Tuesday 4 March 2014

A slow start.....I'm beginning my second full day in Phonsavan and the sixth in Laos yet apart from my blog, recording my movements and observations I have yet to post serious tour activity. While my reason for this stems from health issues I'm aware that a healthy list of tourist sites visited would normally be in the bag by now. Is this the day, I wonder, that this visit to Laos really takes off. Of course there's an immediate issue to take care of, namely changing rooms. That takes time despite the fact that Golden Mountain Garden located in Phoukham Resort has sent an electric buggy to collect me. Curiously I decide to take a full breakfast for a change while I plan my day. I've already decided to rent a motorbike and instinctively wish to head off to explore what I came here for. Arranging things is consuming precious time which on reflection should cause me to reconsider my plans more carefully but by 11 am I'm ready to go.
Three point plan.....The plan I've devised, based on the tourist information I was given yesterday, involves three separate locations in Xieng Khouang province. They can all be explored from my base in Phonsavan. Completing the first two would be all I ever hoped to achieve here. Each one will take one day. I cannot be precise with the timing as I plan to travel without a guide. My mode of travel is also questionable, but I've no option considering the cost of private hire, and I'm not aware of a tour group I can join so a motorbike it is. I now decide on the obvious tour circuit.
Plain of Jars.....I've heard about it, I've read about it, I've thought about it, and now I'm here. The Plain of Jars, lying to the south of the city, consists of three separate sites. While the first one is within easy reach, the other two are certainly not. There are a number of other sites of interest on the way.
Jars Site 1.....I head out of the city on the 1E. It's not easy; traffic signage is at a premium in Laos, but I get my bearings from the airport and at km 5 there is a sign to the Jars Site 1. Here, just a few kilometres from the main road is the recently opened visitor centre. From here it's a good ten-minute walk to the principal cluster of jars, but it's already midday. Here I'm not impressed by a few visitors who seem to consider themselves more privileged and seem bent on taking over the site, but I get the last laugh as I make my way around the loop taking in more jar clusters. Nobody follows me; I'm not a spent force just yet! Back at the visitor centre I begin to take in, not only the pre-historic importance of the site but also the effects of the Vietnam War, evidence of which is all around. I must move on.
Jars Site 2.....Back on the main road I look for signs for the other jar sites. At the 9 km marker the sites are indicated with another right turn. What I discover now threatens to send this day trip 'pear shaped'. From the very start the road is unpaved, and I calculate that jar site 2 is 15 kilometres from the main road. I'm committed to this trip now, but it's not going to be easy. Red dust is everywhere lining the roofs of houses as far as 100 metres from the roadway. Every time a car passes or overtakes, a dust cloud ascends depositing yet more dust on everything it can find. That includes me, so I'm glad my helmet has a visor. I persevere but at a cost. It is 2.30pm before I reach jar site 2 by which time I need some lunch. That consumes another half hour but site 2 is easily approached by motorbike. The site itself consists of two mounds. The one to the left is forested, the one to the right less so offering excellent views over the surrounding countryside. Both contain stone jars but unlike Jar Site 1, this site is deserted on my arrival. It's tempting to stay a while, but I must move on.
Jar Site 3.....I press on along the dusty road past homes now constructed principally of wood. How the inhabitants can tolerate the thick red dust that settles everywhere is beyond me. I can only assume that there is a plan to resurface the road, as road-widening has obviously taken place here. Before Jar Site 3 is reached, there is the option to add a more natural feature to this trip. Tat Lang waterfall is just 1 kilometre off the dirt road. Do I have time to take it in? Well, it's just a 50 metres walk but as waterfalls go it's pretty tame and there is a rather pointless entry fee. The backdrop to these falls is disappointing due to construction works in progress to harness the headwaters for hydroelectric power. The red earth excavations, so typical of the area, are an immediate eyesore. There's no point in spending valuable time here as Jar Site 3 is not far away.
Access to Site 3 is via a village where a hut with a counter is located but unlike site 2 There’s a bit of a walk through dusty rice paddies. The 15-minute walk consumes more valuable time. This single jar site is located in a wooded glade with views across the valley and village below. Again the site is deserted. By the time I make my way back across the paddies, the orange sun is hanging low on the western horizon. I must head back.
I can now complete the circuit as a final site is sign-boarded. It's the hulk of a Russia tank. Hardly the highlight of the tour but close to the road so worth a look.
Conclusion.....In the context of this visit to Laos this day has been key to anything I can call success. The principal aim has been achieved. The only site not visited in this sector is the Spoon Village. It's just too far, but it proves the resourcefulness of the folk here in converting war scrap into souvenirs, but what a price they’ve had to pay! I still need to get back to Phonsavan and the sun is just setting as I reach the main road. There is still 9 kilometres to go. Reaching the town before dark is now not possible. By the time I get something to eat its near 7 pm. I'm glad to get back after a long day in which a considerable amount of energy has been expended. To have reached the three main jar sites was incredible. It remains to be seen whether there are any after effects and whether changing rooms has improved comfort and facilities.
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