With the Buddhist New Year signalling three days of celebrations, which essentially consist of mass water fights through the streets where nobody is off limits, we were looking forward to our stay in the country’s capital.
We’d already booked an onward flight from Vientiane to Hanoi in Vietnam whilst in Vang Vieng so our first priority was to organise our visas. However, when enquiring as to the Vietnamese embassies whereabouts at our hotel, we were informed that due to the New Year the embassy was already closed and wouldn’t reopen until April 18, two days after we were supposed to fly to Vietnam.
We jumped in a tuk tuk and headed for the embassy hoping that our hotel had it wrong. Fortunately for us they did. We paid the $45 each and ten minutes later emerged victorious with our Vietnamese visas.
A speeding tuk tuk.
A friendly Laotian gives us a wave.We spent the next four days looking around what has to be one of the world’s smallest capital cities which included a visit to the COPE Visitor Centre dedicated to supporting the victims of unexploded ordinance or UXO ('explosive weapons that failed to detonate when they were fired, dropped, launched or projected, and still pose a risk of exploding').
Whilst there we discovered that as well as being one of the poorest, Laos also has the misfortune of being the most bombed country on earth, thanks to the good old USA and the secret war they carried out between 1964 and 1973, dropping over 2 million tons of explosives on eastern and north-eastern Laos.
One of the exhibits in the COPE Visitor Centre.That’s one planeload of bombs dropped every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years. Nearly one-third of the bombs failed to explode resulting in an estimated 20,000 injuries or deaths since the end of the Vietnam War.
Click on the link to the right for more information or to find out how to buy a leg!
The rest of our time in Vientiane was spent either being soaked or soaking others as we wandered the streets joining in the New Year celebrations.
New Year celebrations.
On reflection I think I might have got a little carried away.
2 comments:
Hi Lee
Yes we think on reflection you did get carried away,somthing about the look in your eyes and the saucepan on your head, but you look like you are having a whale of a time and how knowledgable you are. We would love to be in your shoes.How sad it is about all the unexploded bombs and the loss of life and injuries caused. Nan says she still lurves ya honey. Have a very Happy Birthday enjoy yourself in vietnam. Lots of Hugs and Kisses takecare
Auntie Coral, Nan & Mum xxx:0)
Most injuries and deaths are caused by people trying to salvage UXO to sell as scrap metal! They're willing to risk their lives for a few thousand Kip even though a lot of the time they are aware of the dangers. Thanks for the birthday wishes and for the e-greetings cards you have sent. Speak soon! x
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