Vang Vieng - Laos

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Moving up north to Vang Vieng

Sabaai-Dii,

I took the bus from Vientiane (Lao's capital) to Vang Vieng (30,000 kip = $4 about 6 hours) on Sunday morning, after i ran around on a tuk-tuk to try to exchange some money to catch the 9am bus to Luang Prabang, it didn't happen and the bus left me so i decided to go to Vang Vieng which was just on my way

http://www.thaiflyingclub.com/images/linkGAfiles/LaosMap.gif

The centre of Vang Vieng is far from being one of the top hippiest spots, instead it caters all the desires of westerners, they do everything there is to please each and every wish of tourists, many restaurants and coffee shops with rustic beds with cushions showing episodes of Sex & The City, the latest hollywood movie, american cartoons, etc. Many pool tables, video bars, and even guesthouses/restaurants offering free Play Station for guests....WOW!!!!....i just keep wondering why would people bother to come all the way to Lao, a remote country with plenty of beautiful nature and villages to have access to the same comforts they have at home.....

After walking around the center for about 20 minutes, i decided i didn't want to stay around, so i took a tuk-tuk to the "PHOUDINDAENG ORGANIC FARM" (Guesthouse & Organic Restaurant) about 3 km north from the centre on the banks of the Nam Song river. The farm was founded to introduce organic farming methods in an area where chemicals and deforestation were ruining the land. More than a farm, they consider themselves a community development project that provides employment, information and training to preserve traditional Lao farming practices through several projects. They also have a school bus project that helps transporting students that live in remote areas to school in Vang Vieng.

They have a nice community library as a source of information, lend books and provide a venue for the community to gather, during the day, children come here to read (a rare luxury for many children in Laos) and older students practice english.

While they harvest many fruits & vegetables, their main crop is Mulberry leaves used for making the famous Mulberry green tea and delicious pancakes. They also use the Mulberry leaves to feed the goats that supply milk, yogurt and cheese. There are about 20 women who weave their silk and sell them in the main lobby of the farm, where they also have a beautiful display of organic coffee, textiles, hand woven silk, scarfs, etc.

I met Mr. Thi, the owner of www.laofarm.org. He was very kind and explained to me the different options for volunteering at the farm. Usually, it is better to volunteer at the local school teaching English or computers, unfortunately, i came a bit too late, schools are now on vacation.

I stayed at the dorm for a couple of nights, it was a big room with two double beds, mosquito net, fan, and bathroom just outside for 30,000 kip = $4, the organic food at the restaurant was delicious, a vegetable soup with noodles 15,000 kip = $2, Mulberry tea & Mulberry pancake 15,000 Kip = $2, fruit shakes 10,000 kip = $1.30, fruit in Laos are as tasty and wonderful as they are in Costa Rica.....I believe i am becoming addicted to Fruit Shakes :-)

The centre of Vang Vieng was packed with Tour companies offering any kind of expensive trips. I decided to follow a traveler's rule: NO-TOURS, so i rented a bicycle and used my legs to ride 17 kms north from the farm, where i had the wonderful experience of visiting a beautiful cave located in a hmong village. I met some local young people at the entrance of the cave (10,000 Kip = $1.5), the cave was gorgeous, they also had a nice garden just outside where i practiced some Yoga before leaving. Riding the bicycle to this place & back was amazing, the landscape was beautiful, the people kind & generous. I made couple of stops at a local fruit shake stall & to play some pool with some local young guys. I believe this was a much better way to spend the money i had, to give it directly to the local people and not tourist companies.

I did enjoy very much my 3 days stay in Vang Vieng....Living at the Organic Farm, meeting locals and riding the bike everywhere outside the centre was a great experience.

I will be moving up north to Luang Prabang on Tuesday morning, I love this country, the food, the people and its beautiful nature....


Sabaai-Dii
Andres

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