About Stupa's, Hydropower Projects and School Improvement Projects

As usual at this time of the year, the air quality in Chiangmai was once again bad so it was time to give my lungs a little respite. I decided to head for Laos in the hope that the air would be a bit better than in Chiangmai. So, an early start and some sources of the bad air in the north of Thailand were visible everywhere in the mountains around Chiangmai







As I was planning to meet Mac of the Thai-Lao-Cambodia Brotherhood in Phonsavan to see the results of some of their school projects I took the same route I had taken on an earlier trip - from Vientiane first east on Rd 13S and then north to Mueang Bolikhan and Ban Phamuang on Rd 5101 to Thasi on Rd 1D. Rd. 5101 was still bad but at least the biggest potholes on the part from Phamuang to Thasi had been filled in so it was a relatively smooth ride. Somewhere along the road a big truck had broken down in the middle of the road and while there was enough space for me to pass the truck, the bigger trucks were less lucky and they were all waiting for the broken-down truck to be cleared away.



In December, when I was passing along the same road I had seen a sign for the Nam San (Nam Xan) 3A & 3B hydropower projects so this time I headed of to the north-east to have a look at the construction site. Still early days so there was not much to see yet other than the sign and a lot of earth moving, etc. The sign indicated that it was only 2.5 Km. to the site but that was to the project office and I had to travel another 14 km. to get to the project site.













The river is being diverted to enable the dam builders to get on with their job


Nice views to the east from where the dam will be constructed (at least that is what I assume where it will be)


Even though the construction has barely started, the loggers are already busy to get the logs out


Another Hydropower Project being planned for the Nam Chiane (Nam Chiang) River


After another longish ride I made it to Phonsavan where I stayed at the Dok Khoune hotel (my favourite place to stay, the Nice Guesthouse, was again fully booked). In the evening I met Mac and his friend who had arrived a day earlier from Xaysomboun via Long Chieng (LS-20a) and we discussed the plans for the next day. Three school improvement project funded by the TLCB were more or less completed and Mac, after inspecting the projects, would officially hand them over to the Education Department of Xienghhouang Province.

The next morning after picking up officials from the Education Department we set of for the first school of the day - the primary school in Ban Yodt Pair/Gnotphe which is located on Rd. 3910 (Mueang Phoukout to Mueang Viengthong on Rd 1C). After our visit to the school in December 2013, the TLCB decided that they would provide the funds to put in a concrete floor and repair/replace the roof of one of the school buildings. When we arrived the workers were still busy putting the new roofing sheets on the building.







The other buildings could use a new roof as well


Mac is trying to convince the school people to get some more light into the class rooms - most schools in rural areas of Laos have no electricity and just a few small windows to let some light in so the class rooms are generally quite dark



In schools in other areas like in Xaysomboun they have now put a few transparent roofing sheets in the roof but in Xiengkhuang they claim that these transparent sheets will be damaged during hailstorms so they stick with galvanized roofing sheets


After the speeches, etc. it was time for a Baci-ceremony followed by a party with plenty of food, Lao Lao and Beer Lao. At the other 2 schools at Ban Lat Yai (concrete floor) and Ban Naxaithong (new toilets) the same thing happened but minus the Baci-ceremony and when we returned to Phonsavan none of us wanted to have dinner anymore. Sorry, no pictures of the parties, just some pictures of the kids at the three schools.

















The next morning Mac and his friend had to return to Vientiane and I went my own way to look at touristic things and do some exploring around Phonsavan. One of my touristy destinations was the "Crater Field" (N19.57729 E103.31880 near Ban Khai on Rd 3901) followed by a trip to the Nam Khan river to check if there was a car ferry for a potential trip to Luang Prabang later that week.





From Ban Kay I followed dirt roads to the west but I must have taken somewhere a wrong turn as I ended up at Rd 7. 





The remnants of an old Russian PT-76 amphibious tank (N19.54562 E103.08197) along Rd. 3910


On my way to the Nam Khan river crossing there is a 3-story concrete structure in the middle of nowhere (N19.64570 E103.10984 along Rd 3909) - not sure what it is but it may well be related to the "secret war" in Laos or more precise the L 109 airstrip which was located here.










The Nam Khan crossing at Ban Vangtong/Longhang and there is now indeed a car ferry to get to the other side of the river to Ban Pakvang and Rd. 2504 in Luang Prabang province