As we were leaving the region to move back home, I did a consultancy that took me to several capital cities to review national health programs. It was a great opportunity for all of us to say goodbye to friends, colleagues and places we’ve frequented over the past decade. So we packed up the house and shipped, sold or gave away our belongings, and took the kids on a two month journey through Southeast Asia. [Read more…] about Travel: Hauling a 2- and 4-year old through 6 countries in 8 weeks
laos
Laos at Night
Bun Awk Phansa (Full Moon), Luang Prabang
The October Full Moon marks the end of the three-month rains. People release small banana-leaf boats decorated with candles, incense and small flowers at the rivers Mekong and Nam Khan. Paper lantern boats are constructed in the monasteries and paraded in a candlelight procession to the rivers.
Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang
Night market, Luang Prabang
Mortar round candle holder, Phonsavanh, Xhieng Khouang
More photos from Xhieng Khouang in Northern Laos by Keith Kelly
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Laos: Regional Getaway
Published in AsiaLIFE Phnom Penh, January 2008
More photos from Northern Laos by K Kelly
Because the world has largely ignored this small country, its way of life, and religious and traditional structures have been preserved, creating an old-world charm. With an inviting reception all around, and life carrying on unhurriedly, Laos is sure to be a memorable destination.
With growing interest in the unchartered northern provinces, especially the protected and just recently accessible areas of Luang Nam Tha and Phongsali, exploring a wider range of destinations is now possible through a responsive and well-coordinated tourism sector. Sleep in a tree-house with the gibbons and zipline to breakfast. Or go on a wildlife trek to sight any of the rare species still living in sustainable existence in one of many protected areas.
Activities for getting to and exploring destinations are also increasing, especially for the nature enthusiasts – such as kayaking, mountain climbing and jungle hiking, spelunking, river cruising. The nationally-sanctioned Green Discovery assures optimal match of visitor with location, paying special attention to leaving as small a footprint as possible.
Charms of an Old Capital
Closer to the beaten track it is still possible to capture the essence of Laos. The old capital Luang Prabang boasts a therapeutic pace, insured against the havoc of progress by its World Heritage branding. It is the perfect city for renting a bike (US$1/day). Markets selling precious stones, textiles and handicrafts intersperse with modern cafés, restaurants and bars. Laos has more than a hundred tribal groups, their traditions artfully exhibited in the newly opened Ethnology museum. Home to numerous wats and architectural treasures from centuries gone by, the city is nestled picturesquely at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khang Rivers. A one-hour Laos-style massage, which focuses on pressure points, costs US$5 at the spas, and the shopping strip quadruples in size when the night bazaars open.
Luang Prabang’s central location affords easy access to a robust sampling of the north’s rough country, histories and cultures. Experience a mahout’s working day–unemployed elephants formerly logging the forests now live in retirement sanctuaries nearby. The elephant camp at Xieng Lom will gladly help you assist them.
A journey down the Mekong to Pak Ou Caves is an experience not just for the caves carved into limestone mountains and filled with Buddha statues. Textile, handicraft, and papermaking villages along the way are usually part of the package when arranging transport. Visitors can watch weavers at the loom or peruse finished products at centrally located shops. Their crafts are often a good bargain compared with those in Luang Prabang.
Tribal Textiles Traditions
Textile production is high in Laos, compared to Thailand and Cambodia where the skill is slowly lost to modern pursuits. While pieces with repeating patterns can be mass-produced, those made by hand are beautifully unique. They record the distinct patterning, colours and techniques of the weaver’s tribal affiliation.
There are over a dozen weaving styles and designs, but patterns most recognisable to the inexpert eye comprise figures of the mythical Naga, phoenix, dragons, elephants, and birds in diamond repetitions. To complete a large piece (around 3m x 0.8m), a weaver labours for a dedicated seven days a week for four weeks. These highly-crafted pieces can fetch prices starting at US$150, depending on the intricacy, even higher in Luang Prabang and much higher from abroad or on the internet.
Remnants of War
Not as popular on the tourist trail is the northeastern province of Xieng Khouang on the Vietnamese border where the war history is evident. A striking view of forested mountains and karst formations greets visitors as the plane descends from the clouds. Sadly, scars left by American bombing campaigns pockmark the landscape. It is estimated that more bombs were dropped in Laos than in Germany and Japan combined during World War II.
As in Cambodia, villagers are forced to put a positive spin on it – “The Americans gave us fish ponds.” War relics are used as stilts for the raised dwellings of the H’mong, as fencings and posts, for grill pits and planters. Cluster bomb units hold candles in hotels and restaurants. One woman in Ban Na Pia makes 700 spoons a day by melting down mortar shells that her husband still finds in the fields. She sells them to visitors who watch her work, for 5,000 kip each. A visit to the scrap metal yards reveals the sheer amount of shell casings and bomb fragments traded in daily. Highly risky, finding these munitions is more lucrative than farming, and many do this full-time.
Plain of Jars
In the same province is the archaeological mystery of the Plain of Jars. Believed to be the third and biggest of five sacred sites – the others are in India, China, Malaysia, and Indonesia – bearing technical similarity to each other, they were left by a nomadic group whose ethnic origins are still unknown.
The ones in Laos are carbon-dated to 2,000 BC and documented in China’s manuscripts of the period. They’re also the largest, with one weighing over six tonnes. Remains found alternately inside or underneath the jars imply that after a first burial inside the jar, the bones were later removed and placed in the ground for a second burial. The jars were then filled with the departed’s earthly goods, to ease transition to the nether world.
Three sites have the greatest concentration of jars. The third and most scenic is accessed via a panoramic 20-minute trek through rice fields, farms and pastures. Patience pays off in the stunning views as well as the opportunity to interact with hill-tribe villagers or glimpse into their lives.
Village-hopping
Xieng Khouang is packed with possibilities for exploring traditional livelihoods. Village leaders allow foreigners a guided tour into their communities, in exchange for regular compensation from the government to keep things tidy. Tour guides are often eager to bring foreigners to their village and to show the ways of life of the various hill-tribes.
If visiting the weaving village of (Ban) Xsang be ready for a lively show of Khmou hospitality. Lao lao and fruit are handed round to buy time for neighbours to drop in with their wares. As many as fifteen weavers cram into the wooden hut with bags of their best textiles, ready to compete for potential purchases. Colourful patterns are tossed on the mat for perusal. Soon the pile is nearly a metre high and the weavers are yelling at one another over whose work is better. With lots of laughter and plenty of lao lao, it’s impossible not to enjoy Laos hospitality.
A Luang Prabang sunset on the Mekong
Chaffing the rice after harvest
Farmer taking a break to humor the tourists :-)
Textile weavers displaying their best works for visitors
The landscape is still scarred by bombs dropped during the secret war.
Bomb casings used as stilts to raise houses
Melting mortar rounds (still found daily in the fields) to make spoons
Plain of Jars Site 1, having the most number of jars
Bridge in Xieng Khouang to the Khmou village Na Sala
More photos from Keith Kelly
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Laos: A Gastronomic Adventure
Where Thais love the calorific richness of coconut milk bases and thick sauces, Lao cuisine tends to be less demanding without compromising taste. A coarse mix of freshly prepared ingredients creates the signature raw textures and crisp flavours. It combines the bitterness of roots with citrus, the sour tang of tamarind and the pungent saltiness of fermented fish or shrimp.
Sample the haute royal cuisine of the north with soups like khái pâen (river moss) and áw lám (a dense vegetable mix). And don’t miss the assorted pumpkin dishes or grilled fish served with sticky rice. More typical dishes include làap (lime-cured minced meat and herbs), mak pen (spicy grilled meat patties), thot phakop (fish beignets) and pak goot (spirally green fern). A concoction of chilli sauce and dried buffalo skin (jaew bong) complements the meal.
The distinctive flavours of Laos are a culinary treat worth exploring. It is an easy inquiry at guesthouses or at the open-air kitchens of riverside restaurants to get an informal cooking tutorial. For proper lessons including a trip to the market to pick up ingredients–or for the truly inspired, to fish in the local style or pick vegetables at the local farm– Tamarind or Tum Tum Cheng will cater to the serious foodie.
Further afield, the inquisitive palate won’t be disappointed. Chun pradek (fermented fish) and kaeng paa khai mot (ant egg and fish soup), harkens memories of the much-loved prahok and ongkrong in Cambodia. Food for the more daring soul include frog mok (minced meat and herbs steamed in banana leaves) and nok aen dawng (fermented swallows) served fried or in a soup. There is also a special fondness for larvae, steamed in a large bamboo tube.
These are washed down with lao hai (a communal jar wine of fermented herbs), sipped through thin bamboo reeds, or a lao-lao infusion of hét wâi (rice whiskey with wild matsutake mushrooms).
Viradesa Guesthouse and Restaurant
2nd lane (Ban Wat That), on the river
A Mekong riverside sunset under the foliage awning is a must. Local fares such as pork laap or fish koy are excellent. Try a Beer Lao Dark or a shot of lao-lao
Talaat Phousi, the main market
Try a bowl of khao soi (a very good, very tasty noodle soup) for breakfast while watching morning market activities.
Published in AsiaLIFE Phnom Penh, January 2008
More photos from Northern Laos by Keith Kelly
Fish Koy at Viradesa Restaurant on the River, similar to Laap but with fish instead of meat.
This freshly cooked seaweed (khai paen) dish is delicious.
Street vendors sell bamboo steamed sticky rice, at a pay stop on the way to one of the Plain of Jars sites.
Tasty street food, naim, sold on the riverfront in Vientiane, fried balls of coconut, rice, fish.
Rice noodles start off as a watery rice flour mixture boiled at dawn, rolled out to dry in the sun for the day, then cut into the thin noodles in the evening.
More photos from Northern Laos by Keith Kelly
Other posts on Laos:
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