Ripped open by metal explosion

Laos is the most bombed country in the world. During the Secret War (also known as Vietnam War), the US forces dropped an equivalent of one bomb every eight seconds for eleven years. It is estimated that 30% of these bombs didn't explode, so the western provinces of Laos are still dangerous areas with all the unexploded ordnance (UXO). When visiting Phonsavan the Plain of Jars, you could see remnants of cluster bombs used for decoration on the walls, bigger casings as flower pots and the craters on the ground.

The history of the area was very sad -why would anyone feel that poor and small Laos was such a huge threat to the world that it deserved being bombed so heavily? And sadder still, people still die from the UXOs, although Mine Advisory Group is working hard to educate people of the dangers as well as clear areas of UXOs. Think about being a farmer and not ever being able to safely walk on your own land! In Phonsavan my favourite musical Hair came to haunt me with one of the songs describing Vietnam war:

Ripped open by metal explosion
Caught in barbed wire
Fireball
Bullet shock
Bayonet
Electricity
Shrapnel
Throbbing meat
Electronic data processing
Black uniforms
Bare feet, carbines
Mail-order rifles
Shoot the muscles
-3-5-0-0, Hair soundtrack

So Phonsavan was a curious visit for the history of the war, but also it was the first town that felt like real Lao town. The van ride from Luang Prabang took us there through winding and tiny mountain roads - I understand why so many people choose to fly in this country - and when we finally arrived to the Plain of Jars, I learned that it's not smart to sleep with your mouth open in a car next to a window. The taste of dust took several days and several beers to clear! It was surprising to see how dry it actually gets during the dry season - the dust was everywhere and covered about everything!

The Plain of Jars is a plateau at 1000m, one of the few flat areas in Laos, and gets its name from mysterious large stone containers that are found at 56 individual sites. They are big enough to fit a human inside, old enough to be forgotten who made them, and so mysterious that no one knows why they are there. The different hypotheses include that the jars were used as a coffin to allow the dead to decompose before the bones were buried, and that the jars were used to store food and once some water leaked in and the contents started fermenting - the birth of Lao whiskey, Lao Lao!