A new week in Vientiane and a visit to the COPE Centre

This week I was supposed to be doing my second week of teaching monks but late last week I was advised of yet another change in plan.  Initially I was to do two weeks teaching, last week and this week, then I was to go back to Laos and return to Thailand for a further four days to attend the volunteer training course.

Because of a last minute change of plan last weeks teaching was cancelled and then towards the end of the week I was advised that I would only be teaching for three days this week and the rest of the time I would be training volunteers.  Yes well.  I dont know what I will be doing so a bit hard to train anyone else.

Consequently I am sick of being dicked around and have cancelled my involvement in the project and am getting a refund.  I will hopefully still be doing the second placement in Krabi.

With this week on my hands with little to do I have focussed on trying to do something constructive towards the wedding and so for the first two days have been doing wee errands and odds and sods in the city.

In doing so I have discovered a few foodie gems, one being a French Bakery called Banneton, who does divine croissant and apple pies as well as a mean espresso that I have indulged in a few times since Monday.  

I visited a few dressmakers with no joy.  Either they didn't speak English, the job was too hard or what they were suggesting left me with no confidence in their ability or taste.  There were a few   more options we could check out overnight so after a while I gave up on that idea.

Monday's dinner was going to be at La Gondola, an italian restaurant but it was closed so we dined at a Turkish restaurant called Istanbul and I had THE BEST lahano dolmas that I have had barring my Mom's.  They were accompanied by a divine salad, dressed with a lime dressing that made the roof of my mouth zing.  Yumeeee.

On our return home at night we had the chance to walk along the new concreted road outside MandB's.  Yay, goodbye to much of the dust.  The road it joins onto is still unsealed but they are gradually working their way round the whole neighbourhood so soon it will be fantastic and most the dust will be banished.

Tuesday saw a continuation of wedding related tasks, but a break for lunch saw me back at Banneton.

Perhaps the most constructive thing I did today was to find a dressmaker and score an appointment for Bianca for later jn the day.   With the appointment looming it wasnt worth me going home and coming back and so what does one do when they are in the city, in the heat with nowhere to go.  Eat of course.  

Last night we nearly went to a restaurant called Mahpet, acooks and waiting staff training centre but just before we went in a group of very loud obnoxious Australians preeceeded us and the thought of eating with them was too much so we moved on. Today I got the opportunity to try them out without any obnoxious people around.  In fact it was locely and quiet.   Well, training they may be but the meal was fantatsic.  A simple banana flower salad but finished off with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds which made it possibly the nicest salad I have had for a very long time.  They do somehting really cool and allow half sized meals, which the salad was, but the nicest thing is that they charge you exactly half price as well with no extra alowance for service, use of crockery etc which most places would.  I will be back. Thank you Mahpet.

Still with time to fill in I indulged in a lovely oily and relaxing back and leg massage.  Just what I needed and a great way to fill in a bit of time.

4pm rolls up and Bianca and I go sort out the dressmaker.  Yes! yes! All signed and sealed and quoted a great price to boot.  Celebrations were had across the road at Pimenton, where you guessed it, I ate again.  Yum tapas, baby squid, deep fried kalamari and goats cheese.

Dinner was the the Italian we had tried the night before and found it closed.  A light tasty pasta dish was just what I needed.  Lacking in traditional Italian taste but nevertheless a great choice.

Wednesday saw a very slow start but once on the move I made another visit to Banneton for the best apple pie.  Sated and happy I set off to walk to the COPE centre which was really pleasant as it was not too warm and the gentle breeze filtered through the trees cooling me as I walked.  The visit

to the Centre was well worth it and opened my eyes to many of the difficulties endured by the Lao people.  Things that we dont hear about at home, and things we should hear about.

COPE is a local not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with the Centre of Medical Rehabilitation (CMR) and provincial rehabilitation centres to provide access to both orthotic/prosthetic devices and rehabilitation services, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and paediatric services to people with disabilities.  COPE was created in response to the need to provide UXO survivors with the care and support they required, namely by way of orthotic and prosthetic devices. 

COPE has four major roles:

1. To act as a portal for skills development and training, upgrading clinical skills in physiotherapy, occupational therapy and P&O within the government rehabilitation services. This is extended to management and administrative skills to ensure that the capacity for COPE to run as a local organisation is sustainable.
2. To support expenses of patients who are unable to pay for treatment and associated costs as well as upgrading facilities at the five centres currently supported by COPE.
3. To act as an interface between the donor community and the Lao Government. International donors require a recognised standard of auditing and financial accountability for proposals to be successfully accepted and managed.
4. To facilitate referral between the network of clinical services to provide comprehensive treatment of people living with mobility impairments, ensuring people with disabilities in Lao PDR will have access to the rehabilitation services that can improve their ability to participate in their communities.

The long-term vision of COPE is to become a locally-staffed organisation that covers the cost of mobility devices and rehabilitation for people in Lao PDR who cannot afford it.

Not only did the centre give me the opportunity to learn about the work they do but also have me an insight to the extent of the bombing that occurred during and after the Vietnam war.  The facts speak for themselves and are scary:

Lao PDR is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in history 

Approximately 25% of villages in Laos are contaminated with Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) 

More than 580,000 bombing missions were conducted over Laos 

Over 2 million tons of ordnance were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973 

Cluster submunitions or ‘Bombies’ (as they are known locally) are the most common form of UXO remaining 

More than 270 million bombies were dropped onto Laos 

Up to 30% failed to detonate 

Approximately 80 million unexploded bombies remained in Laos after the war 

All 17 provinces of Laos suffer from UXO contamination 

41 out of the 46 poorest districts in Laos have UXO contamination

Over 50,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents in the period 1964 to 2008 

Over 20,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents post-war period, 1974 to 2008

UXO Lao works in the nine most heavily UXO contaminated provinces in the country.

UXO Lao needs on an average, US$6.5 million, for operations. It employs over 1,000 people.

                                

                                

                                                 

Very scary and sad statistics.  Fortunately only of late Lao is starting to get international help to healp deal with many of the issues caused by the UXO.

Sobered by my visit, I walk and walk to clear my head, walking to the Lao version of L'Arc de Triomphe, the 

                                                     

From there I carried on to the "mall" and discovered yet another section.  This mall is a collection of very dated shops sellign all sorts of thigs.  It covers a hige area of land and is sectioned into different areas all selling the same sort if things.  Electrical, fabrics, hair stuff, stationery etc.  Each time I visit I find something else to  explore.

From there I walked to Simueng Deli, not a deli in our sense but a shop selling food that is not readily available elsewhere.  Mainly western style imported food and sadly not of the greatest quality.  I had intended buying some frozen chicken but I would not cook that at home, so I don't intend to cook it here.  Still there is a great rotisserie chicken place down the road and I don't have to see where the chicken came from or what condition it was in before cooking.  I still managed to buy some lovely fresh  crusty bread and some cheeses, both of which were tucked into as soon as I got home.  Yumm.

Michael bought some pho (or pheu) home for dinner, a little different to what I was having in Vietnam but nevertheless very tasty and just what I needed.  The night came to an end after watching a bit of telly and catching up on this blog.