We have hesitated a lot before deciding to go to Phonsavan as it was not really on our way and it involved spending a lot of hours in buses. We are now so glad we visited this region. The Plain of Jars is an interesting place to see and going to Phonsavan was also the occasion to discover a nice region and learn a bit more about the history of Laos.
From Vang Vieng it took us 7h30 to reach Phonsavan by local bus (85.000 Kips), it was a tiring trip but the landscapes were very nice, only mountains totally covered by dense forest. There were just a few villages along the road, but most of the time the very windy road was crossing very remote areas. We mostly travelled on the same road on the way back to Luang Prabang (8h, 85.000 Kips). Whoever is subject to motion sickness will be better off taking some tablets before going to or leaving Phonsavan, to avoid ending up like some of the Laos people who were vomiting in plastic bags during the all trip (please note that they then throw the bags by the window!).
In Vang Vieng, Phonsavan and Luang Prabang the bus stations are a few kilometers out of town. In Phonsavan bus station mini-vans are waiting for the tourists and are offering them free rides to numerous guesthouses (all located in Phonsavan main street). Unusually we took the free ride (a ride in tuk-tuk to the main street costs 10.000 Kips). We have been first dropped at a cheap guesthouse that we did not like but the guy took us afterwards to the next guesthouse on his list, the Nice Guesthouse, which really is a nice guesthouse (!) so we took the last room for 70.000 Kips (the room had the best hot shower of South East Asia and cable TV).
To visit the Plain of Jars we booked a tour for 100.000 Kips (after negotiations), it included the visit of the sites number 1, 2 and 3, the visit of a "whisky village" and a quick stop to have a look at a Russian tank or what was left of it (not much!). The entrance of the sites and lunch in a local restaurant were also included. The visit of the "whisky village" was very interesting, it was not touristic at all, an old lady just showed us the little shed where she produces the famous Lao Lao (local name for the rice whisky) and our guide explained to us the fabrication process. We also tried some Lao Lao! Regarding the jars, all the sites are worth a visit. We found that Site 3 was the nicest, it counts not many jars but it is in a stunning location, moreover to reach it we had to do a short but very nice walk through the rice fields. Site 2 was interesting as the jars were quite big and it is also in a very nice location. Site 1 is closer to town, the landscapes are still nice and there is a high number of jars.
Being in Phonsavan was also the occasion for us to learn a bit more about Laos history. We found out that during the 2nd Indochina war (late 1950s - 1975) Laos became the most bombed country in the world. The quantity of bombs that has been dropped in Laos is superior to the one you obtain by adding the total number of bombs dropped in Japan and Germany during II World War, a stunning 500 Kg per inhabitants. Today the bombs continue to terrorise the locals as many of the unexploded bombs can still be found in forests or in cultivated fields. MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a charitable company whose aim is to remove all those unexploded ordnances that cause casualties every year. They have an office on Phonsavan main street and visitors can find a lot of information on boards, watch informative movies and also donate some money to support MAG actions. It is really heartbreaking to find out that villagers might be killed by a bomb while working in their fields or building their houses. Moreover poor people, mainly kids are looking for those bombs, risking their life, to earn extra money by selling the metal of the bombs.
From Vang Vieng it took us 7h30 to reach Phonsavan by local bus (85.000 Kips), it was a tiring trip but the landscapes were very nice, only mountains totally covered by dense forest. There were just a few villages along the road, but most of the time the very windy road was crossing very remote areas. We mostly travelled on the same road on the way back to Luang Prabang (8h, 85.000 Kips). Whoever is subject to motion sickness will be better off taking some tablets before going to or leaving Phonsavan, to avoid ending up like some of the Laos people who were vomiting in plastic bags during the all trip (please note that they then throw the bags by the window!).
In Vang Vieng, Phonsavan and Luang Prabang the bus stations are a few kilometers out of town. In Phonsavan bus station mini-vans are waiting for the tourists and are offering them free rides to numerous guesthouses (all located in Phonsavan main street). Unusually we took the free ride (a ride in tuk-tuk to the main street costs 10.000 Kips). We have been first dropped at a cheap guesthouse that we did not like but the guy took us afterwards to the next guesthouse on his list, the Nice Guesthouse, which really is a nice guesthouse (!) so we took the last room for 70.000 Kips (the room had the best hot shower of South East Asia and cable TV).
To visit the Plain of Jars we booked a tour for 100.000 Kips (after negotiations), it included the visit of the sites number 1, 2 and 3, the visit of a "whisky village" and a quick stop to have a look at a Russian tank or what was left of it (not much!). The entrance of the sites and lunch in a local restaurant were also included. The visit of the "whisky village" was very interesting, it was not touristic at all, an old lady just showed us the little shed where she produces the famous Lao Lao (local name for the rice whisky) and our guide explained to us the fabrication process. We also tried some Lao Lao! Regarding the jars, all the sites are worth a visit. We found that Site 3 was the nicest, it counts not many jars but it is in a stunning location, moreover to reach it we had to do a short but very nice walk through the rice fields. Site 2 was interesting as the jars were quite big and it is also in a very nice location. Site 1 is closer to town, the landscapes are still nice and there is a high number of jars.
Being in Phonsavan was also the occasion for us to learn a bit more about Laos history. We found out that during the 2nd Indochina war (late 1950s - 1975) Laos became the most bombed country in the world. The quantity of bombs that has been dropped in Laos is superior to the one you obtain by adding the total number of bombs dropped in Japan and Germany during II World War, a stunning 500 Kg per inhabitants. Today the bombs continue to terrorise the locals as many of the unexploded bombs can still be found in forests or in cultivated fields. MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a charitable company whose aim is to remove all those unexploded ordnances that cause casualties every year. They have an office on Phonsavan main street and visitors can find a lot of information on boards, watch informative movies and also donate some money to support MAG actions. It is really heartbreaking to find out that villagers might be killed by a bomb while working in their fields or building their houses. Moreover poor people, mainly kids are looking for those bombs, risking their life, to earn extra money by selling the metal of the bombs.
