Laos

Laos was a super fun place to visit. We were there four nights and had three days full of adventure. Sometimes it was tiring having so many tours and experiences and I just want to swim in the pool!

What kids will like about Luang Prabang:

1. Walking with and feeding elephants was the best! One morning we were picked up early by a guide and driven to see an elephant restoration project on the Nam Khan River. Our guide made us a cool walking stick which we got to take with us. From the riverbank we were able to feed bananas to the elephants. When there were big puddles on the trail our strong guide would carry me on his back. I felt like an explorer!

      2.  Swimming in the pools of the Kuang Si Waterfall was super fun.  Be careful though as the tiny fish may nibble at your feet. It doesn’t hurt but it surprised me and tickled. You can also pack a picnic if you have time and make sure to stop for buffalo milk ice cream on the way!

                                  

3. Walking the small town of Luang Prabang is interesting. It is the ancient capital of Laos and a UNESCO world heritage city. There are many Buddhist monks that live there and if you get up early you can participate in the gifting of alms which means you bring them food. There is an important way to act to show respect so make sure you know what to do before you go out in the morning. 

4. The Belmond has a pool that we went swimming in which we used every day because it was hot outside. They also have a super yummy breakfast at the hotel which we ate on our balcony. The chocolate croissants and homemade yogurt are especially good.

5. A visit to the Luang Prabang Library to buy books for rural kids through the library tuk tuk program is a good thing to do. My Dad gave me some money and let me pick out some books to buy that we could give to them. Our guide, Lanexang, took us to the Luang Prabang library and he told us about how kids do not have much access to books, especially in rural areas. That is why they have organizations such as the Luang Prabang Library tuk tuk which takes books to kids in rural villages. Anyone can purchase and donate a book for them and my Dad gave me money to buy some. From there you can go to a place called Big Brother Mouse. My Mom and Dad spent time talking with local young adults who wanted to practice English. Julia and I played with the toys and with our guide while we waited for them.                        

6. The market has fun things to see such as snakes for sale and small birds that they use for wishes. The night market is the best place to go for shopping. You can find bags, fabrics, decorative bowls, clothing and toys. The items are very inexpensive.

7. Bring supplies to the local government orphanage. We brought some toys and gifts for the kids and played on the playground. We saw were they sleep at night and they could definitely use a more comfortable bed. 

                        

8. A visit to the rice farm should be on every kids list! We learned the 14 steps to farming and eating sticky rice. They gave us cone shaped hats to wear which was fun.. My favorite part was riding on my Dad's shoulders while we plowed the rice paddy field with a water buffalo. I also liked helping to find and remove snails from the fields. While we were there they showed us how they make animal shapes from bamboo. I made a giraffe.

Helpful things to know to say in Laos:

Hello: Sabai dii

Thank you: Khop tchai

Good bye: La Kone

Please: Kahluna

Good morning/afternoon: Ton sao

Interesting facts about Laos:

1. The money they use is called Laotian Kip. $1 USD is about 8,400 Lao Kip

2. Rice is the most important crop in Laos.

3. A third of the country lives on less than $2 a day. 

4. Lao is the most common language but many can speak French and English.

5. More than 2 million tons of ordinance and bombs were dropped on Laos between 1964 and 1973. This is more tonnage than was used in the whole of WWII.

A visit to the UXO Lao Visitors Center