![\"bvong_pix_laos_contrasts.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/bvong_pix_laos_contrasts.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLaos is one of the most beautiful and lush countries in all of Southeast Asia.\u00a0 Even though the people in the remote villages don’t have electricity or running water, or a very high standard of living, the earth provides so much, that there isn’t as much belly rumbling as in other parts of the world.\u00a0 It is troubling though to know that a country 40 years behind the rest of its neighbors has much of its land covered by cluster bombs that didn’t explode on impact, essentially creating landmines.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We were told by the local people that scrap metal hunting is big business.\u00a0 For a poor farmer, getting 2,500 Kip per kilogram of scrap metal is a nice change from subsistence farming.\u00a0 (8,000+ Kip = $1.00 USD)\u00a0 Vietnamese merchants come quite easily from the east to buy the scrap, so they can fund the rapid development of their own country.\u00a0 The metal is smelted and used to make the long structural pieces of steel that support buildings.\u00a0 What better way to rebuild for the future than the finest Detroit steel?\u00a0 Meanwhile Laos still uses sticks to support the frames of its buildings.<\/p>\n
Manophet told us of a crater east towards Vietnam, that some unlucky villagers thought to have hit paydirt by unearthing a bomb, but died while getting too close.\u00a0 The health ailments caused by the bomb have puzzled even the Japanese, who haven’t been able to\u00a0categorize the weapon.\u00a0 Manophet says that you can’t even get closer than a few meters, since your skin will start to itch and irritate.<\/p>\n
Most of the scavenged ordnance in the foundry had been diffused, but there was a pile of live cluster munitions, and white phosphorous that could go off if careless.\u00a0 I found it funny how the pile of bombs looked like turnips in the market, the bullets were like peppers, and the bombies were like fruit.<\/p>\n
![\"bvong_pix_laos_bomb_foundry.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/bvong_pix_laos_bomb_foundry.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Laos is one of the most beautiful and lush countries in all of Southeast Asia.\u00a0 Even though the people in the remote villages don’t have electricity or running water, or a very high standard of living, the earth provides so much, that there isn’t as much belly rumbling as in other parts of the world.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,59,7],"tags":[58,287,63,62],"class_list":{"0":"post-1067","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-lao-culture","8":"category-laos-trip","9":"category-photos","10":"tag-laos","11":"tag-photos","12":"tag-uxo","13":"tag-xieng-khouang","15":"post-with-thumbnail","16":"post-with-thumbnail-large"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/00019.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pelE0-hd","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1104,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/thak-baht-luang-prabang\/","url_meta":{"origin":1067,"position":0},"title":"Thak Baht, Luang Prabang","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 29, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Luang Prabang, the old Royal Capital of Laos, has always been known as a jewel amongst the already beautiful landscape of Laos.\u00a0 I'd always wanted to go, but I would honestly have to say that it's not quite what I expected.\u00a0 The first chance I had to walk around this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0003.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1028,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/photos-vientiane-laos\/","url_meta":{"origin":1067,"position":1},"title":"Photos: Vientiane, Laos","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 16, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Vientiane (pronounced Vieng-Chun) is the capital city\u00a0of Laos, and not overpopulated, probably having about 400,000 residents.\u00a0 Being drained from the plane ride, I only managed these shots before the day was over.\u00a0 It's an interesting place.\u00a0 Some parts are still very poor, but the other modernized sections (with funding and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/bvong_pix_vientiane_01.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/bvong_pix_vientiane_01.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/bvong_pix_vientiane_01.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/bvong_pix_vientiane_01.jpg?resize=700%2C400 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Houaphone, Laos","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 24, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao 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