Blogs from Luang Namtha, North, Laos, Asia - page 12

Laos Terrible Legacy Although officially a neutral country, Laos was host to a secret and terrible war between the USA and Vietnam. As a result, Laos earned the distinction of being the most bombed country in the history of modern warfare.- Staggering Statistics - The USA conducted over 10,000 missions during the nine-year war and dropped over a million bombs. This equated to one ton of explosives dropped for every man, woman, and child living in Laos at the time. The war in Laos was so secret that the country's name was never included in any of the original US records; it was referred to as "the other". Neutral Laos was off limits according to the Geneva agreement. As a workaround, the US sent CIA agents and soldiers in under the guise of civilians; the air ... read more

Its been a really hectic week travelling from Vientiane on a 4 hr bus trip to Vang Vieng; another 8hrs to Plain of Jars; a further 7hrs to Luang Probang; a 8hr slow boat and 8hr bus to Luang Nam Tha where i currently am. We took the 4hr bus trip from Vientiane to the river where we kayaked the rest of the way to Vang Vieng. The blow up kayaks were really hard to steer so i zig zagged and 360 degreed the entire thing. I also mustered the guts to jump off the 30ft cliff into the river towards the end of the journey...pretty terrifying and several people we rather red after impact. Vang Vieng was amazing....one of the few remaining hippy hangouts with opium dens; outdoor lounge cinemas and cafes playing re-runs ... read more

Early on 2nd April we crossed the border into Laos at Houang Xai after spending an ordinary night in Chiang Khong which is a basic border town with not much more than a few (very cheap) guesthouses and a few businesses. At the border, we did note that although it was Sunday, many people were getting their Laos visas. It seemed that we have happened upon a bit of a scam, as those travellers on our mini-bus to Chiang Khong yesterday were told that they had to arrange their visas through the mini-bus agent (at 1500 baht each for a fifteen day visa) as they wouldn't be able to get it at the border as it was Sunday. Anyway, as soon as we crossed the border, we headed for the bus station to buy our tickets ... read more

Finally it was time to leave China. With almost four week it has been the longest visit to one county so far. My Laos visa was ready and my Chinese visa was due to expire. On the sleeper bus to the border I got some new company, two girls, from the US and Australia and a guy from Sri Lanka. The two girls are living in Kunming and teaching English language. Traveling to Laos is a possibility to renew the Chinee visa. Already during the bus journey toward the border I was looking forward to come to Laos. I had been to Laos two years ago and had only good memories from that time. Soon we came to hilly lush-green countryside, passing small stilt-house villages with children playing at the side of the road. The people ... read more