A pretty heavy day, with a very early start. The clouds were really dark and it rained, alternating between a light drizzle and a tropical downpour on and off for most of the day, which meant slipping and sliding along muddy tracks was part of the fun.
Stop 1 UXO Information Centre (MAG) A combination tourist office and bomb museum, my guide had to come here and register the trip. I looked around the information display and the tons of ordinance, representing a minuscule fraction of the large bombs to anti-personnel cluster bombs that had be cleared from around the province.
Stop 2 Rice noodle "factory" On the way I saw what turned out to be a restaurant in the middle of a large pond, which I found intriguing. The noodle factory, like most I’ve seen in SE Asia, is not really a factory, which implies an industrial process, but is more like a cottage enterprise. We saw the thick rice and tapioca slurry, that had been made the previous night, being steamed into thin discs about 30cm in diameter, then put on racks out in the sun to dry, before being cut up into thin noodles.
Stop 3 Vat Phia - Muang Khoun, Xieng Khouang Only remnants remain of this temple with the Buddha showing considerable damage from the bombing.
Stop 4 Chedi Not far from Vat Phia, behind a Hmong(?) village there was a chedi hidden on a hill that was reached by a track concealed by the overgrowth.
Stop 5 les ruines de l'ancien hôpital français - Muang Khoun, Xieng Khouang Supposedly a former residence of a Phuan kingdom prince, this was taken over and used as a French Hospital before being destroyed in the bombing.
Stop 6 That Chom Phet, Muang Khoun, Xieng Khouang Little information is available about this Stupa that dates from the sixteenth century (1564).
Stop 7 That Foun Stupa, Muang Khoun, Xieng Khouang It's claimed that some of the Buddha's ashes are covered by That Foun, which was built in 1576. "It was partially damaged by Chinese Black Flag bandits (19th century) who made a hole to rob a Buddha made of Gold hidden inside." http://www.exploguide.com/site/foun-stupa-muang-khoun-xieng-khouang, unfortunately about five minutes after we arrived it started pouring.
Stop 8 Lunch in Muang Khoun Pretty good lunch made with noodles from the place we had been to earlier.
UXO Information Centre
UXO Information Centre
UXO Information Centre
UXO Information Centre
UXO Information Centre
UXO Information Centre
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
Vat Phia
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
les ruines de l'ancien hôpital Français
That Chom Phet
That Chom Phet
That Chom Phet
That Chom Phet
That Chom Phet
Muang Khoun
Muang Khoun
Muang Khoun
Muang Khoun
Muang Khoun
Muang Khoun
Muang Khoun
That Foun Stupa
That Foun Stupa
That Foun Stupa
That Foun Stupa
That Foun Stupa
That Foun Stupa
Muang Khoun
