The Plain of Jars

Kirsten and I journeyed by local bus from Laung Phabeng through the mountains to Phonsaven. Although the bus was basic it was one of the most enjoyable Asian bus rides so far. Extremely comfortable except for my dire need for a toilet a few hours into the trip. When at last I could no longer stand the pressure in my bladder I tried to convey to the bus driver's assistant my need for a pit stop. Moments later the driver pulled over, waved around and said "okay, toilet!" I ventured just far enough from the road to be hidden from view. Echos of warnings read in guide books about unexploded bombs found in the countryside were running through my head. The other notable aspect of our bus trip was the army escort on the bus carrying a gun. He was there to deter bandits looking to hijack the bus. But it wasn't just the army personnel that were armed but civilians also carryied massive guns. Strangely the presence of all these firearms did not make me nervous in the least.

We weren't long in Phonsaven before realizing were experiencing a different side of Laos. It was not exactly off the "backpacker trail" but there were definitely fewer tourists than Luang Phabeng. The real difference was the grim reminders of the "secret war". The below picture was the "sculpture" in the garden of our guesthouse.

The owner of our guesthouse, Kong Keo, is very anti-government and told us many stories of how corruption has plagued his country. He believes Laos is a classic example of communism not functioning effectively. He warned ominiously that as affluence for a select few increases the Hmong and other disadvantaged mountain people are likely to revolt

Everyone who comes to Phonsaven visits the Plain of Jars, which are massive stone containers that remain a perplexing mystery. The government has not allowed archaeologists to study the sites since the 1930's so little is known about them. Bones found in the jars have been dated at more than five hundred years old. But it is possible the jars are much older than that. The most widely held belief is that the jars were funeral urns where bodies were left to decompose. Later the bones would be removed for a separate burial elsewhere.

In between visiting the jar sites we stopped at some local villages. The basic houses were made using parts of bomb casings.

Back at the guesthouse, Kong prepared a number of traditional Laos dishes. Everything was eaten family style as we sat on cushions at short wicker tables. Each person was given their own lidded wicker basket filled with sticky rice. Portions of rice are rolled into golf ball size mounds and then dipped into the sauce of the dishes. We also "enjoyed" a couple rounds a lao-lao, a strong rice alcohol that is similar to whiskey. Although I did not take to the strong drink it is quite rude to refuse a drink offered to you in Laos.

Kong is one of the best and most intriguing guesthouse owners I have encountered on this trip. He is genuinely welcoming and one doesn't get the feeling he is only putting in the effort to entice you to spend more money (as is so often the case while traveling.) He opened the guesthouse with money he received by selling a rare butterfly to a Japanese bug collector for $10,000 USD.

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