UXO Survivor Centre

After 8 hours on the most windy but scenic road I've ever been on in my life we have arrived at a place called Phonesaven. Home to Plain of Jars and also a lot of unexploded ordinance (UXO).

We visited the MAG (Mines Advisory Group) information centre and the UXO survivors centre which were both really interesting. We also watched a documentary film in the MAG centre called 'Bombies' about all the bombings Laos suffered during the Vietnam war and how it's affecting them to this day. I had no idea that Laos is the most bombed country in the world per capita and that from the 2 million tonnes of bombs the USA dropped on Laos, about 30% didn't explode so are lying around the countryside killing about 300 people a year. Many people are faced with the choice of starving to death, or farming the land which may contain UXOs which will kill them. It has been a real eye opener.

This mural is on the wall of the Survivors Centre.