We've arrived safely in Vientiane. We took an overnight bus from Pakse and got hear early this morning. The time we spent waiting for our bus was really interesting. This older man named Khan (who took us around the temple where our monk friends were living; he was the English teacher of some of them), welcomed us into his home. We found out he worked for the Laos Army in the 1960's through 1975 as a bombadier and was trained by the US Army.
It came to light that he was a participant in what we know as the "Secret War," when the North Vietnamese came down the Ho Chi Minh Trail(s) and occupied eastern Laos, which the US government with a massive bombing campaign of much of the country. It's a shame to think about this sweet old man dropping bombs on his own country. We saw documents that stated he was in an aircraft that was shot down and he carried the injured pilot in his aircraft to safety and evacuation. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this bombing campaign by the US was the reason the nation ultimately supported the North Vietnamese. In any case, the communists took over Laos in 1975. This man Khan was so pro-Bush and pro-bomb anything, and when he told me that he was a fan of Henry Kissinger, it made me think that maybe he was kind of brainwashed during his pilot training in California during the 60's.
I'm curious to see what the capital is like here in Vientiane. It is still a communist state with a capitalist mindset. It should be interesting.
Anyway, we have come across yet another gem of a person in Vientiane; a very cool girl from Quebec who has moved to Laos and is giving us tips and connections in the northern part of the country. We'll keep you posted!!!
Much love,
Eddie
No comments:
Post a Comment