The Plain of Jars - and the legacy of the 'Secret War'

Our driver - Mr Oa - was very punctual and was a much better driver than some we have had. Probably just as well given the roads over which we travelled the next 400 miles. While the highest mountain here may be just over 2500m, northern Laos has to be one of the most mountainous areas that I have ever visited. For the first 120 miles of the drive to Phonsavan - although the road surface was good - we rarely travelled more than 100 metres in a straight line or on the level. Very impressed by the number of falang cyclists who were braving the mountan roads - some even with their weans in tow (literally).

Interesting to see the villages perched on the edge of the mountain sides and the land that they have cleared on the slopes to plant their crops. Since they have little land suitable for rice they are amongst the poorest comunities in the country but still had satellite dishes outside most houses and shacks.

We descended about 1000m to the Plain - which is 1200m above sea level and could immediately see the difference in the lifestyle and prosperity of the villages and the towns we passed. Much bigger farms and a lot of concrete houses - some of them very grand places - as Mr Oa suggested some had made money in agriculture or transport or tourism but the biggest were those who made their money from corruption!

Since Phonsavan was largely wiped off the map by US bombs in the 60's and 70's it was rebuilt in a very communist style with a lot of large concrete buildings along the main street - mostly Chinese / Vietnamese owned hotels and restaurants. Not a place to spend more than a night or two unless your business is construction, or clearing unexploded ordnance.

Our hotel was in the Chinese utilatarian style, a huge soulless place which was good enough for a one night stay -and a surprisingly good breakfast. Our first stop in town was MAG (Mine Action Group International) one of the Charities which is helping to clear some of the huge quantities of explosives left behind by Curtis LeMay's carpet bombing campaign. Have a look at the website to see some of the consequences.

With Mr Oa's help we found a local guide - who spoke good english - to show us the main Jars sites. Local legend says that the jars - up to two metres in height - were used by the previous inhabitants of the plain - a race of giants - to ferment their rice wine while the archaeologists date them to 500 BC and claim that they are funerary jars. I think I prefer the legend - with that much rice wine it would have been one hell of a party!