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The Thais say that the Laotians are either planning a party, throwing a party, or recovering from one. And Laotians like to throw big parties.

But most people here have small homes and not much outdoor space. The solution: Take over the street.

All throughout the year you'll see white tents, plastic tables and chairs, along with cases of Beer Lao showing up on cordoned off streets. Traffic is routed in other directions - a temporary inconvenience that everyone understands.

Parties can be for any reason, or no particular reason. This one, which took place last month just around the corner from us celebrated an engagement.