Tea from Baimone leaves of Keokoo

Last year I happened to visit my friend in Vientiane province. He lives in Keokoo village. Here they produce local product. That is tea. Tea is produced from Baimon leaves. They say this tea is good for health. However I cannot see tea of Keokoo being sold in Vientiane capital.

Rooms scarce in Luang Prabang for Pi Mai Lao

Although there are now many more guesthouses and hotels in the town of Luang Prabang than last year, almost all accommodation is booked out leading up to Pi Mai Lao , said the President of the provincial Hotel and Guesthouse Association on Monday.

“This year, we can accommodate around 5,000 visitors, almost 2,000 more than last year, but we still cannot meet demand during this peak time,” said Mr Kounchanthaboupha Vongsaravanh.

Luang Prabang was declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as a World Heritage Site in 1995, the first in Laos .

According to a staff member at the Manolak Hotel, Ms Phone Chanthapanya, all of the hotel's rooms have been full for the last month, with most of the guests booked in by their tour groups. It is the same at the Phousy Hotel, according to the receptionist, Mr Phan Chanthavong.

However, the reservation manager at the Phouvao Hotel, Mr Phonxay Keuthbounmany, said 10 percent of the rooms are still available, perhaps because of the higher cost.

Pi Mai Lao takes place from April 13-15, but people usually celebrate for longer and visitors to Luang Prabang commonly stay there for around eight days, from April 11 until 18, said Mr Kounchanthaboupha.

Visitors had begun making reservations in January, both through tourist agencies and by individual e-mails, so that around 178 guesthouses and 35 hotels were fully booked.

Lao and Thai people account for around 50 percent of visitors to the World Heritage town on this occasion.

Mr Kounchanthaboupha assured Vientiane Times that room prices will remain the same even though there is a high demand.

The province is expected to cope better next year, when five five-star hotels, currently under construction, will be completed in time for the 25 th South-East Asian Games, to be held in Laos in December next year, said Mr Kounchanthaboupha.

According to a report given by Luang Prabang Governor Bounheuang Douangphachanh to President Choummaly during his recent visit to the province, tourism has the potential to play a leading role in the local socio-economic development process.

Mr Bounheuang said tourism is a top priority and the provincial authorities should ensure that all sectors worked with the tourist sector. Many tourist attractions have been developed in rural areas, distributing more income to local people, he added.

“We have cooperative tourist links with many countries. This is proving to be very effective because the number of tourists has been increasing yearly,” he said.

Some 15 flights land at the Luang Prabang airport every day. Income earned from the issuing of visas on arrival at the airport during the first five months of this fiscal year reached 5,661 million kip, a 96 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Mr Bounheuang observed that the average annual income of the residents of Pakharm village, where the night market is located in the town centre, had reached US$2,000 per person, almost four times higher than the national average.

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
(Latest Update March 26, 2008)

Konglor Cave road opens to public in May

The renovation of the 36km-long road leading to Konglor Cave in Hinboun district, Khammuan province, will allow the passage of all vehicles to the cave from May, said a senior official yesterday.

At present the road is still under construction, and larger vehicles have been unable to navigate the detour road for the past two months.

Visitors to the cave are recommended to take a small vehicle if they want to experience this amazing cave.

The Director of the road-building project, Mr Somchay Khanthasane, told Vientiane Times yesterday that workers are asphalting the road so it is closed to traffic. Road users must temporarily use a detour road instead.

Mr Somchay said that although the road will open in May, it might be necessary to close it in the rainy season this year if the construction of two new bridges is not complete.

“We are now putting down the first layer of asphalt. We will continue the work after the rainy season and the road will be in perfect condition by the end of this year,” he said.

At the moment it takes three hours to get to the cave after leaving main road No A8, as the path passes through rice fields and is very bumpy. In the wet season it's almost impossible to get there.

Once the renovated road is finished, it should take just under one hour, said Mr Somchay.

The new road is costing about US$4.5 million to build. The Asian Development Bank has lent the Lao government more than 80 percent of the required funds, according to the Head of the Khammuan provincial Tourism Administration, Mr Thayaphone Singthong .

He said the road upgrade is part of tourism development in the province.

“Tourism development is very important for people living near the cave and will help to contribute to poverty reduction,” he said.

The 7.5km-long cavern that has been earmarked as a tourist attraction was discovered in the 16th century under the leadership of the governor of Nalae district, now Nakai district.

In 1997, the government invited French experts to survey the area before declaring it an official tourist site in 2002.

Mr Thayaphone recalled that in 2002 only eight foreign visitors came to the cave, but this number had increased rapidly since then.

The cave is 30 metres wide and between 20 and 100 metres high and is located in the National Protected Forest Area of Hinboun Mountain.

More than 100 foreign visitors make the journey to the cave each month on average, he said.

Mr Thayaphone said that in the past the cave was not seen as a source of income for local people, but had now become an important money-earner for many in the area.

“Unspoiled natural destinations have the potential to attract more tourists to the province,” he said.

Community-based ecotourism services, including village home-stays and boat trips through the cave, are provided by local people who proudly keep local customs alive.



By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
(Latest Update March 11, 2008)

Vat Phou festival marks growing attraction

The country's second World Heritage Site is celebrating its annual traditional festival with a range of colourful activities.

A view of some of the ancient structures in the Vat Phou area.

The UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) added Vat Phou to its list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2001. The first such site in Laos is the ancient city of Luang Prabang , added to the list of world cultural attractions in 1995.

Last year provincial authorities celebrated the 5 th anniversary of Vat Phou's addition to the UNESCO list. More than 1,000 senior officials, local residents and foreign visitors attended the event.

This year's programme activities include religious rituals and locally organised activities, according to the Head of the Ancient Research Unit in Champassak province, Mr Bounlap Keokanya, and the Governor of Champassak district, Mr Sipaseuth Sengsavath.

The festival runs from February 16-21.

Mr Sipaseuth said a trade fair was being held to display and sell products from various villages, districts and companies.

Visitors would be able to explore the Vat Phou temple complex, built at the end of the 5 th century. The final day of the festival will see an alms offering ceremony, held in the early morning at Vat Phou, where hundred of monks will bestow blessings on merit-makers.

Mr Bounlap said Vat Phou was an important and meaningful place for the province. Its special place in history is based on various cultural sites, leading UNESCO to approve its addition to the World Heritage list in 2001.

According to UNESCO, Vat Phou is an outstanding example of the integration of a symbolic landscape of great spiritual significance with its natural surroundings.

The layout of the site is contrived to express a Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity. Vat Phou exhibits a remarkable complex of monuments from different periods of time and different religions that made use of the site, spread over an extensive area between the river and a hill. The hill itself was selected for religious reasons, because of the phallic shape of its rocky peak, and the location of a natural spring at the top.

Mr Bounlap explained that Vat Phou has outstanding architecture, with many great works of art carved into its walls. Sculptures and inscriptions from the site are now displayed in the museum that lies at its base.

“The Vat Phou temple complex and the landscaping to be found in surrounding areas of Champassak are remarkably well preserved, reflecting a plan more than 1,000 years old,” he said.

He said the Hindu vision of the relationship between nature and humanity was based around an axis drawn from the mountain top to the riverbank, laying out a geometric pattern of temples, shrines and pools extending over some 10 km.

Two planned cities on the banks of the Mekong River are also part of the site, as well as Phou Kao Mountain .

This magical landscape covers about 390 square kilometres, on the right bank of the Mekong River . It includes the remains of an ancient city, the remains of the foundations of tall structure with pillars, a nang sida hall, a thao tao hall and a group of stone temples on Vat Phou itself.

The ancient city covers 400 hectares of Champassak district, according to Mr Bounlap.

Vat Phou is an excellent example of classic Khmer and Cham decorative architecture. At the foot of Vat Phou is the ancient city of Shestupura , first settled in the 5 th century AD, one of the oldest urban settlements in Southeast Asia .

Mr Bounlap said the group of stone temples on Vat Phou was an important reference point in the two periods of Khmer architecture in the 7 th and 12 th centuries. They were built on a hillside, which was very rare in Khmer architecture and ran along an east-west axis over 1,400 metres.

The provincial authorities, in conjunction with local residents, organise the festival in February each year, when people come from around the world to pay respect to a place that is highly revered in the south of Laos .

By phon thekeo
(Latest Update Febuary 18, 2008)

Sikhottabong stupa gets facelift for festival

Visitors to the Sikhottabong Stupa Festival this year will be amazed at the new attractions on show from February 19-21 in Thakhek district, Khammuan province.

The Sikhottabong Stupa, where there will be a festival this week.

The district is busy preparing exhibits, including models of typical local housing, flower decorations and traditional clothing, and has improved road access.

“This year we are creating new activities to create public interest in the stupa and explain its history,” said the Chairman of the Sitkhottabong Festival Committee and chief of office of Thakhek district, Mr Phetsamay Phetlamphanh, last week.

“We are developing the stupa as a cultural park. We are also setting up a tourism information centre for visitors and will build a monument of Phaya Sikhottabong and models of the houses traditionally used by various ethnic groups. We are working on this project this year and the next,” Mr Phetsamay said.

Visitors to the festival are requested to abide by rules for entry to the stupa and the sim (the main sanctuary). The organisers are asking women to wear Lao skirts, or to rent one at the event if they are not already wearing one. Men are asked not to wear caps or earrings and should not be intoxicated.

The festival will also include an exhibition of handicrafts made in the nine districts of Khammuan province, as well as products manufactured in local villages, factories and companies.

There will also be football and petanque matches, as well as a drumming contest. Other activities will include a Phasatpheung procession, a taak baat (alms offering) and an evening candlelight procession.

Locals are busy with preparations and are ready to give visitors a warm welcome. They are delighted with the ‘new look' festival and are proud of the improvements made to the stupa's surroundings, making it a more attractive area.

More than 120 police and security officials will be on hand to give information and ensure visitors' safety around the clock.

Mr Phetsamay said “We want to keep the festival grounds clean, so we have arranged for people to sweep up the rubbis h every day. We'll encourage young people and students to pick up litter and try to teach youngsters that it's important to be aware of their environment and do something constructive towards solving problems in this area.”

“We hope to inspire interest and curiosity among children and young people in the history of Sikhottabong stupa; we also want them to focus on traditions rather than just the entertainment aspect of the festival.”

By Somsack Duangpanya in Khammuan province

(Latest Update February 19, 2008)

Elephant festival draws jumbo crowd

Several thousand local and overseas visitors travelled on long and winding roads from various parts of Laos to Paklai district in Xayaboury province over the weekend, to view the impressive sight of dozens of assembled pachyderms.

Xayaboury provincial authorities organised the festival in conjunction with the Lao National Tourism

Administration (LNTA) and French organisation ElefantAsia in the home of most of the country's domestic elephants, with a programme of activities taking place from February 15 to 17.

This was the second such festival, and built on the success of the first, staged last year in Hongsa district in the same province.

On Friday morning, the main streets of the small mountainous district were jammed and police had to stop vehicles entering the town, where the official ceremonies were taking place. About 10,000 people turned up to take part in the festival.

The opening ceremony was held in the district's Sports Stadium, where several processions gathered, including schoolchildren waving national flags and flags symbolising the LNTA and the festival.

There was also a procession of 59 elephants, a parade of young women dressed in ethnic costume, rocket-launching, and boat racing. Several people appeared in the guise of Pheekhol , a familiar ghost.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, Governor of Xayaboury province Dr Lien Thikeo, LNTA President Somphong Mongkhonvilay and a number of ministers and high ranking officials attended the event.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr Lien said the festival was part of efforts to incorporate elephants into the tourist industry, generating income for elephant owners and helping them to continue raising the giant animals.

He also said the festival served to create awareness among the younger generation about the virtues of these enormous beasts.

Dr Lien said Laos had a long connection with elephants and that Laos had once been named “The Land of a Million Elephants”, reflecting the fact that Laos had been home to large numbers of the animal; now, however, the population was in decline.

He said Xayaboury province had only 488 domestic elephants and few of them regularly produced young as they spent all their time working and had little opportunity for reproduction. The authorities were trying to reduce the workload of these elephants in hopes that their numbers would increase.

Mr Somphong said the LNTA would continue to cooperate with ElefantAsia and the Xayaboury authorities to organise another festival next year as part of efforts to promote tourism in the northern provinces of Laos .

He said these provinces had considerable tourism potential due to the area's untamed nature, cultural diversity and long history. He pointed out that Paklai district was a transit point on the road to the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang for tourists coming from Vientiane and Thailand .

After listening to the opening address, visitors stood and admired the slow procession of elephants, some of which were painted and decorated with the Lao flag.

The elephants performed for the visitors, charming onlookers with their size and grace, perhaps already in the initial stages of training for a greater role in tourism.

Dr Lien led leaders and visiting guests in a tour of the 87 exhibition booths, displaying both local and overseas products and services.

Tourists were offered the chance to ride the elephants and were also able to see them hauling logs and bathing in the river. At night, fireworks exploded skywards in celebration of the festival.

Visitors also enjoyed performances of traditional music and dance and circus acts from Vientiane .

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
(Latest Update February 18, 2008