Day 256 & 257 - Hungover in Vang vieng

The anniversary is well & truly over.
The hangover is terrible & so is the 8.30am alarm that goes off to make sure we take advantage of the inclusive breakfast.

After breakfast we go back to bed until 11.30am, when the second alarm goes off. It's time to pack & check out of our $30 AUD, nice accommodation & walk 300 metres down the road to the Army barracks back packers, where we have booked the next 2 nights in a simple,  cheap, private room.

Straight after checking in, we walk across the road & order lunch which was a vegetable red curry for me & Tom got a clear noodle soup with vegetable. The food is really good, crazy cheap & the lady who works there is really nice.
We haven't got much planned for today except hiding away from the sun in our room, so its highly likely that we will be back for dinner.

There's no surprises at all when at 8pm, we're back eating dinner at the same place.

It's been a really quiet day. Tom has napped & watched TV, while I have done the blog.
Tomorrow promises to be less boring.

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The following day was a repeat. Lots of Netflix, coffee, mango smoothies, curry's & blogging! I Have finally managed to catch up with all the blogs.  What a relief! I haven't been up to date since Mexico.

The main attraction in Vang Vieng is the river & the adrenalin type sports. They offer rafting, tubing, caving & zip-lining, which are all things Tom & I have done before.
As we get closer to the end of our trip, the money is starting to run low & we are only considering doing the activities that we haven't yet done somewhere else around the world.
We considered doing the rive tubing through the caves, but the Australian government has a warning against it because of the repeated fatal accidents in the river from tubing. We're very happy to give that a miss!
Combine this with the heat & it's very easy for us to talk ourselves into having quiet days.

- Alli

Day 255 - Luang Prabang - Vang Viang & Our 5 Year Anniversary

It's our anniversary today! It's crazy to think that we've been together 5 years already. Sometimes it feel's like a lot longer & other times it feel's impossibly like it's been no time at all.

We leave Luang Prabang today & head to Vang Viang on a mini bus that the hostel has organised for us. We've read lots of various experiences about this part of the journey & know it could take anywhere from 5 hours to 10 hours. Im hoping it's more like 5, we ideally dont want tot spend the whole day in the mini van.

We're picked up at 8.30am by the driver & we get into the 15 seater mini van, where another 4 people are already waiting. We then spend the next hour driving around Luang Prabang slowly picking up more people until, finally at 9.30am, the last seat has been filled.
It's obvious that the driver is trying to fill every seat in the van. There is no roof racks & the luggage of 15 people is uncomfortably placed on the van floor around us & our laps. Its very squishy & very unsafe. There are 4 people who are french and are causing a commotion at the last stop & arguing with the driver. We are all unhappy about the consigns of the mini van, but I dont think we have much options. Unless you book a private driver & car, this is the only option.
They eventually calm down & the driver gets in.

My uneasy feelings about this trip only increase when the driver reveals to be a bloody maniac! There is no typical engine in the van, it sounds like it is turbo charged. He drives excessively fast, brakes at the last minute & several times he has pulled out into the road to overtake without having a clear picture & has had to slam on the brakes.
I audibly gasped when he pulled out into the middle of a dirt road, after being behind a large truck & nearly hit a cow.
On a few occasions people in the back yelled at the driver to slow down.

It was a very unpleasant drive & we eventually arrived in Vang Vieng. This was the worst transport experience I think we've ever had. Including all the bus's we took through India & Nepal! This driver is a real risk to himself & other people when he is behind the wheel.

Our accommodation was 1 km away from the place where the van dropped us off in town. We booked something a bit nicer than our standard level of accommodation for our anniversary.
We had a large private queen sized room with it's own balcony & mountain views.

After we checked in we got some beers & relaxed. We didn't have much planned except a nice relaxed dinner & a heap of drinks.
Tom picked the venue, which was a place called the Australia Bar. It had happy hour cocktails, bourbon & raving reviews about their veggie burgers. It was perfect!
We spent quite a few hours here together, sitting in a quiet booth together, drinking, eating & talking.

It was a great night! So great that we spent over 400,000 Kip!  It was good to relax & let loose.

- Alli

Day 254 - UXO Museum

Today we also decided to visit the UXO - Unexploded Ordinance Information Centre.

Here is some information I have quoted from <https://www.luangprabang-laos.com/Visit-UXO-Laos-center>

The UXO Laos Visitor Center is located behind the Chao Anouvong Monument. Open from Monday to Friday, 8am - 12am & 1pm to 4pm. This free admittance centre features information about unexploded ordnance. Lao PDR is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in history.

Numbers talk:

• Approximately 25% of villages in Laos are contaminated with Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)
• More than 580,000 bombing missions were conducted over Laos
• Over 2 million tons of ordnance were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973
• Cluster sub-munitions or ‘Bombies’ (as they are known locally) are the most common form of UXO remaining
• More than 270 million bombies were dropped onto Laos
• Up to 30% failed to detonate
• Approximately 80 million unexploded bombies remained in Laos after the war
• All 17 provinces of Laos suffer from UXO contamination
• 41 out of the 46 poorest districts in Laos have UXO contamination
• Over 50,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents in the period 1964-2008
• Over 20,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents in the post war period of 1974-2008
• UXO Lao works in the nine most heavily UXO contaminated provinces in the country.
• UXO Lao needs on an average, US$6.5 million, for operations. It employs over 1,000 people.

To say that this information was extremely disturbing would be an understatement. I have been watching a documentary series on Netflix called 'The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick" which is a really good way to learn all about the war. These statistics really put into perspective the massive toll that the war had in Laos. The documentary explains that in an attempt to disable the Ho Chi Minh trail, 3 million tonnes of explosives would be dropped on Laos alone. This is 1 million tonne more than what was dropped on Germany & Japan combined, in all of World War II.

For anyone who doesn't know much about the Vietnam War, the main conflict was between the North and the South of the country. Without going into all the many and convoluted reasons there was a devision (which I will address in blogs through Vietnam), the North of Vietnam had made a trail through Laos, which would come to be called the Ho Chi Minh trail. The purpose of this trail was to ferry troops and munitions through Laos, and into Southern Vietnam to supply the North's war effort in the South. Since America was not technically at war with Laos, they were not bound by the same rules of engagement as they were in Vietnam. In an effort to destroy this supply line the American's relentlessly bombed this route. 

One of the most shocking fact's of this campaign was the way that it was not acknowledged by American forces to it's citizens or the world for so many years. Despite claiming an estimated 1/10 of the population of Laos over the course of the war. This bombing campaign was never fully acknowledged nor was there any form of apology post war. There has been funding given to the UXO from America over the post war years. So I guess that's something!

Another very troubling by-product of the war and the remanent ordinance is the emergence of a black market trade in scrap metal from bombs. Despite the extreme risk involved in collecting war scrap metal, many impoverished Laotians turn to this practice as a source of income. Since the bombs are made of a high quality metal a kilogram can be worth 1,500 - 5,000 kip (US$0.17-US$58). Some of these bombs can weigh 317kg! This can earn up to 17,000,000 kip or US$200. In comparison, this is up to 2/3 of a rural farmer or teachers yearly earnings! Unfortunately with the influx of affordable metal detector's, which can cost as little as US$12, this has become a very common trade in Laos. 

There was also a great deal of information about the process of the removal of ordinance. It is an extremely costly and often slow moving process. Requiring the training of highly skilled technicians. UXO LAO is a government run, UN supported organisation. There goal is to reduce the death and injury caused by these munitions. They also strive to open up land to be used safely for agricultural purposes. Founded in 1996, the UXO LAO now has 700-1000 semi and permanent staff. Since the beginning of its operations they have made 12,000 hectares of land safe from ordinance, and conducted risk awareness educational talks for 1,700,000 people. In a typical year UXO LAO can remove and destroy 63,500 items. They also seek to have every country sign a treaty to ban the use of cluster munitions. Despite the treaty being created in December 2008, only 103 countries have signed. The United States in not one of them. [ref<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Cluster_Munitions>]

What is a cluster bomb? A cluster bomb is a type of ordinance that can be dropped from a plane, or shot from artillery or from a rocket. There is an outer shell that breaks open in mid air, which contains a large number of submunitions (bombies). The smaller munitions can carpet bomb an area of 2/3 soccer fields. A single submunition has a kill radius of 30 meters. However only 70% of the bombies actually explode on impact. Leaving a large number of ordinance un-exploded for many years, even decades after being deployed. These bombs can contain between 680 and 4,800 submunitions. The shape and colour of these bombies can often resemble a rubber ball which makes them alluring to children. Luckily UXO officers are engaging in a regional educational campaign. They regularly attend schools to educate children at a young age about the dangers of UXO. 

It is estimated that 300 people a year are injured by UXO. Many of these are children. It can often be extremely detrimental to a families ability to earn. If one person in the family is injured, they often can not work for a long time during their recovery. They can be plunged into debt with medical bills. When they return to work they may be missing a limb, which can seriously impede therir ability to be productive when farming etc. With conditions being extremely tough throughout the country, this can often mean a family is put into an impossible situation. One they may not ever fully recover from financially. 

The long lasting repercussions of this war are absolutely epic and sickening. We are amazed at how little people talk about the war in Vietnam and how marginalised the effects on Laos as a country have been in the history book's. We decided to buy a t-shirt from their souvenir stall, as well as make a small donation to the cause. Hopefully they will continue to receive international support from Australia and other countries until Laos is made safe for the coming generations. 

-Tom

Day 254 - The Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue & Waterfall

Tom has me up early enough so that we can eat breakfast at a local bakery & be ready to leave by 9am for a half day excursion to a local waterfall.
I'm only mildly interested in the waterfall, but what I am very interested in, that is also located in the same place is a bear sanctuary!

We are picked up just after 9am & hop into a mini van with other tourists. We're sitting across from a girl called Nicole, who is from the states. Just like us, she quit her job & is now travelling the world.
The 1 hour drive to the Kuangsi Waterfall park goes by really quickly. Nicole & I hit it off & spend the whole drive chatting.  Once at the car park, we are told to be back by 12.30pm, which gives us more than 2 hours to explore the waterfall & bear rescue.
As soon as you walk into the park, there is the bear rescue with the first enclosure.

The first enclosure had 4 large moon bears in it. The one closest to us, was lying on top of a platform & then got up & started to make his way down to the ground. One of his front legs ended in a stump, which we assume was from a trap. This broke my heart a little bit.
He seemed to be able to move around well enough within the enclosure. Climbing up & down didn't seem to be a problem.
The enclosure looked great! There was lot's of environmental enrichment in the forms of wooden platforms, hammocks, balls & tyres. There was lots of space, trees for shade & a small stream from the nearby waterfall that ran through it.

The 2nd enclosure had an indoor area with a glass window & a large outdoor enclosure. The bears in here were a lot smaller & there was a lot more here. I estimated 10 bears shared this large space.
I couldn't see any obvious injuries, such as an amputated limb. These bears were a lot more active & were chasing each other playfully.
They reminded me of puppies, the way they chased each other. It was nice to see them here happy after being rescued from what I'm sure would have been terrible lives.

There was a binder next to the glass divider with before & after photos of the bears.
The photos from before they were rescued & brought here are terrible in every way. The bear's are in tiny cages, they are extremely emaciated, have no fur, are covered in bodily excrement's & you can see the fear & depression in their eyes.
It's hard to believe they are the same bears in the after photos & playing in the enclosures. It's a real tear jerker to see the transformation. These bears are a healthy weight with thick, glossy fur. They are playful & so full of energy, health & radiating a will to live. Despite the terrible abuse they have suffered.

The centre also has an educational purpose & displays the traps used & the cages that the bears are kept in. To experience the bears every day hell, the small cages are kept open & sign's encourage people to crawl inside & gain a better perspective.

Before we head on through the park to see the waterfall, we stop by at their shop to buy a shirt for me. The money spent goes towards the bears here. I'm glad we came & really surprised that I didn't know about it! Even Nicole said she had no idea this place was here & just came to see the water falls.

Information copied directly from the Free The Bears website - I Highly recommend having a look at the website for yourself & signing up for their free email newsletter. What an amazing achievement this charitable organisation is!

https://freethebears.org

The Free the Bears Fund is an Australian charitable wildlife-protection organisation. It was started by Mary Hutton, after she watched a documentary in 1993 on bears kept in small cages for bile farming. The fund was registered as a not-for-profit charity on 23 March 1995. 

Since then, Free the Bears has provided life long care to over 500 rescued bears. The Sun Bear, Moon Bear & Sloth Bear are 3 of the world's least understood & most endangered bear species. 

Free the Bears works with communities, schools and organisations across Asia to change attitudes and raise awareness of the wildlife trade. We work with universities and other institutions who conduct critical research. We also work with government, law enforcement agencies and other charities, to create and implement a framework to combat wildlife traders.

Despite each country facing a unique set of challenges and issues to overcome, we will continually strive to achieve our mission of protecting, preserving and enriching the lives of bears throughout the world. Free the Bears.

I'm really inspired by this centres amazing work. When we get home, I want to organise a fundraiser to help them out. 

In 23 years of operation, 900 bears have been rescued & there are plans in action to rescue & house many many more. The dream is that by 2020 there will be an end to bear bile farming in Vietnam & Laos. It has been illegal in Vietnam since 1992, with more restrictions enforced in 2005, however the trade still exists illegally. It is legal in Laos & still legal in China which is where the demand comes from.  A lot of the bear bile farms are in the northern provinces of Laos and are owned & operated by ethnic Chinese communities. 

Laos is known to have low government restrictions & weak law enforcement  when it comes to animal rights issues. 

I still can't fathom that we are nearing the end of 2018 & that there are still Bear bile collecting farms that are imprisoning & torturing these animals for the purpose of Chinese traditional medicine.
The excuse of traditional medicine makes me so angry, it should no longer be a reason for the killing of any creature, whether that be tiger, bear, rhino or elephant. Enough is enough! Sadly, I fear that in our lifetime we will see more animals become extinct than in any other point in time.

The waterfalls were actually really really nice! Tom & I love nothing more than being out in nature, exercising & admiring natural beauty. We've seen a lot of really special waterfalls in our trip already & it takes a lot for us to be amazed. But this waterfall was quite special!
The colour of the water was so incredibly, unbelievably blue.
There was several pools where you could swim & a track going up the side of the waterfall to the top.

We spent a really nice morning walking around the waterfall. Nicole, Tom & I only just made it back to the van in time! If we had made our own way there, I think we would of been there for hours exploring the waterfall & watching the bears.

The drive back to Luang Prabang went by in sleepy silence & when we arrived Tom & I asked Nicole to have lunch with us down by the river. She's a really cool chick & we're both really happy that we met her & we've made plans to see her next year in Australia!

After lunch, we said goodbye to Nicole who had a flight to catch later that day & we went to The Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre (TAEC).
The centre educates, supports & preserves the culture & heritage of Laos. It's 6.49 million people are split into 4 main ethnolinguistic groups, with over 100 ethnic groups & sub groups.
We learnt some of the basic cultural differences about the 4 main groups. The Austroasiatic, Hmong-Yao, Tai-Kadai & the Sino Tibetan.

The museum was small, but interesting enough. A common problem here & all over the world is how these groups retain independence in a modern, ever changing world. Socio economic & political situations constantly change which also inheritantly changes the way these ethnic groups live.
There is also a more natural blurring & evolution of ethnic group classification from borrowing between groups & migration to more fertile areas.


We only spent about 20 minutes here & there was only 3 rooms for displays & information. Tom didn't think it was worth the entry fee. However we both agree that visiting places like this museum is important for the continued effort to support & preserve the multi ethnic heritage of Laos.
After this we walked to the UXO Museum, which Tom will write about in another blog.

Our last night in Luang Prabang is spent at the night market at an amazing vegetarian buffet! 15,000 kip for a large bowl. We also had desert afterwards & a few beers tonight. 

Just before we left for the night market, I had a look on FB & was both shocked & devastated to learn that a friend of ours had died the previous day. He was someone who we had known for a few years, a house sitting client of mine who owned 2 beautiful pugs that we looked after frequently. 

He had died at Noosa beach while taking a late afternoon dip in the waves. 

This really hit home for me & I cried a lot that afternoon from grief, drunk my beer in his memory, held Tom close & messaged my loved ones. 

We never know when it will be our turn. This is just another reminder how important it is to live your life, to love your life & to realise that every second is a gift. 

- Alli