The richest poor country in the world

I have been in love with Thailand for 10 years. Everybody who has heard me speak about Thailand (or even just from reading this blog) you can tell that I love Thailand, which is why I end up never leaving. I'm glad I did though, Laos is amazing!! 

However, I keep talking to people who mention how the people are dirt poor. They mention that the majority of the population live in rural areas and in a global scale, are considered below the poverty level because they don't earn so-many-dollars per capita per year.

Honestly, I don't see it. 

They live in little villages by the river, and subsist on some combination of sticky rice plus what they plant, the animals they keep (chickens, pigs, buffalo) and the fish they catch. 

You see fathers carrying babies, and mothers tickling toddlers who giggle adorably. They have plenty of food and water. They live in their own houses. The food is great. The weather is wonderful, and when it gets too hot, they jump in the river! The scenery is breath-taking and beautiful. There's no polution, no stress, no noise. They have schools and free health-care. I even walked into a hospital and it was squicky clean and empty (no crowds of patients waiting). The people are nice, helpful, happy. 

But don't take my word for it: here are some pictures:

(Friends and chickens)

(Drying rice)

(Typical houses) 

(Cooling off)

(Going out to fish)

(Big sister and chubby baby!)

(Sunset over the mountains)

(Silly foreigners -me- spinning around and making adorable little girls giggle)

Where is the poverty? Sure, they don't have any money... but they have no use for it. They have everything they need -- things that money can't buy... 

I guess I have a different definition of what it means to be rich or poor. To me, these people are the richest people I've ever met...