December 28, 2012 @ Plain of Jars


Breakfast

Tourist Information

War-scraps kept at the Tourist Information Center

Orange

Most of their houses have nice red brick roof

Khounchueang Road

Fruit stalls

Tourist Information

Meo

Jac @ Plain of Jars Site 1

Me @ Plain of Jars Site 1

It is worth the long bus ride to reach here

Bomb crater

The Plain of Jars is a megalithic archaeological landscape in Laos

Scattered in the Xieng Khouang plateau are thousands of megalithic jars

The biggest jar ever found, aka The King*s Cup

These stone jars appear in clusters

The most investigated and visited Jar site is known as Site 1

View of Site 1

Ranging from a single or a few to several hundred jars at lower foothills

Initial research of the Plain of Jars in the early 1930s

Claimed that the stone jars are associated with prehistoric burial practices

It is presumed that all stone jars supported lids, although few stone lids have been recorded

The Plain of Jars is dated to the Iron Age (500 BCE to 500 CE)

The jars vary in height and diameter between 1 and 3 metres

Perfect weather

Beehive Beehive

Hole acted as natural chimneys of the crematorium

The cave at Site 1 is a natural limestone cave

With an opening to the northwest and two man-made holes at the top

Crafting on leaf

Entrance/exit of Site 1

The large quantity of UXOs (unexploded ordnance) in the area

Local game

Old Capital Xieng Khouang

Laos kids

Ruin of Wat Pia Wat

Happy kids

With big smile

That Foun, this Buddhist stupa is AKA That Chomsi

Christmas flowers

Laos or heaven

It measures about 30 metres and was built in 1576

The stupa was erected to cover ashes of Lord Buddha that were brought from India

That Chomphet, heavily damaged by Haw invaders in 1874 and almost destroyed in 1969 during the war

More Christmas flowers

Some call this Site 4

Several quarry sites have been recorded usually close to the jar sites

Farm house

The jars are everywhere

Five rock types are known: sandstone, granite, conglomerate, limestone and breccia

All without exception hewn out of rock

Modern day jars

Beautiful flowers

Beautiful flowers

Lunch @ Ban Xieng Di

Relaxing

Instant noodle lunch

To get to Site 3 you have to hike about 1.5km through rice paddies

Rice paddies

Site 3 is impressive and has 150 jars Site 3 has 150 jars

Huge stone jars are everywhere

Posed in a broken jar to give you some idea of its size

Some with stone plate next to it

Many with hole

Some are split into two

Some with bigger opening

Some with smaller opening and thicker wall

Cow or buffalo?

Amazing landscape

Amazing landscape

Amazing landscape

Turning scrap metal into spoon

Jac found a new job

Making her own spoon

FF on a missile ride

A square than circle jar

One of the taller jar

This jar has been broken by a tree growing up into the center of it

There are 2 hills in Site 2

Me taking photos of the jars

The second hill in Site 2 has wonderful views in all directions

A very photogenic spot

A group of birds

The area is called Ban Nakho

Lid for the jar with a human shape handle

Sunset @ Site 2 was stunning

Jac, Me, Enginie & Mary

Cannot get enough photo of these jars

Upgraded to a double room

Funfair

Bummer car

War-scraps

Recommended by travel advisory

My favor pappadum

Indian food for dinner


The Latsen plain