Disturbing insights into the Laotian 'Secret War' in the capital city of Vientiane

Back in Luang Prabang, we had to organize the rest of our journey. Before we eagerly awaited the visit of Jonas and Lisa in Bangkok, we wanted to spend some time in Luang Prabang and a few days in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

In Luang Prabang, we immediately secured a bus ticket to Vientiane. This time, we deliberately chose a VIP bus, as we were still recovering from the minivan ride from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang. We also didn't want to book a night bus, as the road was incredibly winding and there was no chance of getting any sleep during the journey.

The bus ride was okay, but incredibly slow. We were on the road for almost 12 hours, with the first 6 hours spent driving at about 30 km/h through very narrow serpentine roads in the green mountains of Laos. The landscape was absolutely stunning, but after what felt like the millionth curve, we wished for a straight stretch of road where we could make some progress. Finally leaving the mountains behind us, we stopped for a short refreshment break, where a lunch was included for all passengers with the purchased ticket. It wasn't a culinary highlight, but at least there was something in our stomachs and the noodle soup was decent.

After another 4 hours on the road, we arrived in Vientiane just in time for the sunset and immediately hired a tuktuk to take us to our hotel. Our hotel, the Khampiane Boutique Hotel, was mainly chosen for its location, as it was nothing special and is only remembered for its thin walls and horrible breakfast ;-), but it was not a problem for our 3-night stay.

On our first day in Vientiane, we only wanted to organize our next transfer to Bangkok, but we were unsuccessful at the bus station, online booking, and various tour operators. In the end, we arranged the transportation at a neighboring hotel, but more on that later :-P

For our sightseeing program in Vientiane, we chose to visit the few highlights the city has to offer. In addition to the Patuxay, the Arc de Triomphe of Southeast Asia, we also visited the Presidential Palace and the incredibly shabby National Museum, which, in our opinion, urgently needs renovation or demolition. Additionally, we visited the COPE Visitor Center, one of the main reasons for our stay in Vientiane.

In this small, but highly interesting museum, you learn a lot about the recent history of Laos, the most bombed country in the world, even though Laos was never officially involved in any war. The country and its people still suffer greatly from the consequences of the Vietnam War. Due to its geographical proximity to Vietnam and the fact that some supply routes pass through Laos, the USA conducted a total of 580,000 bomb missions between 1964 and 1973. This amounts to one mission every 8 minutes, 7 days a week, for over 9 years. It is unimaginable that over 2 million tons of cluster bombs were dropped on a country that was not even involved in the war. There were a total of more than 50,000 innocent victims, of which about 40% were children. At the same time, the country is still contaminated with about 80 million small unexploded cluster bomb munitions, which are about the size of a tangerine. This is very dangerous for children who find these unusual metal balls, as well as for farmers, and there are frequent unintentional detonations. The COPE Visitor Center showcases this impressively and displays the prostheses used for the maimed victims of the bombings.

We were honestly shocked by the extent of this so-called Secret War, the destruction, and the fact that the American pilots dropped the remaining bombs over "uninhabited areas" in Laos, as landing with the dangerous cargo would have been too risky for their own safety. Unfortunately, very little of this is known in Europe and information in history classes is once again scarce.

After the shocking visit to the COPE Visitor Center, which we highly recommend to every traveler, we observed the street life in Laos, with its relaxed population. We saw sleeping tuktuk drivers in hammocks, a few monks, trees growing directly from the sidewalk, and also visited the hustle and bustle of the night market. It's curious that a large number of ladies gather here for an aerobics class every evening =DD

The following day, we had the return journey to Bangkok on our agenda, and both the pick-up and the border crossing went smoothly with the international bus.

Unfortunately, we had some trouble with the connecting bus from Nong Khai to Bangkok, as the unfriendly lady at the counter told us directly that our booked bus would not be running today, she had no replacement, and we would receive a partial refund. Our mood deteriorated instantly, as we were unsure of how to proceed and needed some time to figure things out. The money was then taken directly by an elderly Thai couple who convincingly assured us that they had spoken to our trusted man in Laos yesterday and would now buy the promised tickets for us. Okay, we decided to give it a try, and the two of them actually managed to get us tickets for an overnight bus, which was similar to what we had booked, a VIP sleeping bus. The price difference went straight into the pocket of the elderly couple, but we were still relieved when we arrived in Bangkok the next morning, tired but safe.

We checked back into our favorite city hotel, the P&R Residence, and eagerly awaited the visit from home. =)