Laos

Last year when visiting Central America we got an education in US history that was never mentioned in school. We were saddened to learn of the negative influence that the US foreign policy and military has had on the region over many decades. (We talked about this in a few post from last September to November 2016). But here in Laos, a small country in SE Asia, we've discovered yet another lesson in the never-ending course entitled What We Didn't Learn in 10 Years of US History Class. It's called the Secret War in Laos. The Ho Chi Minh trail runs through Laos and was used by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War as an artery for delivering supplies. It was a major target of the US bombing campaign in Laos as an effort to cut off the Viet Cong's supplies. This intense bombing of Laos makes it the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. Many of the bombs dropped were tennis ball-sized cluster munitions. About 30% of these 'bombies' did not detonate when they landed over 40 years ago, so they remain on the surface or buried a few inches below waiting for a farmer's hoe or a child to pick them up and play catch with his friends. Since the end of the war in the mid-seventies, these Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) have killed or maimed 20,000 people in Laos and continue to do so today, almost half a century later.

Thankfully, in 2008 an international treaty which bans the use, production of and stockpiling of these cluster munitions was signed by 119 countries. Guess who is not on that list... the USA. If you're infuriated by learning about this (or maybe you already knew), you can help the cause by donating to two organizations that we visited while in the capital city, Vientiane. One is called COPE: they make prosthetic limbs for people that have lost theirs while going about their daily activities, farming their land, cooking for their families or traveling to a neighbor's house. The other organization is called MAG, which works around the world to help communities recover from the scars left behind from war. At both visitor's centers, we were embarrassed to tell people where we're from, and the tenor of the conversation definitely took a turn for the awkward once we revealed our nationality.

Our time spent in Laos was humbling and educational. On our trip we have been constantly reminded of how fortunate we are, simply as a result of our birthplace. On a more positive and touristic note, Laotian people, as well as Hmong and Khmu people, the other two major ethnic groups, are generally very friendly and gracious, and their food is delicious and SPICY.

We spent our first night in Laos at a homestay called the Daauw Home that works with local women (mostly single moms). The place was crawling (literally) with cute kids.

We played Uno with a couple kids at the Daauw Home. The boy in the blue shirt beat us badly.

We opted for a two-day boat trip down the Mekong River instead of a 12 hour bus ride. We're over busses at this point. 

The misty Mekong River.

Mekong.

That is a plate of delicious, grilled chicken... and a foot.

We spent a couple nights in Luang Prabang and volunteered one evening at an awesome non-profit that prints children's books (in Laos and English) and teaches the locals how to speak English. We had tears in our eyes reading about their work: they created a font to be able to to print the Laos alphabet and successfully obtained a printing license in a city that had never before issued a printing license in order to change the cultural attitude toward reading - "Laos people don't read." We sat with some kids for 2 hours just practicing English.

Riding bikes around the World's Most Un-bike-able City: Vientiane. (Tim gave it that designation). They have delicious French bakeries, though. 

We logged over ten hours on Thai Railways traveling from Laos to Cambodia - over 335 miles - for a whopping $3 USD each. (We just arrived today to Siem Reap, Cambodia). Again, we'll do anything to not ride a bus. The train was old-timey with conductors running around the platforms ringing bells, wearing funny costumes, and waving green and red flags. It had all the romance of a turn-of-the-century train ride that you read about in books and see in the movies. We were covered in mysterious grime at the end of each day on the trains.