Today was our “trekking” day. After breakfast we boarded a boat to take us 1 1/2 hours up Nam Ou River to the village of Muang Ngoi. This morning the area was covered with a heavy fog. The nights are cool then the sun come up and burns the fog away. After leaving the boat we hiked to see the caves where the villagers lived during the time of the American bombing.
As I said earlier, little, landlocked Laos has the distinction of being the most bombed country in the history of the world. The US dropped 270 million cluster bombs on the country as well as hitting it with conventional bombs such as the standard 500 lb bomb designed to destroy airfields and factories. In this case they were being dropped on bamboo huts. You can still see bomb craters in the fields. It was all part of the “Secret War” that was being conducted during the time of the Vietnam War. The leaders of the Laotian “Communists” were in this area so the US just bombed the area at will along with the bombing campaign on the portion of the Ho Che Minh trail that passed through Laos.
The people fled to the caves and lived there during the bombing campaign. The one cave we visited was shelter to over 20 families for over 4 years. Other caves housed other families. The people had very little understanding as to why they were being bombed by a country that was half way around the world. They had no argument with the US. There was absolutely no way that they were going to impose their politics or way of life on the USA. The bombing of the Ho Che Minh trail was a total failure. The US dropped about 300 bombs for every person they killed. Over 90% of the supplies transported over the trail made it to their planned destination. How could the leaders of the most advanced and powerful country in the world have gotten it so wrong?
It is sobering and humbling to visit such an area. Yet, you don’t get a sense of animosity. It seems that people in our own country can’t get over the Civil War yet these people seem to have moved on.
Inside a cave in which over 20 families lived for over 4 years while the US military was relentlessly bombing the area. Other families lived in other caves in the area or hid in the jungle. The Air Force bombed anything where they saw any sign of life. White chicken were killed because they were too easily spotted as a sign of life.
After visiting the caves we hiked to an isolated village and had lunch. There are no motorized vehicles in the village. Some electricity is available from generators in the river. Some of the wires that transport the electricity aren’t even insulated. The kids walk to school over a dirt trail. Yet, there are satellite TV dishes. Go figure!
We hiked back to the boat and went back down the river. According to my recall, the Nam Ou River is the most beautiful river I have ever seen in my life. I though the Pacuare River in Cost Rica was beautiful but the Nam Ou puts it to shame. It is calm, peaceful, there is dramatic scenery on both sides, the water is clean, and the whole experience is just breathtaking.
Some pictures:
Water buffaloes lazing by the river.
A beautiful river.
A “UXO” boat. UXO stands for “unexploded ordinance”. There are teams and boats that go out to remote areas to find and disarm bombs left over from the American bombing during the Vietnam War years. The unexploded bombs are still dangerous for two reason. One, they can be unwittingly set off because they are hidden. Two, there are metal scavengers that will try to salvage them (at their peril) for the metal content which can be sold. When the average income is so low there are too many people that will take the risk to earn a few dollars.
Especially after seeing the caves, I ask again, whoever thought it was a good idea to go half way around the world to an area like this and start killing people?