Gail and John's travels: Laos

The main transport around Laos is by mini van. These are air-conditioned and very comfortable. We did 3 trips by such vehicles paying around USD$12 with luggage on top. Because of road conditions, top speed was often no more that 40 km per hour for most of each journey.

On the way from Vang Vieng to Phonsavan we were pleased to stop at the town of Muang Phu Khun after 3 hours for a half hour break before continuing on for about the same time to Phonsavan.

Our transport at Muang Phu Khun

Muang Phu Khun

Muang Phu Khun market

Muang Phu Khun market stall holder

Being a rather hot country, the pace of life slows down considerably during the heat of the day. Indeed one of the staff at our hotel in Vientiane told us that the PDR in the country's official title of The Laos Peoples Democratic Republic stands for please don't rush, I can believe that!

Muang Phu Khun market

Next stop was the town on Phonsavan. The Plain of Jars being on the next day's itinerary.

There are around 58 sites in the northern part of Laos where there are large jars carved out of granite or other rocks from nearby. Some of these jars are over 2m high and upwards of 1 m in diameter. What they were used for is still open for debate.

We started off visiting Site 3, then 2 and finally finished the day at Site 1 where over 200 jars remain. I will let the photos do the talking and add comments as we go along.

Important safety briefing is first up.

White markers lead to the jars.

During the Vientnam War (1964 - 1973) Laos was part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and as such was heavily bombed by the US. Over 2 million tons of bombs were dropped, 1 plane of load bombs every 8 minutes for 9 years. Over 50% of the country was bombed and lots of cluster bombs fell. Many UXOs (unexploded ordinances) still exist and there are still people getting blown up. Several countries including New Zealand were involved in clearing UXOs as late as 2004. Safe paths are marked around sites such as those on The Plain of Jars.

On the way to Site 3

Bomb craters are to be seen in many places including the site below. Damaged jars close to the craters are there to be seen.

Site 3 (Hai Hin Lat Khai) jars.

Why the jars were made, is still a mystery. French archaeologists have found fragments of human bones underneath the jars at Site 3 but none that could be pieced together to give a complete skeleton. Another theory was put to us when we got to Site 1 later in the day.

Site 3 (Hai Hin Lat Khai)

All 58 sites of jars in Laos, some dating back 2,500 years are on tops of hills overlooking the flat surround plains. The rocks that these jars here are made of did not come from this area as there is no granite. Quarry sites in the hills in the background 8 km away have been identified. It is supposed that elephants were used to drag the stones either before or after they were turned into jars to their final resting place.

Not far from here is "spoon village". Here the local women have crafted an industry making various objects out of aluminium salvaged from aircraft that came down during the long war of the 1960s and early 70s.

The spoon lady

Wood fired furnace

Aluminium being poured in molds.

A freshly cast aluminium bangle

Aluminium products, but not the defused bomb, for sale.

On the way from the spoon village we stopped briefly to see the remains of a Russian tank near to a rather large house. One of the large ones we saw in rural Laos.

Laos farm house

Only the steel shell of the tank remains

The turret must have been blown off and is around 10 m
from the remains of the tank.

After the Russian tank it was off to Hai Hin Phu Salato or Site 2.

These jars shows signs that they may have had fitted lids.

Lunch (noodles and BeerLao if you wanted) being next and then a stop at "whisky village". There are in fact more than one such "village".

A sad event thing happened just before lunch as our guide received a phone call that his brother had been badly injured by a UXO and that there no ambulances to get him to the hospital back in Phonsavan. We are not sure what happened as the guide left us after arranging for some else to take over .

Whisky village complete with satellite dish

Fermenting rice

The rice is left in these jars to ferment for 16 days before being distilled. Judging by the number of jars here a full time job exists for the little lady who showed us that the final product has a high alcohol content - it burnt readily.

The still made form a large drum.

The dish at the on the top of the drum is filled with water and a funnel underneath it collects the distillate that condenses on the bottom of the cold dish. The pipe out the side passes the "whisky" to a collection vessel. The product is bottled in used plastic, unlabelled water bottles. A good lesson in recycling!!!

Having a taste for a good single malt, I refused to taste it as I felt is is an insult to call this whisky . Some of the younger members in our small group were happy to part with 5,000 Kip for a 500 mL bottle. Back on the mini-van their purchases were in distinguishable (by appearance ) from our water bottles!

Last stop was the largest collection (331) of jars at Thong Hai Hin Site 1.

The largest jar at 2.5 m, Thong Hai Hin Site 1

The second theory about why the jars were made around 2,000 years ago was related to us here. It goes along the lines that these sites were reserved for celebrations and that an essentail part of these celebrations was the rice whisky made in the cave in the background. Some of these jars have had lids too.

Around this site too are numerous bomb craters from 1964- 1973. The cave being used as a bomb shelter too.