The Plain of Jars

The drive from Vang Vieng through to Phonsavan is really worth doing (regardless of the plain of jars themselves).

We stayed that night in Kong Keo guesthouse, while it does have the disadvantage of being recommended in the Rough Guide ;)… (lets go is just so much better) it is a great place to stay.

There was a trip organised the next day to view the jar sites. The leading theory at the moment is that it was a funery site. Quite possibly the first site in S.E Asia where all the components of the funery rites were first practiced.

First the corpse was stripped of flesh? (I think) and left in the jars for a while, then the bones were taken and cremated before second burial (always across a waterway from human habitation). That’s what they think anyway…

The plain itself has lovely scenery, and we walked from Site 3 to Site 2 (For lunch). Mhairi being the only intelligent one who’d actually brought raingear.. gah.. the one time I forget it.. ;)

That night a good meal, watched a film on the secret war (When America dropped one bomb every 8 minutes every day for 9 years). Can you imagine? Crazy. It’s also that when the bombs stop the trouble continues – kids still pick them up / try to open them for the gunpowder.. Needless to say no guilt was admitted nor reparations paid… (but yes, the Russians were supporting the Pathet Lao (Communists))

After the film however it was down to good old karaoke (there was another Irish there..). We muddled our way through Laos songs (they show you the syllables). We were *amazing* .. Honestly.