What's in a name? On pronouncing difficult country names

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I absolutely love this, Rolf. You could not be more spot on. If you pronounce the "s" to a group of backpackers beneath the red tents of the Luang Prabang night market or the banks of the Vang Vieng tubing chaos, you may as well have just told them that you're on you're first trip out of the country as part of a graduation gift your parents paid for.

Their response is sure to be met with an instant scoff or eye roll and an unnecessary rerouting of the conversation that includes some variant of how long they've been traveling, how low their daily budget is, how many countries they've visited on this trip alone, and how they actually poop nuggets of gold (which they of course then sell to stay on the road longer and further climb the pecking order). Oh yeah, and by the way, it's pronounced Lao...

Well told.

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