I recently visited Laos. It had been a while since my last visit.

The effects of the war between the US-Israel allies and Iran are quickly becoming apparent in countries like Laos. Laos, being a landlocked country, imports almost all of its crude oil from Thailand, but Thailand is currently experiencing a similar oil shortage due to this war. As the photo (backlighting...my apology for bad quality) shows, the sense of crisis regarding the oil shortage has caused people to queue at gas stations, leading to traffic jams.

In this situation, the Lao people were calling this frustrating traffic jam "Bun Namman (gasoline festival)". Their thinking is that there are many things and events in this world that are beyond our control, so we should try to enjoy them as much as possible. It's a kind of ironic joke, of course…

Incidentally, this "Bun Namman" also have occurred in Laos during the COVID-19 pandemic. I can't help but feel indignant and helpless at the extremely uneven impact of various shocks around the world, but at the same time, I am impressed by the resilience of the Lao people.

May Bun Namman literally become your Bun (merit).