Christmas in LAOS

We spent 4 weeks in LAOS visiting Kris, Khamko, and Andy. We've noticed that there have been changes in Vientiene since our last visit. There is much new construction and the traffic has increased. Many cars and motorcycles inhabit the streets during rush hour.


When we arrived, we were privileged to see Andy's end of the term show at the Cultural Hall. Andy's class did various cultural dances.

The Cultural Hall is a beautiful building used for various city events.

We admired the growth of trees and flowers at Khamko and Kris' home.

After a few days in Vientiane and following the completed term of Andy's school, the 5 of us travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a beautiful city, with many rolling hills within the city center. We visited Petrosian Twin Towers. They were reported to be the tallest buildings in the world, however, that included the antennas on the top. There is a skybridge on the 42nd floor, connecting the towers. We were able to get tickets and make a trip to the skybridge.

















It was a great trip and we all enjoyed being part of another culture.

After our return to Vientiane, we spent much time reading, visiting sites in Vientiane and playing games. One afternoon, we visited an organization called COPE. This organization makes artificial limbs for people who have lost limbs from the bombies that are still very much alive in LOAS. These are left over from the Vietnam War. LAOS was the most heavily bombed country per capita than any other country during a war. Here are some photos from our visit to COPE




















Above is a map of LAOS and the red indicates where the most heavily areas were bombed.

These bombies were part of the exhibit. They are small, filled with ball bearings, etc. Today, they are found by children and farmers. There continue to be about two explosions each week with injuries to Laotians. A program is currently in progress to discover where the bombies are and to detonate them so that they do not continue to injure Laotians. It's estimated that there are still 78 million live bombies in the country.

In the park at Patxay Monument, there is the World Peace Gong. It traveles to different countries as a way to promote peace among nations.
















LAOS Jewel of the Mekong. It's a great place to visit!