On to Vang Vieng and Vientiane

Secret War in Laos

It was the Vietnam War and Vietcong soldiers were moving troops and ammunition but on the Laos side of the border.  The US had already signed a treaty saying they wouldn't drop bombs on Laos so there was nothing they could do, except the CIA without the knowledge of the US government, or so it is said, waged their own war and sanctioned unmarked planes to drop bombs on Laos and put troops on the ground. There were more bombs dropped on Laos than the whole of what the US and UK combined dropped on Europe during WWII - to the value of $2m per day.  Even when President Johnson declared that bombing on Northern Vietnam should cease they dropped even more bombs on Laos.  Huge areas of Laos still cannot be cultivated for agriculture as it is too dangerous and each year farmers and children are still being killed or losing limbs.  They say it could be another 100 years before they are either cleared or the bombs themselves have become inactive.

Whilst we were in Xieng Kuang, one of the worst hit provinces, we visited the MAG office (Mines Action Group) a British funded charity.  They have been working tirelessly since 1994.  Since 2000 UXO Laos, a Laos government funded organisation trained by MAG has also been working to eradicate the bombs and make it a safe country to live in.  Almost worse than the loss of life is the Secret War has resulted in slowing the development of a country which is still one of the poorest in the World.

Our guide arranged for us to also visit UXO Laos (UXO stands for unexploded ordnance).  We were taken to their field office just outside town where we were greeted by the Cordinating Director for that province.  He is in charge of 16 teams of 10 people, 18 of which are women.  In a classroom like environment he explained to us a large map with numerous different coloured dots on it, each indicating areas they'd cleared, and where they'd identified UXO's awaiting clearance etc.  A few years ago the CIA supplied them with a map showing where they bombed to help them identify the areas which unfortunately we were unable to see as there was a power cut during our visit. Afterwards he showed us all the different types of bombs that had been recovered, some were 500lbs and more.  The really shocking ones are the cluster bombs that hold small balls holding thousands of ball bearings which are referred to as bombies.

We thought this was the end of our visit but realised we were off somewhere and told to follow his jeep which we did for around 18km to a site where one of his teams had been working for the last month.   With different types of detectors they had been working on this paddy field of approx 255,000 sq metres, a field they had already visited several times before in the past.  They had detected another 16 UXO's which needed to undergo controlled explosion. 

We were given a brief by the team leader - i.e. to follow him exactly, not to speak, and not to touch anything, he then led us out onto the paddy field to see some of the 'bombies' they had found, buried about 18" below the surface.  Once we were back at viewing distance he instructed his team to place the charges in permission and cover with the sandbags.  The cattle were herded away and with a loud hailer the villagers were instructed to stay away.  And then with timed explosives up they went.

The Team were recalled and we had our picture taken with them after which we gave them a little donation for a drink later on and the Director a donation.  We asked our guide to translate and to say we were honoured to have been allowed to witness their work today and that they are doing a great thing for their country and to stay safe.  We then had to swiftly walk back to our car as we could feel tears prickling the backs of our eyes.

 

Xieng Kuang Province

It might have taken 7 hours to get here but it was so worth it. In actual fact it didn't seem too long - we'd stop for coffee or walk around a village, the scenery beautiful. Our private bus was very comfy, even when at times the road surface was fairly atrocious after the monsoon rains last year had caused massive landslides.

For most the main reason one would come to this province as a tourist is to see the Plain of Jars. They are huge stone jars dated at around 2500 years old, just lying about on the hillsides. It's quite extraordinary. The largest of the three sites has over 300 jars and the largest jar is approx 2.5m. No one really knows why they are there but it's thought they were used for fermenting rice wine for big ceremonies but some human remains have been found under them so its thiught they could have served a burial significance as well.

We visited three sites (sites 1,2 & 3) 10-20km from the main town. There are in actual fact 64 sites but only three areas have been cleared of unexploded ordinance (UXO) dropped on Laos during the Vietnam war so only they can be visited. Even then you need to walk between the MAG (Mines Action Group) markers. The past is all to evident to see as huge craters litter the landscape, right where you walk around the jars. At one of the sites you can see the warfare trenches used. I shall write about the mines and the war separately as this is an entire story in itself and a very serious one. We also visited the old capital of Xieng Kuang. It was mostly destroyed during the war, including the Temple - miraculously the Buddha inside survived only slightly damaged.

We stayed in a charming Auberge - accommodation was in little wood and stone cabins with lovely views over the valley. It's colder at night up here so they'd light fires in the dining room and cosy lounge area and also in your own cabin if you wanted. The first night the lighting went well and we had a roaring little fire but the second night it didn't go so well and despite David's best efforts we had no fire.

We had a great curry in town and the best nan breads I'd ever tasted. We weren't far from the hotel but nevertheless we needed a tuk tuk to get back so David asked the owner if he could get us one as we'd not seen many passing by. He looked up and down the street and then road off on his bicycle down the street. Around 10 minutes later he arrived back followed by a tuk tuk. Now that's what I call service!

New Years Eve in Luang Prabang

What a fun day. We got a tuk-tuk down to Phousi market for some ongoing essentials - flip flops not available in Heathrow T4 and a belt left in security in Bahrain! We've this year begun sponsoring a charming young man called LouLou who by huge coincidence works in the same hotel as we're staying. He is studying IT and English at the local college so we'll be paying for his tuition for the next 5 years. This lunchtime we were invited to his mothers house where she had cooked us a delicious lunch. She's an elegant lady, speaking both English and French so we were able to converse with her quite well. They live in a humble house and its been tough for them all. Lou's father was killed in an accident when he was 6 and his older brother two years ago was knocked off his motorbike and can no longer walk or speak properly so cant work to support the family. Consequently a lot of responsibility has fallen to Lou so we're just helping him a bit.

After lunch Lou took us to a Hmong festival. Hmong are one of the minority ethnic groups and it's their New Year too - in fact for a month they party and wear traditional dress. It was rather like a village fete with various stalls including throwing darts at balloons, bingo, spinning a wheel for prizes and even a bouncy castle - it all seemed quite bizarre. The girls dress includes elaborate headwear which looked just like a lampshade! only a few of the boys wear ethnic dress obviously thinking its no longer cool. The girls wore loads of make-up and very high shoes which were quite troublesome as the field was far from even. The funniest thing is they play something called the love ball. They stand in two lines and throw tennis balls back and forth whilst chatting each other up. If you keep hold of the ball it means you fancy the other person! Or Lao speed dating.

For any of you who read our blog last year may be wondering what happened with the Novice Monk. Well we still write and we met Fan and his brother as we'd brought books and pens etc but as far as official sponsorship is concerned it all got a bit tricky this year and we have had to stop that for now. The boys are both well though and we write and do Facebook with them. New Years Eve dinner we had a relaxed and very civilised time at our hotel and at midnight let off Chinese laterns in the street - the whole sky was full of them as the town did the same - it was magical and a wonderful alternative to fireworks. HAPPY 2012.

Luang Prabang - Day 2

This morning we met with Phonsy our guide and with bicycles we peddled off to the boat pier where we crossed the Mekong by long boat.

Once the other side we carried our bikes up steep steps and found ourselves in a tranquil clearing with a temple in the middle. This is Wat Long Khoun where the royal family used to come and meditate. The 14th century temple has since been restored including the beautiful painted walls depicting life as it was in days gone by.

Then off we set on our bicycles for probably around 20km through villages and jungle countryside until we reached the Hoy Khua waterfalls. In the village here they are fortunate because they can have more than one rice growing season by diverting water from the falls to flood the terraces. After a short rest and a chat as we listenined to the falling water it was just a short cycle back to the Mekong edge where our longboat and picnic lunch was waiting for us.

On the return trip upstream we stopped at Ban Chan a pottery village which makes house bricks, house tiles and big pots. They no longer use clay from their own earth but have to bringnit in from up North as it was declared a short while ago that there were so many holes around the village it wasnt safe for the children - one can only assume they kept falling in! Getting the clay to a malleable stage is hard work. It arrives on a boat, then spread thinly to dry, then ground and pummelled and finally mixed with water to a kneading consistency. The village supplies pots to all the hotels in Luang Prabang and many go to the capital Vientiene. I was given my first pottery lesson on a wheel and with a lot of help made a small pot. There was no electricity or a foot peddle to make the wheel go round so the huge pots/urns they make are all the more impressive.

Luang Prabang - Day 1

We're here. It's so lovely to be back! especially as well to be staying at the Apsara Hotel. Luang Prabang truly is such a laid back place. There are loads of things to do but if you didn't have time as well to just chill and hang out I don't think you'd see the best of Luang Prabang. So far we've actually been quite busy. As soon as we arrived it was a quick shower and change as we'd arranged to meet our friend Alan in a local bar and as we were delayed from Bangkok for an hour whilst they waited for the mist to lift in Luang Prabang there wasn't time for anything else. Alan is Director for an English charity LEOT which supports promising young Lao students who ordinarily wouldnt have the opportunity to study beyond high school. For quite some time now LEOT has been wanting to open a school in Laos to teach English taught by English teachers. It's been an ongoing struggle trying to secure the funding, location and government permissions but in November this year it all finally came together and Alan yesterday took us to the site where the foundations are going in. The builders are living on site in a 3 walled lean to they've built. A bit chilly one would have thought as its winter but I'm sure theyve got a stash of LaoLao fire water for some internal heating. We got back in time for a couple of Beer Laos's before heading out for sups. Right opposite the hotel on the river is a lovely little restaurant that does barbecue soup. Sounds a strange one. Basically a dome with a trough around it that sits over hot coals. The meat goes on the dome and in the trough is poured stock and in it goes fresh veg and salad and an egg that cooks in the stock. Add some tamarind sauce, bits of chili and garlic together with several bottles of beer Lao - absolutely delicious. We followed it off by some Lao coffee and a cake from one of the local french type cafes and as i earlier said - we've arrived and very good it is too! Tomorrow we go on a cycle ride.

We're at that packing stage again...

You'd think as it's our third time to SE Asia then packing would be a cinch and we'd know what to take - well we do but we still don't know what NOT to take and this year we're determined to take less.  Jumping in and out of long tail canoes is decidedly awkward and embarrassing as our guide insists on lugging our mammoth suitcases single handedly from the car to the river.

My uncle has devised an excellent packing system over the years which I really should adopt - in a little book he has a list of what he will take on certain holidays - golfing, beach, walking etc.