The U.S.A dropped over two million tons of bombs in Laos between 1964 and 1973, making it the most heavily bombed country in history relative to the size of its population. These bombs were mostly dropped in the north and north-east of Laos. Areas close to Vietnam were targeted as ‘enemy strongholds’, but further west, especially the Plain of Jars, was considered a dumping ground for the B-52s overflying Vietnam. Anything they hadn’t dropped had to be dumped so they could fly back empty. The Pentagon decided that these were ‘uninhabited areas’, so ‘collateral damage’ would be minimal. The result was that the people living in these areas had to move south to avoid being wiped out. So communities of refugees were to be found all along the roads to the north and south of Vientiane. I went out to the nearby ban nok (countryside) with Paul Mahoney or Jean-Pierre Midavaine (both seen here in a worm’s-eye photograph). Jean-Pierre’s stature and the size of his boots struck terror into the kids.