So we asked the two receptionists on the way out whether it was pronounced Lao or Laos.  They both immediately answered, in unison… both answers!  Then they proceded to argue with each other over whether it’s Lao or Laos.  Finally the other guy on reception came over and said “well they are both right”.  So this is what I can now gather.

It is the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.  They are Lao people.  The French called it Laos when they unified the Three Lao Kingdoms.  So all in all the Lao call it Lao and in English and French it’s called Laos.

As an aside, Nigel has a theory about why the monks have to ritually cleanse themselves after they are touched by a woman.  And it does involve multiple showers, three times a day to rid your male celibate self of all the ‘sin’.  I’ll leave that there.