The northeast - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 227

TOURS
The most popular tour, and one that's offered by every travel agent and guesthouse in Phon-
savan, is one that takes in sites 1, 2 and 3 (around 150,000K/person, excluding admission
fees), though in all honesty you'll probably find that just visiting one site is more than
enough. As many places offer the same tour, it can be hard to know just how well informed
your guide will be. We've listed a couple of recommended operators here.
Amazing Lao Travel Just west of Bamboozle! on Route 7 061 260026, amaz-
inglao.com . This well-established outfit on the main road has a good range of options for
groups, for whom discounts are often available. If you're travelling solo contact the office
and they'll try to find a tour for you to join.
Sousath Travel At Bombie's Bar on Route 7 020 2967213, [e-mail] .
For something a little different, try Southath Travel, whose itineraries mix trips to the usual
Jar sites with the chance to see lesser-visited war relics, including rusting tanks, a landing site
used by American “Ravens” and some impressive B52 bomb craters. Tours start at 200,000K,
based on a group of four.
Muang Khoun (Old Xieng Khuang)
A ghost of its former self, MUANG KHOUN , old Xieng Khuang, 35km southeast of Phon-
savan, was once the royal seat of the minor kingdom Xieng Khuang, renowned in the six-
teenth century for its 62 opulent stupas, whose sides were said to be covered in treasure.
Years of bloody invasions by Thai and Vietnamese soldiers, pillaging by Chinese bandits in
the nineteenth century and a monsoon of bombs that lasted nearly a decade during the Se-
cond Indochina War taxed this town so heavily that by the time the air raids stopped next to
nothing was left of the kingdom's exquisite temples. The town was all but abandoned, and
centuries of history were drawn to a close. All that remains of the kingdom's former glory is
an elegant Buddha image towering over ruined columns of brick at Wat Phia, and That Dam,
both of which bear the scars of the events that ended Xieng Khuang's centuries of rich his-
tory. Although the town has been rebuilt and renamed, it has taken a back seat to Phonsavan,
and, with little in the way of amenities for travellers - there are a few fõe shops around the
market, but no hotel - it's most convenient to visit Muang Khoun as a day-trip.
That Dam
A long row of low-slung wooden shop houses springs up along the road from Phonsavan in
the shadow of towering That Dam , signalling your arrival in Muang Khoun. A path along-
side the market leads up to the blackened hilltop stupa, the base of which has been tunnelled
straight through to the other side by treasure seekers hoping to find more than a simple bone
of the Enlightened One inside. A British surveyor who travelled through the area in the ser-
vice of the Siamese king in 1884 - shortly after the invasions by Chinese Haw - surmised
that the bandits pillaged the stupa, making off with 7000 rupees' weight of gold.