Phonsavan

I went to Phonsavan before bussing up to Luang Prabang. I joined a tour at my guesthouse that included the Plain of Jars, a bomb crater field and the "bomb village". The Xieng Khuang province was the most devastated area in Laos during the US-led "Secret War"; unexploded bombs continue to take lives.

My day began with breakfast at my guesthouse. If you look closely you can see the lone marijuana plant in the backdrop.

The guesthouse owner, Mr. Kong, collected leftover war artillery.

Pineapple bomb.

Bomb Crater. They covered the country side.

Bombie. Children are often victims to the explosions because the bombs are small and resemble a toy or ball.

Another bombie. American pilots would often drop bombs in this area if they missed a previous target rather than landing with the bomb at their home base.

The "bomb village" used leftover war wreckage to stilt houses, create tools and grow onions.

Bomb casings.

Onions growing out of a bomb casing.

We had a parade of friendly village children follow us around. Here are two showing off a monkey.

We trekked to a waterfall and picnic-ed with the food we bought at a local market earlier.

Trekking.


The Plain of Jars. Their origin remains a mystery.

The site we visited had over 200 jars.

MAG stands for Mines Advisory Group. This block signifies that MAG cleared the area of bombs on the white side.

No...I think it's best not to go that way.

That night we had dinner beside a fire (churning in a bomb casing) and chatted with Mr. Kong. He was very opinionated on the politics and NGO's in Laos. He insisted that Laos was neither a communist country nor poor and that NGO's in Laos exploited the country for their own personal benefit. We discussed a wide range of topics; it was refreshing to hear a local's point-of-view.