January 25, Sunday – Vientiane – Conversation about unexploded bombs – Meet a Buddhist monk – C.O.P.E. Center tour – Puppet show and dinner

Destination: Vientiane – Accommodations: Sabaidee @ Lao Hotel

This morning after breakfast we drove to Wat Sisaket, the oldest Buddhist monastery in Laos featuring more than 6,800 images of the seated Buddha in wood, stone, and bronze.

Afterwards, we had the opportunity to speak with a monk and ask questions. We learned about his decision to become a monk, his daily life routine, his aspirations, etc. He also showed us how he wraps himself in the monk robe, which is very complicated to do, and something the monks rarely do in front of others.

After visiting with the monk, we visited the C.O.P.E. Center (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise), a non- government organization that supports victims of bombs that were dropped over Laos during the Vietnam War, but failed to detonate on impact. We learned from the staff members, that C.O.P.E.’s mission is to provide prostheses and physical rehabilitation to survivors and to educate visitors about this crisis.

American bombers dropped over two million tons of cluster bombd over Laos – the equivalent of a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes for 24 hours a day for nine years. It was called the Secret War. Laos is the most heavily bombed nation in history. The bombing focused on disrupting communist supply chains on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Today unfortunately, the majority of these bombs are buried under peoples’ homes or in farmlands and they remain unexploded. People have been killed or maimed as they try to farm their land and then they hit a bomb with their hoe, which then explodes. Also, kids find them and thinking they are toys, they play with them and the bombs explode in their hands.

The effect of unexploded ordnance bombs on Laos is immense. The people who have lost legs and arms can no longer work. People are letting farmland go to waste as they are afraid to farm it because of the unexploded bombs that lay under the soil.
Since 1973, more than 20,000 civilians have been injured or killed by these unexploded bombs.

We watched a film called Surviving Peace that showed a young man who lost his eyesight due to coming upon an unexploded bomb while farming. Now he cannot work and his wife has to do everything. They have two young children that he tries to watch during the day while his wife works, but he said it is dangerous because he can’t see what they are doing and they could come to harm. His wife who tills the field is always worried she might come across a bomb like her husband did.

After the film we met a farmer who lost both of his legs while farming. C.O.P.E. has provided him with prosthetics. He told us how he survived the explosion while working on the farm, but the workers who were with him were all killed.

Several countries and international organizations are actively helping Laos identify, detonate, and clear the estimated 80 million unexploded cluster bombs left over from the Secret War.

We went to see a puppet show in the evening at a local theater, and OAT travelers are the only ones who can see the show outside of the government. They do not perform for anyone else, so it was a treat. The show was wonderful and the puppets, made out of everyday household items, were beautiful. We enjoyed the performance as the puppets told tales of local folklore.

Then we visited the Patuxai War monument known as Vientiane’s own Arc de Triumph, a war monument dedicated to those who fought for the independence from France. It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed walking around watching the sunset. We also visited Pha That Luang, the large, gold-covered Buddhist stupa, a sacred, solid, and domed Buddhist monument used to house relics and or ashes. It is generally regarded as the most important national monument in Laos as well as a national symbol.

We had dinner at a restaurant that served traditional food and listened to music on traditional instruments. Dancers then came out and did graceful movements to the music, in beautiful costumes.