laos- nambak

nambak is a district within the province of luang prabang. this small rural district was where we stayed and conducted our research on rural development projects. this was a far cry from the tourist friendly areas of luang prabang city and vientiene. in this small village located along highway 13, the only highway which leads from china through southern laos, the locals welcomed us with good food and humor. in the villages around nambak, we lived and interacted among the locals for over three weeks. we braved the frigid waters in the evenings and the howling dogs in the evenings so that we may learn more about the locals and their education, medical, and water needs.






namthouamtai, nambak

two schoolboys walking to school

northern village school

site of future school building

local dishes: fried fish and pork soup

local dish, spicy papaya salad

laos- luang prabang

luang prabang, the former capital of the north, was a tourist's dream. the city of 103,000 (wiki), is nestled in an area of lush and green mountains sprinkled with countless monasteries. in this dreamy city were life is far from the hustle and bustle of vientiene, there are waterfall parks and elephant riding parks just an half a day's ride away. at night, the streets light up beautifully with the lights of the locals selling trinkets and souvenirs along the night market.

our guesthouse



braving the local means of transportation

the monestary across from the royal palace

laos- vientiene

the capital of vientiene with its population of 200,000 (wiki), was a budding metropolitan rushing toward modernization. there was a four story mall like laan xaan to brag about to tourists and the monasteries were filled to their capacity with tourists from all over the world. since laos opened its doors to the world in the early 2000's (wiki), the city has become a tourist favorite due to its mix of culture and inexpensive nature. nestled along the main strip which leads to patuxi, the victory gate, are java cafes and western shops.

our hotel

wat si muang

buddha park

laos

in the winter of '08-'09, i spend some time in Laos conducting research on rural development projects. i found the country to be welcoming. the southern part (vientiene) was budding with evidence of the west: sushi restaurants and java shops. the northern part (luang prabang) was well on its way to change: loads of heritage and monasteries decorated with evening markets and tourists.



i particularly liked the food: fresh fruits, greens, and local dishes like laarp, mango shakes, BBQ.