The dangers of traveling through this area at this time of year is that a full bodied thunderstorm always seems imminent and sure enough we awoke this morning to thundering rain. We were a little disappointed as we only had one day to explore the surrounds of Phonsavan and we had travelled a hell of a long way to get here.

Luckily after breakfast the skies dried up enough for us to make the decision to rent a scooter and head out exploring. Our scooter riding had been pretty successful so far so this time we decided to share one rather than going independently but on top of this we were also given a semi automatic which meant that not only did I have to adjust to carrying extra weight on the back but had to change gears too. Luckily no problem.

The town of Phonsavan was pretty new as it had been completely destroyed during the American war and while riding around the town we couldn’t help but notice a lot of pretty flash cars. There were almost as many dual cab utes as back in Australia! We chatted to a local restaurant owner who confirmed that there was certainly a large gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” here in Laos and the more we looked the more we noticed it. There is really quite a gap in the economic well being of people here. Some live in huts with mud floors growing rice by hand while others drive their dual cab Hiluxes around and live in modern houses.

We left the town of Phonsavan behind us and headed out towards the Plain of Jars which is the most famous sight in this area. There are around 2500 large jars scattered around the area and they were estimated to have been made in about 200 AD to 500 BC. Beyond this not much else is known. There are guesses as to whether they were used as burial tools or for food offerings to the gods.  

The first site we arrived at was out in the middle of nowhere and while it was impressive seeing the huge jars just sat there in the middle of the field the really noticeable features were the bomb craters scattering the area. Couple this with the fact that the paths we were walking on were marked with signs indicating that they had been cleared of unexploded bombs really brought home the horrific suffering these people still endure all these years after the war. We wondered as we were walking around whether we would be taking a trip through Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria or North Korea in the future and witnessing suffering of innocent people, plaques making sure we don’t perform any more atrocities and agencies set up which we in the West give money to in order to help. One things for sure we won’t ever learn.

Anyway the skies were about as gloomy as the thoughts as we jumped back on the scooter to head to another site of jars and once again it was quite cool to see the jars and this time we were all alone which added to the sense of discovery.  

The skies had opened by this point so we took shelter until the worst had passed then continued down the road to a village which was marked on our map as a village of spoons. As we got closer the standard of road deteriorated quite rapidly and we were soon slipping around on a muddy dirt track which certainly tested the riding skills but luckily we got to the village in one piece.

The village was just a series of wooden huts on stilts surrounded by rice paddies. The locals make extra money by collecting fragments of the bombs around the area and melting them down and making spoons to sell to tourists. Needless to say we are now the proud owners of some Laos spoons and Sarah has some bangles too. We were pretty happy to give some money to these people and we will certainly always remember where the spoons came from.

The ride back was pretty bleak as we were huddled in raincoats on the scooter both pretty uncomfortable and both realising that scooters were great for short trips but lost their appeal after an hour of riding around!

Phonsavan wasn’t on any original list of places we intended to visit but we are both glad that we have been able to visit here. The people have been lovely and friendly in a seriously laid back fashion. The surrounding area is stunningly beautiful and incredibly untouched. It certainly has got us excited about our visit to Laos. T

The first site of the Plain of Jars with the bomb craters.

It would be interesting to find out what these were actually for.

A cave within the area had a couple of shrines within it where offerings had been made including cigarettes!

The sobering, and hard to see, MAG markings which denoted a safe path.

Travelling between the sights we were certainly still a bit of a novelty for the children.

Slightly more mysterious second site.

Further down the road and we were into the local villages.

Our trusty scooter and the muddy roads.

Where our spoons were made.

The family we bought the spoons off of.

The surrounding scenery was spectacularly beautiful, if only the weather had matched it.