15 November, Phonsavan
Jennida Guest House 80,000LAK

Scattered in the landscape near Phonsavan are thousands of megalithic jars hewn from a rock quarry and hollowed to hold the dead. The jars are dated to the Iron Age (500BC to 500AD) and vary in height and diameter from one to three metres. We took a tuktuk to the Plain of Jars Site 1, an extraordinary place to visit. Since the site was cleared of UXO (unexploded ordnance), it has become a popular tourist destination and Phonsavan town makes a great base to explore the area, offering good restaurants and pubs and accommodation. In the late afternoon we visited the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) visitor centre and watched their excellent movie on clearing UXO in Laos. Ten people are injured or killed every day by UXO around the world. Wikipedia: “Between 1964 and 1973, Laos was subject to the most intense bombing raids ever by US bombers (see Secret War). In this period, the US dropped more ordnance on Laos, and particularly on the Plain of Jars, including 262 million cluster bombs, than it dropped during World War II. 80 million failed to explode and remain a deadly threat to the population. The large quantity of UXOs (unexploded ordnance) in the area, especially cluster munitions, limits free movement. All over the plain evidence of the bombing raids can be seen in the form of broken or displaced jars and bomb craters. Sightseeing on the Plain of Jars can only be done on cleared and marked pathways.” 

Plain of Jars

Plain of Jars

Plain of Jars

Plain of Jars

Plain of Jars

Plain of Jars

Mines Advisory Group