This is a light-hearted yet serious view of Laos through the eyes of a Singaporean visiting Vientiane to impart the intricacies of finance to officials at the École Nationale de Politique. Cultural differences, teaching methods, culinary delights and the École Nationale de Politique are part of the journey of discovery, as are the smiling people-smiling despite their lack of affluence and personal comforts to which Singaporeans are used.