close your eyes and hope for the best

Man with decorated teeth, India. (click image to enlarge)

The people I met day in and day out radiated a pride and dignity I have not encountered elsewhere… Maybe this pride and dignity derive in part from the act of being singled-out, one in a country of a billion, to be noticed and appreciated.

I went to India looking for both inspiration and a challenge. I got both in spades. I spent the first three days trying to find a hotel room that didn’t call to mind a prison cell. When I finally settled on a place where I could bear to use the shower, I ventured out to take photos, with portraits predominantly in mind. I had no idea how people would react to me. Would they refuse to have their photo taken? Would they be shy? Would this first foray be the litmus test for how the rest of the trip would go?

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Laos. American bombshell as a flower planter. (click image to enlarge)

Laos is the most-bombed country (per capita) in the world. I expect this is not something the Lao tourism bureau (if there is one!) would list as a travel incentive.

I came across many reuses of American bombshells throughout my visit to Laos. I saw several serving as flower planters (some even standing prominently at the center of small villages) and others recycled as stairs leading to homes and businesses. I actually stepped on a bombshell to help me cross a shallow river. That was certainly a frightening experience! There was a moment of doubt (and panic!) when I thought perhaps this was an actual unexploded bomb I was about to step on. There are thousands of landmines and other unexploded ordinances throughout Laos, so this was a very real possibility.

Laos is the world’s most-bombed country (per capita) in the world. I expect this is not something the Lao tourism bureau (if there is one!) would list as a travel incentive.

During the Vietnam War, American fighter pilots used Laos as a dumpsite for bombs not dropped over missed Viet Cong targets (they didn’t have enough fuel to return the planes with their non-discharged cargo so they simply unloaded over Laos). The US was never officially at war with Laos.

This could have made the Lao very bitter people.

Instead, the Lao put the past behind them and transformed these vestiges of war into vessels of peace and beauty. These bombs-turned-flower-planters stand as testaments to the resilience and resourcefulness of the Lao people.

© Elizabeth Knox

Two girls, Banna northern Laos. (click image to enlarge)

These two girls live in the tiny village of Banna in rural, northern Laos. It is so rural they don’t even have bicycles let alone cars or motorcycles. I don’t even think they have the wheel there. I am not kidding. I didn’t see a single wheel. They are incredibly resilient and persevering, lugging heavy loads on their shoulders with just a long bamboo plank with a basket tied to each end. They don’t even pad the planks with cloth to ease the load. It certainly put the notions of comfort and need into perspective.

We ended up staying the night, the villagers practically fighting over who would have the honour of hosting us.

Pierre (my husband) and I thought we were just going on a two-hour walk from our small, riverside hut in the neighboring village of Mong Noy Neua. We were told that there were villages nearby that might be worth visiting for the afternoon.

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