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.

Day 1 of the rafting started at 9:30am, when we got on the back of the truck and drove to the river. This took us until 3pm!!!. Nothing to relate except that we picked up an Australian (Pete) who was coming on the trip – but left from Vientiane that morning.. and on his bus he had a guy with an AK47 sitting beside him (banditry is still real over here!)

Once we were actually on the river it was lots of fun, the rapids were mostly 2/2+ and I think one 3 on the first day.

The campsite where we stopped for the night was great though. Very basic (just candles for light) but a beautiful spot. Every so often there’d be a loud crash in the jungle – bamboo falling.

The second day was more fun – up at 8 and on the river pretty quickly. The rapids were mostly 3’s. The only 4 on the river we portaged most of the way – as every time they try to run it they miss the line needed to get through safely, and the raft ends up getting sucked into a big hole and flipped!

On the way we picked up a catfish (I think) from a lady who lived on a tiny island on the river. She caught fish and left them tied under water – so that ppl could come along and buy the still-alive fish. We had some for lunch. Raw perhaps? It was utterly disgusting!

All too soon it was onto a boat (rafts stacked on top) for a 3 hour trip down the flat part of the river (and lake). It was really quite scenic though (water buffalo pic above). The trip was good, the scenery was stunning and the campsite was great, but neither I nor Mhairi reckon it should be advertised as a 2 day rafting trip!! If both days had been like the second then it would definitely have been worth the $90 each.

Back to Veng Vieng, met up with Chris, Emily, Martijn, drank a little too much, and now off on a bus journey to the mysterious plane of jars…

Was supposed to get a days climbing in today – but unfortunately there was a guided group gone out and they’d taken all the gear so we couldn’t hire. Quite the shame really, I was excited to get climbing in a new place.

So had a leisurely breakfast. In fact that really is one of the great things about Asia, great coffee and delicious fruit shakes (and pancakes) for next to nothing for breakfast. I’m getting fat(ter)

Instead hired bikes and cycled off to explore one of the caves. Quite a pleasant 4km cycle (hot though). The cave was *huge* really huge, no need to duck your head anywhere!!

Off on two days white-water rafting tomorrow.. grade 3&4 I think. I’ll get all the names of the rivers etc later! but it’s the same one that friends in NZ did (Greig & Clare) only they kayaked it – ‘cos their hardcore!

Vang Vieng is a lovely little up-and-coming-queenstown sorta place. It’s nestled amongst some spectacular limestone mountains about 4 hours from Vientiane. The place is riddled with caves (probably loads to be discovered still) and will definitely become the climbing mecca of Laos. There’s just SO much rock around, so many unclimbed climbs.

We had a fairly lazy day after we arrived, not getting up to much during the day, and then went on a tubing trip down the local river. Lots of fun floating on a big inner-tube. Every 400m or so there was another stop where you could swing high and fall into the water (and drink beer). Mhairi and I both did one of the jumps – hopefully get some pics to put up at somestage.

Before leaving Vientiane we had time for a quick excursion out to the Buddha Park. A monk from here went over to Vietnam and lived in a cave with a guru. He came back from being enlightened and made this massive park blending Hindu and Buddha images.

For this he was persecuted and eventually had to flee the country. Then the government turned his work into a park and make cash out of it. Nice.

Our bus to Vang Vieng was at 2pm, and we got a tuk tuk at 11am with Chris, Emily, Martijn, Mhairi and I. At about 12:10 we got to the park… our tuk-tuk had played cheesy music at full blast all the way, anyway, thought we had time to see the park for 40 mins and then head back again. I am not sure what all the sculptures are (please help me out anyone who knows!), but the pumpkins mouth symbolizes time devouring.. There were 3 levels inside, depicting hell, earth and heaven. The pic beside is hell – people getting impaled ‘n everyfink.

So yes, well worth getting out to. The next two pics – are Martijn and Chris beside a 3 headed elephant, and Mhairi, Emily, Chris and Martijn all reclining beside the large reclining buddah.

Went to get the bus back. Tried to tell the driver to go fast, that we needed to get a bus at 2pm. He stopped to pick up locals… we decided to let whatever happen happen as regards catching our bus (but it was annoying)

Just got to our hotel at 2:05… apparently the bus had been and gone, but had only gone to pick up from the other hotels.. So we were fine.

5 minutes before the bus arrived to pick us up – our tuk-tuk arrived again (announced by the blaring of his music and the bright red seats). He picked up a suspiciously familiar shaped bag and walked towards the hotel. It was my camera bag!!. I’d totally left it on the tuk-tuk in the rush to get the bus (and had completely forgotten about it). IF the bus had been earlier I’d never have got it back – or if our driver hadn’t been so honest. What a guy. Totally restored my faith in everyone in the whole world ;) hehe, well.. it was a lovely surprise!