those details

Electricity in laos usually does not run IN the wall, but runs along the visible part of the wall, stapled in place, as seen below. (most people outside the city don't have electricity at all)

The lines usually run into huge boxes like this, which sit halfway up the wall. I have a lamp that won't plug into an outlet b/c the cord is only 3 feet long, yet the outlet is 4 feet up the wall. In one room of our house, the light switch sits at the base of the floor while the outlet is three feet up the wall. If a particular house has outlets close to the floor rather than up the wall, it usually means there was some western influence in the design and the owners have more means.

Windows in the city are usually barred to keep thieves away. I won't go into the list of things we've had stolen here, but I've learned that personal property needs to be guarded. I'm not sure how much these flimsy bars keep a potential thief away, but maybe it's a deterrent if the house next door doesn't have them? Most don't have glass and many don't have screens... it's just window bars and wooden door on the outside (see picture below). Our last house didn't have screens, so we put in our own.

Our particular land lords are very concerned for safety b/c they have put these metal bars in every possible little nook and cranny. I'd love to take them out and have a clear view outside, but then again when Nathan's gone, I'm usually glad they're here. :)

These are the wooden doors on the outside. They lock with little pegs on the top and bottom that lock the door in place. We used to lock these up regularly every night and reopen them in the morning. I timed myself one night when Nathan was gone, and it took me a full 20 min to get all the windows locked up (not to mention min reopening in the am). Part of the time issue is due to the peg holes not being lined up with the pegs, requiring lots of pushing and pulling to make the lock work. Part of the issue was that our old house had lots and lots of windows.

We're noticing more and more houses going in with window panes now, which also used to be a sign of wealth, but now seems to be a little more common, especially in the capital.