Post by: David
Bus connects Nan and Luang Prabang from Oct 2017
Luang Prabang in Laos will be connected with Nan by a bus service from Oct 1. (Post Today photo) State-owned Transport Co will introduce a minibus service between Nan and Luang Prabang next month. General manager Jeerasak Yaowatsakul said the new minibus service starting on Oct 1 would take about eight hours on a 373-kilometre […]
Lao teenagers beating poverty as novice monks
Many of the students at the school I work at in Luang Prabang are novice monks. It is certainly a sight to behold – a classroom bathed in bright saffron robes beneath a sea of shaved heads (and eyebrows). People outside Laos find it interesting as to why so many novice monks come to school without […]
Chinese bring safe drinking water to Laos village while building railway
Parts of Laos do not have clean drinking water. The Chinese are building a railway through Laos over the next 5 years. One company has been recognized for helping a local village of 250 people providing safe drinking water. Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-09 00:38:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan VIENTIANE, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) — China’s Sinohydro Bureau 14 Co., Ltd […]
Trip to Tad Sae waterfall
I got an unexpected invite to join friends and their neighbours for a trip to Tad Sae waterfall this Sunday. I had heard these waterfalls, one of two in Luang Prabang, had been dry but now as it’s the beginning of rainy season I thought there may be some water on this hot day. Unlike […]
Helping English students at a local school – Luang Prabang, Laos
I helped out a small class of eager high school students with their English lessons last week. During the high school break, these students are taking a holiday class to improve their English skills. They go a small school set up in someone’s home in the center of Luang Prabang where two small classes of […]
Kayaking the Ou and Mekong river to Luang Prabang
I decided this week to take a day off and go kayaking down the Mekong River from just north of Pak Ou caves. I’ve visited the caves a few times before but never via the Mekong or kayaking. So I joined a tour and set out by tuk-tuk about an hour north of Luang Prabang. […]
Giving blood – Lao Red Cross
Recently I took a morning off work to catch up on a few errands. One of these was to make time to give blood at the Lao Friends Hospital Visitor Centre n Luang Prabang. It was a simple process and everyone was very friendly. I had a finger pricked and tests were taken and a […]
Fun games to learn team skills
The programme that supports and helps inspire our students had their final gathering for the school year. So much fun was had as they played a game together where one person in each team was blindfolded. All three has to hold two pieces of string attached to a rubber band. All three had to use the rubber […]
A day in a Buddhist Temple in Luang Prabang, Laos
I love this temple, it always feels very peaceful. Tourists know Tak Bat as the age-old and picturesque daily Buddhist Alms Giving procession of the monks. This is a glimpse into daily life as a monk or novice and also a reminder to tourists how to behave at a temple and when observing Alms Giving. The […]
Student visit to Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden
The Pha Tad Ke Botanical Gardens had an open day and we took some students across the Mekong River and downstream a little to these wonderful gardens that were opened about 2 years ago. You can see a diverse range of Lao flora and how people use plants in everyday life. They have a wonder […]
Students completed computer exams with good results
This past week students have completed the end of year computer exams with very pleasing results. The exam consisted of a multiple choice test followed by a practical exercise where they had to create a Word document utilising the skills they had learned this past school year. The elementary computing classes who come to school […]
Chasing your dreams
This year school implemented a new mentor programme to support and inspire students in their life and work ambitions. A key aim is to provide extra support for those interested in helping students get better jobs. The Dream Catcher Mentor program meets each week during lunchtime. This week we had Teacher Mai come and share her […]
Getaway to Northern Laos – Muang Ngoi
This lovely photo was taken on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang before I was fortunate to be able to get away for 2 days to Nong Khiaw about 3 hours North Fron Luang Prabang. Nong Khiaw is a very small town divided by a bridge. It is very beautiful and most people take a […]
A very cool music school in Luang Prabang
The Music for everyone school (MES) give free music lessons and free use of instruments to help people who are interested in music so they can follow their interests. It is run by the very passionate Max who works with a team of Lao staff who run lessons in the three classrooms. They have fourteen acoustic […]
Female Pilots breaking barriers
Way to go girls! I hope your story inspires other Lao girls.
Beware the voluntourists intent on doing good
The term voluntourism refers to the growing phenomenon of individuals travelling to developing countries to carry out volunteer work. They go for a week or two for a “project” — a temporary medical clinic, an orphanage visit or a school construction. Many go to teach English during high school, college vacations or during an OE/gap year. […]
Development, Food, Laos, Poverty, School, Video, Volunteering
A glimpse into life in Luang Prabang
In this 3 minute video, I show you a few scenes around Luang Prabang, life at the school where I volunteer and a brief insight to a village up river we got to by ‘long boat’. I will return soon to continue developing computer teaching programmes, running teacher training workshops and assisting Lao teachers in […]
What is the most delicious noodle soup in Laos?
One of my greatest pleasures in Laos is eating some of the local soups. Kao soi is a must try. It’s available almost everywhere and a few street places are my favourite. Kao soi is a soup made with wide rice noodles, coarsely chopped pork, tomatoes, fermented soy beans, chillies, shallots, and garlic, then topped […]
Women’s invisible burden
The struggle for dignified and meaningful livelihoods in the informal sector in Lao PDR Key Facts: Women represent more than 90 per cent of vendors in fresh food markets across the country. Market vendors earn 100,000-500,000 LAK (12 – 62 USD) on a daily average. Women market vendors in Vientiane have faced exorbitant rent and […]
What does teaching computing do to reduce poverty?
Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world. It has been proven that to drag a country out of its poverty, people must be educated. There are a number of education facilities in Laos and both Government run and private. The Lao education system is improving slowly and making good progress. The […]
Where else can you dine like this?
When I get time off, what better way to spend an afternoon than chilling out in a river hut? Just outside Luang Prabang, 30 mins up the Mekong river are a number of huts where you can relax and eat great Lao food and cool drinks. It does feel like a bit of a special treat to […]
Nightlife in Laos – Eating at a Beer bar
So what do local restaurants in Luang Prabang look like? Here is your intro to a local “Beer bar”. I enjoy the odd night out to a local restaurant to enjoy a meal and sometimes a few beers. The food is usually excellent and one of my favourites – sweet and sour whole fish (usually […]
Two students get 100% in recent computer test
We teach Saturday IT classes and two students who come to classes to learn more advanced Microsoft Office skills have achieved 100% in their recent test. David put together the programme in 2016 after consultation with local businesses in Luang Prabang. The course focuses on Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and other topics such as anti-virus, safety […]
Teacher Lu’s story
The School in Luang Prabang teaches English and Computer Studies to Lao students from disadvantaged families. The school is free and funded by donations. This is the story of Lu, the newest teacher at the school. “My name’s Lu. I was born on 12th March 1991 in a small village in the countryside, Xamneau district, […]
The UXO problem in Laos
This is a great video by the COPE Centre Laos explains the unexploded bomb problem in Laos. The US Airforce in 1963 dropped the 1st bombs on Laos in what would be a 9 year Secret War. The daily reality is that 300 people a year are injured or killed by bombies (the small bombs released […]
Cambodian Fishermen Hanging Up Nets as Laos Presses Ahead with Another Dam
At the local fish market here along the banks of the Tonle Sap, the morning harvest is enormous. Prized catfish, among other species, dominate sales as buyers for restaurants pile in for the biggest and best on offer. Early business is brisk for the fish farmers who bred and reared their fish securely in ponds. […]
Decades on, millions of unexploded American bombs left behind still kill and maim in Laos
Special correspondent Mike Cerre offers a glimpse of life in Laos today and the mission to end the deadly legacy of the Secret War.