AsiaLIFE

Set at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and nestled in high mountains, Luang Prabang is arguably the most beautiful town in the Mekong region. Inside the town itself there is not much to do, which is the quintessential charm of the Unesco World Heritage Site. Just take time out and set your internal clock to the pace of life that is Laos and charge your batteries for the trek into the unknown.

During the day, the only thing to do, apart from lazing around, is to climb the 100-metre central Phu Si Hill to visit That Chomsi. The views from the top are well worth the hike. The ruins of a fourteenth century wat are on the northeast side of the hill. At sunset the beautiful central street creeps into life as local traders set out their goods on mats in preparation for the ‘daily’ night market. Best arrive early, before the street becomes impassable. Try to get the lucky bargain price that awaits the first sale of the day. It’s probably the best street market in the region – certainly the one with the most scenic setting.

Outside the town, two trips are worthy of your attention. Take a boat along the river to the nearby Pak Ou caves, or better still visit the waterfalls at Tat Kuang Si. Even in dry season, the falls seem full of water. You can even take a short elephant ride. If you are not going any further afield in northern Laos then the thirty-kilometre songthaew (large tuk tuk) ride to the falls is a good way of seeing the countryside just outside of town.

Onward to Phonsavanh

The trip to Hanoi started with a cramped sawngthaew ride to the local bus station, where a succession of seemingly identical vehicles brought travellers wishing to go to Vieng Vieng and further afield. Eventually, when our motley crew had assembled, we departed about 45 minutes later than the 9am start for the six-hour journey that, in time-honoured travelling tradition, turned out to be more like seven.

The route involves lots of winding roads, up, down and then back up again traversing the mountainous terrain between Luang Prabang and the plains outside of Phonsavanh. Immature trees on the outskirts of Laos’ prime tourist attraction provide an indication of a large aforrestation project aimed at counteracting the excessive logging that has taken place in this area. Eventually these fade away, leaving the deforestation unchallenged. Still scenic, the road passes through a few villages with typical images of women carrying their babies and men sitting around chewing the fat. After seemingly an eternity of bends and occasional stops for comfort breaks, coffee and lunch, the forest broke and we entered the plains surrounding Phonsavanh. Alpine scenery with rolling hills and occasional spruce trees, replaced the more traditional Southeast Asian forest terrain.

Seeking out the Jars

Phonsavanh has the feel of a town straight out of the Wild West. One long road runs through it, and along up to the Truong Son Mountains barring our way to Vietnam. Apart from those working on NGO projects, people come here for one reason, to visit the Plain of Jars. (Open 8am to 4pm Oct. to Feb, and 7am to 5pm Mar. to Sep., entrance 10,000 kip).

The Jars themselves date back to 500BC, although other remains are estimated at around 2,000 BC. Over 600 large earthenware pots litter the three sites, their original purpose unknown, although our guide asserted that they were burial jars. The bodies left to decay away under solid lids, which protected the decaying bodies from birds of prey. Only one of the lids remains in Site 1. “Forget the guidebooks, my grandparents told me so,” he said. Guidebooks however offer alternative explanations for the unusual Neolithic containers, such as for storing local lao lao (rice wine). Whether the jars were used as a cheap way of disposing of your nearest and dearest or an even cheaper way of sending them off in the appropriate manner, the plain in which they stand makes for a spectacular, barren landscape. Arrive at Site 1 early in the morning and try to escape your guide and discover the jars for yourself. With the sound of cowbells from the surrounding rolling hills, themselves reminiscent of burial mounds, it’s easy to imagine yourself in the foothills of the Alps rather than northern Laos.

Although there are three sites on the plain, visiting all of them is time consuming. If you want to incorporate the other attractions on Phonsavanh’s doorstep in a day trip, it’s advised to restrict yourself to Site 1 where the greatest number of the jars can be found. In addition to ancient history, there are reminders of the country’s more recent bloody history. From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. military inflicted the largest aerial bombardment in history on Laos dropping two million tons of bombs. That is approximately one plane load every eight minutes. The site was cleared of unexploded ordnance in 2004, with 127 pieces found and destroyed. It’s advised to stay within the white lines close to the paths delineating the cleared areas. One of the craters on the site has a small tree growing out of it, a symbol of the country’s rebirth. Those who want to find out more about the lasting legacy of the intensive bombing campaign – it is estimated that 30 percent of the bombs failed to detonate – should visit the Mines Advisory Group office on the town’s main street. It has plenty of information about the organisation’s clearance work since 1994 as well as an informative video.

Hot Springs and Hot Water

The cheapest way to see the caves is by organised tour. However, if you can muster together a few like-minded souls it’s far better to hire your own minibus for the day (US$70). This allows you the freedom to pick and choose where you go. Two hot springs lie close to Phonsavanh. The larger one is the village of Hom, some 50 kilometres out of town. The springs themselves (open 7am to 5pm, 10,000 kip), consist of a large, fenced off sulphurous mud-pond and a few concrete bath houses. Of little appeal in themselves, the setting is quite idyllic. Apparently the bungalows are popular with locals at the weekend.

Of far greater appeal are the smaller springs near the village of Sam (open 7am to 5pm, 5,000 kip). Set on the Tay River, the flow from the springs mingles with the natural current of the river, providing hot and cold running water al fresco. Watch locals come to wash their clothes, while soothing your aching bones. The only problem with this place is that the last half a kilometre is on a bumpy track that, according to our guide, can become inaccessible in the rainy season.

Tham Piu Cave is another location of note that’s close to Phnosavanh. On Nov. 24, 374 local villagers were killed while sheltering in the cave during an American bombardment. A large crater at the rear serves as testament to the ‘collateral’ damage caused by a single rocket. A small museum below the cave has information, photographs and objects collected from the cave and nearby. November 24 is ‘Remembrance Day’ in Laos in memory of those lost in the tragedy.

The Road to Sam Neua

There are two land options for travelling overland from Phonsavanh to Vietnam. The conventional route is to take a bus (11 hours) to Vinh on the Vietnamese coast. The second option is to go northeast, across the mountains to Sam Neua. From there you enter Vietnam at Nam Soi / Na Meo. “Remote, seldom-used and often difficult,” is how the Lonely Planet describes the latter crossing – still nothing ventured, nothing gained. A bus leaves Phonsavanh at 8am arriving in Sam Neua ten hours later. Cramped, hot and sticky, locals stand in the aisles or rest on bags of rice. It really is only for those who delight in travelling rough or can’t afford to hire a mini-bus (around US$80). The latter allows you to stop along the way at any of the numerous photo opportunities.

The scenery is spectacular. Rising to a height of some 2,000 metres, the low cloud allied to early morning mist gives the mountainous landscape an ethereal quality. You pass through numerous Hmong villages with terraced paddy fields, irrigation channels and ubiquitous piglets. The only place of real note is a 100-metre waterfall close to the road, which makes for a welcome comfort break. There are also some springs around 20 kilometres out of Sam Neua. Set in a beautiful valley, the town of Sam Neua itself is pleasant enough. However, be careful about what you eat as barbecued dog seems the specialty. It is not a place you would come to if it weren’t for the Vieng Xai caves nearby.

Laos Hidden City

Only an hour’s drive from Sam Neua, Vieng Xai is a must for anyone interested in the Lao resistance to the Americans. Quite incredibly from 1964-73, President Kaysone Phomvihane led the Pathet Lao’s military resistance to the planet’s greatest military force from inside one of the caves. He spent the final two years of the campaign in a house also located in the valley. Fifteen people, including his two children and bodyguards, shared the somewhat cramped living space. A small bust of Lenin in his office is a reminder of the ideological divide between the two nations. It was here that the politburo met.

Another cave housed Nouhak Phoumsavanh, named after the Pathet Lao deputy prime minister and finance minister. Prince Souphanovong, minister of construction, lived in a third. Of greater interest is the house that he built in the grounds close to the cave, including a large bomb crater, which the civil engineer turned into a tennis court. A pleasant walk across the lake from these caves is Xanglot, the largest cave in the complex. Enter it through Siphandone Cave and then climb down some steps. During the war over 2,000 soldiers were garrisoned here. They even had a large theatre in one of the cave’s larger vaults, which had been used for shelter by elephants before the war, according to our guide. Tours set off at 9am and 1pm (30,000 kip). You can arrange your own tour outside of these times for an extra 50,000 kip, or hire a bicycle for 10,000 kip per half day.

Even those with little or no interest in the war, or caves for that matter, should visit the valley. “Painfully beautiful,” is how one of the guidebooks describes Vieng Xai. It is wondrous. Vast karst rocks rise from the ground, like Halong Bay on land, creating a stunning verdant crucible. It comes as no surprise that Nouhak Phoumsavanh visited his house here each year until his death last year, aged 90. If you have the time you could do far worse than spending a couple of days relaxing here, before taking on the final leg across the border and on to Hanoi. If coming from Vietnam you’ll probably need the rest after negotiating the border crossing from hell.

Bad Morning Vietnam

The border with Vietnam is only a two-hour drive from the caves. This makes it tempting to head there directly from the caves, which is precisely what we did. Although the road is bumpy, it is another scenic drive to the border. Despite what guidebooks might say, the crossing itself is simple, so long as you have the right visa. The Vietnamese guards were helpful explaining there were two ways to travel overland to Hanoi. One involves a tortuous four to five hour motorbike ride in rugged terrain to Mai Chau, where you can get a bus to Hanoi. The other is on supposedly better roads to Thanh Hoa on the coast and then up Highway 1 to Hanoi. “Expensive,” they smiled to us.

Whichever route you choose, there is no public bus for the initial 50 kilometres from Na Meo to Ba Thuoc, or at least so we were told. Unless you have your own transport, you have to take a xe om (motorbike taxi), which costs around US$10. There are reports of a bus running from Na Meo to Thanh Hoa (US$8) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, but we saw no sign of it. If anything the scenery on the Vietnamese side is even more beautiful than in Laos. The ride along windy, mountain roads takes you through primary forest hardly touched by man. This really is the road least travelled. The flipside of the unspoilt beauty is that it is also un-geared for tourism.

Ba Thuoc is a town without any redeeming feature. Arriving late in the afternoon, we had no choice other than staying the night in the only ‘guesthouse’ we could find. After 15 years of travelling, the room we shared with various bugs and fungi, rates in the bottom three or four. We just couldn’t get out of the town soon enough, and were pleased to hear that the bus to Thanh Hoa set off at 6am. If possible try to pass through without stopping. The final leg of the journey was easily the least inspiring. The countryside deteriorates the nearer you get to the coast with only occasional karst rocks rising from paddy fields to lift flagging spirits. If it weren’t for the poor quality of the road, or was that the bus’ total lack of suspension, this would have been the ideal time to catch up on the previous night’s absence of sleep. As it was we were most welcome to arrive in Thanh Hoa and change for the bus to Hanoi. By mid-afternoon we had arrived safe and sound in what is, with Phnom Penh, the most beautiful capital city in Southeast Asia, our voyage over.


Postscript

If I were to take this border crossing again I would do it in the morning. A bus or truck is supposed to leave Sam Neua at 6am (12,000 kip). This would allow greater options upon arrival in Vietnam. Despite having to sit on the back of a motorbike for so long, I would take the other route, spending a night in beautiful Mai Chau – one of the most pleasant day trips from Hanoi. Those going from Vietnam to Laos should note that the return bus from Nam Soi to Sam Neua leaves between 10.30am and 11am. There is no obvious sign of accommodation in Nam Soi, so it’s best to spend the night in Na Meo, and then take the bus the following morning. Until someone provides a real, public transport solution to the border problem, possibly the best way to travel is to take things into your own hands, or rather legs, and get on a bike.