Where dinosaurs walked..

We saw something incredible today - dinosaur bones that were uncovered in Savannhaket in Laos between 1990 and 2000.  There are 5 dinosaur grounds in this area and each has been excavated.  The bones are on display in a purpose-built, small museum.

The Musee des Dinosaurs is a joint French & Laotian enterprise housed in the Department of Science and Technology.  Locating the building is almost as difficult as locating an extinct dinosaur and we suggest a little more money be spent on local promotion as none of the (many) locals we asked had ever heard of this place when asked in English, French or Lao.

The museum also had some meteorites which were very beautiful.
We were provided with a little tour by the Director of the museum who was understandably very proud of his work. There were some hand-drawn posters with typed headings, of evolution and dinosaurs which were beautiful and interesting.

Seeing this place had all of the elements of a very joyful travel moment - an interesting journey to get there; interaction with locals to help our quest; discovery at the moment we were going to give up; a lovely encounter with an enthusiastic custodian; and then a real one-off in terms of the actual site and experience.  Thank you Musee des Dinosaurs.







Top 5
1. Seeing extinct, unique, powerful and magnificent bones
2. Meeting the Director of the Museum who was rightly, so enthusiastic and proud of his display and so welcoming of us wanting to experience it
3. Being given the opportunity to appreciate with a sense of wonder the proximity that this region had to actual dinosaurs.  In this case, dinosaurs are not just museum exhibits but neighbours.
4. Seeing a meteorite up close was interesting and provided fodder for us to discuss evolution and what happened to the dinosaurs.
5. Having the tenacity to continue our own search to locate this place.  Sometimes when travelling the practicalities of too many long, hard days in a row may mean that you decide not to make the extra effort to see something that can really yield an incredible moment. We are glad we did!