Non stop bombing, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for NINE years!

Click to view the video then come back and see the residue of conflict and Laos today.
The Secret War in Laos



Between 1964 and 1973 the United States dropped two million tons of bombs in Laos along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the ancient Plain Of Jars. According to US government records a plane load of bombs was dropped on Laos every eight minutes, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for nine years; more than the combined total of all US bombing runs during the entirety of WWII and the American public knew nothing about it. Bomb specialists and manufacturers estimate that approximately 30 percent of those bombs failed to detonate.

Today, forty-three years later, there is a bomb economy in Laos. Hunters trade in the scrap metal and the unexploded materials of the bombs. European based NGO's in concert with the Lao government  scour the landscape, clearing dormant agricultural lands. Villagers fabricate necessities from the recovered metals. To the Laotian people, this "gold from the soil" provides family incomes, arts, tragedy, success and through eradication, peace of mind.

I bought my mortar ashtrays at this little store.  Notice the painting in the background it is a depiction of the all day and all night happenings at the Plain of Jars that lasted for nine years.  Many businesses in Phonsavan suppliment their revenue by selling bombs though most of the bombs are not live and are just for decoration.  One place I visited used cluster bombs hanging from a tree for christmas decorations, the Lao are creative to say the least.  Phe photo of guy with the cluster bombs in front of him was at another little bomb shop and where I bought the two that ...<< MORE >>

These images were taken in another bomb hunter village where the little boy holding the bomb in the above entry lives.  This village makes spoons from the aluminum of napalm bombs, jet fuel drop tanks, and flares and sell them in bulk to wholesalers.   It is also the village where Lao (Lao moonshine) girl lives she is in the first photo and kept pouring Lao whiskey for us until the bottle was empty then got another one and another one. It is considered offensive to decline offerings from tribal ...

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These images were taken at a scrap yard in the middle of town surrounded by businesses and homes. While walking through the piles of bombs I found a large basket full of mortars with the caps off meaning they were not live or so I thought.  I picked one up and to my surprise it was packed full of explosives and there I was standing on the things.  I looked around and found many of the bombs at the yard were live and in the middle stages of scrap meaning they didn't have ...

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I’m in Cambodia now after a 25 hour bus ride that took me on 8 buses, 3 boats and a tuc tuk. Now on to the bombs........a beautiful day in northern Laos was almost ruined when Dick damn near stepped on an anti personnel cluster bomb and blew us all to hell. (last pic) we were walking as a group on a hill that once was an American base and had been cleared by MAG (mine advisory group http://www.mag.org.uk/news.php?s=2&p=6484  I hear Dick say "holy shit man is that a ...

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Ok I decided to change the pace a bit and go a little artsy in this post; I’ll be back to the bombs in the next one.  I call this "the faces of Lao" say cheese.  I also am putting little captions below a few of the images to tell you a little about the people and the context of pics. Today is a travel day for me; I’m leaving Rayong and heading back to Bangkok to catch a night bus to Phnom Penh Cambodia.   

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 These images are of a foundry where the bomb scrap ends up. They would not let us in because an Australian either blew himself up or almost did so they no longer allow foreigners to get close to the place.  I however played dumb and got into the fenced off area to get these photos before I was escorted out. You will notice there are no trees in the background that is the effects of Agent Orange, there are areas in Xieng Khuang province that have hardly anything other than grass and we're ...

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Metal hunting is illegal in northern Laos because of the dangers of UXO's but money is money and thars gold in dem bombs so the hunt goes on.  The Lao actually call the metal gold in the soil. We had just left a village where people make spoons (you'll see that in a later posting) made of aluminum from bombs carrying napalm and low and behold there was this truck.  A perfect photo opportunity to see commerce from the pollution of war, an illegal operation with bombs.  Most of ...

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I’ve been hanging out at this guest house on the beach now for 12 days reflecting on my experience in Laos and talking to the travelers that straggle in.  In my conversations with them about the bombing the prevailing response is that none of them had any idea of the magnitude of the amount of ordinance dropped on Laos and they are shocked. When I show them the bomb crafts that I purchased and explain how the Laotion people have adapted and many have turned the tragedy into success (like the house ...

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The footprint of conflict remains in northern Laos, here are a few images of bomb craters. There are tens of thousands of these scattered throughout the area and you can only imagine what it must have been like for the villages.  Here is a link to an article that says it better than i can  it's written about the area where the photos were taken.  http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/poverty-forces-metal-hunters-to-dice-with-death/2005/08/05/1123125904802.html

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I'm now writing this blog  from the beach in a town called Rayong in Thailand.  There are few tourists, I get the beach to myself and my room is huge with a large balcony facing the beach.  The price?  $12.00. here is the link  http://www.reggaeguesthouse.com/home_rayong_beach.php Ok here are some pics from our first bomb hunting village the first one is of cluster bombs that have been used as a dowery for the mans daughters who now owns them followed by one of a house with bomb stilts.  We had complete access to these people we went into their homes walked anywhere we wanted and ...<< MORE >>

We secured lodging at a place called the Malay hotel which is owned by the guy who first started the bomb clean up on the Plain of Jars. click on this link to learn more about the plain of jars it's a fascinating war story.  He and our fixer/guide removed two tons of UXO's (unexploded ordinances) from the plain.  Our guide Lan told us he was only 12 when he started the clean up and no way in hell knowing what he lnows now would he have done it now. The guns and bombs in the pic behind me are just a sample of ...<< MORE >>

We took a "vip" bus vip meaning a guard with an AK47 to protect us from the mountain rebels.  The bus was a beater with no ac, two motorcycles in the isle, the most stinky monk i have ever encountered, crying babies and lots of people puking due to the windy mountain roads.  It took 12 hours to get to Phonsavan and I would have puked myself if not for the wonders outside my window. We arrived at around 6:00 p.m. at the local bus depot then i did a little shopping.  I had to buy a jacket, a hat and just for fun the ...

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We're heading north tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. and won't be posting for a while (I think) however we will be able to check email via our cell phone.  If you want to get in touch email us, the contact link is at the bottom of our home page.  You can also call us or better yet email your phone number to us and we can call you, it's like 3 cents a minute from here.   

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Dick and I were strolling the streets and about 300 feet in front of us a truck carrying eggs nailed these two guys on a scooter. We ran to the scene and were among the first there. the truck had draggged one of the guys about fifty feet and he was pinned under the back wheel and barely moving. I had my camera ready to shoot but chose not to because i had no idea how the crowd would react.  Dick was in the middle of the crowd barking orders (which I'm sure they didn't understand, not to move the guy because it could injur him ...<< MORE >>

We got here around 10:00 a.m and decided not to break the law after a 12 hour train trip and headed for Vientiane where we found a place to stay with another great view. The room has a balcony and is accross from a temple (the pic with the monk in it)   Vientiane is way more civilized thanI had anticipated notice the menu Dick is holding yep that's Tex Mex and the door of the establishment has a sign that says don't mess with Texas.  The room costs a whopping ten bucks, has ac, is super clean and just a block or so from the ...<< MORE >>

The next entry will be from Vientiane the capitol of Laos where we will be meeting our fixer for the essay.  Last night i got my first real sleep in days it takes a few  to adjust to a 13 hour time difference.  I have that snap back in my step and looking forward to another good nights sleep on the train.  I love sleeping on a train the perpetual motion, gentle rocking and tapping of the wheels is like big cradle,  I spent many days on trains in china and developed a real taste for train travel. 

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Arriving in Bangkok on the 14th of January 2008. Stay Tuned....

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