Phonesavan - Plain of Jars

We arrived into a very wet Phonsevan in Laos, very excited to see the mysterious & largely unknown, Plain of Jars.  We quickly placed our bags in a dirty, cob-webbed $25 room & set out to explore.  Our driver took us to the Plain of Jars site 1, about 15kms from town.  There are over 60 sites in this region including the 3 main sites, 1, 2 & 3, although the general consensus seemed to be to visit Site 1 or Site 3.  We chose Site 1 with a large number of different-sized & varied-shaped jars in 3 different areas of the site, some with lids.  It also has a cave which was a burial area with an altar.

The Plain of Jars are ancient stone jars, amazing to look at & really quite bizarre.  They have only been studied a couple of times in modern history; in 1930 & in the 1990s.  Local theories range from the ordinary to the bizarre to explain the presence & purpose of the jars.  The most discussed reason is ancient burial chambers.  This area was on ancient trading routes & was a wealthy area.  Many of the jars were adorned with jewels, trinkets, glass beads etc.

A large visitor centre & people-movers are in place at the entrance to Site 1, made possible by a contribution from the New Zealand embassy.  The jars at this site are set amidst bomb craters.  This area was one of the most-bombed sites in the Vietnam war as bombs were dropped over this & surrounding Laos sites when planes were moving back & forth from Vietnam. It is known as the 'Secret war.'  Walking through Site 1, you have to keep to the paths marked 'No Live Ordinances' as there is still a lot of Unidentified Ordinance (UXO) that has yet to be cleared.  This clean-up process has been stalled because the US funding has been cut.  Hmmm, Laos wasn't in the war & the US dropped the bombs; there are still deaths every year as farmers & others move about this area, surely the money should be available?

We were pursued throughout the site by several Laos who wanted to have photos with us standing on the burial sites or in front of the jars which was a little surreal.  It was further quite odd that these jars are as mysterious as Stonehenge, older & are not at all protected, except for some signs with rules of behaviour listed on them.  While it will be sad when these jars are more protected, if they are to last, they will need more effective means of conservation.

There is evidence of the secret war everywhere in Phonesavan.  Bars use weapons for decoration, for flower pots, for lights.  There are overt constant reminders of the Vietnam war everywhere, one of the worst kept secrets in history.

Top 5
1. We were delighted to see these jars & enjoyed walking around the plains.
2. Being in the presence of things so old & so mysterious is humbling.
3. It was a very freeing experience being at this site, it is open & one can touch, look & stay as long as one would like
4. We stayed on the paths & were thankful for the directions & happily left the site without any UXO sighted
5. The resourcefulness of the Lao people is evident in repurposing of war ordinance