Phonsavan, Jars and Craters

After a long, winding and gut- churning journey from Luang Prabang we made it to Phonsavan in the east of northern Lao. As recommended by fellow travellers we booked a tour through Kong Keo Guesthouse. We had an amazing day. Firstly we headed to the Plain of Jars (Site 1) which features huge stone jars scattered in different sites throughout the area. The origins of the Jars are still unknown - sarcophagi? wine fermenters? rice storage? A little spooky, a little mystical - kinda felt like walking through an old cemetery.

Next stop was a field covered in bomb craters. A large amount of UXO (unexploded ordnance) still remain in Laos, particularly around Phonsavan. Mainly a result of the the secret war waged in Laos by the US Air force and the CIA. Dozens of people (mainly kids playing) are killed each year from UXO still embedded in rice fields and beneath schools/houses.

As a startling reminder of how Lao people must live we walked past two unexploded 'bombies' left behind by cluster bombs during the war.

We then visited a local H'mong village to see the different ways the locals have made use of bomb casings - fence posts, support beams and garden beds.

Our last stop was the Tham Piu Cave were an estimated 300 people were killed during the Indochina War. A US fighter plane skillfully fired a rocket into a massive, partially hidden cave. Depending on your source of info, it was innocent women and children or wounded soldiers who were killed. Either way it was a tragic event and the massive cave has an eerie and reverentialfeel. Fellow travellers - we highly recommend this less conventional tour.