Phonsavanh area


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Asia » Laos » North
January 31st 2009
Published: February 17th 2009
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31/1/09

Again...spend another sunny day on long bus trip yesterday, left the station by 8:30, and we rolling on mountain top for long time, pass the ViengTong junction then we stop at NamNeua for lunch, a nice little village with 2 guesthouse. A lot of girls did weaving in front of their house. Carried on we entered XiengKhouang area, the land lived mostly Hmong people. A huge plateau appeared when we approaching MoungKham, from there to the east will get to the Vietnam border, we turned right heading to Ponsavanh 50km away. The whole trip was travelled on paved road in good reasonable condition, we arrived Phonsavanh(@1100m) at about 6pm. Jumped off the bus before it carried on to the station 3km away. Load of guesthouses and hotel, picked the cheapest and settled in, very tired with no reason, stay in early and see what would come tomorrow.
"3.1 km to the tourist information center" the road sign indicated. What on earth do a information center would located 3 km away from the town center? Perhaps I could shred some lights, because they hardly could tell you anything as no one could barely pass simple english test. But they did printed out most of the info about sights and background knowledge, so...you are not supposed to got any questions to ask I guess, anyway...a good place to do some reading and kill some times. They did hand out a print of do-it-yourself day trip around town, followed some of its suggestion I went all the way to the Mulberries silk farm, where they would showed you the procedure of how their products produced, Mulberries now became a rather famous brand in Lao handicraft industry, they provided job for women in the village and also preserved the traditional weaving technique with its unique patterns. They grow the silk worms, together with handmade and nature dye, their name went big. Behind their farm house is a small hill, up there you could enjoy the view of the area, like the info said, around town there are many small hills like this where you could hike up for sunset. Near the Mulberries farm is the long distance bus station, almost 4km from town, half way back there was the Phonsavanh market , mostly for dried goods and clothes, including Hmong's dresses and jewellery, and nearby was another section infested with Chinese, sell the same kind of junk like everywhere they went, defected and bad quality goods or used clothes. Most of the time they just gathering gambling with cards. There was also a market place right in town, "the bus station used to be just right across the road" one local said. This market sold meat, vegetables and foodstuffs, a good place to hunted for breakfast as I did, they had kind of noodle like padthai but without any ingredient, plain glass noodle, sprinklering with shred spring onion, poured over with hot and sour syrup ,then toped up with fried meat-balls. Of cause you would find the usual fro and kao. But my favourite would be the grilled sticky rice-bar which was pre-soaked with egg and bean pasted, wonderful taste! The best place to eat cheap are with the local, the diner at the Phonsavanh market served foods on top of plate rice, just like the way in China, you got couple of different dishes in one plate, and it asked only 6000 from you, if rice not up to your taste, they got noodle soup too, a good place to watch childern ran errands for their parents to buy tom-som back home. Dinner could find the same in town, 2 families setup couple of aluminium bowls in front house, you pick whatever you like, just told them how much you want for each and the woman would scooped the equivalent quantity for you, simple! One of the must do in town was the MAG info center, where they exhibited thing about the UXO, and by 17:00 and 18:30, they had documentary film on show, very informative(I think the America should do more about this). For USD$10(kind of donation) you could get a t-shirt and some post cards for memory.

Note
Bus SanNeua to Phonsavanh
Small bus 60000kip 8:30
Big bus 70000kip 9:00 & 12:00
VIP bus 80000kip 14:00

1/2/09

Find out there was a Sunday market about 30km away, but no luck in finding any transportation in acceptable price yesterday, "100000!" they all demanded. I tried those Chinese vendors, "too cold in the morning, I don't want to get ill" some said, and they guaranteed I wouldn't see much dressed tribe people. So...switched my plan to joined a tour for the plain of jar. Who made those jars and what it's for were still mystery ,and 120000kip seem like the standard price for touring the 3 sites could provided more info, and with additional trip for different stop, we had a lao-lao village and a Russian's tank remain stop. Not much to talk about the jars, you could find all the info you need in the net, perhaps seen too much pictures before, no surprised in seeing the real one, and it actually are not something huge, most of them no more than 1.6m height ,the highest should be around 2 meter. So...a lot of individual were capable to produced the jars, made the possibilities of their usage more difficult to guess.
Actually you could visited the site by yourself, not like it mention that one need to hired a guide. So... You could just rented a bike and DIY! And in my humble opinion, just visited site 1 was good enough, not much different with all the other two. And don't worried too much about the so call better atmosphere on other sites, those kind of scene could be easily find around Phonsavanh area. Save yourself time to do some other thing. If you do want to see all the jars site, ask the guide walk you from site 2 to site 3 instead of go by car, an hour nice walk.
Find out another lovely food in the market this morning, the stream rice-roll, never got enough of these, especially when they got the crispy garlic shreds. It would became the MUST for breakfast in Phonsavanh. Went up the cemetery hill for sunset after the tour, surprised to seen a Chinese hero graveyard occupied the top of the hill. Why on earth they erected a monument like this in Lao soil? The inscriptions said 5 heros got kill during the American bombing while doing cultural and economic activities in Lao, woahhh...and that made them a hero??!? anyways...the sunset view was fine, and there were many hilltop like this around town, should try the other next day.

Note
Entrance fee for site 1 is 10000kip
Entrance fee for site 2 & 3 is 7000kip

There actually public transportation run between Phonsavanh and Pakksan.

And bus to Vinh in Vietnam depart every 2 days.

Internet 200 kip/min

3/2/09

Muang Khoun(@1075m) is another drive-thought town in the middle of the road, but it was actually the old capital of XiengKouang district, but most of the buildings and structures were being destroyed during the war, now only little remain, the 1564 built Wat Piawat perhaps the only highlight, a sitting budda status still erected around couple of peeling columns. reminded me of Sukhothai in Thailand. You could still evidenced the bullet holes on the budda's body, one quiet obviously on the forehead. The That Foun stupa on the small hill still kept its shape, it was built in 1576, but most of the exterior decorated had been gone, the horrible thing that kept happening was kids pulling out bricks from inside of the stupa, just for fun, it was sad to saw the intestines of the stupa laying around wasting, looked at the hole that bored through the tower, perhaps the stupa won't be there after 10 years. Also the hollowed hole inspired kids blew off fire-crackers inside to created dramatic echo sound of explosion. One more internal breeding! Not far away is the That Chompet built around the same time as That Foun, but was destroyed by bumbing, and now only the weeds covered base platform could still be seem. You could view the whole area on this small hilltop.
2.5 hrs walked out of town on the dusty road to BanPhai, where a small jars site hidden on a small hill. But looking for the jars need some luck as there was no sign, how I could made the local understand what I was looking for? I need to blew the shape of a jar with both my arms, "jar, jar" I would said, most of the people figured it out with no problem, and all pointed uphill, so I walked and walked, nothing! Then I saw a group of young man coming down the path, again...pictured it with my arm, but they didn't seem to understood, suddenly I remembered I got the jars photos in my camera, called it up and showed them. A hurray... "hat-hin" they all cried out, now I learnt the word for the jar! They pointing their fingers back down the road, but also indicated more up the road for about 10km. No thank I followed them back down. They were Hmong," going to market in town they said. after showing me a tour in where the jars were hiding they hurried down the hill with a quick "goodbye"...in english! Nothing special about the jars here, small and less in number, but gave a good hike out excuse.
The area are full of rice paddy, so instead of walk on the dusty road, I went inside the field and let the ridge lead me to wherever its end.
You might met people in character everywhere you travel, Mr Chongsom in MuangKhoun was one of those, 64 years old and retired teacher, I hope I got everything right because to be honest ,I couldn't understood most of the thing he was talking about. Same go to him when I asked him something, he just"yes, yes", and I didn't think he understood any. He could speak French as he was studied in a french school before the war. After the war because he had foreign language skill so he was assigned to education department and became a teacher ,he like to learn ,so all the time he would wrote down notes on his note pad, "I learn english by myself , reading dictionary everyday"he said. Not just english, once in awhile he fired out a phrase of Chinese"zei-zei", or shooting out a few words of Japanese .He could kept talking and talking, flying through time, suddenly yesterday ,suddenly back to the old day, about all his teachers in the french school, everyone he had mentioned was good hearted, good man. It must be great to lived in his world. "do you understand Jim Bon" he suddenly asked., Whatttt...? "the American, Jim Bon! "he tried again "he fly...can jump out the sky...have parachute...anywhere happen, he go. He go Japan, he go to China, Jim Bon, good man, good heart"! Now I knew he asked me do I know James Bond. But seem like the Jim Bon was being hijacked from Britain to America, a good laugh. Looked at Chongsom changing subject again, I think he was just lonely, need someone to listen to him.
What would I be like when I were his age? Perhaps more miserable I guess!

Note
There was an entrance fee 7000kip for all the sites in MuangKhoun. Obtain from the guesthouse restaurant across from the market. They sell you the ticket only if you ask. There is no one checking ticket in all the sites.

4/2/09

Never could understand why the Lao would start their market before 5am! Because of the rooster orchestra outside my room, I went out to the market place by 5am, dots of torch light flashing in the dark, already...people started marketing! Look closely, only the vendors sitting on the floor, fighting off the cold in the morning hour, no customers yet. Why not sleep an hour more and start your business later? Aiya! In China old day, we used to have market begin in dark hour, midnight or early in the day. Because all those merchandise are stolen goods or defected, so it will be earlier to sold out in the dark. People call it "the ghost market". I came back out by 7 after some sleep, no, the MuangKhoun market was another disappointment, although I knew most of them were Hmong, but they all dressed like Lao, only one woman dress in Hmong, the belt and aprons but no headdress, and the small embroidered panel on the back of her neck showed her identity.
I was walking from the bus station back in Phonsavanh town, suddenly I noticed that there wasn't people walk on the road in Lao town, instant rerun most of the images from last 2 weeks, no...I was the only one all the time. They all drove their own 4WD truck, motorbike or rode on transportation, even the worse got a bicycle, I thought the Lao were very poor or... was I really that cheap? But what's wrong with walking? It was a good exercised and save money. I mean if time permitted and in acceptable walking distant, I would sure pick on foot!
Phonsavanh perhaps the only border town in northern Lao had money changer on the street, not in SamNeua, not in Phonsali, not in Oudomxay and not in Hoixay. "They are all Hmong" they Chinese said, doesn't matter who they are, but why only happened in Phonsavanh? No idea. Could be the regular bus service between Vietnam brought opportunities I guess.
On the bus rode back from MuangKhoun I saw a team of MAG checking for UXO on the rice field. Still...after more than 30 years, its still haunt the Lao. And now I understood why the huge plain of XiengKhouang plateau was only coated by weeds and grass! And since arrived Phonsavanh, I wasn't dare to wandering around out of the main clear trail. I never thought about bomb hidden under bushes or grass before, but now...aiya...sometimes when you learn too much wasn't do any good. I used to walking free and in pleasure!
Last day in Phonsavanh, not much to do. Picking on a tourist guide leaflet, in the health section something about mosquito, it said "avoid the female and used more repeller so and so... ", but...how could I know it is a male or female mossi? Mostly they will just end up flat on my palm before I could ask them! a laugh!

Note
Bus Phonsavanh to Luang Prabang 75000kip


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