Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stevieg4ever]

...whatever you want to call them? Has anyone got any useful tips for avoiding these unexploded 'things' in Laos and Cambodia.

I will be venturing out form the big cities and will be doing some hiking at various stages.

And no smart ar$e remarks please. I had enough of those on the Lonely Planey forum.

Thanks

[Join Me]

One of the most stressful times of my life was being in Vietnam and putting tent stakes in the ground every night. Even though the areas I put my tent in were not marked for land mines in a country where so many were planted there has to be some odd ones hanging around and I couldn't get it out of my mind. Honestly, after all the marked fields I passed in Vietnam I was very uneasy about venturing off the main road too far. I would stick to well traveled paths if I were you. Plenty of people still die in each of these countries as the result of unmarked land mines. Try not to imagine yourself sleeping on a land mine either as you go to bed each night either as it really messes up your rest.

[stevieg4ever]

Vietnam I will stick to the beaten track for sure: Hanoi, HCM and a few in betweens.

In Laos and Cambodia I will be going to some more remote areas but then almost anywhere seems remote in Laos. But still places where tourists do tred. I am still researching.

[ernie]

i suggest asking the locals... they're probably the most informed about their region... i'd also NEVER wander off the beaten path in high risk areas!

[moosehead]

stay on your path - do NOT go into the brush for ANY REASON whatsoever - that includes using the bathroom -

I was shocked to hear even the temples were heavily mined - in Cambodia, probably Laos also - the guesthouse I stayed at in Siem Reap had bikes to use to get to Angor Wat - I was given directions to go where there were few tourists but told to make sure not to stray from the path - it's easy enough because anywhere people don't walk the jungle grows up again very quickly.

as a photographer I'm prone to chase down photos just about anywhere and have the scars to prove it - but this time, yes, I stayed put - and came back in 1 piece.

it helped I think that I'd once seen a presentation on land mine removal equipment which showed how heavy equipment is used to remove them, and how they can now be under the roots of bushes because they've been there for so long; also the assistant to the fellow doing the presentation was killed during an excavation - a hazardous job no doubt.

in fact there are volunteer opps for people to go to S.E. Asia to remove them.

I for one, am quite chicken about doing something like that and don't mind saying so!!