Not So Secret War…

Bonjour!

As I write this our Vietnamese neighbours are indulging in some of the most abysmal karaoke I have ever heard. Come back Bananarama – all is forgiven….

Entering Luang Prabang was to prove characteristic of all of Emma and I’s experiences of Laos – laid back, relaxed, cheap and peaceful. We located a cosy guesthouse, but as night fell, we were to realise that with our migration, the climate had chilled considerably.

Its a dog’s life in Laos

Other European travellers were bemoaning that they were freezing, demanding an extra blanket for their beds, and it was a bit chilly in comparison with, say, Indonesia, but it wasn’t cold in comparison with the temperature in Blighty.

None the less, the locals were really feeling it, and were sporting gloves, scarves and overcoats! When we made enquiries, we were informed that it was uncharacteristically cold for the time of the year, and as a consequence, we had conversations about the effects of global warming on numerous occasions with other people. I guess that must sound a bit rich to those of you reading this in the UK at present, as by all accounts England is enduring a pretty chronic winter.

That said, living on a narrowboat, I’ve noticed the winter in the UK has been getting colder and colder, especially over the last four or five years. I spend more on coal to heat the boat, and when my solid fuel stove is lit, it takes far longer for the boat to warm up. None the less, rest assured that England isn’t alone in the trend of a acquiring a colder climate – it’s happening globally – climate change deniers take note. Who do you think you’re fooling? Wake up and smell the coffee…

We dug deep in our backpacks for winter clothes, which we’d assumed we wouldn’t need until we landed in Tokyo, and took a stroll to explore. Luang Prabang proved to be a smashing little place – people are friendly, it is aesthetically attractive, and there are plenty of ethnic gift shops to peruse, a fantastic night market, bars, and an alley full of value food vendors, selling eat as much as you like vegetarian buffets, who will ensure your purse or wallet isn’t depleted too rapidly. Indeed, a few extra Kip will obtain additional meat and/or fish dishes for those of you who aren’t vegetarian. Starting price: 10,000 Kip (75 Pence)…

Yummy!!

By day, we wandered round the streets of the town, which is situated on the Mekong River. On our second day we bumped into Michael and Jackie, and arranged to meet them for a meal, and then proceeded onto the Utopia nightclub, which is also located on the Mekong, and boasts a groovy bar, river side wharf, loud dance music, and sport playing courts (which alternate into an area for a bonfire for revellers, on colder evenings). The customers are predominantly fresh faced flash-packers, but it’s still worth a visit.

The Mighty Mekong

Luckily…..

The British two finger salute also not recognised in Laos

The British two finger salute is also not recognised in Laos!!

The hammer and sickle is ever present!!

Cheers Michael and Jackie!

It is worth noting that there exists an 11.30 curfew in Luang Prabang, so don’t visit with the expectation of an all night blow out, should you be accustomed to crawling home at dawn. There does exist a bowling alley, which is the only haunt for young people after 11.30, but it didn’t sound like our scene, so we gave it a miss. However, when Utopia closes, seemingly every Tuk Tuk in town departs Utopia for the Bowling Alley, rammed with backpackers.

The following day Emma and I visited the UXO Visitor Centre. UXO stands for Unexploded Ordnance, and refers to the thousands of unexploded bombs that litter Laos, following the illegal bombing of the country by the Americans, during the period 1964 – 1973, known in the west as the Vietnam War.

The objective of the Americans was to halt the spread of Communism, and in an attempt to achieve that aim, Laos was secretly targeted due to the fact that the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which traverses the country, was utilised to supply the Viet Cong, in neighbouring Vietnam.

The main areas that were bombed.

In Laos, the Vietnam War is known as The Second Great Indochina War, and the net result of the devastation which they endured can be summarised by the stark fact that Laos still holds the unenviable record of remaining the most bombed country in the entire world; conservative estimates are that the USA dropped 250-260 million bombs on them, over the total period.

That figure equates to one B-52 plane loads worth of bombs being dropped on Laos every eight minutes, twenty four hours a day, for nine years. The devastation was immense. Countless lives were lost, and those statistics are only unreliable insofar as the US Airforce are unable to confirm how many B-52’s loads worth of bombs were dropped solely when missions were aborted, and the respective pilots had to ditch their cargos over Laos, so as to rid their planes of weight, so as to ensure that they had sufficient fuel to return to their air bases.

But it is the legacy of the bombing which is the bane of the lives of the people of Laos – most of them peasants who reside in rural areas. Many of the bombs failed to explode, and continue to kill and maim hundreds of people each year, to the present day. What is perhaps even more tragic, is that many people in Laos are incredibly poor – the average wage is less than $1,000 a year. Most people live on less than $1 per day.

As a consequence, bombs attract attention for their value as scrap metal, and many people die attempting to retrieve them for scrap. Secondly, 80 million cluster bombs (or ‘bombies’ as they are known by local people) failed (deliberately manufactured thus) to explode, and routinely continue to kill people who unwittingly walk on them, in rural and dense jungle areas. Thirdly, children stumble across bombies, and are attracted to them due to their size and colour. If picked up, the consequences are all too often lethal.

One of the many bombs dropped containing cluster bombs (bombies)

The UXO Centre exists to highlight these difficulties, clear Laos of land mines, and educate people as to the danger they present, especially children in remote areas. The UXO Centre is educational to say the very least, and well worth a visit. I will refrain from further comment on the Vietnam War at this stage in our blog, but suffice to say I will return to it later, as it is impossible to detach South East Asia (and its socio-political history) from the war, and any informed synopsis of Laos, Cambodia, or indeed, Vietnam itself, the latter two of which Emma and I were to visit, subsequently.

A very sobering centre to visit! Even today, one person nearly every day is killed by a UXO in Laos!!

Later that particular day, we visited Phousi Hill, which overlooks Luang Prabang from its epicentre, and is well worth a climb, as it is complimented by a variety of Buddhist statues, and affords the visitor an excellent view of the surrounding countryside, and the Mekong river. We witnessed a sunset, but for the early birds amongst you, we were informed a sunrise is equally, if not more, impressive.

Luang Prabang

A punk pays his respects to the Buddha

But what is perhaps most impressive about Laos, are its inhabitants. Friendly, amicable to all, and welcoming, it is a tribute to their personas as people that neither their history, or poverty endured, has not negatively compromised their positive attitude towards us ‘Falangs’.

Falang is a term that was originally used to describe the French, but is now used to describe all caucasian foreigners. The term is said, as so much is said in Laos, largely in jest. Indeed, Emma and I came across a famous Laos proverb, which sums up their culture, whilst very tongue in cheek.

It is said “Poor people never go to hospital, Rich people never go to jail”. Food for Thought Eh?