Vieng Xay caves

The Lao people wanted to get out of Colonialism and Royalty. One of the Princes , an Engineer educated in Paris and a few idealists wanted a free country. And they got it after a struggle; the Govt was formed after the WWII, soon to be toppled by the royal parties with America and Thailand assisting them. All the important members of the ruling communist party were imprisoned.Surprisingly all of them walked out one fine day unharmed, and the guards even escorted them on a 500 Km hike to the province of Xieng Khuong.

America in the meantime waged war in Vietnam in order to prevent the spread of Communism in the East. They believed that Laos also needs to be stopped and hence decided to decimate the party workers who are in the NE of Laos.

In 1964, US started intense bombing of the area and the Pathet Lao moved into the caves- some natural and some man-made at that time, for their safety. This must have been the most bombarded country in the history of the world. About 20 million bombs- 2tonnes / person and America spent 2 million dollars a day for 9 long years . All this to take the HoChi Minh Trail and to annhilate the Communist Laos. Many innocent villagers died; living was difficult; farming was done in the nights,; cooking before dawn or after dusk to escape detection; children never saw light for days living underground, studying, playing, singing, dancing, falling sick - they grew up like moles. But, US could not break the spirit and determination of the people who emerged victorious and got liberated in 1973.

The philosophy of the Lao people is shaped by this hardship they went through. There is no bitterness in them against the people of America. Anything in the village is a collective responsibility. If a villager wants to build a house, he gets the bamboo from somebody , the wood from somebody else and is assisted in all his efforts by the villagers altogether. This is repeated for the rest. Farming, wedding, Funeral everything is done with peaceful co-operation.

In fact I was witness to this togetherness of the Laos: It rained Cats & dogs one morning when we were on our way into the mountains. In one village, we saw almost everybody, both adult men & women of all ages walking towards a storm drain with spades and hoes and baskets in their hands. Due to rains the storm drains had got blocked and they all set to work over a stretch of 1 1/2 kms. This ownership and civic sense impressed me so much. These villagers did not wait for the Govt to come and clear the drain, cribbing while waiting.

Coming back to the caves, about 20,000 people hid in these limestone caves, walking enormous distance for communication, collection of food and wood; there are rooms for meetings, barracks, hospitals which were manned by Lao,Vietnamese and Cuban doctors and nurses; theatre cum wedding hall, markets , a city underground. When the shelling was intense; the members had emergency rooms with very thick Iron doors that sealed them with a russian made contraption that pumped fresh air for breathing.

Once i stepped out of the caves, the pristine beauty of the landscape was captivating: lush green trees of all kinds, towering Lime stone cliffs, some lakes interspersed here and there, a light mist swirling above the peaks - it was like a painting; just like a Chinese ink painting.