Our guide shared with us that one of the reasons Lao people are so poor is that they give birth to so many children. In the villages, they marry young, and there is not much to do so sex is a fairly common activity among couples. In an attempt to improve life for the villagers, the government has been encouraging family planning by introducing contraception in the form of birth control pills and condoms.

The suggestions are widely disregarded and overpopulation continues. All is not lost however, since the children of the village have a wonderful time making balloons out of the unused condoms. An even more clever use of condoms was shared with us by our guide.

In April, Laos has its annual water festival. People throughout the country arm themselves with water pistols and buckets as they douse each other with water for 3 full days. While it would be great to document this event, it is relatively impossible given the fragile nature of most camera phones when it comes to water.

Our guide informed us that this is where the condoms come in. He uses one to cover his phone so that he can film the pandemonium. He said that while he could buy a new waterproof iPhone for $800, a waterproof condom cover is available for free.