Laos Contrast

On Saturday 3 May, our second day in Laos, we tackled the mountainous road from the spectacular riverside mountain views of Vang Vieng, in low cloud and, as we climbed higher, drizzly rain. We came across three road accidents, including a young family who had come off their small motorcycle in rainy, slippery conditions. Unfortunately our First Aid kit was in the Toyota, a full day behind, so we did our best, donating a raincoat and flagging down 2 vehicles who took the young mother, shivering in shock, with her baby and toddler with a deeply gashed forehead, on towards their destination and, hopefully, medical help. The young father was able to communicate that he had no money to pay for a doctor so we, and one of the other Samaritans, stuffed some money in their pockets. He insisted on continuing on the bike, with 5 small hens attached, despite his gashed and swollen elbow and forearm. It was a confronting realisation of how little they have, and how much we have. We had earlier, on the same road, seen a hand painted sign on a mountain village building, “World Vision Australia”, reminding us of those small voices continuing to combat Australia’s international image as a selfish, inhospitable, racist violator of our legal obligations under the UN Refugee Convention.