Laos

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

  • So I’m in Laos, a small country nestled among its more famous neighbors of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China. My plan is to get a moped and hit the road for a few days, trekking a route around the south of the country that’s known as the ‘southern swing.’

    It’s monsoon season now so I am not sure how much of that route I’ll actually do, but if the weather stays on my side then hopefully I’ll be on two wheels for a few days getting to know this country and its people.

    Right now the only thing I know about Laos is that it has the rather unfortunate title of being the worlds most bombed country*. Some 40 years ago B52 bombers from the USA carpet bombed the country almost 24 hours a day for nearly nine years in the so-called ‘secret war.’ More bombs were dropped on Laos than were dropped in all the bombing raids of the second world war. Many of those cluster bombs did not detonate and therefore continue to kill and injure those who stumble upon them even today.
    * On a per capita basis

    You can follow my progress around Laos by checking my location on a map. I’m updating that as often as I can so just click the ‘About Simon Jones’ link at the top of the website then click the ‘Find me on a map‘ link.