Do yourself a favour get off the beaten track and onto the dusty trail through Central Laos, a place of very few tourists, mysterious historical sites and wild countryside. Welcome to Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars!
It is possible to fly into Phonsavan but, let’s be realistic, we are backpackers, so you’ll most likely arrive by bus. Bus rides in Laos will have even the most seasoned travellers clutching their backpacks with white knuckles, or in some cases, decorating the side of the bus with their breakfast. So even if you’re not emptying your stomach, it’s worth sticking your head out the window to see the changes as you head towards the Xiang Khouang Province where the little town of Phonsavan is located.
After winding your way down through the jagged mountains, the road flattens out to gentle hills, the lush, smothering jungle that towered over your bus gives way to fields and grasslands, and, most likely, your driver floors it on the straight roads.
Far from the green mountains and bar-riddled streets of Vang Vieng, and the bafflingly-French streets of Vientiane, Phonsavan is not the Laos you’ve already seen
