Vientiane Laos

Another bus ride--this one during day from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, the capital city.  The terrain of northern Laos is incredibly rugged with steep hillsides, cascading water, and limestone cliffs.  As we descended to the plains the road improved a bit.  But overall, the 340 miles took 9 hours + 3 stops (lunch and comfort).  I really felt jostled upon arrival.

The trip did give me a chance to see some of the countryside and to remember that most Laotians live a precarious life in heart breaking poverty.  Small towns literally clung to the hillside by the side of the road; vegetable plots were squeezed into whatever flat space could be found.  Unfortunately the air quality was poor so the potentially incredible mountain vistas were hazed out.

A day in Vientiane.  A rainy day!  Surprise.  But I trudged around and can honestly say this is the dumpiest and dirtiest capital city I have ever visited.  No energy.  Just a very placid and casual pace.  And really, very little to see.

Luggage goes on top of the mini van and 17 passengers (2 kids on laps) go inside.

Hillsides were burning in several sections.  I also so farmers burning smaller plots of land.  No wonder the air is gray.

Towns clinging to the hillsides.  

One of the most significant issues facing Laos is that of UXOs:  Unexploded Ordinances from the "secret war" the US waged between 1964-1973.  If US bombers could not find their targets in Vietnam -- well, come on over to Laos and dump them.  We also attempted to interrupt sections of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  The result was 2 million tons of ordinance dropped on Laos.  And up to a third of "bombies" or "cluster bombs" did not denote and litter the country side.  So, in a country where 70% of the population is food insecure (really really hungry) large swathes of land are unusable.  Bombs continue to explode today -- and every year there are 100+ casualties.

COPE makes high-tech, low-cost artificial limbs for victims & other Lao citizens needing rehab.

Pataxui Monument.  The Asian version of the Arc de Triomphe.
Story goes that cement donated in 1969 by the US for the airport was used....hence the Vertical Runway nickname.