Sorry for the lack of pics lately people - in Laos the land of slow/no internet we are still taking pics but can't put them up!
On our first day in Phonsavan we set out earlyish to find the Tourism Info office. It turned out to be 45 minutes walk away (this was pre-breakfast so we faded fast!). Got there, got info and left...
Big bowls of noodles on the way home for brunch then home briefly.
Across the road from where we stayed was the UXO (Unexploded Ordinance) Survivors Centre and we had a look at their information and displays. INTENSE stuff, both of us were moved and leant things.
Next door was MAG (Mines Advisory Group) who are an NGO working to rid Laos of unexploded ordinance. They were shut but we came back at 4pm and then spent over 3 hours watching the documentaries they had showing.
8 bombs per minute, 24/7 for 7 years were dropped on Laos by the U.S.A.
Who never declared war on them. Ever. It was a 'secret war'. Yuck.
The US of A dropped more bombs on Laos than they did on Japan & Germany combined.
Approximately 15-30% of those bombs hit the ground but never exploded. Now they are being set off by farmers trying to till their land, kids playing with bombs that look like balls and people searching for scrap metal to sell.
This stuff blew us away and explained a lot about the way Laos is developing/undeveloped and the poverty and :-( we have seen.
