Phonsavan is in the remote province of Xieng Jhoung -- not far from the "Plain of Jars" -- a mysterious and little known historical site deep in rural Laos. I made this image from the deck of our small rustic hotel high on a hill overlooking a valley studded with tombs known as stupas. The textures and colors created by the morning fog caught in the crevices of the valley below convey a mood and atmosphere that is profoundly mystical. There is also a deeply spiritual mood to this photograph, created in part by the presence of all those tiny tombs. Indeed, this scene becomes even more poignant when you learn that this area was one of the most heavily bombed sites on earth during the Vietnam War. (There were still huge bomb craters just outside of our hotel.) The United States Air Force, supporting Laotian Hmong forces in their losing battle against North Vietnam’s army and Pathet Lao forces, pounded the entire area. The tremendous fighting and bombing decimated the population here. The ghosts of 30,000 war casualties are never far away here. With this context in mind, look still once again at this image. Another word comes to mind for both its mood and meaning: haunting.