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We reckon if we do a different route from everyone from the slow boat we might get to see some new faces. So we're packed up and on the road again down the infamous route 13. It used to be bad for buses getting hijacked by bandits and ifyour driver is a bit crazy, buses have been known to dissappear down the mountain. This was confirmed when we passed a bus that was absolutey wrecked on the side of the road. I'm getting a bit nervous but after 9 hours of twisty roads up and down the mountain we land in Phonsavan. There is literally nothing to do in this town except take an official tour of the Plan of Jars.

Plain of Jars

Gareth Penpraze
2007-04-20 22:28:45

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We reckon if we do a different route from everyone from the slow boat we might get to see some new faces. So we're packed up and on the road again down the infamous route 13. It used to be bad for buses getting hijacked by bandits and ifyour driver is a bit crazy, buses have been known to dissappear down the mountain. This was confirmed when we passed a bus that was absolutey wrecked on the side of the road. I'm getting a bit nervous but after 9 hours of twisty roads up and down the mountain we land in Phonsavan. There is literally nothing to do in this town except take an official tour of the Plan of Jars. We have dinner with Blair and another English girl and keep bumping into an ozzie/kiwi couple. We sit in a restaurant beside what seems to be the only club in the town. By 10 no-one has even gone into the place - considering the whole town shuts down by 11.30!!! We're invited to join some local guys in the club so we have to check it out. It becomes apparant the club must have been about the only gay club in town (maybe even the only club!), when the guys start going crazy for Britney Spears!! Emmets been getting chatted up and is told he's "very handsome man" not by one but by two different guys. One even asks for his phone number!! I down my beer and do a runner followed quicky by Phil. Blair and Gemma take their time over their beer as they watch Emmet sweat!! So the decision is made to take the tour and get out of there the same day.

15th July

Everyone that was on the bus from Luang Prabang seems to be taking the tour today. The Plain of Jars is a little surreal. Its the Giants Causeway of Laos. There's 3 sites containing large stone jars. Theres so many legends that no-one actually knows the truth behind them, some were used as graves, some for keeping rice, some for brewing the beer and some used to punish people - they were put in the Jars and a lid put on it. We have to stick to the signed paths as there's still a loy of unexploded ordinance from the Vietnam war - wouldn't be like america to drop their
bombs in the wrong place!!

We finish the tour and get dropped off at the bus station and its back on Route 13 in the dark - even more dangerous than yesterdays bus journey - off to Vang Vieng. The bus driver's playing some Laos pop music to keep himself awake and keeps turning the lights on and off. Me and Phil are loving the tunes but its getting to Emmet and Blair. I think they're ready for murdering the driver and walking the rest of the way. Its been pissin down for hours and when we stop for some dinner an old guy speking French to us, tells us that we are very lucky. Usually rocks would fall down the sides of the mountain and block the roads or worse hit the bus!! But we make it to Vang Vieng in one piece. Me and Phil check the town out - all one street of it and guess what - half the slow boat are there!!

Gareth Penpraze
http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ASBO-Holidays/