Sunday, June 14, 2009

1-2 June – Plain of Jars, Laos

The Plain of Jars in northeastern Laos is like something from a fairytale. Hundreds of large stone jars, carved from blocks of stone, are scattered across a wide area. The weathered stone jars are said to be 2000 years old. Most likely they have been used as storage containers for fresh water in the past – nobody knows for sure.
This area was very heavily bombed during the Vietnam War. The Americans tried to stop the North Vietnamese from smuggling weapons to South Vietnam along the so called Ho Chi Minh trail which ran through Laos. Many stone jars were damaged by bombs.
Many people in the area lost their lives during the war. Still today, several people are killed every year by unexploded bombs from the war. When children start playing with the bombs, they sometimes explode.

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