Laos was an adjunct battleground during the Vietnam War.  Officially neutral early on. Laos was dragged into the conflict as it spilled over from Vietnam.  The fighting escalated quickly amongst U.S. advisers, mercenaries from Thailand, and native Hmong tribesman on one side, and communist forces of  the Phatet Lao on the other.  More bombs were dropped on little Laos than on Nazi Germany in W.W.II. Like Vietnam and Cambodia. Laos fell to Communist forces in 1975.  It also went through a long period of isolation from Western society, but in the early nineties the government liberalized its attitudes towards entrepreneurial market economics and western tourism.

We traveled freely and without hassle wherever we went.  Tony and Sue Her, our friends from K.C.K. Hmong community accompanied us on this adventure.  Both were born in Laos, but immigrated to the U.S. in 1976 as young teenagers.  They wanted to explore their roots and meet up with some long lost relatives.  They both speak Laotian and are knowledgeable about the food and customs.  The Hmong people are a rural hill tribe found in Laos and northern Thailand.  They are known for their prowess with outdoor skills, and they have an age old resistance to authoritarian regimes.  Hmong men fought alongside the refugees, and some made it to the U.S. and became citizens.

We visited several areas in Laos, but two in particular are memorable.  Xieng Khoung also known as Phonsavon, was close to where the U.S. forces and our Thai and Hmong allies were based.  It was the scene of many ground battles and air attacks.  Today, many bomb craters still dot the landscape and a few locals make a living picking up war scrap and selling it as scrap steel for recycling.  Tourist guest houses often have a few souvenirs on display including rusty machine guns, old helments, mortar rounds, ect.  Farmers use empty cluster bomb cases to build fences, and as stilts to build huts upon.  A few vintage U.S. Army trucks are still pulling duty hauling logs and other freight.  In Xieng Khoung, we shopped at the local market where everyone shops for food, clothing, and goods.  It was a great place to observe humanity.  The market was a conglomeration of makeshift huts, wooden platforms, and walkways, all covered with a rusty, leaky corrugated tin roof.  The butcher shop consisted of several rough planks laid over two old oil drums.  Chunks of crudely cut beef and pork were spread out on the planks.  Crude, yes, but the flies loved it!  Some rural folks had caught bucket loads of frogs.  Each frog had one back leg broken so it couldn’t hop away.  That night at dinner we saw roasted stuffed frog on the menu.  We ate chicken instead.  Wasp larvae are another local delicacy.  The wasps are the size of hornets, and build large paper nests underground.  The locals catch a few wasps and attach small pieces of white paper to the wasps. Then the first wasp is released.  They run after the wasp following the little white flag until they lose sight of it.  Then the next wasp is released and followed and so on, until they find the hole in the ground that is the entrance to the nest.  Smoke is used to drive away the wasps, and the nest is dug up.  As the larvae hatch, they are plucked out and together with crickets, locusts, and grasshoppers, are fried and served in a sack like popcorn.  We passed on this treat as well. In poorer countries, every protein source is utilized to sustain one’s existence.

Luang Prabang is the ancient capital of Laos, and was our favorite place.  We flew in on an old Chinese built turboprop operated by Lao Aviation, a government owned air carrier.  The United Nations has added Luang Prabang to its list of World Heritage sites for good reason.  It’s a small city not much bigger than Bonner Springs, that occupies a peninsula 1/4 mile wide by 3/4 mile long, at the juncture of the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers.  A 300 foot tall hill topped ancient Buddhist temples straddles the base of the peninsula.  The entire river valley is surrounded by jungle-clad mountains.  The town has old Buddhist temples and Laotian buildings, along with architecture from the French colonial period of 1870-1960.  Banana, coconut, and palm trees stand along the streets. There are colorful exotic flowers and plants are in every yard.  The  20,000 people there are a quite a mix too. Laotian, Hmong, and other Asian hill tribes, United Nations workers, some other resident westerners, and about 500 backpackers.  You can sleep decently here for as little as $3 per night.  We splurged, and for $20 stayed  in an old mansion once owned by the King’s brother.  Dinner for two can be had for under $2.50, and you can wash it all down with a cold and tasty liter bottle of BeerLao for 70 cents.

We departed Luang Prabang via speed boat. We went  up the Mekong to the Thai border.  The wooden boat was 3 feet wide by 14 feet long, with 18 inches showing above the waterline.  Powered by a four cylinder, Toyota car engine minus a muffler, the craft was extremely loud.  Six westerners or eight Laotians could squeeze in, plus one driver next to the engine.  “Squeeze” is the operative word here as our seat consisted of a thin cushion on the bottom of the boat, and us remaining in  fetal position for the six hour trip.  We all wore earplugs, crash helmets, and rain ponchos as the boat sped at 45 MPH across the choppy water kicking up spray, and rain squalls occasionally sprinkled on us.  The Mekong was at flood stage due to the rainy season, and the surface of the water was wide, fast and muddy.  Some parts of the river were smooth, but elsewhere boils and white water gave clue to boulders and trees beneath the surface.  Our driver seemed confident, and since we sat in the back row, I figured the people in front would absorb the worst of anything we hit.  The ride up the Mekong was beautiful. There were  hills, mountains, rock outcroppings, all covered with heavy jungle.  Occasionally a few huts on stilts could be seen, or people fishing for their dinner.  We made a few short stops for lunch and toilet breaks, but otherwise we sped on until reaching the border landing in Thailand.

We were thankful to be back where there were  paved roads, safe water, and  the friendly, English speaking people of Thailand.  But as we walked up the boat ramp to the customs office for passport check, we looked back across the Mekong towards the other side.  We were sad to leave behind the most exotic and unusual chapter of our adventure in Asia: Laos.