After another grueling roller coaster of a bus journey, we arrived at the Vietnam/Laos border. As usual there was a mini sweetener of $2 USD on top of our visa fee (apparently this was because it was the weekend but in reality, it was more likely the guards beer money for the night ahead). The crossing was chaotic but did go a little more smoothly than the previous borders, queuing is not a concept Asians get unless it is into a temple.

A few hours later and we were in the Laos capital Vientiane and into a much better climate. As the bus came tearing down the windy mountain roads, the landscape changed dramatically and the weather too. Laos is beautiful. Before the trip our knowledge of Laos was non-existent other than it was one of the poorest countries in the world. When we arrived in Vientiane this was not apparent at all. It had undergone a massive facelift and looked like a new town in a western country. It was very clean, very quiet and all in all very shiny and new.
Our first stop was COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise). After leaving Vietnam, we thought we'd left the war there but this was far from the case and what we learned at COPE was beyond belief.

Laos borders Vietnam and was strategically very important to the US as the Ho Chi Mhin trail runs through it. Although they never admitted it for several years (the film we saw showed president Nixon denying point blank that the US had 'not engaged in combat' with Laos. This was far from the truth and in fact the US carpet bombed Laos for 9 straight years; 6 of which nobody knew they were doing it. What this actually equated to and the effect and legacy it has had on Laos is unbelievable.
Between 1964 - 1973 the US dropped bombs every eight minutes continuously. That equates to in excess of 260 million cluster bombs dropped in this period, this more bombs dropped than in the entirety of World War II. This is itself is hard to believe, but the legacy lives on as the estimated failure rate for these bombs detonating was 30% and they reckon there are at least 78 million unexploded cluster bombs (UXO's) contaminating Laos today.

We watched a short film called Bomb Harvest, which followed an Aussie bomb disposal expert going around Laos and making the bombs safe. The problem is the locals don't think they're dangerous, kids play with them and locals sell them to scrap dealers. The film showed kids finding them and trying to dig them up; it was really hard to watch but it was a brilliant documentary. So far the UXO's have claimed 12000 lives since the war ended and injured thousands more with amputations the most common result. COPE provides prosthetic limbs for the injured and does it with a sense of humour - there's a prosthetic hand used as a toilet roll holder in the bathroom!

Our stay in Vientiane was relatively short but will stay in the memory bank forever.






Vang Vieng of 12 months ago and Vang Vieng as we found it was very different. All of the information we had on VV was that it was a party town, a town of hedonism and abandonment with young backpackers reeking havoc. It had gained its reputation through tubing down the river in a large inflatable rubber ring and also for its 'special menu's' with bars taking inspiration from Heston Blumenthal and adding Opium, hash or magic mushrooms to a variety of foods.

This cocktail of young people, lots of cheap booze and special menu's came at a cost. Last year twelve tourists died in VV; mostly by jumping in the water and cracking their head off the large rocks just under the surface or drowning as a result of being knocked unconscious in the water. The result - the local government shut down all the bars along the river.

The VV we arrived at has a stunning landscape of large mountains and picturesque sunsets - it was truly beautiful. It's also an adventure playground with Kayaking, climbing and plenty of quiet tracks to ride on with picture postcard backdrops at every turn. We all instantly loved it and our first adventure foray was on paper a gentle bike ride to a mountain and a short climb to get the best view in the area. Our mild and meek 5ft 2" guide Su said we might need shoes rather than flip flops and that was it. What we found when we got to the bottom of the mountain was something altogether different. This was a 700 meter climb with no steps, if was freestyle rock climbing! Between us there was very little chat, full concentration was required as little by little we negotiated the next foothold and rock to grip too. We then had to come down the same way and just to add to the terror, a storm was coming in and it was getting dark. Just as we reached the bottom with a palpable sense of relief and exhilaration that we'd managed it, the heavens opened.

The next day we all went on a day trip that included tubing through a cave and Kayaking down the Nam Son River. As it's dry season the water levels were low and you could see the jagged rocks peaking out from under the calm water. This was a 12k journey and after a sticky start in our tandem Kayak, we enjoyed a lovely meander down the river, taking in some stunning scenery and negotiating the odd rapid and rocky area. Just before the end of the trip we were upended by a sneaky rock that flipped us in the blink of an eye. We calmly got back into the boat unscathed and carried on with most people not noticing

There were still a couple of bars remaining along the river, but the tubing and debauchery had been replaced with a mellow atmosphere that suited this adventure haven far better. Vang Vieng will, in time, be much better for its enforced repositioning and this is already apparent just 5 months in with the tourist mix much more diverse. Would have been great to stay here longer but next stop Luang Prabang awaits…