| PLAINly an adventure!
The heat in Chiangmai was becoming oppressive, and Songkran was right around the corner. Wanting to escape both, Billy and Akaisha Kaderli decided on a trip to the Plain of Jars. Hundreds of jars scattered over extensive rolling grasslands – an appealing history and mystery!
One cannot fly directly from Chiangmai to Phonsavan where the guided tours are available. So we flew Lao Airlines via Luang Prabang, Vientiane and finally to Phonsavan. This route cannot be completed in one day, so we opted to layover both in Luang Phabang and Vientiane, taking advantage of the fine French restaurants and wonderful wines. With a full belly and a pleasant attitude adjustment, we boarded flight no.402, the only flight per day to Xieng Khouang, also known as Phonsavan.
Phonsavan is no metropolis. The airstrip is smooth and straight, but once departing the plane we felt out in the middle of nowhere. At 1,125m elevation, the notably cool breeze from an approaching rainstorm felt delicious, and the bruise-coloured skies told us it would be arriving imminently.
However, our fist step was to check in with immigration. Though we arrived via Vientiane and had not left the country, Laos likes to keep track of foreigners and we had to be ‘signed and stamped’ on each domestic flight.
Near the Post Office. Like everything!
Before long, our baggage arrived from the plane by way of a small pickup truck. Though there were maybe only 20 passengers, the ‘procedure’ quickly became a chaotic free-for-all. Boxes, bags and miscellaneous wrapped items were deposited willy nilly on the floor and we tripped several times as we reached for our backpacks. During all of this bedlam, the local touts were desperately trying to get our attention by telling us about their brand new guesthouse and offering us a ride into town. The advancing storm only added to the drama!
We took the bait from one man who offered a very cheap fare, US$1 for the 2 of us, for the 5km ride into town. The driver turned on his wipers and Vong, the self-appointed guide, began to show us hotels and guest houses along the way. We felt a bit ‘scooped up and harangued’, but with the menacing weather and the obvious desolation of the area, choices were limited.
Initially, we researched a place in the centre of town we made it clear to Vong our desire to see the Plain before we decided on anything else he recommended. After all, we are seasoned travellers and have met pushy vendors before!
Oddly, all the guest houses in town were unable to supply running water for showers since their supply had run out 3 days before. It seemed a bit incongruous with the rain pouring down, as it then was, but how could we argue? We decided on a newly built place called Banna Plain of Jars House, a short walk into town. For $10 a night, we had a good mattress, hot shower, a desk in the room, satellite TV, and a window to the street below. Breakfast was included in the price, served on a lovely terrace overlooking rice paddies with water buffalo grazing casually below. Although it wasn’t the place we researched, it was certainly satisfactory.
After quick arrangements with Vong about a tour to the Plain the next morning, he offered to drop us in town at a restaurant for dinner.
The Sanga restaurant near the Post Office (well, actually everything is near the Post Office) serves an extensive menu of Chinese, Thai, and Laos food, with a few western items. For a couple of dollars you’ll receive plenty of food, though not the same quality as in Vientiane - and the Beer Lao was almost cold.
An early start, to Vong, meant 8.00am. We agreed to a price of $60 per person for one and a half days of his services, which included 3 jar sites, a small village and what’s left of a Russian tank. Lunch, water, a minibus and driver plus entrance fees were all included. The following day we were to go to a Sunday Hmong market and their village of 700 inhabitants.
Vong was right on time. After filling up with petrol, and Vong’s comment: “This is Lao P.D.R. That means, Please Don’t Rush!”, we were on our way. Only about 12kms out of town we arrived at site number one.
Due to its significant location between Burma, China, Vietnam and Thailand, the Plain of Jars has seen extensive warfare from the early 20th century until the 1970’s.
The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has cleared UXO (unexploded ordnance) on these 3 sites only out of the 60 that have been discovered, all located in Xieng Khouang Province. A billboard sized notice explained that the coloured concrete markers at ground level indicate the areas that have been safely rid of explosives for tourists to walk. White shows the area that has been sub-surfaced cleared and red signals an area that has been visually checked only. Our guide highly recommends that we walk on the white areas! Since the removal of UXO was only completed a year ago, neither of us felt compelled to stray off course to test the Laotian healthcare system.
Site One is the largest, both in size and in number of jars available, with 24,000 square meters cleared of 127 unexploded devices. Knowing this gave us a warm feeling inside.
The jars were made during a time when long distance overland trade between India and China was transforming the local societies across this trade route. The jars themselves, weighing over 3 tons each, are carved out of both limestone and sandstone. Some are as tall as 2 meters and are over a meter in diameter. However, this is where fact and fiction part.
No one is certain as to what their purpose was or why they are here, but one theory is that they were used as fermentation jars for the deceased of a prehistoric civilisation. Upon passing on to the spirit world, the body was placed into a jar and left to rot until only the skeleton remained. The accompanying stench of this process might explain why the jars are located on hill tops rather than in valleys. The skeletal remains were then cremated and buried ceremoniously at an offsite location. These mortuary practices of both cremation and secondary burial suggest the sophistication of thought and belief of this ancient civilisation.
To further this theory, a cave is located nearby, with carved out chimneys to create a draft for kilns where human bones and ash have been discovered. This explanation made the most sense to us as compared to local tradition saying the jars were for making rice wine or that giants used them for eating utensils…..
makes for eye-catching landscape and lively conversation.
We continued our tour to Sites Two and Three, the furthest being 34km out of town. At the Third Site we enjoyed our lunch of noodle soup, while the local villagers were testing their sound system for the day’s party. After all, it was Laos New Year too.
Whatever the reason for the existence of the jars it certainly
Refreshed, we made our way to the bombed Russian tank and a rather nondescript village before returning to our guesthouse.
Our general skepticism evaporated. Vong turned out to be not only responsible, but a very well informed guide and attentive to our questions and concerns. In fact, he offered to pick us up at our guest house and take us back to the airport at no charge. He was returning to find his next customers of course, beginning the touring cycle once again.
When you arrive in the airport in Xieng Khouang, if he’s not approached you already, ask for him by name, and he will appear in no time!
Travel Info:
* The total airfares for this trip: 14,625 baht per person, 6 flights on Lao Airlines. The tickets will read Xieng Khouang, which is another name for Phonsavan.
* US$30 each for 15 day Lao visas, paid on entry when you fly, plus you must bring a passport size photo of yourself.
* The Immigration officials take Thai baht and US dollars. Some vendors in town will too. Use up all your Kip before you leave Laos, as you will not be able to exchange them in Thailand. USD in small denominations will prove useful to you in any of the cities or towns in Laos.
Vongsavath ‘Vong’ Doungdara, travel guide: mobile tel: 856-20 5661217, 7661217 This is Vong’s personal mobile phone number and can be reached here at any time. His command of English is quite good. He speaks English, Lao, and the local hilltribe dialect.
Banna Plain of Jars House, Road 07, Ban Tuern, Paek District, Xiengkhouang, Lao PDR, tel/fax: 856-61212484, mobile: 856-20-2482816, e-mail: chansmon@laotel.com (Vilai Thipphavone, general manager). Photo top right!
The Maly Hotel has possibly the best food in Phonsavan. It is a short distance out of the centre of town, but is worth the tuk tuk drive to have lunch or dinner. Maly Hotel, Ban Phonsa, Paek District, Phonsavan, Xiengkhouang, Lao P.D.R. P.O. Box 649, tel: 856-061312031, fax: 856-061312031, mobile: (856) 0202203355, e-mail: sousathp@laotel.com
More about the authors (who also took all the photos here)? See: www.RetireEarlyLifestyle.com
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