Northern Laos Part 1

So here is my Laos experience so far. Luang Prabang is composed of charming cafes, resteraunts and the most laid back market in all of Asia. What I like about this country is that the people do not hassle you. They will help you is you show an interest in their tours/handicrafts/food etc but other than that you can walk the streets and enjoy the French colonial architechture, the quite serenity of the Mekong and the buddhist way of life without any hassles.Crepes are in abundance in Luang Prabang, as are beautiful waterfalls (unfortuantely it was raining and we were unable to see these).

From Luang Prabang we went east by mini van (approaximately $15 for 6 hr journey; these really are the best travel option in Laos) to Phonsavan, which boasts the plain of jars. The various distances between towns in Laos are really not that immense, however the mountain ranges in Laos do make for 55km per hour jouneys. This particular trip was excruciating! The winding road and sheer drop made almost everyone sick and as it had started to rain the day the higher we ascended up the mountain the colder it got! Yes it it gets cold in Asia. I had every layer of clothing on possible and even huddling around a coal fire was not sufficient to fight off the (I'm estimating 4 degree) chill.

Phonsavan itself is not a special place, and the cold rain (and cold showers!!) made for a very interesting 2 days. We did visit the plain of jars, which is composed of a series of fields with 'mysterious' jars that were carved out of solid boulders sometime between 300 and 80 BC. No one knows what they  were for but I am with the locals – they were either massive jars of rice wine (none left I checked) or funeral pots. Unfortunately there is a lack of biological evidence to support the latter argument.

Phonsavan also appears to be the centre of the UXO clean up in Laos. There is an information centre which explains that Laos is still relatively poor largely because agriculture and export has stalled. The local people are afraid to farm certain areas due to unexploded ordinance and most have to search for and sell scrap metal (i.e. unexloded bombs) in order to supliment their income. This very often leads to dismemberment and death. During the vietnam war, the Americans dropped, on average (underestimate), half a tonne of ammunition for every person in Laos at the time. Phonsavan is filled with gardens sporting small and large projectiles as ornaments. Although it had stopped raining and we could also see a little sun, we decided to leave this cold and slightly somber place for the backpacker haven of Vang Vieng.