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Published: October 14th 2009
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Be prepared this is a biggie!
So I'll pick up where I left off and that is in a small town called Phonsavan in North East Laos where in lies 'The Plain of Jars'...
Across dozens of sites these ancient 'jars' are scattered with no particular design, they vary in size and shape and only a few of their lids remain - the others presumably destroyed one way or another. The jars themselves are interesting enough, dating back 2500-3000 years, there has been no discovery of their use. A few guesses are that they once contained human remains, or were perhaps used to store water or whiskey. They remain an archaeological mystery to this day. Once you've seen one site, you've pretty much seen them all although the 3rd was probably the best with fantastic views of the surrounding rice paddies. During the tour, Kane - our teeny tiny tour guide with excellent English also showed us several bomb craters left by the USA between 1964-1975. During this time the US dropped 2,096,100 tons of bombs on Laos. The country is still scattered with UXO (unexploded ordnance) and until land is cleared and made safe it can't be used
which has made Laos' progress and development extremely slow and expensive. Next stop on the tour was an old Russian tank. The tank, left by Laos' communist friends was presumably used in the civil war between the Pathet and Non-Pathet Laos, although when we asked further questions Kane became rather quiet, it turns out it's actually illegal to discuss this now. However we know that the Communists won that one and Laos became what it is today - Lao PDR (People's Democratic Republic), ironic.
The following day we left Phonsavan as it is a bit of a one horse town with only the Jars of interest and not a decent meal to be had anywhere! Another 8 hour mini bus journey and we were in Luang Prabang. The city is the former capital and since 1995 a UNESCO World Heritage city. It's a beautiful city with shuttered French buildings and paper lanterns lining the streets. We spent our 1st evening at the night market where the roads are cleared to make way for dozens of Hmong tribes people selling their wares. All the stalls sell pretty much the same thing: paper lanterns, slippers, bags, silks and other hand made
souvenirs. It's a very good atmosphere and the stall owners are all very friendly. Behind the stalls is a Wat decorated with paper dragons and lit up with multi coloured lanterns.
The next day was unfortunately a day of homesickness for me. We moved hostels and went for a few drinks in the evening, i realised i'd forgotten to put mosquito repellent on and got 12 bites in about 1/2 an hour! Not a lot else happened.
The following day we got up early ready for a swim, we walked miles (again) in search of the hotel with a pool, when we eventually got there it turned out to be a hotel of extreme luxury and the pool only open to guests - not yucky backpackers! Back to the tourist information office (they'd sent us there in the 1st place) and then on a different route to a 2nd hotel. Once more it was a luxury hotel and no outsiders welcome! One thing we have discovered is that Laos people will very often give you false information if they think it's what you want to hear. It seems that the tourist info is in fact of no use
to tourists at all! After a serious waste of a day we ventured to the bowling alley - I wasn't ready to give up after Vientienne! I came 1st in the 1st game! and then last in the next......As luck would have it a tuk tuk was waiting for us when we left the alley, after negotiating the price at 40 thousand Kip (about 3 quid - quite pricey really) we jumped in and were dropped off near to a great little bar called Hive near our hostel. I handed the driver a 50k note and as he distracted me with talking and offering me weed (something most Laos tuk tuk drivers seem to do on the side) he switched my 50k note for a 5k claiming this was what I'd given him and demanding the rest of the fare. I'd seen him do it without realising and argued with him until he got out of the tuk tuk. We all started to feel quite intimidated, he'd also cunningly parked in the dark, away from the bar entrance and the people. Eventually I managed to persuade Andy and Susan to walk away and we did so 10k down but with
our faces in tact! We managed to catch his tuk tuk number - 1850 - but decided there was little point telling anyone as it would undoubtedly be ignored or forgotten.
The next day - 9t Oct we went on an organised trip to a nearby waterfall a 1/2 hour drive through more stunning backdrops. There were lots of tourists there but it was beautiful none the less and not altered by the land slide there a few years ago. The water was lovely and clear so we took a dip before heading back via a small bear sanctuary where some sun bears rescued by poachers live. In the evening we went to a lovely little place called L'estranger (exactly as it sounds) to sip some red wine and watch a movie.
On the 10th we went to the Royal Palace Museum which apart from the lack of literature was the best museum we've seen so far in Laos. It contains a variety of royal art and furniture and takes you through the Royal rooms with the furniture and pictures still there. The Royal family were exiled in 1975 when the communists took over. Later on we went
to a photography exhibition by German photographer Hans Georg Berger about the life and practices of a monk - very good.
Over the next few days we climbed a very high hill known as the sacred hill with an extremely impressive view from the Wat at the top of both the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. We took a boat across the mekong to see Luang Prabang from above at sunset from a disused Wat called Wat Chom Phet - a must if you come to Luang Prabang. And we have been an hour up the Mekong in another boat to see the Pak Ou caves. There are 2 caves set in limestone packed full of Budda culptures, this is apparently where unwanted Buddas are put. It had a very spooky quality about it and is also the most Buddas we've seen in one place so far!
Since then we've been doing lots of reading and relaxing and playing poker in the evenings. Tomorrow is our last day in Luang Prabang, while we will have been here a record 10 days it's been thoroughly enjoyable. It's now time to close another chapter and move forwards once more to
the bustling city of Hanoi, North Vietnam. We hope to find Vietnam recovering after the recent typhoon and look forward to a new country and new cultures.
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Alys and Stu
non-member comment
hello
beautiful guys, it sounds lovely there and the photos are amazing. Thanks for the update and enjoy Vietnam, love Al and Stu xxx