Wide open eyes in Laos

The Northeast of Laos: best to comment on it now before the sprawling urban life of Hanoi fogs my memory.. there is certainly enough for both Ryan and I discuss on the blog

Several reasons distinguishing this area from others we have been.. the first- its off the main tourist trail.. its not that we urn to get away from it but i felt more responsible for my well being, the whole experience was definnetly a bit more raw (no pun intended when comparing food markets).... however, you cant escape all modern living as the difference from years ago is now market owners are on their cell phones as they chop up a pig fresh off the bike

Secondly- we all felt it was important to explore the landscape that now stands as a symbol of the secret war during the American-Vietnam war in the 1960's and early 70's.. .Northeast Laos was littered with explosives day and night for about five years and now holds the title of the most bombed nation in the world... they call it a secret war because only after did America admit to bombing outside Vietnam... What was the goal? our guide told us it was becuase the lands has been mistaken for the Ho Chi Min Trail..... our short literature on the subject explains how the US thought of Laos as a centerpeice to fending off Communism in SE Asia (domino theory).. and some dinner conversation brought up the fact that planes flying back to base after bombing missions would have to abandon any bombs still aboard and Laos was unfortunately on the flight plane... as in most cases, I would imagine its a mesh of all three

The main realization i made was that the effects of war are never transient ... 100 Laos people die each year from the bombs and the US still provides all funding to strip the land of UXO (Unexploded ordanance), nothing of major significance is ever really 'in the past' ...
As proof, the UXO has become somewhat of a culture in these towns, particularly Phonsavan.. the shells could be found supporting a house, split and filled with coals to cook up a roast (aka bomb bbq) and has been exploited for any economic gain... craters are stripped of all metals as Vietnam offers Laos 50 cents for every kilogram to remake into spoons and such.. not much but viable

to unwind we went to this little arcade and enjoyed some 1945 and Street Fighter with some youngsters... When we had become saturated with gaming ryan still had plenty of coupons (see the movie "the wizard" for a comparison to what he brought to the controls) so he passed them on to a child pretending to play but wasnt in control as the 'insert coins' was still flashing, we all did this as kids, but in this case the child thanked ryan.. walked to the counter and exchanged the coupons for a few cents.. and returned to being perfectly content hanging over the screen and admirering the computers play.. poor but always smiling and happy

Vieng Xai a day later... It is a town surrounded by vertical limestone mountains that are littered with caves. It was a hideout for the leading political figures- and damn- with a little determination a cave can turn into a palace! these residences were equipped with bedrooms, makeshift kitchens, boardrooms, landscape representations for strategy, a library equipped with the full Lenin collection and even a secret emergency room! we missed the nuclear scare so these hallways of sealed door behind sealed door with an air filter inside seemed quite foreign... no wonder canned food was flying off the shelves in these days...

Lastly, our travels through these regions have made us realize the gaps that need to be filled when we return...but for now were enjoying the entertainment of fiction too much as it helps us get through the long journeys, we all enjoyed "the island", thanks jeff!