Over the course of several trips, the authors have journeyed into the father reaches of Laos: from the isolated mountain villages in the North to the ruins of the former Khmer Empire in the South, and from the still war-scarred Plain of Jars in the East to the lowland rice fields along the Mekong in the West. Their photographs show a breathtaking and, at the same time, enchanted beauty, the rich heritage of the minorities still alive today, and the first steps towards the future. Their text describes clearly and concisely the country's history right up to the issues of today. In this book, for the first time, Laos is presented in its entire colorful diversity.