“Let me see Laos on the map?” perhaps it will take time for many of us to show him where he is.. This country between Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and China is the most bombed country in the world in history.. However, Laos was not even involved in America’s war with Vietnam.. From Nong Khiaw, where I came yesterday, to Phonsavan in the south, this area was the refuge of Vietnamese guerrillas. The weapons passed through here were transported to the south and used in the war with America.
Here, the USA dropped a bomb every 8 minutes on this region to stop these guerrillas in this war from 1965 to the ’73s.. The amount of bomb dropped is 2 million tons! The towns, historical places and villages in this land, which were bombed with 60,000 sorties, were destroyed and nature was damaged.. Imagine, when Laos was not even at war, the USA dropped an average of ten tons of bombs per square kilometer of the country!. In the war you are not involved in, it rains bombs on your head and continues to take the lives of your children even decades after the war is over.. Every war is ugly, but this war, in which Laos still lives, is one of the ugliest of wars.
Among the Magnificent Mountains: I wanted to leave Nong Khiaw by morning bus and go to Phonsavan.. However, as it was not safe for me to wait for the bus that would come from the other direction to transfer in a town at 10 am, I decided to go back to Luang Prabang and cross from there (40000KIP,9TL) to Phonsavan.. This is like going to Izmir first to go from Ankara to Antalya.. Fortunately, the roads make me love the roads.
After an 8-hour hard journey, I stayed overnight in Luang Prabang and the next morning I went to Phonsavan road (130000KIP, 30TL). We could only reach Phonsavan 10 hours after our journey that started at 8 am.. Our minibus broke down on the way, we took a break in a few places after the repair.. The word nature found its meaning on these roads.. The roads winding and winding through the fog, in the lush forest, the simple but peaceful villages around the road, the mountains and mountains rising in the distance, noticed by the light leaking through the clouds… It was a long but beautiful journey sitting on very bad roads, uncomfortable and narrow seats.
The capital of Xieng Khouang province, Phonsavan was established in the late 1970s on the site of the former historical capital Muang Khoun, which was destroyed in the Second Indochina War.. It has a nice and cool weather with its cool climate throughout the year.
It is possible to see interesting cafes when you take a stroll on the main street of the town.. What makes them interesting is of course the war materials they use in their decorations.. It is filled with bombs, mines, missiles or bombs, scattered on the walls of the cafes, at the entrance, in front of the doors, or whatever they are called. Villages with scattered wooden houses have a beautiful nature with grazing cows and pine forests.. Its historical background and mystery are still not fully understood even today: Plain of Jars attracts travelers like me here.
Day 585: Loas:18 Phonsavan, 10 March 2012
