Vientienne, Laos

Laos really is a land of temples. It seems like every corner you turn in Vientienne you are greeted by guys like these! Wouldn't want to meet his dentist!



Every part of the temples are covered in intricate details, This is just a small part of one of the carved wooden doors.

Vientienne has a reputation as the most relaxed capital city in the world and I can't disagree, it's so chilled out. The gates of the temples stand open, nobody tries to sell you anything, you wander around and take your photos with just the odd smile or nod from the orange clad monks.

It's really hot and humid here though, I did have a problem with the camera lenses steaming up! this temple was beside the Mekong river which is lined with dodgy food stalls. Gave them a miss after my hospital stay in Pakistan!

I shared a Tuk-Tuk with a local lady when I went to the Cope centre, She didn't speak English so was rather bemused when she got out at her house and I started pointing and shouting "Hey, I've got one of those! I've driven it all the way from London." What a shame we couldn't understand each other! In one day I saw 3 beetles in Vientienne; a very good sign if I need a mechanic in town!

Also in Vientienne is our reason for coming to Laos, the Cope centre. Cope is one of the charity projects we are supporting on the rally. They provide rehabilitation for landmine victims. Laos was bombed heavily during the Vietnam war and the countryside is still littered with unexploded weapons of war like these.

People become injued through ignorance or through desperation. Children are curious and don't understand that the shiny metal thing can kill them. For adults, often they know the risks but scrap metal is worth money and they are living on the poverty line so they take a chance.
Cope are able to help firstly by providing education about the risks thereby, one hopes, reducing the number of victims injured by these weapons.
Secondly they help people who have already been injured by providing them with prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation.

With the benefit of arms like these victims of landmines can return to work and once again support their families.

Legs allow mine victims to walk again. Many people in rural areas are managing with crude homemade legs fashioned from pieces of wood.

For the more severly disabled Cope also have a wheelchair manufacturing unit.

Just $50 buys a leg! That seems like pretty good value to me, so if you would like to donate please visit the Cope website: www.copelaos.org or donate via my Just Giving page and if you are a UK tax payer you can claim tax back on the donation making it worth even more!
www.justgiving.com\ozrally