
in a traditional-fusion hat.
I LOVE this look!

My cute little "killer-sudeko girl".
She got me to teach her how to do them.
Will be talking about her later.

An random orphan from
Luang Prabang orphanage.

Terrific noses, yes! But I must say I found it very odd comparing them with the noses on the Lao gods. They say we create our gods in our own image ... but whose image are these? Those god noses, to me, look Syrian, which is most odd indeed. And the older the statues, the more "Syrian" the noses are. Since the Syrians were the traders of the ancient world, I wonder if this is some "silk road" thing?

A "Syrian" god?

Although that god does have Lao ears. That's the other interesting thing about the Laos faces; so many of them have the cutest pixie ears; all upward slanted and with a little elf tip to them.

I know I haven't told you about Noh yet, but you need to see his ears. He was saying that throughout the world, no one ever knows what race he is ... and I laughed because you only have to look at his ears to know instantly. I told him and he said "I've never noticed them before, but you're right. I have pixie ears." and then he said "I've never noticed them on other Lao either, but I'm going to be looking from now on."

Check out Noh's cute pixie ears!
Actually, no, this one isn't as "elf"
as the other ear.
Never noticed that before.

Don't have a picture of the other one!

So, with the combination of great cheekbones, terrific noses and gorgeous ears, are these a pretty people or what?