Use the links above to see more photos.

Laos has always been a backwater country. The French colonialists, in the years they were in control, didn't do a lot to improve the infrastructure here. There's no railway system, only recently have any decent roads been built.

But there are some beautiful houses, like this one, in the downtown area. Many of them are uninhabited and in varying states of disrepair. At least part of the reason is that no one is sure who really owns them.

Even a brief look at Lao history over this past century will tell you that with its escape from colonialism and the chaos and confusion of government changes and coupes d'état that followed, it might just be a bit difficult to find any records of legitimate property transactions.