Be prepared!

Are we there yet?

Over a week to go so the pressure to pack properly is increasing, as is the excitement of going overseas to a relatively unknown but promising place. One of the essentials is to check whether I can actually write a blog on my new tablet and tiny bluetooth keyboard: hence this post! It appears to work! Phew! I can't say that it is wise to purchase new technology just prior to a trip but I have a new tablet and a new phone as both devices appeared to be on the verge of collapse - great timing!

 However I went a step too far and attempted to use Wordpress instead of Blogger to create a blog! What a nightmare! So here we are with a Blogger blog..... 

As my knowledge of Laos is based on a few days spent there some years ago, I thought I needed to update myself. I started by searching for fictional reading rather than factual books. And discovered a gem of an author! Colin Cotterill is an English author who has spent many years in Laos and has written a series of 15 crime novels about the adventures of a doctor who is the only Coroner in the country and gets involved in intriguing murders. Very witty and easy to read but also informative about the history, lifestyle and challenges of being Lao. Highly recommended as pre-trip reading. 

To be less of a luddite I have also been listening to podcasts whilst I exercise or drive. When you put Laos or Laos history in search engines you get an interesting array of responses. 

Reflecting Laos’ past many podcasts focus on the bombing of Laos during the war: called the Secret War in Laos, the Vietnam War in the USA and the American War in Vietnam. Laos is the most bombed country per capita in history. The equivalent of one bombing mission every 8 minutes for 9 years will earn you that title. Each mission dropped a ‘mother’ bomb which separated mid-air into hundreds or thousands of smaller bombs - ‘bomb children’. These bombs spread far and wide and there are varying estimates about the numbers of UXOs (Unexploded Ordnance) hiding buried in the ground ranging from 50,000 to 80,000. Only 1% have been cleared to date. A very dark history with profound and everlasting impacts. 

So the Laos podcasts vary from American ex-military personnel describing the exact type of ordnance dropped, to terrifying adventure activities for young things, to travelogues about the beauty of the ancient temples to Lao cuisine. Quite a mixture indeed! Some are excruciatingly boring and others absolutely fascinating! 

At least I have tried to be better-infomed than simply jumping on a plane and hoping for the best! 

Can't wait to be there!