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MAG, COPE, Wat, And Wrap

MAG posterboard

On my last day in Vientiane, I took a few pages from the Stay Another Day – Laos booklet and combined them with the city's main sights. The first stop was MAG (Mine Advisors Group). While the display was small, it was to the point and gave me some background on why Laos was the most heavily bombed country (per capita) on the planet.

COPE exhibition

Next, I stopped by COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise). More than a few wall panels of facts and photos, there was a large interactive display to move through. I began with the first 30 minutes of an Australian documentary about the training of Laos people to disarm and destroy the unexploded ordinance that litters the eastern half of the country.

Count your blessings

It was sad to see the residual impact of America's “secret” 9-year bombing campaign in Laos, an unfortunate extension of the Vietnam War. Nowadays, Lao people are unable to cultivate new land for fear of bombies (unexploded cluster bombs).  And poor farmers attempt to harvest the bombs for scrap metal which can earn them more than growing crops.

Pha That Luang - Lao's most important Wat

A cloudless blue sky made for great photos at Laos' most important Wat, Pha That Luang, but the intense sunlight was hardly bearable.

Old peephole in the defensive wall around the Wat

There's a big arch (think Arc de Triumph in Paris) I visited as well, but it was never finished, and is recognized as a large mass of concrete useful for housing lots of souvenir vendors. I went to the top, and there were nice views of the city.

Sunset over the Mekong River

Lastly, I undertook my first body wrap at a spa while in Vientiane. It was not quite the relaxing experience I expected. Imagine having to wear disposable briefs five sizes too small (this is a bigger issue for the men reading), being smeared with green mud, encased in plastic wrap, and zipped up in a heated blanket for twenty minutes. I felt like a human hot pocket, and thankfully the only person who bared witness to the whole scene was a friendly, little Lao woman.

Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:

crambox

Saturday 4th of October 2008

Glad to hear you did the wrap I have always wondered how relaxing those were. Think I will take the advice of the dave and take a pass :wink: Still love the blog every day is a hit! I don't think I have read a bad one yet so when you going to start the photo writing career? stay safe

crambox

Saturday 4th of October 2008

Glad to hear you did the wrap I have always wondered how relaxing those were. Think I will take the advice of the dave and take a pass :wink: Still love the blog every day is a hit! I don't think I have read a bad one yet so when you going to start the photo writing career? stay safe

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