The Secret War

Two things about Laos, a tiny, poor, communist country sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam.

The first, some great advice, from Kfv's P:

P says that Laos is very beautiful and the people are incredibly kind and that all you have to do to win their friendship is to listen to their stories. Their stories would be about their colonization by the American and French governments - how their people were killed and their country devastated.

While you are there, you can walk to any temple and if you walk by the young monks, and they say "hello" to you and you say hello back to them, be warned, because then you might find yourself in a long and indepth conversation with them, in English :-) [true!] They are very curious and they will want to know all about you and your stories and your country. They will also tell you about themselves. They will want to be your friend. They will also tell you honest information about Laos and more practical information like where it is safe and not safe, which places to go to.

P also says (she is behind me talking and talking, she is clearly enchanted with the country) that if you take a tuktuk, the tuktuk driver will try to take advantage of you because either they are poor or on drugs.

If you are missing European type of food, there are very good French bakeries all over the place. In Vientiane, there is good American bakery which makes fantastic pizza, espresso and chocolate chip cookies.

But if you want local food, WALK AWAY from the tourist areas. But I guess you know that already.

The second you may not want to read, if you're american. I wrote it in shocked realisation of some historical facts I hadn't known before. I wrote it in anger. I know americans aren't all like that. I know the british have been historically worse. But.

I read today about the 'secret war' here. Those americans are fucking bastards, they are. The Geneva Convention prevented them from
invading or bombing Laos, so they kept it quiet, only rode foreign planes in cowboy civvies, to drop flares that showed where the locals should drop ordnance. They trained tribesmen to bomb, equipped them with B52s and american planes, and called the place 'The Other Theater' so nobody would know.

Because the bombing was illegal, and the war was illegal, they felt they could dispense with the rules of formal combat that forced a modicum of mercy in Vietnam and Cambodia, that prevented them from bombing temples and hospitals in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Never thought I'd see a day where what happened in Vietnam or Cambodia could be described as merciful.
They dropped half a bloody tonne of bombs for every man woman and child in the country, and pretended they'd done nothing.

Then they wiped the evidence by blanket spraying with Agent Orange. .
And their own people didn't know. Bastards.

To the americans whom I definitely love, I apologise. I hope you didn't know either.

Market of Knives

Market of Knives,
originally uploaded by digitalia.

To answer the questions, I delayed my flight to Nepal so that I get there after the elections, after the week long bandh, but not before all the demonstrations of February are done. Thanks to all the people in the UK and in Nepal who gave me advice on that decision.

Compromise.

Gives me more time in Bangkok, allows me the unforeseen opportunity of visiting Laos during the buddhist new year festivals, and the whisper of a possibility of getting to Cambodia that way.

Meanwhile: Thailand. More beautiful than I remembered it. Yesterday a leper in a temple, sat below a 32 metere golden buddha, rubbed his sores across my ankles and pretended to cry.

Less so from elsewhere in Asia, but a good place to come from Europe to.

so where've you been? 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 /22: Germany / England / Amsterdam / Kuala Lumpur / Bangkok

Ekspres Rakyat,
originally uploaded by digitalia.

... all of which deserve the comment again?

You know that feeling when the plane starts to buffet as it comes into land, and you feel rather than hear, in your inner ear, in your centre of balance, the roaring as the engine has to overcome the uplift to force itself down?

That's what I feel like all the time right now.

Friday: Laos.

so where've you been? 17 Switzerland

Best expressed, I think, in an email received after leaving:

Vanessa

You did not wash the duvet
You did not make the bed
You did not clean the dirty dishes in the sink
nor fold the toilet paper at the ends the way Christine does so beautifully
You did not put the dvd of 'Festen' back in its sleeve
You did not replace the four biscuits you ate
Though you did get me some stamps
You also left me with thirty unripened kiwi fruit
You wrote me a lovely note
graciously thanking me for my hospitality
And were in every way a good guest

I am glad you enjoyed the quiet solitude
My books, my city, my paintings
Through the computer, the one-remove access to the world
You wrote essays and letters
You were able to think rationally
I was able to sit and drink tea and be happy to be your friend

And that was lovely
To watch you, being restored

With apologies to the author. :)

Getting ready for Nepal

Mostly I don't bother. Mostly I don't read the FCO updates arriving in my mailbox weekly, along with googlenews keyword searches for every country I'm visiting.
Sometimes, knowing you're in danger can prove more stressful than the actual quantity of danger you're in, you see.

And then there are some days, two or three weeks after the ceasefire ended, when you're glad you noticed these words:

"There is an unstable political situation in Nepal as a result of the ongoing conflict between the King’s Government and Maoist insurgents. Most major cities now have late night curfews. The authorities have a “shoot to kill” policy for those who break the curfew."

Shoot to Kill. One of those phrases that would be Good to Notice.

Edit: The FCO's putting Nepal on their do not go there sub list:
_{The Foreign Office today revised its travel advice for Nepal. We are now advising against all but essential travel to Nepal during the period leading up to the municipal elections on 8 February.
The travel advice summary now reads:
'We advise against all but essential travel to Nepal during the period leading up to the municipal elections on 8 February. Severe civil unrest and some violence are expected during this period. We will keep this advice under review and may extend the duration in light of events on the ground and prospects for further unrest around significant dates later in February. These events include: 1 February anniversary of the King's takeover; 13 February anniversary of the People's War; and 19 February Democracy Day.}
Perhaps I will have time to make it to Cambodia after all...

so where've you been? 16 Germany

At breakfast in Frankfurt, Riza decides to ask me if I know that I'm beautiful.

(Pfffft)

And:

Does anybody know? Ever ever ever?
It seems a little presumptuous, too, when I'd only asked if I could have an apple with my meat feast.

He's desperate to improve his English (we chat in a horrendous mishmash of two languages for an hour about whose linguistic skills are worse). He wants me to recommend a place he can stay in London[*] where he can offer his skills as an electrician in return for a free kip on the floor.

He's very pretty.

I try to suggest there are lots of 'ladies' I know in London who would put him up for a week in return for 'services'. I'm not sure my meaning is clear.

"But must be woman. No man!"

There again, perhaps it's crystal.

[* ~ go on, tell me. Is there anywhere?]

so where've you been? 15 London

Ain't that a surprise? I went home for a brief holiday - a holiday from my holiday - and found that it isn't my 'home' any longer.

There are three certainties you need to keep up the robust sense of self that allows you to travel. To really travel, rather than tick off sights.
1. Know who you are.
2. Know why you're going.
3. Know where 'home' is.

It took me exactly four minutes to realise I'm not a Londoner any more.