It was at Pakse in the southern part of Laos that I first learned about the hidden villas. I was on a mission with my associate, Irby, to upgrade a communications site at Pakse. It was about a four-day job. Irby and I landed at the airstrip where we had a van waiting for us. The American driver took us to a villa where we stashed all our communications equipment. I was concerned about leaving our equipment unattended because there were no Americans at that villa. There were some ten empty rooms being managed and operated by Laotians. "Don't worry about your equipment. They are friendlies. You can trust them with your life," said the driver as he drove us to another villa to eat. I asked him if there was a kitchen at the villa we were staying.
"Yes, you have a kitchen there. Every villa has a kitchen and dining rooms, but I prefer this one we're going to because they serve a better dinner than the rest."
"Is there a directory of the different villas in town?" I asked.
"Naw," he chuckled. "You're not going to find a directory. Just ask any American you see. They'll point you to the nearest kitchen. Just pop in and ask the staff what they're having that day, and the Laotian staff will tell you. If that doesn't appeal to you, go on the next or the next after that. You won't find any signs or indicators on any of the American villas. But if you stay here long enough, you'll learn where each one is."
After a good American dinner with dessert and great coffee, our escort drove to his villa and let us take his van for our use. Our first stop was to a bar which our escort had recommended saying, "Don't go to just any bar. They'll pop some sleepers in your drink and rob you blind. This bar is supposedly owned by retired Air America folks, so they keep a tight rein on it."
Irby and I had a few beers and met an interesting operative we came to know as Paladin. We spent a couple of hours there drinking and talking with Paladin, but I have no recollection of what we talked about. That was normal protocol throughout Project 404. Very seldom was any telling or revealing mission information ever discussed in casual conversation. We never learned Paladin's type of work, but we surmised he was involved in some type of clandestine operation. Likewise, Paladin never knew our type of work.
We left the bar and drove back to our villa. Irby did not like his room. It was too small for him since we had stashed all our equipment there. He and I started walking around checking all the different rooms which were unlocked with the door key on top of the desk. Irby picked out and settled in the largest room with carpet, a king-size bed and a full master bath. I was not as lucky. My new room had a queen-size bed but equipped with a fully enclosed mosquito net. We kept our communications equipment in Irby's former room.
Come morning, an older Laotian man knocked on our doors inviting us to eat breakfast in a small dining room. He had already brought us separate bamboo trays with a very generous breakfast including scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, pancakes and grits. This was a signature breakfast and one that we never got back in our villa in Vientiane.
During the remainder of our stay at Pakse, we found several American kitchens. As we discovered a new kitchen, we would pop in, ask what was for lunch or dinner then proceed on to the next one till we found something that appealed to us. It was just like our escort had said. I made several more trips to Pakse in the remaining months I served there, and I never found a kitchen I didn't like. The best feature of both the kitchens and the American villa rooms is that there was never any charge. They would not even accept tips. We never even had to sign in or show any identification, and no one ever questioned where we came from or what we would be doing in Pakse. This was in keeping with the protected mission of Project 404.
American kitchens are scattered all over Pakse. Just pop in and ask what they're serving. Keep doing that till you find something you like.- Our American contact in Pakse
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