Catching a siesta under the watchful eye of some presents left by the Americans -
40 years previously The last page
offered images which illustrated the way cash crops have taken over the undeveloped land in southern Vietnam. This development was partly due to the economic shock administered to the whole country by the American embargo forty years ago. Prior to the embargo was the American war, during which vast quantities of ordnance rained down on both Vietnam and on Laos. It is estimated that some 80 million tons of unexploded
devices still remain in the forests of Laos. In Vietnam this ordnance was nearly completely cleared last century, however, in Laos, at the present rate of clearance, with its tiny population and vast forests, it will be hundreds of years before it will be safe to walk in the countryside. The up side of this is that Laos has the highest per hectare forest cover of any Asian country. And so here there is a chance to see the beauty created if nature is left to her
own devices - our thanks to the United States. The photographs on this page are taken from a journey along Highway 7 which forms a major artery between Vietnam and Laos. Along this route is the extraordinary World Heritage Site: 'The Plain of Jars' now clear of devices, but with reminders from the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) of the ever present danger. These reminders contrast with the beauty of the surrounding country, introduced lower down the page.
The sign above warns visitors that they should walk within the marked areas. The sign to the right acknowledges the work of clearing this part of The Plain of Jars to allow visitor access...
...a major effort which cleared just one fortieth of a square kilometre in a country of a quarter of a million square kilometres
Jars full of puzzles. But most likely they are connected with burials that took place around 2,000 years ago,
so far all explanations have problems: none fit all the facts.
Wikipedia has a full article on the Plain of Jars.
Contemplating the puzzle
The Jars range in size from one to three metres high
There are 90 Jar sites like this in the Xiangkhouang Province of Laos some with few
and some with as many as 400 Jars
The most likely suggestion about these artefacts are that they held the cremated remains of higher status individuals, burial of lower status people being in the ground around the Jars...
...However, the density of the Jars, some containing bone from more than one person, and the lack of accoutrements, make this an uncertain suggestion
The above Jar 217 shows the sort of damage done by the rain of bombs the Americans...
...dropped on the local countryside including the Plain of Jars. Above, a view of the countryside near 'Site 1'
Laos is a very hot country even in February when these pictures were taken. The shade of trees is as essential now as it would have been at the time of making these Jars. They are all hewn from solid stone involving the use of metal implements - no implements have been found
A consequence of the American bombing has been the preservation of the Laos forests, huge swathes of the country are unsafe...
...for its citizens, but very safe for its trees. The visitor can drive for hours on end, through pristine forests, without seeing a soul
Along the roads, in early spring, the flowering trees...
...and shrubs offer a continuous display
Beyond the foreground of flowering trees is the panorama of wooded hillsides - too dangerous to be cleared for
cash crops
Hills, with no sign of human habitation, stretching away into the distance
The stunning vista from where routes 7 and 13 meet at Phou Khoun in central Laos
Trailers...
The next page
has more images from Laos - its dust, karsts and sunsets. And an innovation: an embedded movie clip; with this the pages enter the 21st century!
The next page
of the Mosaic Section is headed 'Thought and Language'.
Or go to the contents of the Mosaic Section.
The last page had pictures on the theme of encroachment by cash crops in Đà Lạt
More trees, in Dawyck Botanic Gardens southern Scotland
...guide to this site