So when I last left off, we checked into our hotel in Phonsavan, and learned that it contained the only elevator in the entire province. We walked down the road to get some dinner, at which time we learned that Phonsavan is FREEZING. It was only fitting then that dinner was noodle soup for all. This was double-fitting, as it was the closest I got to Vietnam for the entire trip, so this was the closest I could get to a pho fix. When we got back, it was time for an early sleep, thanks to the nausea-inducing minibus ride, but not before Gabe booked us a tour guide and van for the Plain of Jars.
If you haven't heard of the Plain of Jars, read about it on Wikipedia.
We set out the next morning around 9:30 AM, after Jesse found his again-missing camera, and after I had to go back to the hotel to get batteries for my newly-dead-batteried camera. We met our guide, and he turned out to be a hilarious Lao dude, who had a passion for...Barry Manilow. Yes, he sand Barry Manilow all day, and we got to listen to it in the car all day. What country were we in, again?
As we arrived at the first Jar Site, I was disappointed to learn that there were many tourist (although this time, it was Lao and foreigners alike). The first site wasn't that memorable, despite being the largest site, and having the largest jar (which I will admit was pretty epic). It was clear that the site was catering to the war-torn recent history, and less towards the beauty of the land. We also walked up a hill to get a view of the jars, and of the valley.
It was a long drive to Jar Site 2, and of course the roads stopped being paved quickly. After stopping at a Whisky Village (locals make "LaoLao" - homemade whisky here), we made it to the second jar site, and had some lunch. I was thrilled to find that there were almost no tourists here - and as I would soon find, we were the only ones there at the time, and had the mystique to ourselves.
After lunch, we hiked up the hill. Jar Site 2 has two parts. The first part was cool, but it was the second part that blew my mind. Words can't really describe what it's like. If you've been to a wonder of the world, I suspect you can relate to how I felt, but I don't know how to describe it. It was only the fear of stepping on a mine that kept me from running down the hills into the endless pastures, and losing myself in it all.
It was a long drive on from there to the third site. We had to walk over the world's sketchiest bridge and then through a farm in order to get to the site.
The third site was unreal. It was like something out of a painting. Beautiful scenery with these mysterious jars, in a patch of trees, surrounded by hillside. I just can't believe how beautiful it was.
Again, to see my Plain of Jars pictures, please visit the Facebook link at the top of the entry. You will not be disappointed.
After we returned to the town, it was time for dinner. We picked another place on the main road, only to find that it had the exact same menu as the place the night before. No matter - we just had more noodle soup, and the world's largest plate of delicious $1 US fried rice.
We then visited the MAG center to learn more about the Secret War. Laos was heavily bombed by the US/CIA after we pulled out of the Vietnam War, and as a result, much of Laos is littered with unexploded ordnance. Phonsavan is one of the most bombed areas. MAG works to free the land of UXO and mines. If you see me wearing my MAG t-shirt, you'll know what it means now :). To put it in perspective, MAG has won a Nobel Peace Prize. Amazing.
An example of what was at one point UXO:
It was time to leave Phonsavan the next morning. But before heading out, we got to walk around town, see the morning food market. At lunch, I finally got to try the "other" Laotian beer - Namkhong. It was pretty good, not really better or worse than the ubiquitous BeerLao.
We caught our ride to the airport, and were dumbfounded by what we saw. The "terminal" was essentially a shack.
The security machine didn't work.
There was one flight out of the airport every three days or so.
With a couple hours to kill, we decided to walk to the food shack next door and have lunch - chicken flavored peanuts (surprisingly good) and BeerLao.
The next couple hours, including the plane flight to Vientiane are rather hazy, but many good laughs were had at the absurdity of this airport. We walked up to a gate to watch our plane land - but seriously, walking onto the tarmac would've been totally easy to do. And thus we traveled on to our last stop in Laos - the capital city of Vientiane.
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