Laos - Phonsavan

Phonsavan is in the Mid-to-Eastern region of Northern Laos, close enough to Vietnam for the Ho Chi Minh trial to cross over to it (Most of the Ho Chi Minh Trail is in Laos and not Vietnam - it was set up as a route for the communist Viet Cong from the Communist North Vietnam, to the to Republican South). At the time of the Vietnam war it was also occupied by the Russians and their communist power. The Laos people live mostly in basic, farming and fishing communities. They were quite happy having support from the Russians, who only did good things (in their view). They where, however, not so happy with the huge problems caused by the American Government, who dropped over 2 Million tonnes of bombs in an attempt to wipe out the Trail, as well as the local Communist followers. (That's almost half a tonne per head of population then! - K)

Many of the bombs remained unexploded as they hit the ground and have created one huge problem here. They maim and kill many Lao people each year as they come across them either by accident or often as they try to dismantle them for their valuable metal. The area will take years to totally clear. Australia/New Zealand have been helping them clear the bombs for around 20 years and think it will take another 35 to finish. (The American Government spent 1 year in 1994 helping to clear the earth of their death traps). All over the 'Plain of Jars' these small indicators denote the areas we can safely walk, stay on the white side and do not cross over to the red.

Which actually only left a small pathway leading to the jars.

The jars (around 3 - 6 feet high and 1 - 3 feet wide) were stone carved and dated from between 500BC to 200AD.

They sit all over this area (hence the name Plain of Jars). There are a number of different sites and each have from 1 jars to around 400.

Archeologists now understand that they were probably used as part of the burial process to store the cremat bodies and their belongings.

They are literally all over the place.

Sat in beautiful countryside they were hidden by foliage for decades.

This nearby cave is where they think they probably cremated the bodies.

It had one huge chimney.

'Don't leave me in here!!!'

Once upon a time the jars would have had lids.
Local legend has a different story for the jars, they believe that the area was inhabited by giants who were fighting against another tribe. The jars were made to hold Lao Lao Rice Wine to celebrate their victory. (I prefer this story and would love to hold onto the tale of them all being full of wine)!

We were amazed that, although they were a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they were not protected at all from either locals, visitors or cows, who were able to roam as freely as they want.

Driving around this area shows off just how beautiful the countryside in Laos is. It looks much like an English meadow. That is, until it is explained. All over one can clearly see the round 'poc-like' orange marks and deep craters left by the bombs. They are quite literally everywhere. And the landscape is not naturally this treeless. Huge areas of the land were destroyed by the 'Agent Orange' that was also dropped by the US Government during the Vietnam War to kill all the vegetation so the Viet Cong (communist North Vietnam) could not hide on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The problem with Agent Orange is that its effects last for years (well over 100, in fact) so farming any decent crops in earth that has been exposed to it is near on impossible for a long time. Worse than this is that it also pollutes the water supply for many, many years and leads to deformities in the children of mothers who drink it.

Kenny in an old Russian tank.

We stopped off for lunch by a beautiful lake.

Where we ate noodle soup with spoons made out of old bomb metal.

Near the lake are 2 caves. The first is a Buddha cave.

With many Buddha, most of which have had their heads knocked off to look for treasure inside!

The caves were used as hiding holes from the bombs but also as hospitals. Here is an old hospital bed.

This big stalactite makes a noise as you hit it. The louder the noise, the luckier you are.

View from the mouth of the cave.

The second cave is where many of the hospital beds were.

Still left are the hundreds of empty morphine bottles used for pain relief.


After the caves, we were taken to a small local Hmong village.

Farming is their main trade but the women also weave.

The weavings are wonderful and (for us) so cheap. This young girl had made this for a skirt.

We were lucky enough for them to allow us into their home, one large room built on stilts. They offered us sour plums and water. We were too polite not to accept, and the plums were very, very bitter. The water, we hoped, would not result in a night on the loo!!!

Foam mattress beds dotted around the floor with very basic furniture and a satellite TV and an iron with ironing board. The village had recently got electricity and the first things they bought were the TV, Iron and a Fridge.

With no wallpaper they had brightened up the place by sticking up pages from a calender of Asia women.

The kitchen, a fire pit (with a fabulous fridge).

As I mentioned before, the metal from the bombs is very valuable, which leads to the Lao people often not contacting the bomb disposal guys, but trying to defuse it themselves. Sometimes they are lucky and have the perfect foundations for their houses. There was bomb & tank metal all over this place leading to the name of the 'Bomb Villages'.

The locals were so pleasant to us and looked so happy and content with their lives. Laos people often have huge families of over 10 or so children and one man can have more than one wife leading to mega huge families. Recognising the benefits of birth control, a western doctor decided to provide some Laos tribes with condoms to slow down their birth rate. The doctor was told that he would have to explain how they are used, as the tribes people would never have seen one before and typically put all their faith in witch doctors and not modern medicine. The doctor dutifully explained to all the men, using 2 of his fingers to illustrate how to put on a condom. Checking that everyone understood, he left the village. A few years later, he returned to check the results of his good work. The villagers were not impressed. They had done exactly as he had shown and put a condom onto 2 of their fingers before making love, yet still their wives became pregnant!

I couldn't help wondering how frightened they must have been at the time of the war. They will have had little knowledge or understanding of what it was all about or of the threat there was living on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Most of these people had never seen an aeroplane until they started flying over and dropping bomb after bomb on their tiny, peaceful world. With no means of protection, thousands were killed and thousands have been maimed or killed since. MAG (Mines Advisory Group) works tirelessly to clear the area for these people to get on with their lives safely. I know I sound like an advert, but go and see their website, or even make a donation to support their cause. It is very difficult when you are here not to feel some responsibility for the horrors the western world has inflicted on these people. http://www.maginternational.org/laopdr

A classic Laos barn.

There was a real peace in this area and a stunning beauty. Phonsavan is not regualry visited by tourists and the local town does not boast any luxuries, but it is well worth the trip.

The water buffalo and cows all roam freely, usually across the roads!

Back on the road again and this time to a very different Laos town. At Vang Vieng awaited the Ibiza of Laos...................