Jars, Craters and Tubing

The last few days have been very full, which is why I haven't blogged in a while. I drove by very comfortable mini-van to Phonesavan with four other people: Leslie (who I had Thanksgiving dinner with) a German guy named Karsten and a couple of lovely Kiwis named Nick and Jud (both women). We had the opportunity to stop in a few villages along the way that don't normally get western visitors, which was really nice.

We all stayed in the same hotel in Phonesavan and had dinner together shortly after we arrived. There was a festival happening, so the town was hopping. It was rather like having the ex in town - lots of games for the kids and loud music for the adults. We tried our hand at busting balloons with darts, but all failed to win the prize which was a bottle of Pepsi.

The next day we spent touring three different sites in the plain of jars. These are areas outside of villages where these huge stone jars are lying around. It's kind of amazing that more research hasn't been done on these yet, and very little is known about them. It is assumed that they are over 2000 years old, but they are not carbon-datable, so I don't know how they know that. It is not even known if they are carved out of rock from a local quarry or constructed from a mixture of various things and then fired like pottery. I suspect that they are in fact carved rock and that the kiln theory is just local legend. The use of these jars is equally mysterious, but most people believe that they were used to contain cremated remains much like our urns. Nothing has ever been found in them so it's hard to know. They are hoping to find some unopened ones that may provide more clues. The jars are upto 6.5 tons in weight and stand up to several meters high. The sites are very impressive and have a very peaceful feel and energy about them.

Even more remarkable about this area are the very obvious reminders of the war. The landscape is pocked with bomb craters and discarded ammo is used for everything from house footings to candle holders. It's a pretty scary reminder of what this country has endured in the last 50 or so years. There are still many UXOs (unexploded ordinance) in the area and 800 Loas loose their life to them annually. You certainly don't go off exploring the countryside around here and you make sure that you never step where it's not obvious someone has stepped before you. Unfortunately, many of the accidents happen because the local people actually go out looking for the UXOs to sell the metal for cash.

The plain of jars sites themselves have just been cleared within the last couple of years (thanks to aid from New Zealand) which may be a major reason why more research has not been done in that area. Only three of many sites have been cleared of mines so far. Two other major sites are waiting for further aid money so that they can also be cleared.

Later in the day we visited an old Russian tank which is just lying in a field where it died years ago. We also visited the former capital of the area, Muang Khoun, which is home to a 30 metre stupa and a temple dating back to the 16th century. Both were very impressive, especially the stupa which managed to survived the bombs. Many Beerlao were consumed at dinner that night and there was much merriment among the group.

The next day we were back in the van and delivered to Vang Vieng. Leslie left us here and the rest of us booked into a little guesthouse by the river. Our rooms were side-by-side with a communal deck overlooking the river. We drank gin and tonics and watched the sun go down over the hills - it was really lovely.

This town is a backpacker haven and really offers nothing even remotely Laotian. The restaurants and bars all have TVs in them which blare out all day. One shows nothing but Friends, another shows the Simpsons, another has sports etc. In the evening you can at least see a movie in several of them. These bars are all set up so that you can actually lie down to watch TV. The tables are coffee-table height and sit on raised bamboo platforms. You lounge on the platforms supported by tons of pillows with your legs out under the table. Very comfortable for TV, not so great for eating your dinner. The town exists to provide access to the activities in the surrounding countryside. The karst mountains host a myriad of caves and the rivers provide water sports.

Yesterday the girls and I went tubing in the afternoon which was a blast. A van takes you a few kilometers up the river and drops you off with an inner tube. You sit in the tube and float downstream, stopping regularly at the little bars which have sprung up along the way. Most of them are simply bamboo decks built along the shoreline but there is one very large place about half way down. This reminded us of Daytona Beach during March break and we gave it a miss. Most of the bars have some kind of water fun going on, either zip lines across the river or giant swings that allow you to jump into the water from great heights. All had music playing which had a huge effect on our choices. Bob Marley got us every time. One place we stopped at was a simple little raft in the middle of the river with a couple of guys playing guitar and singing in Lao. We quickly found out this was a "happy" bar, with a joint costing the same as a bottle of beer.

Unfortunately, there isn't really any way to know how far you've come or how much further there is to go, so it's tough to manage your time. We ended up still floating down the river well past dark, which was a bit disconcerting until we saw the lights from town up ahead. At least we knew we couldn't get lost.

We joined up with Karsten again (who I think was convinced that we were going to end up spending the night in a drunken stupor on the river) and went for our second dinner at the only true Laotian restaurant in town. The family who run it are really lovely and had taken us back into the kitchen to answer our questions about their cooking techniques the night before. Their food is awesome. It was an early night for the women who were a bit beered-out and exhausted after our soggy afternoon.

The Kiwis left us this morning . Karsten and I hired a tuk-tuk to take us about 15 kms north of the city to see some caves. They were very cool - one had a stalagmite that looks exactly like an elephant. One of them went 7 kms back into the mountain, but we didn't follow it too far. The final one has a river flowing through it, so you climb into an inner tube to visit it. They have ropes secured to the walls through the tunnel, so you sit in your tube and pull yourself along on the rope. Very fun. We stayed and had a bit of a swim in the pool outside the cave mouth before heading back into town. I had a short walk this afternoon to another cave just south of town.

Karsten is leaving tomorrow morning but I've decided to stay on one more day and likely do some kayaking. It's very hot here, and being on the river is really lovely. Alternatively I can just go and hang out at one of the many bars along the river. They are all basically just bamboo huts and are equipped with hammocks as well as tanning platforms on the river bank and beaches. I plan to head out to Vientianne the following day.