Phonsaven is known for 2 things:
1.
It is home to the "Mysterious Plain of Jars". The whole area is
scattered with massive carved out stone jars. Nobody knows what they
were for but the best guess at the moment is that they were funeral
urns.
2. It is the centre of the most bombed province in the most bombed country in the world.
During
the Vietnam war the Americans dropped more than 270million cluster
bombs over Laos (despite the fact that Laos was neutral) between 1963
and 1974. Unfortunately 30% never detonated, meaning farming or even
walking around in the countryside here is a hazardous business.
As
well as much chilling and eating we spent the first day here exploring a
site of jars. We then spent the second day visiting the MAG (mines
advisory group) centre learning about the secret war. Check out:
Who
put it far more eloquently than I could. The guy working at the centre
was from a local village and had been trained to do bomb disposal,
working in the fields for over a year. Pretty harrowing stuff.
We
also visited the Quality of Life Association which is a charity that
helps with medical bills for those injured by bombs and helps
rehabilitate them.
Hi guys we just received your awesome postcard, hilarious as ever, it’s now pride of place on our kitchen board! I was going to write a message on your facebook then realised you have set up this amazing blog! I’ve spent most of the day catching up with your exploits rather than working. Can’t believe you are so far already – we loved Laos, especially the food and people - I hope you’re taking advantage of all the baguettes on offer Crispin! Amy, I think you’ve done superbly getting Chris to stay in as many hostels/hotels as you have so far, bravo! Looking forward to the next adventure / bread / bodily function update, Siôn & Han
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