Sam Neau, Viengxai, Phonsavan

Sam Neau, Venice of the North?

The Modern Town of Sam Neau

The Market in Sam Neau

The nine hour bus trip across N Laos was all it was advertised to be, with beautiful scenery as we skirted the largest National Park in Laos.  You could argue that the entire N of the country is of National Park status most anywhere else.  Met up with the German kid, Felix, on the bus, so it was nice to have someone to chat with during the long journey.  We arrived in Sam Neau around 9:30 PM and quickly found a nice guesthouse (Bounhome) for a reasonable $8.50/night.  We were lucky enough to find a place open for dinner at that hour (Laotians tend to get to bed early) where we found a rollickingly drunk group of doctors from the local hospital, all of whom were drinking Heineken.  I guess Heineken is doing its usual marketing job on these people, despite the beer being crap in comparison to Beer Lao.....to paraphrase Frank in Blue Velvet, "Fuck Heineken......Beer Lao!".  I decided to take an easy day the next day and just wander around the surprisingly modern and clean city.  Strong Vietnamese influences and since the HQ of the Pathet Lao was only 20 miles away and the Vietnam border not much further, this town was surely built with a lot of Vietnamese money.  It's not really well set up for tourism as few falangs make it to this remote area and most are simply journeying on to Vietnam.  My purpose (besides the scenery en route) was to visit the HQ of the Pathet Lao between 1963-75, which consisted of a series of amazing caves in the town of Viengxai.  Bit of a hassle getting out there since they stupidly placed the bus station 4 kms out of town and catching a tuk tuk at 6AM was impossible.  I finally went into a gas station and begged a guy in a pickup to give me a lift.  Upon arrival, I met a couple Brits (Ian and Dan) whom I'd seen, but not talked to, in Muang Ngoi and Nong Khiaw.  With the aid of a required guide, we cycled from cave to cave all afternoon.  Really fascinating how they converted limestone caves into living quarters, complete with concrete walls and floors and interior wood framing.  The caves included auditoriums, hospitals, living quarters, kitchens, bathrooms, safe rooms with cast iron doors and hand-cranked ventilation systems......really amazing.  For nine years the US bombed the area around the caves as well as the Plain of Jars villages near what is now Phongsavan; more tonnage was dropped by the US militaryt in Laos than by all the nations in WWII.  This was known as the Secret War and unknown to most US citizens as the military and CIA operatives were sworn to secrecy.  All in all one of the most shameful periods in US history and the responsible parties should have been tried for war crimes.  There is no sane justification for what was done to poor tribal villagers, some of whom didn't even know what the US was before the war started.  The Hmong were recruited to help fight on the US side and as the men were killed off, kids as young as 13 were forced into action, the penalty being that their villages would not receive food supplies if they didn't co-operate.  Ultimately, we allowed a few Hmong to immigrate to the US and left the rest to face a country that hated them.  Many wound up in dingy refugee camps in Thailand. The older I get, the angrier I get.  Here's a clip from a film everyone should see, called The Most Secret Place on Earth:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fLE6LqXNOg

Keeping the World Safe for Democracy and Making Friends

Beautiful Viengxay Valley

Quite Naxai II Guesthouse

Safe Room with Filtration System in Caves

Cave Barracks

We had all hoped to stay in Viengxai a few more days, but poor weather and a lack of decent bicycles led the English guys and I to the bus station in the early morning for the 12 hour journey to Phonsavan.  More about Phonsavan in the next blog entry.

Phonsavan

No Worries with Ian at the Helm


After the brutally long 12 hour bus ride to Phonsavan, settled in at a nice little hotel, the White Orchid.  Managed to bargain the 200,000 kip room ($25) down to 150,000 ($18.75).  While I'd only expected to spend a night or two there, I wound up spending four nights.  Phonsavan doesn't get very good press in the guide books, but I found it a real Lao industrial//farming town with more than adequate tourist facilities.  A big bonus was the Hmong New Year celebration which lasts two weeks.  They had the cheesiest of carnivals with rigged gambling games and tons of inferior Chinese junk for sale.  There are plenty of quality guest houses that seem not to get any mention in the various guides or online sites, most at typical Lao prices of around $10/night for a twin or double room.  A local bar, Bamboozled, provides evening entertainment including an open mic and there are dozens of inexpensive restaurants, the best of which was Nisha, a fine Indian joint which was praised by my British friends and Jules (an Indian chick I met in Nong Kiaw).  Ian, Dan and I decided to rent motorcycles to visit the Plain of Jars (the sole reason most tourists come to Phonsavan) and some local villages.  After seeing 334 jars at site 1, it seemed pointless to head to the other two main sites, so we just hit the road and visited villages that see few tourists, based on the gaping stares and excited children.

 

Bunch of Jars All Over

Hittin' the Back Streets E of Town

With Scenery Like This, Who Needs National Parks?

Dan Goes Up Against Master Asian Gamblers, Fares Well

 I let Ian do the driving and held on tight and all was well.  Just a terrific day in all and one of my favorite in Lao, since they're both great guys; despite a large age gap, we really got on well.  After the ride, we watched one of the afore-mentioned films on the secret war in Lao, then headed for the carny where Dan won a few kip.  Then it was on to Bamboozled for some drinks and music featuring the Asian National Anthem, Hotel California (I defy anyone to see a cover artist in this part of the world and not hear Hotel California within minutes of arriving....if royalties were paid, the Eagles would make $3 a year in the US and $3,000,000 over here).  Dan and Ian headed out the following day, but I was pumped up enough to rent my first motorcycle since 1986 (I've tended to fall off of them over the years) in order to visit the other two Plain of Jars sites.  What I didn't calculate was that of the 100 kms I rode, 70 were on dirt roads.  Of course I dumped the bike by running it into a ditch, but with no damage to the bike and only a scraped arm, bruised thigh and bruised ego.  Hey, at least 99.99% of the ride went perfectly!  The other sites were worth a visit, with one being on top of a ridge with spectacular 360 degree views and the other involving a trek through rice paddies. Spent the next day recuperating from a cold I caught on the bus from Sam Neau and then off to Luang Prabang.  One real treat on this trip has been running into many folks I've met in other parts of the N of Laos, away from the typical tourist trail which involves Vientiane, maybe Vang Vieng, and always Luang Prabang.  There's a very real Lao out there, but you won't find it without a little work.

Oy!  Why I Continue to Ride Motorcycles is One of Life's Mysteries