Tuek Vil

Today was a very busy day, but also very good! We started out by visiting the War Museum. And took a tuk Tuk to get there! My first ever tuk Tuk ride :) and because we took multiple tuk Tuks we played a game of "tuk tuk tag" which was fun but also slightly terrifying. Terrifying because one girl almost fell out while trying to make another group "it". So we'll have to make sure we're careful ;) The tuk Tuks are fine though, not overly scary since they go so slowly. Though when they turn too sharply it does feel like you're riding on two wheels. But, nothing like driving in a taxi in Kathmandu!

So anyway, the War Museum was pretty powerful to see. We had a local man who was actually once a child soldier give us a tour of the museum. His entire family was killed during the war and genocide and he still has many pieces of shrapnel and ball bearings in his body. He let us touch them, and they move around. I guess when it gets cold it's quite uncomfortable for him too.. It's intense. He also lost one leg to a landmine and when it exploded a piece of his bone embedded itself in an eye. He was blinded by the explosion and I think he said 6 years later he was taken by the UN to receive a surgery that restored vision to one of his eyes. And yet he's still so happy and energetic. Just happy to be alive I suppose. Oh, and he's only 48. It's tough to realize just how recent this history is for them, that only recently the entire country was in war and turmoil, while we were all enjoying a quiet and peaceful childhood. I think they said it was in 1991 that things started to settle down? He also told us that there are many birth defects due to high uranium levels Fr bombs. And also that there were approximately 2.5 Landmines per person at one time..

There were so many different types of guns and tanks on display in the museum, as well as photo of victims and other former soldiers. Very powerful. One of the tanks had a bunch of damage from a bomb and they left everything in it that was found with the tank. Including a shoe and a tibia bone from a passenger.. That in particular made things real. To see someone's actual bone in the situation in which it would have been discovered really made it hit home. We are so incredibly lucky to live in a country like Canada where we haven't had any true problems in a long time. Really brings a new meaning to the phrase "first world problems"

The museum wasn't all that big but was still worth the visit. While I was there I was wishing we could stay a bit longer but the next stop, the landmine Museum, was well worth the time!Read more