Sunday 2 March 2014

Pakxan departure…….Awaking around 7am I’m soon ready. I’ve retained a snack but the guesthouse has provided me with something anyway. They don’t presently have a restaurant. A samlor collects me at 8pm for the departure point which I assumed would be near the market where I was dropped off earlier. It’s not. I only have a guide time for a bus departure of 9.30am giving me time to pick up some supplies I will need for the long journey ahead. Well that plan backfires as I’m deposited on a street corner for which trip I’m charged more. My only provision is my trusty flask of cold water and some snacks. I haven’t a clue how long I need to wait here but thankfully it’s not long. Instead of one of those rickety old buses a short-wheel base bus/van turns up, a 24 seater. I climb aboard. My first impression is that this vehicle, while not state of the art, is a big improvement on what I was expecting and has air-conditioning if you can call it that. It’s also not full as it departs. However it will pick up passengers just about anywhere it is flagged down. As it heads north out of Pakxan, again I see a fair share of modern structures, indicating relative prosperity in this area. The road is certainly not good and is not curbed; red dust accompanied by litter is everywhere.
Obsure route……..When I made the decision that Thakhek was to be my first destination in Laos, I looked for a possible route into Xieng Khouang province; the route via Vientiane possibly 2 long days away. When a route was suggested from Pakxan this made things much easier yet I could not identify a main road linking Pakxan with Xieng Khouang on my maps. It’s not long before the van hits the mountains and while the rolling hills around are not at great elevation, there is no simple route through the forested terrain; the Xan River is the obvious route to follow. Soon recent cuttings though the rock appear and with it unpaved roads. The air-conditioning proves insufficient for some passengers who open windows. This is often to deposit, the disgusting habit in Southeast Asia, litter: The bus company doesn’t help by issuing polythene bags although there is another reason for issue! The windows are promptly closed as clouds of dust get sucked into the vehicle. Progress is reduced to a crawl in places while this passage through Borikhanxai’s interior continues for another 50 kilometres. Finally the bus reaches a T-junction joining a trunk road which opens into a broad valley. From here the road is paved and progress much better.
Enter Xieng Khouang…….As I start to pick up signs to Ponsavan, I calculate that arrival could be around 1pm, a relatively easy day. Wrong again! At midday, the driver decides to stop for lunch. Of course he needs a break. This stop lasts about 45 minutes and I’m told it will take another two hours to reach Xieng Khouang. How could my calculation be so far out? Well there are three reasons. Firstly I hadn’t factored in the break. The second is simply one of misinterpretation of place names. In my original planning of this tour I identified the town of Meung Khoun as the old capital of Xieng Khouang province. Ponsavan is the new city; remembering that Meung Khoun was practically destroyed during the Vietnam War. This bus is destined for Xieng Khouang, the provincial name synonymous with Ponsavan which is now the provincial capital. This is good news for me; I had visions of having to change buses. The third reason for my miscalculation is simply geographical. Over the last couple of days I’ve had no internet connection so my research is limited. Nevertheless I do now recall a difficult stretch of road ahead.
Elevated…….After the lunch break the bus follows the river valley and the valley sides begin to close in. The next 30 kilometres will see a steady climb to one of Laos’ higher mountain passes. It becomes quite a struggle in places and danger is all too evident. As the road grips the mountain sides it is subject to regular land slips. Two or three have to be negotiated with extreme care. I’m beginning to appreciate what the young bus driver has to go through in the course of his work. As the bus climbs to the summit hill tribe villages cling to the mountain side much as they do on the Luang Prabang route I described on an earlier tour. The decent down the mountain is less arduous as the valley opens onto a broad plateau and the bus stops to deposit passengers in Mueng Khoun. It’s just 30 kilometres now to Ponsavan and the furthest point on this tour.
Phonsavan…….As the bus head towards Ponsavan, totally unfamiliar scenery appears which doesn’t consist of lush vegetation so typical of Laos. There are rolling hills totally barren and dry in the heart haze more typical of the plains of the Korat plateau in Thailand but hilly. I’ve arrived at a place of great historic importance and yet my initial impressions are of disappointment. This is no inviting oasis in the desert and in fact it’s an almost featureless dusty old town from which a bath and a slug of whiskey seems the only respite. As the bus pulls off the highway and heads into the town of Phonsavan I see no shortage of hotels and guesthouses. The bus parks up opposite a three star hotel and the few remaining passengers alight and head in its direction. Instinctively I follow but it proves out of my price range. But other choices are all around.

Dok Khoun Hotel…….I enquire at Dok Khoun Hotel and check out the rooms. Using my check-list I cannot fault this Hotel for its facilities. Everything is in place or so it seems. I air on caution and pay for two nights and yet as soon as I complete this transaction there is something strangely odd about this place, something which, I fear, affects this city as a whole. The people here are just so boring it’s untrue. They are simple not a proud people, not even interested in keeping their surroundings clean. It’s a fact that this area is the most bombed place on earth, something I have to reflect on later but is that a reason for a ‘bombed out’ spirit? On the subject of bombing this hotel is typical of many hotels and restaurants in the area. I have witnessed the curious array of war relics in bars before, for instance on the Somme. But never has so much material been so concentrated in one place as it is here. It’s as if a lack of trophies represents some lower status here.
Digging in…….With all these thoughts going through my head I fail to appreciate that simply getting here is a massive achievement. A few Westerners have made it here. They are modern day adventurers the same as me with a high tolerance to the rough and ready. Because of the historical interest in this place I am prepared to make sacrifices. That includes some of the most boring food on earth. I’m soon aware that away from Thai influence in cuisine and into the lap of considerable austere Vietnamese influence I’m going to struggle. I may have to resort to Chinese or Indian influence. I’ve decided to dig in for now and concentrate on the main reason I came to this place in the first place. With an internet connection now intact I will concentrate on the Plain of Jars with at least three important sites located around here.

Monday 3 March 2014

Day of rest…….Inevitably there is a pause today if only for me get my bearings. I manage to get a free coffee but something to call breakfast is harder to find. I settle down to update my blog which has been neglected in recent days. My initial impressions are unchanged but gradually things improve from midday. I locate a restaurant offering red curry which is both tasty and cheap then set about collecting information about this area which is critical for the success of this tour. As it turns out the local bus station is just around the corner but interestingly houses a tourist office; an official one. As I browse through the list of local attractions it soon becomes clear that I am justified in my selection of Phonsavan as an area of special interest. I simply can’t let this opportunity slip now but there is one more thing I need to resolve today and the answer is again right on my doorstep. It concerns my accommodation; I’m simply not happy with the service at Dok Khoun. To get a towel changed seems too much for the staff and as for cleaning, I don’t think the dusty reception area has been touched for weeks. There must be a better option and there is, at the back of the bus station. A company has set up a resort on the site of the old airfield. I check it out; same price and 21st century! No fridge but I can live with that. This sets me up for some days ahead during this important phase of my tour. I will move tomorrow.
An apology…….As the day wares on it seems my initial impressions of Phonsavan and its people are a bit wrong. Unfortunately I arrived here on a Sunday when, unlike in Thailand, many businesses shut down. As the afternoon wares on the town springs to life and by evening there are all kinds of interesting foods available at amazing prices. A number of restaurants bring their offerings in lidded pots to the front of their shops where they do brisk takeaway trade. I’ve learnt to adapt and engage in the lid rattling. It’s well worth the effort. It’s all to be expected; Ponsavan does provide a culture shock for even a regular traveler like me.
Happy endings.......The day ends with my determination to see some action tomorrow. I even manage to plan my route back to Thailand with transport to Vang Vieng but that seem a good way off given the intrigue that now seems to have fired me up.

Tuesday 4 March 2014

A slow start…….I’m beginning my second full day in Phonsavan and the sixth in Laos yet apart from my blog, recording my movements and observations I have yet to post serious tour activity. While my reason for this stems from health issues I’m aware that a healthy list of tourist sites visited would normally be in the bag by now. Is this the day, I wonder, that this visit to Laos really takes off. Of course there’s an immediate issue to take care of, namely changing rooms. That takes time despite the fact that Golden Mountain Garden located in Phoukham Resort has sent an electric buggy to collect me. Curiously I decide to take a full breakfast for a change while I plan my day. I’ve already decided to rent a motorbike and instinctively wish to head off to explore what I came here for. Arranging things is consuming precious time which on reflection should cause me to reconsider my plans more carefully but by 11am I’m ready to go.
3 point plan…….The plan I’ve concocted, based on the tourist information I was given yesterday, involves three separate locations in Xieng Khouang province. They can all be explored from my base in Phonsavan. Completing the first two would be all I ever hoped to achieve here. Each one will take one day. I cannot be precise with the timing as I plan to travel without a guide. My mode of travel is also questionable but I’ve no option considering the cost of private hire and I’m not aware of a tour group I can join. I decide on the obvious tour circuit.
Plain of Jars…….I’ve heard about it, I’ve read about it, I’ve thought about it and now I’m here. The Plain of Jars, lying to the south of the city, actually consists of three separate sites. While the first one is within easy reach, the other two are certainly not. There are a number of other sites of interest on the way.
Jars Site 1…….I head out of the city on the 1E. It’s not easy; traffic signage is at a premium in Laos but I get my bearings from the airport and at km 5 there is a sign to the Jars Site 1. Here just a few kilometres from the main road is the recently opened visitor centre. From here it’s a good ten minute walk to the principal cluster of jars but it’s already midday. Here I’m not impressed by a few visitors who seem to consider themselves more privileged and seem bent on taking over the site but I get the last laugh as I make my way around the loop taking in more jar clusters. Nobody follows me; I’m not a spent force just yet! Back at the visitor centre I begin to take in, not only the pre-historic importance of the site but also the effects of the Indo-China war, evidence of which is all around. I must move on.
Jars Site 2…….Back on the main road I look for signs for the other jar sites. At the 9 km marker the sites are indicated with another right turn. What I discover now threatens to send this day trip ‘pear shaped’. From the very start the road is unpaved and I calculate that jar site 2 is 15 kilometres from the main raod. I’m committed to this trip but it’s not going to be easy. Red dust is everywhere lining the roofs of houses as far as 100 metres from the roadway. Every time that a car passes or overtakes, a dust cloud ascends depositing yet more dust on everything it can find. That includes me; I’m glad my helmet has a visor. I persevere but at a cost. It is 2.30pm before I reach jar site 2 by which time I need some lunch. That consumes another half hour but site 2 is easily reached by motorbike. Actually this site consists of two mounds. The one to the left is forested, the one to the right less so offering excellent views over the surrounding countryside. Both contain stone jars but unlike jar site 1, this site is deserted on my arrival. It’s tempting to stay a while but I must move on.
Jar Site 3…….I press on along the dusty road past homes now constructed principally of wood. How the inhabitants can tolerate the thick red dust that settles everywhere is beyond me. I can only assume that there is a plan to resurface the road, as road-widening has obviously taken place here. Before jar site 3 is reached there is the option to add a more natural feature to this trip. Tat Lang waterfall is just 1 kilometre off the dirt road. Do I have time to take it in? Well, it’s just 50 metres walk but as waterfalls go it’s pretty tame and there is a rather pointless entry fee. The backdrop to these falls is disappointing due to construction works in progress to harness the headwaters for hydro-electric power. The red earth excavations, so typical of the area, are an immediate eyesore. There’s no point in spending valuable time here; jar site 3 is not far away. Access to site 3 is via a village where a hut with counter is located but unlike site 2 there’s a bit of a walk through dusty rice paddies. The 15 minute walk consumes more valuable time. This single jar site is located in a wooded glade with views across the valley and village below. Again the site is deserted. By the time I make my way back across the paddies, the orange sun is hanging low on the western horizon. I must head back. I can now complete the circuit as a final site is sign-boarded. It’s the hulk of a Russia tank. Hardly the highlight of the tour but close to the road so worth a look.
Conclusion…….In the context of this visit to Laos this day has been key to anything I can call success. The principal aim has been achieved. The only site not visited in this sector is the Spoon Village. It’s just too far but it proves the resourcefulness of the folk here in converting war scrap into souvenirs, but what a price they’ve had to pay! I still need to get back to Phonsavan and the sun is just setting as I reach the main road. There is still 9 kilometres to go. Reaching the town before dark is now not possible. By the time I get something to eat its near 7pm. I’m glad to get back after a long day in which a considerable amount of energy has been expended. It remains to be seen whether there are any after effects and whether changing rooms has improved comfort and facilities.

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Failing to build on success…….Strangely the hard day yesterday has had no obvious effect either on swelling or infection of my leg and everything seems under control. However as the night progresses, there is a new problem. Initially I have indigestion which is causing sleeplessness. It just doesn’t go away culminating in a bout of retching and heaving. Another health issue is all I need. I do manage to get some sleep but another bout follows. Surely that’s the end of it. Well now I’ve overslept; it’s after 9am. At this point it doesn’t take much working out. I won’t be going anywhere today. On that basis a couple of things need to be resolved. I still have the motorbike. I send it back asking if I can take it out another day. The owner agrees. Secondly I have paid for breakfast today which I don’t normally do. Another day I would enjoy a western breakfast for a change but not today. It’s a waist. I just have to rest again today while after lunch I take some soya milk and yoghurt which jest sets off another bout of retching. I get some welcome sleep in the afternoon but today is a complete write-off.
Golden Mountain Garden…….While I’m not really in the frame of mind to write up my blog I can add a little on this otherwise day of inactivity. I notice on my local printed map that I’m actually staying at Phoukham Resort. It’s my understanding that Phoukham is the name of the owner but the resort office is clearly marked Golden Mountain Garden Group and is obviously set out for activities including golf. The complex itself is at the rear of Phoukham shopping centre but very little shop space is actually taken up. However it does include a transport booking office seemingly for the Vientiane service that brought me here. There is also a useful tourist information centre. Immediately behind the centre is the Runway Pub. This doesn’t seem to be open but gives a clue as to the origins of this site. Yes, this area was part of the old airport. In fact the owner rather than build a new resort has utilised what must have been the terminal building. Today it serves as an office, a restaurant and function hall.
Regarding the accommodation itself it is cheap and I moved here as it seemed cleaner, more comfortable and offered better service. However as the time passes by I’m beginning to think it’s a wrong move. The assumption was that I would have the motorbike but the rooms are somewhat removed from local shops and restaurants. There is no fridge here but I manage with my flask. I miss the free coffee and at the risk of being harsh, the local coffee brewed in the restaurant here served cool with powdered milk is quite frankly disgusting. More of a headache is the fact that I cannot use the internet despite the system reporting that it is connected. Even so I’m not considering moving yet again. Tomorrow perhaps things will be a lot clearer. Finally it’s worth noting that on the plateau here temperatures are a good 5 degrees lower than in Thailand. In fact the air-conditioning in the room hardly switches on. The weather is certainly better for travelling.

Thursday 6 March 2014

Tour resumes……..Overnight I have no further health issues. For weeks health problems have hung over this particular visit to the Far East with a number of questions that need to be addressed on my return to the UK. Yet today has barely started when I get a flavor of what will follow. Most of the day will be consumed by a straightforward trip to Muang Khoun but by the end of the day I’m struggling for words to write here.
For breakfast I order a tuna sandwich and coffee. Will that get processed the way it should? I needn’t worry; nothing sinister will happen today as I prepare for a motorbike trip to Muang Khoun some 30 kilometres away. This delayed, second of my planned tours takes in the old provincial capital which barely now exits. However there is something I need to do first.

Mines Advisory Group (MAG)…….The MAG office is just around the corner. I don't know why I've left it so long before I called in here? The reception area is quite small but there are a few exhibits of spent ordnance on display while on the walls are posted photographs and factual data relating to the work of this organization and the way it is changing the lives of the community. All straight forward isn’t it? A tragic event took place in this province which is recorded in the history books. I’ve visited war graves all over the Western Front. I’ve stood on top of the gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration and extermination camp and even walked the killing fields outside Phnom Penh. These all transmit tragic inerasable memories and now this day is about to join this terrible list as I continue to make sense of what I’m reading. I came to this area looking for answers only to find more questions, for unlike those other sites I mentioned, for Lao people it’s as if the Indo-China War has never ended. Physical and mental scars are everywhere. It becomes so very hard to control emotions when dealing with human tragedy on a scale I never imagined and yet for local people it’s all part of their daily lives in their struggle for survival. I have to take a break from here and head off on my tour.
Muang Khoun…….Based on the tourist guide booklet, there are a number of sites of interest in Mueng Khoun but when I reach the town and start working through the list I fail to appreciate the timeline of this city’s historic past. Yes, there are a few relics that have survived but they hardly register compared to the great religious sites in Thailand and Cambodia. Yet this is a town where your history book is the major source to feed the imagination outlining once important Buddhist art and French colonial architecture which dominated this town. All that is left now are scraps as reminders. Quite simply it’s what isn’t here that stirs the imagination. As usual, sites I visit will feature later when research time becomes available. It really hasn’t consumed much time by visiting the sites in Muang Khoun as everything is within easy reach. As I head back I feel more connected to local people. A smile and a wave get an immediate reaction but tomorrow the boy who just waved to me might be tempted to move a bombie (cluster bomb) and lose his life. Yes, there are humans here and they deserve a better life than this.
Memorials…….Unlike the jars tour, I’m back in Phonsavan in plenty of time and take a rest. At 5pm it’s still quite early and I use this easier day to venture out of the town to visit two War Memorials, one Lao and one Vietnamese, both located on hill tops. The view of the setting sun is an added bonus as I reach the Lao Memorial. It consists of a decorated chedi in a walled garden but I feel it could do with some TLC. It’s just a short ride to the Vietnamese War Memorial and here the golden statues and friezes glinting in the setting sun have the completely opposite effect which is curious. More to the point it proves the Vietnamese were here in contravention of the 1962 Geneva Convention which attracted the wrath of the USA. It’s this reaction that will soon dominate my thoughts.
Documentary…….I wish to return to the MAG information centre in time for a documentary film being shown at 6.30pm. I just make it in time and join a few other Westerners. The film will run for nearly an hour. While I’m still on tour I cannot spend too much time on a subject that is too complex and serious and I will attempt to summarise it later but the documentary is graphic enough to scatter a whole range of emotions. At the end of the film the audience leaves in silence. What has happened here is beyond comprehension. It’s been a good while since I first decided to travel to Xieng Khouang with the intention of ‘trying to make sense of it all’. Today I have the answer. It just doesn’t make sense and never will! I’m just totally full of admiration for those young men and women who have volunteered to joint MAG and risk their lives every day to make homes, schools and farms safe for their family and friends. If ever there were a people who need a break in life you will find them here. I head back to my room in solemn thought still disinterested in food but with an appetite for getting something recorded in my blog. Tomorrow promises to be another busy day.
Did you know?.......Between 1964 and 1973, 2 million tonnes of munitions were dropped in Laos according to US bombing records which are known to be incomplete. This equates to 2 tonnes for every man, woman and child making Laos the most bombed place in history. Most of the bombs dropped were cluster bombs (bombies). Bombies are anti-personal mines designed to maim and kill without discrimination. For various reasons 30% of bombies failed to explode. There are an estimated 80 million bombies, the size if tennis balls still undetected in Laos. Bombies are released from jets in canisters which then separate allowing the bombs to fall. The fluted shell of the bombie sets it into a spin which arms the bomb. Detonation takes place when spinning stops i.e. when it hits the ground.

Friday 7 March 2014

Re-enforcement…….With a full day’s activity yesterday I hardly had time to focus on today’s planned trip which is the third that I composed when I arrived here. In all respects this trip is very much a wildcard as it had never been researched or considered. With the successful completion of the jars site tour followed by the emotive Indo-China War insight I achieved yesterday, my visit to Xieng Kouang province has already rewarded me for me efforts. But there is another location in this province which is high on the list of historic importance and contains a fair mixture of sites which would re-enforce and expand on previous trips. But there is a problem and it’s one of distance, I can’t realistically use the motorbike. With at least a 100 kilometre round-trip, a stiff mountain pass to negotiate and the likely supply of poor equipment I must fall back on local transport. With few foreigners arriving here there simply aren’t the numbers to make up a group tour.
Departure for Muang Kham…….Muang Kham is a sizable community northeast of Phonsavan and only about 60 kilometres from the Vietnamese border. There is a sizable jar site here, waterfalls and caves, two hot springs and yet more evidence of warfare. It should be relatively high on the visit list. In fact the tour brochures suggest an overnight stay in the town. Quite honestly I don’t know what to expect and to make matters worse there is a public holiday here in Laos. What advice I’m given is not very revealing. I’m in the lap of the gods as I make my way to the local bus station. Here I have to skip breakfast as a bus is about to leave. It’s of the type that brought me from Pakxan and adequate for the relatively short distance involved. It’s not much after 8am and I’m anxious to make good use of the day. However this local service seems in no hurry as passengers and ‘freight’ continue to come and go. As the bus heads up the pass it’s consumed around 2 hours but it can’t be too far now surely. Well it’s not but this bus won’t make it that far.
Setback…….On one of the curves, fortunately an inner one, the bus grinds to a halt. As the passengers start piling out I just know there’s a problem. Well this I wasn’t expecting, waiting on a mountain road gazing across the valley opposite. I came here to explore Laos didn’t I? I understand there’s a problem with the water pump and another bus is being sent up the valley but it will take time to arrive. In the meantime there nothing to do except watch the comings and goings of transport of all kinds from motorbikes to heavy trucks. When a larger bus passes through there are hoots of laughter and I momentarily get ray of hope as a MAG vehicle passes. I instinctively give a wave as it so happens I’m wearing one of their T-shirts. But apart from a smile from the driver it doesn’t stop. Time is ticking on and the day is already compromised. When another bus finally arrives there is the painfully slow process of reloaded freight onto to roof rack and to any other free space available. By the time I reach Muang Kham its midday. I need to eat something. I also need to change some money. A local pharmacy offers me 245baht/kip. That’s fine.
Compromised…….From now on I get a much better insight into the size of the gap Laos has to fill in order to handle greater tourism it so badly craves to boost the economy here in Xieng Kouang Province. To do this I first need to establish what is here but my problem is how to fill this page with ‘blanks’. It’s incredible. There’s is no piece of transport remotely available for visiting Muang Kham’s tourist sites. I’m at a total loss as I try to figure something out with a local van driver whose only suggestion is to offer to take me back to Phonsavan at 2pm. Curiously nobody seems remotely concerned about my predicament, although one motorbike repair shop conjures up a stupid price to borrow a motorbike. The fact is that tourists do arrive here but not independently as I have. The people are simply not conditioned to handle this situation. I’ve clearly miscalculated something and I’m now in danger of wasting another day.
Tham Piou…….There is a glimmer of hope as the van driver makes a phone call. With failure hanging over me I can only prioritise and ask for assistance to reach the only site that seems practical without transport. Language is becoming more of a problem as my broken Thai is not so effective. The Vietnamese and Hmong dialects are much stronger in Muang Kham. Suddenly a motorbike pulls up with its young rider looking much like a Lowery figure with cloth cap and jacket. He agrees to take me to the emotive Tham Piou (cave). It’s this cave that drew me to include this area on a tour in the first place. With hot springs, waterfalls, bomb craters and jars sites also in the area it was a natural choice but I’ve had to abandon all of these to concentrate on just one site just 5 kilometres away.
I head off into the mountains and take a left onto a dirt road, at the end of which is a car park with a small visitor centre. Here a number of motorbikes are parked up and I note that the majority of visitors are youngsters. They are here for the cool mountain water which has been diverted down concrete irrigation channels and through rock pools. But I’m here for another reason. From the car park I can clearly see the cave but first I stop in front of a large statue of a grieving man holding his dead son in his arms. Yes, this is about the effects of war. As I ascend a staircase, I’m befriended by a couple of students who wish to act as guides. It’s good for them to practice their English. One, in particular, wants to go to the UK to study. Despite some general chat there is little they can tell me that I don’t already know. Instead we reach the cave and I’m shown inside. Curious stone stacks like those I saw in the cave at the Jar 1 site appear all over the cave floor. They are topped by spent incense sticks and candles, in clear respect of the dead. I’m told that the cave system extends for hundreds of metres underground. I will later see an artist’s impression of what this cave looked like during the Indo China War. There is a second picture which records the aftermath of a most tragic event that took place here in November 1968.
The cave had been used by local inhabitants as shelter from the incessant carpet bombing in Xieng Khouang Province. It had medical facilities, kitchens and sleeping quarters. There is no record of military personnel using the cave but that is to be expected. But what the records do show is that on 28 November an air strike took place here by a single jet. It fired four missiles directed at the cave entrance. The first three missed but the fourth scored a direct hit. As I look around the cave there are interesting geological features but blackened and charred rock surfaces remain as testimony to this tragic event as do the mass grave markers that cling to the rugged hillside. At the visitor centre there are the now familiar examples of scrap war ordnance. It also revealed that at least 374 men, women and children died. On the walls there are some graphic photographs. This is another of those disturbing moments but there are also posters that feed off this tragedy in a way that typifies human reaction in these instances. The propaganda was bound to intensify hatred towards the perpetrators.
Calling it a day…….I head back to Meung Kham where a van is waiting to depart for Phonsavan. I have to call it a day. I’ve really no option. It’s just a question of what might have been. In a sense I’m grateful for an easy day but I’m also aware that there are to be no more excursions now in Xieng Khouang province. I’ve been in Phonsavan for six days, longer than any other location I can recall on this website. The impression it’s made has been immense and is unlikely to be boosted by further exploration yet there are still so many sites that I could review here if I were not so confined. It’s something I have to come to terms with as I head back to Phonsavan with far less effort than it took on the way out. In the evening I make I third visit to the MAG office to make a donation. I also would like to pick up a few souvenirs which will help local people but I hadn’t bargained for the public holiday today in Laos and miss yet another opportunity. With a long weekend now in progress I think it’s time to move on. I order a van to take me to Vang Vieng in the morning. As sandwich will do for tonight as I try to bring my blog up to date.