3rd November 2013

Van Vieng scenes

Wow!  What a gorgeous backdrop we have to sit and relax on the terrace of the Riverside Hotel.

These two bombs mark the entrance to the suspension bridge over one of the tributaries of the main river in Van Vieng.

The littering of UXO (unexploded ordinance) across the country, expecially the north, by massive American bombing during the ‘Secret War’  in Laos in 1961-1975 has left the country almost completely undevelopable, and thus not able to move much further than the stone age in terms of infrastructure.  The Laotian countryside therefore remains pristine, unpolluted by modern industries and dotted with traditional H’mng villages – but it’s not recommended to stray away from well-worn tracks of this idyllic scene, or you may risk becoming the next ‘bombie’ viction (one of the many types of highly volatile explosives littering the country)

The Chinse motorise plough was waiting to be used later next morning

And this Chinese tractor and trailor parked outside the farmer’s house

This field has just been cut, that gate had not been shut yet.

Bats on sticks and guinea pigs on sticks being BBQ’d on Banana leaves

If the household has enough money for electricity, the children are able to watch TV on the floor.  (That’s their bed mattress they sleep on which is rolled up).  We stopped at their house for tea, on table and chairs where the public can enjoy the view of the mountains from their terrace.