Rainy season in Laos can make life at the villages a little complicated. This was the case for Ban Kuchaluang, a Kasack village that is 1 hour away from Luang Prabang. This village has around 45 families that all share the school’s 2 classrooms but during the rainy season, the steep way up to the
Continue Reading “Building School Access Stairs – Kuchaluang Village”
During dry season the villagers of Kuchaluag had to travel many miles to get water for their daily needs. There were months at a time when this village would have no water. Fair Trek and several groups of volunteers partnered with the Kuchaluang community to build this water tank. It has helped the community have
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Jonathan Look of LifePart2 travels to remote villages of Phongsali with a member of Soap4Life to help train rural women in soap-making.
In May, Fair Trek hosted 144 students and teachers from Hwa Chong International School in Singapore. They came to Laos with Fair Trek’s partner, World Volunteer, a Swedish-based service-learning organization, to support the Eco Bungalow.
This project in Moud Village has a lot in common with the project developed by Fair Trek in Ponsavang village. These two schools are shared by many villages around them. This is the only secondary school around the area and around 5 to 6 villages use it. This takes a toll on the structure and
Continue Reading “Painting school and Fencing – Moud Village”
The village of Ponsavang is in a very strategic location since it is on the main street of the Xieng Ngern district. The 7 or 8 villages around this school only have pre-school or primary schools, making this a secondary school that is shared and used by many. On this occasion, Fair Trek partnered with
In the Hmong village of Long Lao Mai, you can stitch textiles, enjoy traditional music, or sit by the campfire listening to folktales. Volunteers and local people have built the Eco Bungalow to allow visitors from Laos and abroad to experience life in this fascinating Hmong village. Slow down your pace of travel and spend
It was extremely hot and sunny during my first two weeks here in Luang Prabang, a rarity during the ‘rainy season’. For my first weekend, I decided to cool off from the mid-day sun and experience some cultural diversity by visiting the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre. While some may think that the TAEC is
Last Thursday and Friday, Tiger Trail had a two-day tour guide training session at a local college in Luang Prabang. This was one of the few times of the year that all of our guides are together in one room! This training workshop was lead by both Peter Richards and Markus Neuer. Peter was an inspirational speaker and
Continue Reading “Tiger Trail Gears Up for the high season!”
Rice is Life Learning how to grow sticky rice at the Living Land Farm near Luang Prabang Living Land Farm The other morning I went to the Living Land Farm just outside of Luang Prabang to experience the Rice is Life program. It was fantastic! Our small group met with Mr. Laut Lee – a phenomenal farmer and
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Coffee Roasters in Laos serve delicious coffee and help communities One of my absolute #1 favorite things in the entire world is a good cup of coffee. When you arrive in Laos, it might seem that 3-in-1 packets of instant coffee are the only option, but let me let you in on a little secret
Breaking Tradition Laos is a country full of history and tradition, and it is also a country full of youth. The median age in Laos is 19 – the youngest in the region. To put that into perspective, the median ages of Vietnam, the United States, and Germany are 29, 37, and 46. Where there
Tiger Trail, Fair Trek, and Partner Kickoff Grand Opening of the Eco Bungalow in Long Lao Mai Well, we did it! The Eco Bungalow in Long Lao Mai is officially open for business. On Friday, 31 January 2014, we celebrated the official opening of the Fair Trek Eco Bungalow community-based tourism project. We joined together
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Fair Trek ECO Bungalow Project Luang Prabang, Second Village Construction. Community tourism project under way in Luang Prabang Province. Building with Clay/Earth and with the help of Volunteers. This initiative for sustainable tourism is unique. Our mission, “tourism benefiting communities” is carried out… After the successful construction of a beautiful ECO-Bungalow
An Intern’s Unforeseen Adventure in Laos…. It all started off as a typical day here in Laos, Luang Prabang…. A colleague, and me (a Tiger Trail intern) drove to Nongkhuay to deliver some clay bricks for our ECO Bungalow being built there. After picking up the bricks, we drove about 40 minutes away from Luang
The Story of Noy – an orphan baby Elephant in Laos. The Elephant Conservation Center is located in Sayaboury, in Northwestern Laos. This area is home for most of the domesticated elephants in the country. It has been chosen to establish the first elephant hospital in Laos, as well as an Eco touristic camp.
Continue Reading “Elephant Baby – Elephant Conservation Center.”
The Kajsiab Foundation Bokeo Province, Laos The Kajsiab Foundation offers support to locals in the far north east of Laos. This update encourages to give help to this great initiative. “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love” Mother Teresa Do you want to help the
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Bamboo Playground for Ban Noonsavath Primary School! A community project in Luang Prabang with Tiger Trail / Fair Trek / Reach Out Volunteers Some of the fondest memories I have of elementary school were not inside the classroom, but outside, on the playground! I loved jumping on the swing and kicking my legs to get
Community Based Tourism in ASEAN Countries As part of their commitment to social responsibility, Tiger Trail sent me as a Fair Trek representative (as well as a representative from Laos) to join a two day conference in Bangkok organized by the Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute. The conference included researchers, community representatives, government,
No Beers for Bears… A story about an amazing bear brain surgery at the Luang Prabang bear rescue center. The donations that go to Free the Bears have helped create a variety of initiatives in South East Asia that maintain rescue projects and build sanctuaries for those bears that are rescued
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