The Secret War

Hi
Sorry we have not been around for the last couple of days but we have been on a road a little less travelled and as a consequence have not been able to get to an Internet cafe very easily.

Some of the more interesting food items for sale at the side of the road

Saturday we left for Phonsavan and were picked up at 8.30 by the minibus service which is the more reliable & intimate bus route available in Laos. Of the 11 seats taken 8 were travellers and 6 those were Brits (and two lovely Dutch girls) so we all bonded on the 8 hour journey through the beautiful Luang Prabang region into Xieng Khouang where lofty mountains and snaking rivers were replaced by green hills and pine forests. We arrived in the middle of Phonsvan  for a change so agreed on guest house and arrived there with our best bargaining hats on to be greeted with a opening offer so tempting we just folded and fell into our rooms! (50,000 kip per night or 4 quid).
In case you were not aware this area of Laos is famous for two things. The Plain of jars which is probably one of South East Asia’s most enigmatic tourist attraction. There are over 2000 huge stone jars some up to 3m high and weighing up to 6 tonnes, scattered across several square miles. While most ancient Asian sites, such as the Angkor temples in Cambodia, have revealed many of their secrets, historians & archaeologists are still completely baffled as to where the jars came from, how old they are and what they signify.They are in fact a complete mystery although I do like the locals theory that they were used to produce rice whiskey or Lao Lao as it is know here for a great victory against the Burmese - Some party!!

Couple of cute girls who walked passed as we filled up with petrol!

  The second reason is that whatever its ancient history, the Plain Of Jars has had a turbulent recent past, thanks to its proximity to the North Vietnamese border, the fact that some of the Ho Chi Min trails ran close by, this area of Laos became of key significance during the Cold and then Vietnam War and so was carpet bombed by the Americans. Laos holds the dubious record of being the most bombed country in the world, despite never officially being involved in the Vietnam war at all and has been unofficially dubbed as the secret war. The legacy of the war is still being felt, with farmers and their families regularly being killed or injured by the unexploded ordnance which still litters the Plain. The Jars have been fully cleared of all UXO (unexploded ordnance), but not straying from the designated paths remains imperative!! This is certainly one of the only times I have done as I have been told!!

 Anyway less of the national geographic lesson and back to our story  - we went down to the high street which resembles something akin to a modern day western with a wide street and low buildings on either side. All that was missing was the tumbleweed! We found a good tour company & once again using our buying power., managed to secure a very good deal, then off we trundled to the cinema!! This was not really a cinema it was a room in the back of the MAG (Mines Advisory Group) building where they showed a number of films/documentaries about the was in Laos. We saw one entitled Bombies and I have to say I was amazed at what this little country has and continues to go  through just for being in the wrong place - literally! It was quite moving & not one of us really wanted to chat after the movie so we wondered around the lobby for a while where there was an exhibition supporting what we had seen.  A light 'sober' dinner then off to bed for us. 
A slightly dry post tonight but more fun will follow
Thanks for looking
Sara