The Lao Way Of “Blinking” How Lao people make efficient use of their car lights… Part of driving safely is letting other motorists around you know your intentions, so they can predict what you will do. Using your turn signals is an efficient way of doing so. And it is not difficult. To signal
Volunteer in Laos Leave More Than Just Footprints Volunteer in Laos at Daauw Home, Kajsiab Project, Hauy Xai, North Laos Early in the year of 2004 Nzoua Vue’s family was beset by tragedy. His beloved sister, Kajsiab, died a preventable death due a minor infection and inadequate health care. She was thirteen years old. Sadly,
Fair Trek Project: TRAINING in Luang Prabang Community-based tourism projects in Laos, and for the world… FairTrek is an innovative tourism project that aims to assist in the development of communities in need. Adventure is the heart of our activities, yet fairness is the key of our vision. Working with communities, local partners, NGO’s and
LAO OLYMPIC FLAG IS COMING HOME! LEOT project Luang Prabang acquired the Olympic flag The Lao national flag which was recently carried before Lao’s top athletes at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in the recent London Olympics has been acquired by the newly opened LEOT English Learning Centre (LELC) in Luang Prabang. The
After one and a half months living and working in Luang Prabang, I’ve started to be familiar with the place. Usually, I don’t really enjoy big cities. I quickly feel oppressed by the pollution and the touristic trap! I need open space and greenery to be comfortable. Luang Prabang is not a really big town,
The Luang Prabang Mojo Café, a La institution for music, life, friendship and fun… Hi! My name is Marine, I’m a new intern with the Fair Trek team in Luang Prabang. You cannot hear my accent but I’m French ! =) I would like to share a personal experience with you ! From my room
A story about living like and work in Laos, Luang Prabang. With only three days left, my time as an intern for the Fair Trek Team in Luang Prabang is soon over. These past three months working and living in Luang Prabang, Laos have been simply amazing! I couldn’t ask for a better experience, it
It’s terrible to find oneself reaching for a second helping of dog… We took a two-hour, freezing cold boat ride from Luang Prabang to a Hmong village for Hmong New Year. When we finally arrived, our boat driver/guide took us to the house of the headman, who we were going to stay with. He’s got
Motorcycling in Laos, for a good cause! Riding Laos on a motorcycling holiday last year was a real eye opener for me. The scenery is nothing short of stunning the trails are hidden and follow through rugged mountains forever. We were humbled by what we saw, the people, poor as they are, are warm
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A Lao Elephant Adventure in HongSa Cast of Characters: betadine, gauze, hope, trust, a bicycle, a scalpel, a very deep hole, and an elephant. The rainy season has made lots of the roads in Northern Laos nearly impassible. Petra and Marlies could have taken a boat up the Mekong to Luang Prabang, but they wanted
The staff at this hotel in Luang Prabang, Laos, have taken a shine to me. Maybe it’s because I practice Lao with them sometimes, maybe it’s because I let them work on their English with me sometimes. I think it’s because they get a kick out of the fact that I eat sticky rice with
A rainy afternoon, I walked to the Royal Palace Museum in Luang Prabang, Laos. I was going to the theater to see a Lao ballet show. At first, I didn’t know what to expect and I was prepared for anything, however I was ready for one thing, I would probably not understand a thing. When
Last week we took the Tamarind cooking class in Luang Prabang, Laos. We started the Lao cooking day at 9am and we were whisked off to Phosy Market where Joy the chef taught us about what kind of herbs, vegetables and other Lao food you use in Lao cuisine. The stands sold a lot of
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Yesterday I took a muddy walk. The mountains around Luang Prabang are too beautiful to simply look at—I have to get out into them. Even when the sky hangs low and grey and the jungle around the city has that glow that says rain is coming. So my walk in the hills between two villages
Last week, I together with the Fair Trek team in Luang Prabang, Laos went to the village Long Lao Mai to show them how to make clay bricks for the ECO Bungalow. We spent the night at the village; for me it was a wonderful and peculiar experience, all in the same time. The first
Laos may not be a huge country, but its remoteness and rugged terrain mean that different regions, though they may not be all that distant from each other as the crow flies, can have different languages, different customs, and very different atmospheres. There’s a lot of good exploring packed into this one, green, mountainous country.
This past weekend, I and some friends made a visit to the Chinese Shopping Mall which opened in Luang Prabang, Laos just a few months ago. It really stands out, you can´t find a store like this anywhere in town. In the shopping mall you can find pretty much everything, from groceries, washing machines, flat
Hi my name is Hanna and I am from Sweden. I am working as an intern at Tiger Trail in their Fair Trek Responsible Tourism Division. I will be here in Luang Prabang, Laos for three months. During this time I will put up a post once a week where I tell you about different
A Lao Baci Ceremony experience… You wear a sin, a Lao skirt. You wear a scarf or some piece of fabric over your left shoulder. There has to be a monk or a holy man. He prays generally, then specifically, then generally again. You eat food and drink Beer Lao. I wore my sin and
From 8 -12 June, two Tiger Trail staff attended a workshop on community based tourism in Chiang Mai, Thailand! Thailand has been developing sustainable communities in remote areas for a longtime. With all the knowledge that they have to share, the Community Based Tourism Institute and the Community Based Tourism Network put together this great training