Bangkok to Vientienne

 After a day of rest, we were off again!  This time to go see the much anticipated Laos.  I had heard that it was the least developed SouthEast Asian country and worth a visit.  In the next ten years it will probably change drastically.  After a wonderful 12 hour night train to the border, Stacey and I arrived in Vientienne, in good spirits.  According to the traveler's who we talked to, Vientienne didn't really have that much to offer in terms of sites and activities.  I found it to be a cute charming little city, that had an amazing park next to a beautiful river and was very walkable.

Seat by day

Sleeper by night

I ventured out on my own, as Stacey was still not well, and ended up at a center that was designed to support people affected by landmines.  The U.S. dropped an enormous amount of bombs on Laos during the Vietnam war.  It is estimated that a cluster bomb every 8 minutes for over 10 years was dropped on Lao, trying to cut off supply routes down the Ho Chi Minh trail.  Many of the bombs and landmines that were dropped were unexploded and still are embedded in the ground today.  Children going out to play in the countryside have to stay on the path.  If not they risk exploding some of the mines, and possible losing their lives.  Unfortunately there are a number of people who have had this happen to them, so you see people walking around missing limbs.  The Cope center was developed to support them.  Cousin Michael had told me about this problem in Laos, but I wanted to learn more about it so I went to the visitor center museum.

When Michael came to The Philippines to visit, after working in Laos for a year on a fellowship, he used my computer to make a video to present at his closing interview.  On it was a interview with an exceptional young man who as a child had been playing in the countryside of his village, and stepped on a landmine, losing both of forearms, and his sight.  He aspires to be a dancer, so much of the film was showing him doing amazing break dancing moves.  When I went to the center I was reading about the effects left over here from the war, and I look over at this man sitting behind the desk and I think, "he looks exactly like Michael's friend in the video".  At first I dismissed it, thinking, "what are the chances, that this is the same guy.  I'm probably just being racist and thinking that all Laotian people look alike."  So I kept reading, I looked over again, and I thought, "what the heck I'll just go ask", so I went over and touched his arm disturbing him from his music.  I asked him if he knew Michael Machala, and a big smile came over his face.  "Michael is my good friend he says to me."  Small world huh?  So we chatted for a while and took this picture to send to Michael.

Peterkim and I

 

Presidential palace

Beautiful river boardwalk

Famous Laotian

Vientienne Tuk-Tuks