I started to panic realizing that I had about $300 cash and my debit card on me. I tried to be as sly as possible and reached down into my backpack to hide my cash/cards into an old pair of socks that were in my pack.

The young kids with the guns kept staring at us and smiling almost the entire trip. They even wielded the guns around pointing them at us. The kid in front of me even had me touch his gun and hold it. I just keep thinking for the worst wondering why they just didn’t finally get it over with.

We finally arrived in Vientiane with the same result. The kids got off and went on their way. I have never been so terrified and embarrassed that I assumed the worst of the kids. Not to mention that was the craziest bus ride I have ever been on in my entire life for other reasons. Apparently Laotians do not travel much and get motion sickness very easily. Everyone on the bus besides us puked throughout the winding four hour journey through the mountains.

And does it bother you at all to think that somewhere in the world there is a person carrying around cash with your ball sweat on it? Really? You should have autographed it before spending it…

Good thing you didn’t have a roll of coins.
Who knows where you would have “hid” that.

Yours is a much more worthwhile reason for carrying nut money.

Thanks for the awesome story!

They are on every bus that passes by Kasi, Phou Khoun, etc on the way to and from Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Phonsavan. Often they ride past Phou Khoun headed in one direction then catch another bus headed back. That way they get to sleep at home in Vientiane at night.

They started carrying them under their coats because all the tourists, I’m not pointing fingers now, were getting upset over the sight of an automatic rifle. Often militia members will ride on the buses also but their rifles don’t have the cool folding stock and they aren’t used to having to worry about the sensiblities of westerners who are upset over seeing guns.

Those policemen are some of the most professional in Laos. I often ride that bus and speak Lao to some extent. Those guys ride the bus to “harden” the target. Public busses are sometimes the object of retaliatory attacks by Hmong insurgents. There is a 30 year grudge match going on. The last shooting on the road was in 06 or 07 at the bridge just north of Vang Vien. I think putting guards on the bus is a good idea. Those gards probably spend more in a month on amo keeping their live fires skills honed than most Lao people earn in salary.

You can read more about it and see a video here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mi68GYu64k

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501030217-421079,00.html

http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0610/dis_arnold.html

I like Roger Arnolds stuff, a lot.

and I blogged about the road/Hmong situation here.

http://laobumpkin.blogspot.com/2007/02/road-dangers.html

There is a much worse humanitarian situation going on in Burma. Something to consider as we blissfully follow the pancake trail.

I so much want to know why the kid had the gun. Maybe he had a roll of his own, and had the gun so he wouldn’t get robbed or worse. Maybe his brother got killed for much less, and he was determined not to suffer the same fate…