Jars on the Plain >> Travel: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand 33

Nov 6: Noon, Phonsavan



We slept very badly last night. Our room at the Dok Khoung (DK) was fine, clean and spacious. Unfortunately, we were on the ground floor and the neighbours behind our room were pigs and chicken. That night, the animal farm was particularly lively.

So, this morning, we checked out at the first crack of light and moved to a rather deserted guesthouse down the road. We got a room almost double the size of the one at DK. The place was in need of a good coat of paint and a change of furniture, but it was clean and, mercifully, quiet. The lady proprietor was also nice and reserved, presenting a somewhat less mercenary and sleazy appearance, compared to some of the staff at the more savvy backpacker outfits along the same stretch.

And then, we decided to reward ourselves with a trip to the Plain of Jars. Actually, I had wanted to visit the Jars for a while and since we had finally made it to Laos, I told Annie we simply shouldn't miss this sight.

The way there proved to be rather eventful, an interesting prelude to our destination. We decided to go by jumbo, after several unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a mutually-satisfactory deal with the taxi drivers. But, with a jumbo, we were restricted to only the jars at Site 1, the group nearest to Phonsavan town. That was all right with us as we didn't want to be held ransom by the cabbies. Neither did we want to do a rushed tour of many places in one day, an option the proprietor at DK was very keen to promote.

So, Site 1 it was.

Our driver could not speak English and we spoke no Lao. However, money is a universal language. So, we were able to settle on a fare for the trip.

First, he drove us into the marketplace to a congregation of jumbos. Then, in sign language, he told us we should switch to his friend's bigger jumbo.

Oh dear, that was not part of our initial bargain. We were a little suspicious, but his exhortations sounded most sincere. We switched, he got into the driver's seat and we were on our way again.

Thank goodness for the bigger vehicle. The road was awful, full of potholes. We even splashed across a tiny stream in our bouncing jumbo. I think he took the scenic but bumpy shortcut. After a bracing ride, we arrived spotting windswept hairdos.

As we entered, our driver casually sauntered after us. Once inside, he led the way. Some areas were fenced off. We kept to well-trodden paths. Here and there, we saw small craters, some almost a metre deep, overgrown with grass. Had old ordance blown up in these spots?

The concentration and size of the stone jars are impressive. This part of the countryside is studded with such monuments, whose origins are still debated by academics.

The Plain of Jars is an evocative sight. Like the intriguing puzzles (Stonehench and the Nazcar Lines, for instance) left by other human civilisations, these monolithic containers are another mystery bequeathed by ancestors who walked the land before our time.

Our driver went with us everywhere. He was like a fellow tourist and was very happy to pose for pictures. Many of the jars were broken; others stood like the leaning Tower of Pisa. Several were as tall or taller than a five-foot plus adult. The largest at Site 1 stood at about six tonnes, according the literature we picked up before the trip.

On our way back, we saw a man on clutches minus a leg, another grim reminder that we were in UXO (unexploded ordnance) country. Along the way, warning signs and makeshift wooden fences discouraged the unwary from venturing onto fields which might contained UXO, a deadly present from military aggression.

Budget (for two in kip and USD)

Room >> K50,000
Breakfast >> K16,000
Jumbo & entry to Site 1 >> K50,000
Bus tickets to Vang Vieng >> K110,000
Lunch >> K27,000
Dinner >> K32,000

Next... Puking into Vang Vieng