Newsletters Index

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) SPECIAL

Read the Story: Over 1000 bombies found on school land ...and still counting
Find out more About MAG
Find out more about the History of MAG
Find out Where MAG works
Get involved

URGENT – EARN A TAX DEDUCTION by helping Dr Sichan & the Luang Prabang Hospital!
Medical Bridges (www.medicalbridges.org) has approved the application Dr Sichan of LPQ hospital made several months ago; Now a huge inventory of needed equipment & medicine in Houston Texas is ready to ship to Laos.   But it costs 15,000 USD to ship this 40ft container, and we have raised only 1000 USD.  Can you help?  Donations to Medical Bridges – for this or any charitable goal – are fully tax deductable.  

CORRECTION: ElefantAsia would like to correct an oversight in Last month’s newsletter. As we love elephants so much we have decided to hold the festival on Valentines’ Day – February 14th and 15th, not the 15th and 16th as stated last month. See you there!

ELEPHANT SPECIAL

Read the story from Mike Larder: Walking through Laos in the steps of Giants
Find out more About Elefantasia
Find out more about the upcoming Elephant Festival
A Call to Veterinarians to Volunteer in Thailand & Laos
Find out more about Elephants in EleFacts

Eco Detour: Drifting with Myanmar's Sea Gypsies
I’m sitting in a kayak in a hidden cove somewhere in the Mergui Archipelago, off the Andaman coast of Myanmar (formerly Burma). The Mergui Archipelago comprises 800 islands within an area extending 200 miles up the west coast from Myanmar’s southernmost point and roughly 50 east-west miles, creating 10,000 square miles of primarily uninhabited island Eden (an area the size of Vermont, without barns). In the inhabited two percent are seasonal fisherman at work or in lean-tos, and the rare military boat. It’s an Andaman Sea paradise not having much to do with life on the mainland. ...

Parachute Donation to Laos Women's Skydiving Team
The team continues to show a great deal of promise, yet need assistance in every area of the sport.  If you are a skydiver and would like to contribute to the Lao women’s team, let us know! ...

NEWS for Savannakhet airport:
Savannakhet airport is now in re-operation with some new flights for those who traveling to this 2nd biggest city of Laos PDR.

 * Vientiane - Savannakhet:     QV201 @1030/1130 (Wed, Fri, Sun)
 * Savannakhet - Vientiane:     QV202 @1210/1435 (Wed, Fri, Sun)
 * Savannakhet - Bangkok:      QV621 @1210/1320 (Wed, Fri, Sun)
 * Bangkok - Savannakhet:      QV622 @1420/1520 (Wed, Fri, Sun)

Adrenalin on the Mae Taeng – Whitewater Meditations with Jason
About 90 minutes from Chiang Mai is a little river called the Mae Taeng. Bordered on both sides by steeply sloping fields of banana trees and luxuriant jungle, it is easily one of the loveliest places in Thailand. But lazily watching a river go by is quite a different experience from actually being in the midst of its rushing, bubbling madness……the Mae Taeng boasts Thailand’s best whitewater rapids ...

Appreciating Angkor Wat 101 by Clarence Heathcliff
The probable point of entry for the majority of tourists coming to see Angkor Wat is Siem Reap airport. This city, whose name means “Defeat of Siam”, is handily situated about 5 kilometres south of the famed ruins and is the point from which most of the tours are organised ...

Call to Action: Dive!
Can dive tourism really help reduce poverty, and protect the world's coral reefs at the same time? This is the question that is being asked by the Ecotourism Training Center. ETC began training local Thai people in the wake of the 2004 Asian Tsunami which swept away homes, livelihoods, and perhaps thousands of people ...

How to spot a Dusky Langur in the Jungle or "Great Hornbills Batman!"
Dave Williams is a noted naturalist in SE Asia, as well as our resident expert, working with Audubon and Nature conservation orgs. He is also a 30 yr veteran whitewater & kayak expert, holding the sport’s highest certifications, and an important part of our team providing educational travel for IB (International Baccalaureate) High Schools and Universities....

Thai Cooking: Making “PAD THAI” (Recipe incl.)
Probably the most famous of the Thai dishes is this one called simply "Pad Thai".  Its status as a top favourite everywhere in the Kingdom makes it worth learning to cook, and it is not hard...

Personality Test for NXNE readers

Animal / Banana Personality Test
READ THIS CAREFULLY! : There is a very, very tall coconut tree and there are 4 animals, a Lion, a Chimpanzee, a Giraffe, and a Squirrel, who pass by. They decide to compete to see who is the fastest to get a banana off the tree.   Who do you guess will win?...

The Wild Elephants of Laos
Caught between the demands of villagers cultivating land and a shrinking forest wild elephants are often in direct conflict with humans. One such area in which the conflict flared with the death of both an elephant and a villager was Baan Na – a village situated about 80 kilometres from the capital, Vietienne. In an attempt to resolve the issue and enable both the elephants and the humans to live symbiotically an elephant hide was constructed near the village and, with the assistance of the German and Canadian aid agencies, a scheme set up to allow tourists to observe the elephants from the safety of its towering height. ....

Xieng Mieng and the Two Full Moons
The character Xieng Mieng is well-loved by the Lao for many centuries, and known country-wide as a witty character. Though published in recent years, Xieng Mieng stories have always been passed down orally from one generation to the next. While Lao tradition admires the honest and learned, Xieng Mieng folk tales are typically characterized by his cunning and ability to get what he wants without great effort. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses. Often the cunning part of such a story lies in his allowing folks to believe what they want to hear or see. Such folk fables usually end with a clear cautionary or practical moral or advice. ...

A World Revealed
During the 1960s ‘Secret War’, the US rained bombs on Laos, forcing thousands to take refuge in limestone caves in the remote north-east. Mark Stratton journeyed through mountainous jungle to their newly-opened subterranean city.

“The planes came everyday in daylight in groups of eight,” 72-year-old Onechanh Sommany reflects.“So how do you feel about the Americans now?” I asked. “I have forgiven them,” he sighed. “I’m proud of my struggle to save my country, even though it was a drop in the ocean. Now I want visitors to come to understand our sacrifices.” ....

The Miraculous Escape of Baby Buff
Baby Buff is a water buffalo who lives at Love Animal House Sanctuary in Thailand

If it hadn’t been for her brave attempt to escape death, her son Baby Benz would never have seen the bright sunny day he was born. It could even have been because life was kicking in her, that she looked death in the face and turned around at the slaughterhouse gate. Breaking her rope, she bolted down the ramp, through the door and straight out the gate onto a main city road. She galloped down the road with people from the slaughterhouse chasing her in a pick up. ...

Thailand's Hidden Green Secret
As a tourist destination Thailand possesses a hidden green secret - Khao Yai National Park. Khao Yai is a wonderful destination for lovers of nature. You may simply wish to spend a day to enjoy lunch in beautiful surroundings, or a week trekking, cycling, swimming and exploring the waterfalls and lesser known areas of the 2000 square kilometres of wilderness. It is easily accessible and well staffed. You don’t even have to take camping equipment but can rent it along with your bicycle. For the weary souls who inhabit Bangkok it is a godsend, and for those international visitors to Thailand it is a revelation ...

Ten Seeds for Tourism Development
North by North East operates in very poor countries (Cambodia, Laos, Southern China and Vietnam). We are fighting this poverty by providing tourists a meaningful way to help. The challenge is effectively engaging tourists participation while simultaneously increasing a community's capacity to help themselves and decreasing their vulnerability to outside threats.

We recently facilitated a needs-analysis process with the villagers of the Seuang River Community-based Tourism site using The Ten Seed Technique. ...

Wedding of the Year!
Laurie Godfreyand Timothy Neal, both of San Francisco, decided they wanted to have a wedding that was ... well out of their world! On November 24th in Ban Sopjam, Laos they did just that. The village went all out to create a traditional Lao wedding for loving couple - definitely a first for all of us.To see some more photos of this special day please ...

SCOLAOR, (Scotland Laos Orphanage project)
In November 2006, Guy and Morna Hawksford traveled with North by North East, and a very special relationship was created .Through their travels, and genuine concern for others, Guy and Morna have established SCOLAOR to bring some much needed assistance to orphans in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. ...

The Asian Rock Engine
Why are the Philippines Asia’s Rock Engine? Travel writer Bruce Northam walks, talks, and paddles his way through the Philippines’ musical history via capital city Manila and melting pot island Palawant.Word has reached America too. Journey recently recruited Arnel Pineda, a native son of the Philippines, to take over their lead singing position after viewing some YouTube clips of him belting uncanny covers of their hit songs....

Tourism Fights Poverty
On 13 December the Tourism Authority of Luang Prabang Province convened the formal signing of a cooperative agreement between 12 rural communities along the Seuang River, North by North East Travel and provincial government agencies. The goal is simple - create a sustainable tourism destination that alleviates poverty. Achieving this will require work!. ...

Student Travelers Rebuild School
After months of fundraising and hard work by some amazing student from three Hong Kong schools (Chinese International School, Island school and West Island School), an elementary school in rural Lao has been completely rebuilt! In cooperation with Maekok River Village Resort, North by North East was pleased to help these students accomplish a very worthy project....

The Wisdom of Strangers - A Street Anthropologist’s Guide to Global Optimism
This story is a preview to Bruce Northam’s upcoming fourth book, The Wisdom of Strangers.

"The following five tales aren’t about my wisdom, though the hunt for how other people found theirs creates mine. Our individual wisdom tends to loom a decade or so ahead of us, so I hunted it down, country by country, state by state, person to person, moment by moment. Life isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Pace yourself and defy category… after all, life is your vacation."...

Tourism Protecting Nature in Xe Pian!
North by North East believes that our business can make a positive contribution to the well-being of the planet. To achieve this, we work with a wide variety of proactive organizations and individuals.That is why last month we joined with WWF (World Wildlife Fund) for a survey of the Xe Pian National Protected Area in southern Lao PDR to support the regions ecotourism potential....

Hong Kong Students Rebuild Lao School
North by North East is a leader in responsible travel options for schools wishing to take part in community involvement projects that meet International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum requirements. In October and November of this year, three schools from Hong Kong (Chinese International, Island and West Island) traveled to a beautiful island in southern Laos to assist a community rebuild a dilapitated elementary school. To read a poem/report that brings the experience all together! . ...

Walking The Line: an insider's look on the best of Bangkok!
Was it Neville Chamberlain who told the long suffering inhabitants of Britain that they had ‘never had it so good’ in the 1960s? Well the same statement might be made to the people of Bangkok in relation to their transport system. With the new Skytrain and Underground now operational the commuter no longer has to endure hours spent in snarled traffic without any hope of progress except shank’s pony. It is now possible to move around a lot of this seething metropolis without a car on the pristine elevated train or the equally well maintained underground. Whilst this has finally put paid to the always available excuse of ‘rot tit’ ( literally traffic stuck ) for those coming to social occasions late it is nevertheless a most welcome relief for veterans of Bangkok. Truly we never have had it so good. ...

Lao Textile Experience at 'Ock Pop Tok'
Laos, the 'land of a million elephants', with its harmonious pace, charming hospitality and gentle people is the last bastion of old Indochina offering an unparalleled insight into traditional Southeast Asian textiles. We are now pleased to offer our guests a 'hands-on' experience with Lao textiles through learning the weaving and natural dye techniques at OckPopTok textile gallery and weaving centre. Situated in a beautiful garden on the bank of the Mekong River in Luang Prabang it offers the perfect setting to create some unforgettable memories ...

IR Responsible Tourism ... "What the...?"
Responsible Tourism is about “making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.” Responsible Tourism requires that operators, hoteliers, governments, local people and tourists take responsibility, take action to make tourism more sustainable. Unfortunately, many are now beginning to use the language of responsible tourism whilst doing nothing or worse being irresponsible.

The converse is irresponsible tourism. Now there is a website (www.irresponsibletourism.info) that allows whistle blowing, campaigning and discussion forum for anyone who is concerned about irresponsible tourism and who wants to draw it to the attention of others and the media; or to discuss what can be done about it. Use this site to criticize, debate and campaign. Exercise your responsibility, don’t just mutter - call people to account. To add your voice to this growing forum. ...

Cambodia: Rural Communities Take Charge of Children's Education
In the remote regions of Cambodia, some of the country's poorest communities have limited access to schools, teachers, or educational support. Although the right to a basic education for every child is guaranteed in the Cambodian constitution, there are only a few complete school buildings in these areas, and it is difficult to recruit teachers to villages with poor living and working conditions. These issues particularly hurt children who are left at the margins of Cambodian society—those who are from ethnic minority groups, impoverished, affected by HIV and AIDS, or disabled. World Education has been assisting such communities through school building and education projects To learn more about how you can assist this important work...

Renaissance of Lao Arts at 'The House of Puang Champa'
Prince Nithakhong Somsanith is not your typical prince. He is one of the last gold thread embroiderers in the ancient tradition of the former court of Luang Prabang, Laos. Though occupied with other aspects of life, Prince Somsanith has held on to his childhood memories and nurtured a deep passion for Lao folk arts. As a self-taught artist with a special gift passed on from many generations he devotes his time to preserve, promote, and transmit the cultural and artistic heritage of Luang Prabang through gold thread embroidery and 'The House of Puang Champa' ...

Sacred and Endangered - the dolphins of the Mekong!
The Irrawaddy dolphin is found in a few locations in South and Southeast Asia. One of 3 exclusively freshwater populations lives in the deep water of the Upper Mekong River between Laos and Cambodia and possibly, the Sekong River. The population of the Irrawaddy Dolphin, estimated to be as low as 70-100 individuals, is decreasing at an alarming speed. The good news is that the Cambodian government has already planned to set up a new tourist destination based on dolphin watching in Kratie province besides the unique historical temple of Angkor Wat. ...

'The CHALLENGE' - bike 600km to fight cancer!
Cyclists from Britain are raising funds for the fight against cancer by cycling 600km from Thailand's thriving megalopolis, Bangkok, to the magnificent ruins of the Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat, Cambodia. The proceeds of 'The Challenge' bike ride will be shared equally between Macmillan Cancer Support and The Myton Hospice. ...

Ethnology Museum Opens in Luang Prabang
The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre has opened its doors in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. A private museum, the Centre features exhibits of ethnic artefacts, a museum shop, and the Patio Café. Thongkhoun Soutthivilay, Co-Director of TAEC explains, “Our objective is to help locals and visitors learn about the different ethnic groups of northern Laos. We also want to provide a new and interesting learning experience.” Funds from entry fees, donations, and services go to the running of the Centre and developing activities that promote cultural diversity and preservation.! ...

Making literacy fun in Laos
Traditionally, books have been rare in Laos. The number of children who go to school is slowly but steadily improving, yet many children have never read a book outside of school textbooks.In fact, few Lao people think that reading can be fun, add to their education, or will provide information to improve their quality of life. Indeed, in the past, very few books were published in Laos and they never reached the villages where most people lived.

Big Brother Mouse intends to change that. ...

Children Learning to Avoid Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos has caused thousands of deaths and injuries, and continues to pose major threats to farmers and children living in isolated areas. World Education has been assisting affected communities through projects on upgrading the medical, surgical, and emergency services so that injured individuals have a greater chance of survival and full rehabilitation. The project has also developed a UXO awareness curriculum for primary schools, and has trained teachers to use effective, child-centered teaching methods to help children learn important lessons about UXO injury prevention....

Travel - the Greatest Educator of All!
Educational travel for youth is one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry. This at a time when our world and societies are changing faster than ever before. Fortunately, the new learning opportunities educational travel presents are helping students face our rapidly changing world while experiencing life from another’s perspective. These hands-on, results-oriented, youth service programs bring learning to life by allowing international students to live, learn and interact with youth in rural Mekong communities! They combine sightseeing, volunteer work, academic field studies, leadership training, outdoor education, cultural exchange and more!
...

The History of Nakorn Phanom
North by North East is headquartered on the banks of the Mekong River, in Nakorn Phanom, Thailand. This quaint town is home to an interesting mix of histories from Thailand, Laos and Vietnam - all of which provides a legacy still seen in today's daily life! Jason Rolan provides a glimpse of some of the more interesting moments in our towns history! ...

Na Kok Village Self-Sufficient Water Supply
Pumping water uphill is not an unusual goal in itself, but doing so without pumps and generators is. This project's goal was to build a water wheel powered by the Hin Boon River, to supply 45 houses of Na Kok village and the local school & temple with water for bathing. Water is pumped from the river up some 30 meters (from the river to the village, then from ground level up to several storage cisterns). This water is filtered through several levels of charcoal and can be boiled for drinking. Through the generous donations of North by North East clients this project is now a reality. ...

Travel Free! Carbon Free!
North by North East pioneers a new travel program to cut carbon while assisting environmental protection and community development through partnerships with local NGO’s & universities!

North by North East is a small company based on a simple principle - we continuously innovate to create high-quality, responsible tourism products that offer mutual benefit and respect for our guests and host communities. We therefore now provide our guests an easy and convenient way to offset travel carbon emissions through projects that benefit our host communities ...

Marcelo’s Diary - Mekong River Skydive Boogie 2007
Marcelo Garcia is an expert skydiver and specializes in parachute rigging (packing). He lives and works in USA and recently traveled with North by North East to apply his skills at the 1st Mekong River Boogie in April 2007, Vientiane Lao PDR.

"This ‘Boogie’ made me feel like I did ... 25 years ago! I met many new friends and felt the goodwill & camaraderie between local and visiting jumpers, ... Everyone was happy to be there, a part of something unique and special. ... This feeling went straight to my heart, and on a personal level I remembered things that are easy to forget. It is all about the people; the other skydivers, and the locals. Sure the ‘Adventure of Skydiving’ still sings to me after all these years, but as in anything it is the wonderful people I met that make me want to return again to Lao and the next Mekong River Boogie." ...

ROYAL INITIATIVE DISCOVERY
Nine unique projects initiated by His Majesty the King and members of the Thai Royal Family over many years offer special travel opportunities for visitors to the Kingdom during this year's celebrations marking the 80th birthday of His Majesty the King.

Going well beyond being merely tourist attractions, the projects have been selected because they make a significant contribution to poverty-alleviation, sustainable development, cultural preservation and job creation for the underprivileged. ...

Richard Lair – 60 years an elephant nut and counting!
Elephants are magnificent! Their appeal transcends age and nationality. Richard Lair was only three years old when he visited the zoo with his parents and saw an elephant for the first time. “I was hooked.” he explains “I became an elephant nut. They just seem to have been a part of my life ever since”.

As Advisor and Foreign Relations Officer for the National Elephant Institute in Lampang Thailand, elephants are still on Richard’s mind, and at the age of 64 he is still an elephant ‘nut’. ..

Smiles!
John Yearnold traveled from the United States to Lao, PDR to join the North by North East mountain bike team on a survey of uncharted portions of the former Ho Chi Minh Trail. As with all explorations you can only expect the unexpected. What John experienced was totally unexpected – the smiles of the people!

"As I sit here, reliving this tip and looking at the photos what really stands out is the people...the vast majority of my photos are of people, smiling, laughing people. To be able to connect with people on a level much deeper than language, to get to know people who have a completely different life experience, and them to get to know you- to be able to take that with me - that is truly a gift." ...

Explore Northeast Thailand's Songkram River!
Northeast Thailand´s second largest river basin, rises in the Phu Phan mountain range and flows through parts of Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Sakhon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom provinces and into the Mekong. Given its flat gradient, the river floods annually, inundating up to 1,800 sq. km. of land and forming a vast shallow lake much like Cambodia´s Tonle Sap lake. This natural phenomenon not only nurtures a unique flooded forest ecosystem but forms the basis of an incredibly diverse and productive wild fishery....

Mulberries - A Story of Silk
The growing of mulberry trees is a sustainable and rewarding option for the Lao village farmer. It provides a sustainable alternative to both the customary practice of slash and burn agriculture (which has caused extensive deforestation and severe soil degradation) and the prevalent cash crop of opium poppies. When raised correctly, a crop of mulberry trees can rejuvenate the earth, prevent soil erosion, provide delicious mulberry fruit, and translate into a worthwhile profit for the farmer. In this article read how Mulberries, a socially and environmentally responsible company, is working with communities to produce Mulberry tea, fruit and beautiful, naturally dyed silk. To learn more ...

The Seeds of Lao Sky Diving Take Hold
Our February report on reopening skydiving in Laos drew an amazing response from many skydivers and others interested in positive developments in Laos. Here’s an update on the joint venture to produce Lao's first international skydiving “boogie” (the skydivers' term for a get together under special circumstances, in an exotic location, special aircraft, or to celebrate something auspicious). Planned over Lao Pi Mai (Buddhist New Year) in the capital city of Vientiane 13-17 April using Lao Air MI-17 & MI-8 helicopters, the Mekong River Boogie offers all three. ...

Cave City Opens to Tourists
In the remote and scenic province of Huaphanh in northeast Laos, karsts mountains, tall waterfalls, hot springs and a protected forest that is home to tigers and leopards welcomes the adventurous tourist. The area is rich in ethnic villages, silk weaving and archaeological sites. It also now a opening a collection of dramatic caves that provided shelter to 23,000 Laotians during nine years of aerial bombardment in the Indochina War."The Lao vision is to recreate the caves and tell the people's story". Locally, tourism is being heralded as a vital tool in the fight against poverty where over 40% of the population survive on less than US$1 per day. ...

Los Angeles Audubon Society Thailand Birding Trip
“Olga!’ I said, “Did you see that?” “No… where?” she replied. Crickey! She missed it. I felt bad for her. She was disappointed. Suddenly, “come here… quick”, I said to the group. There it was, a beautiful Brown-winged Kingfisher sitting in a tree. It stayed there long enough to get the scope on it. Everyone, including Olga, got a eye-full of this gorgeous creature. Although not everyone in the group got to see every bird, they did see the majority of them. My bird count was 143 species. To hear more about this Audubon Society trip to Thailand ...

In Their Old Age They Turn Pink!
Elephant trekking sounds rather like a combination of cheap carnival pleasure and tourist trap. However, for centuries Thais have trained elephants to transport cut teak trees. In wars the animals even served as weapons. There are still about 3000 tame elephants but 50 years ago there were more than 13,000. The estimated number of wild elephants is around 2000 animals; the assumption is that they will be exterminated in 30 to 40 years without further protective measures ...

Lao Ecotourism Forum 26 - 29 July 2007
From 26 – 29 July 2007 the Lao National Tourism Administration will organize the third annual Lao Ecotourism Forum. This exciting event will bring together and display the highest quality and most innovative ecotourism products and services on offer in the Mekong Region. Under the theme ‘Bridging the Mekong Region’ tour operators, travel agents, accommodation providers, development agencies, National Tourism Organizations and indigenous people from throughout the Mekong Region will gather under the same roof to network and expand business opportunities in their respective countries. This event is a must for anyone interested in shaping the course of ecotourism development in the Mekong Region.For more information ...

Skydiving in Laos: Making Friends, Making History!
Aviation officials and skydiving organizers have planned the first ever “Mekong River Boogie” over the Lao / Thai Buddhist New Year, April 13-17. All the boarding, jumping, and landings will take place at the Don Chan Palace Hotel, where the Mekong’s dry-season riverbed provides virtually unlimited clear, soft landing area.

Skydivers worldwide will join this exciting first-time skydiving adventure while enjoying the graceful Lao hospitality...please ...

The ORIGIN Thailand Arts Program
When visiting a foreign country, we see places, objects, temples and museums. Maybe a festival if lucky.But the hardest things to gain an understanding of are the living arts based on ancient philosophies. These exist in the bodies and minds of their practitioners and leave nothing behind. Yet it is in these arts that the spiritual origins of the culture are found.

This month explore the ORIGIN Arts programs: introducing travelers to the spiritual origins of cultures and the human wisdom that lies hidden within the traditional arts. Learn how in a short but intensive program you learn hands-on with master local teachers, to enhance your travels with an original perspective... please ...

WANTED: Volunteer Groups!
We are looking for a school group who would like to spend 1-2 weeks helping us to help local villagers complete a project which will bring water to their village. If your group would like to spend some time making new friends and working in one of the world’s most lovely spots, please contact us for more details. please, ...

The Forgotten Orphans of Luang Prabang: A Call for Action!
Would you like to make a difference for a child in need this New Year? Many North by North East guests do! While on vacation this year, why not offer your skills, experience and care to assist in urgently needed infrastructure improvements for a poorly funded boarding school for 350 orphans of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. If you would like to visit the school and offer help as part of your travel plans, or even if you aren’t traveling and you’d like to assist, please ...

Café du Laos - Fresh, Fragrant and Fair!
Did you know that Lao PDR is one of the world's perfect coffee growing areas? Did you also know that it is working on becoming one of leaders for fairly traded coffee? This is good news for the caffeine-ready traveler looking for the perfect ‘cuppa’ while on vacation in the ‘Land of a Million Elephants’. Even better news are the specialty roasting companies now supplying the wonderfully delicious boutique cafes popping up in the capital city of Vientiane and the northern cultural center of Luang Prabang.

New Thai-Lao Bridge a Boost for Mekong Tourism!
Travel and tourism on and around the Mekong River got a significant boost with the opening of the second Friendship Bridge between Thailand and Lao PDR on 20 December. This opens a new door for Mekong adventures between Thailand, Lao and Vietnam. North by North East guests will be some of the first to use this new bridge.

Don Daeng Island – Discover Ancient Ruins surrounded by Beautiful Mekong Nature!
Surrounded by the gently flowing Mekong River and located inside the Vat Phou UNESCO World Heritage Landscape - this peaceful island offers a tranquil environment, sandy beaches and the perfect holiday spot for your historical discovery of pre-Angkorian ruins while enjoying the warm hospitality and friendly smiles of the local peoples.

The art of environmentally conscious travel
If you think that ecology-oriented tourists are a bunch of disenfranchised Luddites, you will be pleasantly surprised to know who else is thinking green. You could find yourself in the company of a NASA scientist, a Tuscan vintner or an international investor with a great post-peak-oil portfolio. You might meet some enterprising eco-tourists ...

Get Involved with Local Communities
Viki Roth, a student at Assumption University had a dream of helping kids in Isan, Thailand. She fortunately got in touch with Nick Ascot, North by North East Travel Director, who urged her to work with John Middlewood, the Thai Lao Cambodia Brotherhood Assistance Representative in Nakorn Phanom. To see more of what came about from this collaboration...

Meaningful Tourism
Meaningful tourism describes a new wave in traveling. For an increasing cross-section of contemporary travelers, which includes school and gap-year students, people in mid-career breaks as well as retirees, are no longer fulfilled by getting on a tour bus. They want interaction with a host community. They want to learn, feel and touch.

Hill Tribes and Tourism Development
Visits to ethnic minority villages have grown in popularity. Travelers fortunate enough to be welcomed into these communities experience the vigor of traditional cultures living in harmony with their environments. Yet after several decades of tourism growth it is now possible to encounter decimated communities to which the tourists have stopped coming. The former way of life slips away and visitors are greeted by children begging and women try to sell ‘ethnic souvenirs’ that look mass produced. Fortunately, some communities are taking action to create more sustainable tourism.

Invest in a Child’s Future - The Sky is the Limit!
Last month we introduced the Girls be Ambitious program in Cambodia working to prevent the trafficking of girls for sexual and labor exploitation. This month we present Bright Future Kids Home project that is assisting impoverished children who show promise to reach their full potential by attending school, hopefully to finish a top-notch secondary school and even study at university.

The Road to Freedom
Virginia Morris and Clive Hills did what few visitors to the mighty Mekong River ever dream of doing – walking the Ho Chi Minh Trail! Of course they encounter difficulties along their 700 km trek. They also experienced a natural and cultural beauty forged from a turbulent past. In the end they discovered each other. Their story ends in marriage by the beautiful Lake Nong Fa (Lake in the Sky). To learn more of their incredible journey of historical discovery ...

Learning to Drive in Thailand - from the back of an elephant
There are no rear lights, no windshield wipers and you won’t get much in the trunk except water, but at northern Thailand’s Anantara Resort Golden Triangle, in conjunction with Thailand’s National Elephant Institute and its Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang, guests can pass their driving test – from the back of an elephant! ...

Girls be Ambitious - Fighting Trafficking of Girls in Cambodia
Trafficking of impoverished girls is a serious human rights problem facing Cambodia today. The objective of Girls be Ambitious program is to prevent the trafficking for sexual and labor exploitation through an incentive program for girls from poverty-stricken homes to stay in school and receive additional vocational training that will provide employment alternatives, income generation and social and political empowerment. ...

Building a Culture of Peace Through Tourism
Anne Morrison of Wildland Adventures in Seattle, Washington, USA starts off this months newsletter with a call to all of in the travel industry to ... "create and support intelligent, sustainable programs and infrastructures that demonstrate respect for both travelers and host communities. It is our responsibility to set the stage for a peaceful meeting of two worlds. ...

Golden Triangle’s Hall of Opium Museum
Mae Fah Luang Foundation and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have been working hard to provide travelers to the infamous 'Golden Triangle' some edutainment! This article introduces our readers to the Opium Museum's efforts to educate on opium, narcotics and drug eradication measures for community development! ...

Footballers Unite!
North by North East actively encourages our readers and clients to get invovled in community initiatives - both at home and while traveling! Amy Goerwitz is one of our valued travel associates who is working hard to do just that! She is collecting soccer uniforms in her hometown Northfield, USA, for her daughters birth-country, Thailand. She was recently showcased in the Northfield News...

Ramblin' Down the Ho Chi Minh Trail: Part 4
... The merciless noon May sun, not so different from the sun that illuminated the battle of LAMSON 719, beats down upon us all. We're in Ung's world. He looks to see if we are bothered by the heat, the humidity, the bugs, anything that would signify an impatience or desire not to listen. We're not. ... I register every word, transfixed on the little Pathet Lao cadre....

What is Lao Food?
If you are a first-time visitor to Southeast Asia (or even if you have spent some time here) you may not have discovered the distinguishing features of Lao cuisine. ... The cuisine is based on fresh foods, with meats and fish grilled or steamed. Low in fat and high in greens, vegetables and herbs are an integral element of any major meal. ...

International Travel Contributes to Peace
Winning essay - Snohomish County Peace Action educational scholarship ...We need to take time to learn about other cultures in countries to understand their needs. ... Everyone deserves to be happy, and I believe that if you experience up close and learn to see other people's situations you will be touched and changed for the better.

Ramblin' Down the Ho Chi Minh Trail: Part 3
... More than three months in Southeast Asia, each day bringing a new surprise, stripped me to the nub. Sweat from climbing those steamy mountains dissolved years of judgment and expectation, a debilitating sludge clogging my joints. Then the subtropical sun bleached my bones clean and white — ready for eyes rinsed clear by tears to inspect prior to reassembly ...

The Thailand Laos Cambodia Brotherhood
... I have recently read some studies concerning the positive psychological effects of altruism that make me believe that the volunteer tourist, if properly prepared, may experience less psychological stress and more psychological benefit than his purely pleasure-seeking counterpart ...

Mekong Descent
... Less well-known, nestled in this mountain range about 300 km southwest of Hanoi is the remote and picturesque small town of Viengxay. Many of its multi-ethnic people continue to eke out their living as their families have done for generations ...

Ramblin' Down the Ho Chi Minh Trail: Part 2
... Leaving the pavement for the dusty, red road introduced us to a part of this region that few outsiders see. Now we were following one of the arteries of the Ho Chi Mihn Trail, where you stay on the road and never take a path you don't know. As if to remind passersby of the danger, bomb craters make the already rugged countryside even more jagged and foreboding ...

Helpers High: The Psychological Benefits of Volunteer Tourism
... I have recently read some studies concerning the positive psychological effects of altruism that make me believe that the volunteer tourist, if properly prepared, may experience less psychological stress and more psychological benefit than his purely pleasure-seeking counterpart ...

Fidel Castro Has Been Here - How About You?
... Less well-known, nestled in this mountain range about 300 km southwest of Hanoi is the remote and picturesque small town of Viengxay. Many of its multi-ethnic people continue to eke out their living as their families have done for generations ...

Changing Laos, Changing Myself
... This March, I was fortunate enough to take the trip of a lifetime thanks to North by North East Tours. Along with 21 fellow students, four teachers, five dentists and our amazing tour guides, I traveled to Ban Sopjam, a remote village in Northern Laos. Our purpose in going there? To learn about Lao culture, form relationships with the villagers, and work with them on a project beneficial to the village ...

On the Road: A Photo
... from the files of North by North East Tours ...

Ramblin' Down the Ho Chi Minh Trail: Part 1
... I rode my bicycle south along the Thai side of the Mekong early this morning with a tangerine sun peeping through the haze over Laos on the other shore. Soft, ominous silhouettes rose like sore knuckles behind the sleepy town of Tha Kek. These limestone monoliths forming the gateway to the Annamite Mountains loom as if placed there to ward off the curious and guard the secrets that lie behind them ...

Templed Out in Luang Prabang
... Visitors to Southeast Asia often come to marvel at the gilded temples which form such an integral part of local life. Luang Prabang is of keen interest as it boasts a very high ratio of temples in the city center. On a whim, I decided to visit all 29 of the temples East of the Mekong listed on the Lonely Planet map - all in one day and on foot! Most people visit 2 or 3 and then call it quits, claiming they're "templed out". Coupled with the March heat, this would prove to be one of the most daunting tasks of my life ...

Hat Yai Midnight Songkran and World Musiq Festival
... Todd “Thongdee” Lavelle and the city of Hat Yai will be hosting the Hat Yai Midnight Songkran and World Musiq Festival, to be held from April 11-15, 2006, at “the World Junction” in the center of the shopping district at the intersection of Niphat Uthit 3 Road ...

Guaytieo: The Ironic Noodle of Thai Nationalism
... The 1930s were an economically difficult time for the world. Siam was no exception. A coup d'etat in 1932 replaced the absolute monarchy with a constitutional monarchy. Generals of the Siamese Military made up the new government's leaders and promised a constitution and other changes to help elevate the nation out of the economic crash ...

Why Pay to Volunteer
... Prospective volunteers are surprised to learn that many programs charge their volunteers a fee to participate. At first, this can seem ridiculous — Why should you pay money to work for free? Aren't you already forgoing income you could be making? Here are a few things to keep in mind while trying to understand why the vast majority of programs charge international volunteers a fee ...

7 Keys to Successful, Soulful Travel
... With a big, brave world unfurling before us, planning an adventure as a woman can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. But with these handy steps, you're sure to have a great time trekking the globe with confidence ...

Reponsible Tourism: Making a Positive Impact
... As travelers we cherish this sort of relaxed interaction with the people of the countries we visit. At the same time, we are always conscious of the impact our visits have on other cultures, particularly in the developing world ...

New Highway Emerges in Southern Laos
... According to the latest developments in Southern Laos, part of the emerging “Emerald Triangle” in the border region of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, Highway 16B that links Attapeu Province to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is under construction. The 111km long road is expected to be finished around the Lao New Year in April 2006 ...

Marriage - Isan Style
... As the token Westerner in many Thai gatherings (funerals, birthdays, housewarmings and weddings), I was taken by surprise when my dear friend George asked me to be the Best Man in his wedding to his fiancée Lhin. Thai weddings usually come in two parts: the morning ritual (for close family and friends) and the evening dinner (for several hundred acquaintances and relations). As best man, I was privy to the entire process for the first time ...

A Farang's Musings on Isan Food and Culture
... Several hours into my journey, and still a little groggy from having to wake at a horrid hour to make my flight from Bangkok upcountry to Isan (Thailand's Northeast) the drive from Udon Thani to Ban Nong Hin, the home village of Loem, my absent Thai partner, seemed to take forever.

As it often does when I'm idle, confined and the tummy rumbles, my mind turned to matters of food ...

Rhythm of the Earth Music Festival
... Todd “Thongdee” Lavelle, Singha Beer and the city of Bangkok will be hosting the Rhythm of the Earth World Festival, to be held on January 18-22, 2006, on the Rama 8 Bridge along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok ...

Midnight Laos Reverie
... I am writing this sitting on a tree stump, way past midnight, beneath the radiance of a blazing star canopy. In the immense bowl above, a spray of astral dots stretches in every direction towards infinity and bathes the countryside in a frosty glow. From the star shine alone on this moonless and cloudless night, my shadow is knife-sharp against the ground. I have never seen an evening sky like this before and probably never will again. This is the kind of night that sets a mind a racing. Big questions are posed, the answers pondered, as I sit here mesmerized by the cosmos ...

Buddha Cave Update
... In July of 2004, it was announced that a new cave was discovered in Khammouane province in Laos. Not unusual news in itself, but this cave was different - it was full of antique Buddha statues. A long forgotten shrine ...

NXNE Recommends 2005
... Planning a journey? Wanting to read up on Southeast Asia? North by North East heartily recommends these titles as an addition to any home library ...

Return to the Sea: A Profile in Recovery
... On a recent visit to Khao Lak to survey for our Voluntourism initiative, I had the great fortune to meet Reid Ridgway, Director of the Ecotourism Training Center. The Center is a very new addition to the Khao Lak area. It is a non-profit organization which is working to help survivors of the deadly tsunami gain training as environmentally-sensitive guides and divemasters in order to be able to earn an income ...

Help! Cultural Theft!
... Southeast Asia is home to many vibrant cultures and historical treasures. Sadly, more and more artifacts are being stolen and shipped abroad to be sold in the West via Bangkok and Singapore. Due to lax laws pertaining to the sale and transit of cultural heritage in these two cities, nothing is being done to stop the theft and leakage of these irreplacable items ...

NXNE in the News
... Recently North by North East Tours has been featured in a variety of reputable worldwide news sources. This positive press only proves that we are a leading tour provider in Southeast Asia, unique in our sustainable ethos and commitment to improving the lives of the locals. Read what others are saying. Don't just take our word for it ...

Boats of Fire on the Mekong: October in Nakorn Phanom
... Every year, culminating on the full moon in October, the northeastern (Isan) provinces of Thailand celebrate the Lai Rua Fai (fireboat) Festival, by launching magnificently crafted, illuminated boats and rafts on rivers. Nowhere is the event more spectacular than in Nakorn Phanom ...

Exploring the Mekong by Hovercraft - Part II
... It always was a fancy dream of me to go out into the world and explore foreign mountains, rivers and islands in the sea. Inspired by travel reports of Marco Polo, Columbus and James Cook, this childhood dream came true, when I was assigned to be the tour director of the prestigious and ambitious river expedition on the Mekong in November 2002 ...

Living Festivals: Getting into the Local Spirit
... Mangueira! The shout rose toward us through the dense crowd of Cariocas spilling over the sidewalk and into the street parade. My friend Michael and I were in the middle of it, being swept up by the tide of people in the Ipanema district of Rio, enjoying the city's world-famous Carnival ...

Exploring the Mekong by Hovercraft - Part I
... It always was a fancy dream of me to go out into the world and explore foreign mountains, rivers and islands in the sea. Inspired by travel reports of Marco Polo, Columbus and James Cook, this childhood dream came true, when I was assigned to be the tour director of the prestigious and ambitious river expedition on the Mekong in November 2002. The expedition was done in a Shanghai-built hovercraft to tap and assess the tourism potential of the mighty Mekong River. It started at Simao Port in China's mountainous Yunnan Province on November 3 and was successfully completed on November 17, when the hovercraft cruised into the port of Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City by way of the Mekong Delta with six happy-looking foreigners on board - after a two week journey ...

Culturally Sensitive Photography
... When I think of travel and photography it's difficult to separate the two. For me photography helps to capture and transmit the sense of place that makes the destination special. Through the personalities of its people, a country comes alive, both in person and through photography ...

An Isan Country Funeral
... Imagine a funeral in the west. Everyone goes to church dressed in black, weeps quietly and then files past the deceased on their way out the door to less somber moods.

In Isan, nothing can be that dismal or the tradition would have died out long ago. Here, the corpse is prepared inside a gaudy casket (with flickering lights) only Liberace could appreciate ...

What is Voluntourism?
... North by North East's (NXNE) voluntourism programs are open to anyone who wants to see Southeast Asia and leave a positive trail along the way. Our projects include anything from teaching English in rural schools, to building playgrounds, to tsunami relief, to cultural conservation, to working with underprivileged children and more. We have targeted groups to volunteer, but we have also had a great deal of success with individuals as well. In the past NXNE has had groups from schools, universities, religious organizations, physicians and veterans. Whether it be an individual or a group, our priority is in keeping the project actually meaningful for those who are to benefit ...

Elephants and the Nam Theun 2 Dam
... Places in which Asian elephants are relatively numerous, and occur over large contiguous areas of 1000's of square kilometers, are increasingly rare. Most are in India. The Nakai Plateau in Khammouan Province is one such place in SE Asia. Elephants of the Nakai plateau are central to one of the largest remaining populations in the region. Forested links remain between its constituent groups, so this population represents one of the least fragmented as well. These conditions – population abundance and habitat contiguity – are considered critical for the long-term conservation of elephants. Any location possessing these conditions deserves very special consideration ...

Want to Learn Thai?
... Visitors to Thailand often feel that the Thai language is too daunting to even consider trying to learn. Most unguided travellers, as a result, never leave major touristy areas, where English is prevalent. Sadly, these guests will probably never get in touch with the "real" Thailand and Thai people, simply due to the language barrier.

So, for those anxious to leave the backpacker bars and McDonald's behind, learning Thai is one way to do it ...

In the Village of Salty Water: Travails in Ban Nam Khem
... On a special assignment related to North by North East's Voluntourism Initiative, I went to the tsunami affected areas of Thailand to see where help is most needed. I soon found myself in Ban Nam Khem, about 100 km north of Phuket. Ban Nam Khem, rendered into English means “Village of Salty Water”; with the tsunami, it's a sadly ironic name. As most of the area is flat and coastal, this became the most devastated area in Thailand. Most of the village's inhabitants either fished for a living, or worked in one of the nearby beach resorts near Khao Lak National Park. Before the tsunami, the population here was around 5000. After the disaster it sits at a mere 2500. Every family lost someone ...

Ghosts and Palm Trees at the Tropicana
... In Khao Lak, the Tropicana Resort catered to mainly northern European clientele. Its ideal location on Khuk Kak beach made it a haven for those escaping harsh northern winters.

December 26, 2004 brought its destruction and the demise of many other resorts in the area. Oddly, the Tropicana's website is still functioning with no mention of the tsunami whatsoever ...

The Future of Isan
... The Thai people themselves are the greatest asset to all operators in the Thailand tourism industry. This is especially so in Isan, where local people's outright generosity & superb hospitality give heightened meaning to the word ‘civilization'. It is they who welcome visitors so naturally and easily. They are the reason Thailand enjoys so many repeat visitors. Despite facing a huge variety of hardships, and without much outside help, Isan people have managed to feed themselves with the fruit of their own agricultural labors ...

Angels in Isan: A Profile
... Meet Brother John Middlewood, a quiet hero of Nakorn Phanom Province. He works actively with North by North East Tours to provide relief aid and volunteers to rural areas in the province. John also helps coordinate the Thailand-Laos-Cambodia Brotherhood's philanthropic activities. The TLCB is an organization of veterans who were stationed in the aforementioned countries during the Vietnam War. Now they are resolved in helping to make a difference in these affected areas ...

Way Off the Beaten Path: Trekking in Khammouane
... Khammouane sits wedged between Nakorn Phanom Province in Thailand and Quang Binh and Ha Tinh Provinces in Vietnam. This unique location guarantees its future importance in the growth of cross-Indochinese trade. But, for now, it is a haven for nature lovers, spelunkers and adventure seekers ...

Swimming the Mekong to Save it
... Around 200 competitors from as far apart as Cambodia, England, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States of America came together in a race across the mighty Mekong River to raise awareness on the importance of conserving this remarkable river, and have a good time doing it ...

My Trekking Days Are Over
... After living in Isan (Northeastern Thailand) for over a year, my first trip to Northern Thailand led me to see some truly wonderful sights, and also some I'd rather forget. The capital of the former Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai, is quite popular with tourists and is frequently used as a jumping-off point for Hilltribe trekking. Backpackers are often misled to believe they've experienced the real Thailand after completing one of these treks. If that's the real Thailand, I'm going home ...

Taking the Plunge
... On a whim, my friend asked me, “Do you want to go skydiving?” I admit it was a fantasy I've harbored for quite some time; to soar high above the ground and feel the rushing clouds whip past me. Of course, my overanalyzing mind always thinks of the pessimistic possibilities too. What if there's a flock of birds below me? Or the whirring blades of a helicopter? I put these fears aside and accepted the offer ...

The Plunder of Angkor
... Cambodia is famed for its jungle clad temples and each year increasing numbers of people are drawn to the ancient capital of Angkor. The extensive complex is packed with sandstone and laterite temples built between the 9th and 14th centuries.

Today most temples are devoid of statuary and tourists interested in viewing the sculptural achievements of the ancient Khmer must visit the National Museum in Phnom Penh, the nation's capital. Many more sculptures are housed at the Conservation d'Angkor in Siem Reap and await the construction of a new museum near the temple complex ...

Boris of Myanmar: A Profile
... On a recent trek through Myanmar, North by North East staff met with Boris Granges, owner of Le Planteur Restaurant in Yangon. We were so fascinated to find a restaurant of such international standard on our journey, that we had to conduct an interview to find out more ...

Voluntourism Update: Ban Nahom
... On our second day here, we were told of a girl that was a victim of a bomb explosion. It was very cold on the first day we arrived (and the next two days as well - I thought this was a "tropical" climate LOL) and 4 teens had built a fire to stay warm. Unbeknownst to them, they built the fire on top of a bomb that exploded injuring two ...

The Seeds We Sow: Responsible Travel
... Just 50 years ago, travel was usually born of trade, trouble or religious pilgrimage; touring was the province of the wealthy. Today, at the drop of a credit card, millions of people worldwide have the opportunity to travel simply for gratification. It's easier to fly to Bangkok than to drive cross-town New York at rush hour. In a matter of hours you can be just about anywhere in the world. Few travelers these days give much thought to the essence of journey or the responsibility of the traveler as an individual, especially when in less developed parts of the world. Unfortunately, most tourists travel with little thought other than being accommodated and served; that having mobility and money and being a foreigner is enough to earn them respect ...

Recollections of CIA Case Officer in Laos, 1962-1964: Part 3
... Nakorn Phanom was a quiet, pretty town of several thousand inhabitants. Some streets were paved. A general store, a few small shops, the town's only restaurant, and some government offices were clustered around what appeared to be a central square. My house was near the airport, which had a laterite runway capable of taking large cargo planes. Thai Airways flights arrived twice weekly from Bangkok ...

Limestone Adventures: The Making of an Eco-Tour
... Everyday for years now I have looked longingly at the imposing limestone mountains of Laos opposite my office, just across the Mekong River. I had even seen some of the limestone up close, and traveled through parts of it on frequent trips to Vietnam with clients. I call this the "barely beaten track". Those past trips to Vietnam took me along a difficult winding mountain road (Route 8), under a high waterfall dissolving into air, and past fields of limestone needles ...

Recollections of CIA Case Officer in Laos, 1962-1964: Part 2
... The accommodations at Phou Song turned out to be similar to Ban Na, but the setting was surprisingly different. Again, I found myself watching a Helio depart, leaving me, this time, in a Hmong village high on a mountain in north Laos. Phou Song was bigger than Ban Na. It occupied less than a third of a large, flat area more than halfway up the mountain for which it was named. It was near the edge of a precipitous drop into the valley. Because of the large open space next to and behind the village, Phou Song had a large drop zone and a landing strip that could easily accommodate twin-engine STOL aircraft. Thanks to the AID program, there was a warehouse for storing rice, clothing, and other materiel that was regularly distributed to nearby villages ...

Why Laos? Why Help?
... The story really starts in March 1970 during the Vietnam War. On March 21st of that year, Air Force pilot Major Edward Hudgens, flying an A1 Skyraider, depart his base in Eastern Thailand to provide air cover support for a search and rescue mission of a downed American F4 fighter pilot.

During the mission, Major Hudgens plane was hit by enemy ground fire and, in his attempt to return to Thailand, his plane crashed in a mountainous area of Eastern Laos near the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail – killing him instantly. He died in Laos 3 months before he was to return home ...

Thai Roads to Ancient Khmer
... “Everyone in our village speaks Khmer,” said Michael, a Canadian ex-pat who I had just met in a small sidewalk cafe. “Some can speak a bit of Thai, but not much. They even dress Khmer.” At this I was genuinely surprised. For our meeting was in Thailand, the café in Surin, a small provincial city in the country's north-east district of Isan. The village Michael lives in is just a little out of town ...

I-See I-San
... Vast fields of ripening rice in the most vivid shades of green. Hundreds of water buffalo with nothing better to do than eat and wallow in the mud. The colourful sights, sounds and aromas of bustling markets contrasting with solitary fishermen casting their nets into the mighty Mekong River ...

Where the Backpackers Go: Chiang Khan
... Generally speaking, backpackers are the pioneers of the tourist industry; they provide a gauge of where will happen next. Rogers and Hammerstein brought Bali to the world's imagination with the musical ‘South Pacific', but it took the low-rent travelers of the 1960's and 70s to actually put Bali on the map. Travelers of that era didn't need backpacker bibles: Lonely Planets, Rough Guides, etc. Bali became famous by word of mouth ...

So Near, Yet So Far Away: Australian Fam Trip through Isan
... Recently, North by North-East Tours Ltd. escorted a group of 8 Australian wholesale tour agents and Alan Hill, a travel writer, on a Fam (familiarization) trip through the southern and eastern Isan Provinces of Thailand 's northeast. The trip was sponsored by the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT), Sydney and North by North-East Tours Ltd. ...

New Cave Discovered near Tha Kaek, Khammouane Province, Lao PDR
... Tham Pa Pha cave near the Village of Ban Na Kan Sang in Tha Kaek district, Laos recently came into the news following the discovery of 229 bronze Buddha statues (age unknown - 300 yrs?) in a previously unexplored cave. A local villager Mr. Boun Nong during the month of April 2004 entered the small cave opening (1.5 metre), which lies 15m from ground level on a 300-metre cliff face near the Village of Ban Na Kan Sang. He had noticed bats entering the cave and decided to climb a vine to investigate the cave with the intention of collecting bats (a local delicacy) ...

Cute as a Bug: or, You Gotta Draw the Line Somewhere
... I first came to Asia with a reasonably adventuresome palate. But I had no idea what I was getting into. Hitchhiking – less hitching than hiking – in Portuguese Timor, now called East Timor, I trudged into a village, tired, with the sun going down. Someone kindly invited me to spend the night in his home. His wife cooked some tough dried meat, more radically than liberally laced with tiny purple-black chilies. So hot it made your ears vibrate. Afterwards I was informed it was dog. Perhaps overwhelmed by the chilies I hadn't considered what is was beforehand. Hmm…well, so much for that. Crossed that line without knowing it ...

The Hmong Dream
... Like all minority peoples who have lost their own homelands in Diasporas, the Hmong have always had dreams. Some dreams have become reality; others remain just that - dreams. When we were in southern China many centuries ago, we dreamed about regaining our own lands and our own country, for a more powerful and persistent alien group had taken them away. We dreamed about being left in peace to run our own affairs, to farm and feed our families ...

The Star and Crescent in Northern Thailand
... Islam is Thailand's largest religious minority, comprising about 10 per cent of the total population. Most of today's Muslims are concentrated in the southernmost provinces bordering Malaysia; Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Songkhla and Satun. They are predominantly of ethnic Malay stock and speak a dialect known as Yawi. But unknown to most, in Thailand's far north there are also substantial numbers of followers of the Prophet Mohammed, descended from overland traders of Turkic-Chinese extraction ...

Khao Soi: The Legacy of the Spice Trade in Chiang Mai
... Spices today are largely taken for granted, whether we use them or not. Walk into a supermarket and shelves of prepackaged spices await us. Where they came from or how they got there, and even the modest price, is of little concern. It's simply a matter of taste. This was not always so. In mediaeval Europe spices were only available to the very wealthiest. They were used not only for flavoring, but because the options for preserving food that we have today did not exist, spices were used to mask the unpleasant odors of long past fresh food ...

The Ghosts of Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park
... Straddling Phitsanulok Province on its western side, Loei Province on the eastern and bordering Phetchabun to the south, Phu Hin Rong Kla was just 20 years ago one of the most inaccessible areas in the Kingdom. On its northern edge it borders Chaiburi District in Laos. Today it is easily accessible, but far enough off the beaten path for it to remain relatively unspoiled. Pervaded by a sense of serenity, one does not immediately conjure images of the turmoil, the bombing and bloodshed that put Phu Hin Rong Kla on the map in the 1970s, yet the ghosts of the past remain ...

Nathan's First Songkran
... It all started in the office on April 12. Pi Kaew poured through the office door like the stream of late afternoon sunlight behind her, smiling as she always does in a Thai way that leaves you helpless to do anything but smile back. As usual, her arms were weighed down with a mass of taut plastic bags, and I assumed that they were filled with the ‘usual' – the most shared and consumed product in this gastronomic country – food. Instead, to my surprise, she began to unload on the wooden counter a mass of fruit, flowers, boxes and bottles that would mark the beginning of our New Year's celebration here in Nakhon Phanom ...

The Hmong: Part 2 Hmong in Laos - Bloody Trails to Uncertain Freedom
... The history of the Hmong people is a long tale of persecution, migration and survival. Over the last several millenniums the agrarian Hmong people, displaced by expanding Han Chinese power, migrated from North-central China southward, eventually making their way into what is now known as northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Burma ...

Lao Cuisine: No MSG
... Lao food is one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. The herbs and spices typically used are credited with preventative and curative properties. MSG is rarely used, unlike in most Thai food. Medical findings confirm that lime juice, chilies, garlic and onions – used almost universally in Lao food – as well as lemon grass, galangal and kaffir lime are useful in lowering cholesterol and controlling blood pressure: all have anti-oxidant properties as well ...

The Hmong: Part 1 Legend and History
... The word Hmong means free. The Han Chinese designated them Miao (barbarians) and determined to wipe them from the face of the earth from the beginning of the Han civilization up to the present. For more than 2000 years of recorded history, they have been persecuted and maligned. Their crime has been an unwillingness to be assimilated into other cultures as slaves or second-class citizens. Wanting only a homeland for themselves, they have settled in the most rugged terrain in order to be left alone ...

TLCB and Omni-Med in Isan and Laos
... In the February Newsletter, I made a grievous oversight in my article A Flower Blooms from The Ashes of War. Uninformed at the time, I failed to credit the fact that the TLCB (Thai-Lao-Cambodia Brotherhood) were the donors for the school floor that Jeff Hudgens and his friends built in Ban Nahom village on the Ho Chi Minh Trail ...

Wolves Within and at the Door
... Remaining largely unspoiled through the ages owing to its remote, landlocked position, Laos is now in imminent danger. Early French efforts to create a trade artery of the Mekong River to exploit Laos' natural resources were thwarted by rapids and shifting shoals that created insurmountable obstacles to navigation. The one and only railway ever built in the country, created to portage these obstacles, proved economically unviable. A country 85% mountainous discouraged the building of roads ...

Elements of an Extraordinary Tour
... Once in a while there is a sense of journey achieved on a tour that the word ‘tour' simply does not define; where the journey is inward as much as outward and the balance and connection between guests, guides and natives is extraordinary; where the ripples and footsteps left behind are only those mirrored within, leaving us feeling somehow the richer for it. One is left with a sense that barriers have been crossed, chasms bridged ...

Falang! Falang!
... “Falang! Falang!” You will hear this word directed at you every day in Thailand. What is “falang”? Actually the word is “farang” with an r, but Thais are quite loose about their ars and els.

The most common, and partly correct theory is that it is an indigenous adaptation of the word Francais (pronounced farang-sate). In Laos, French are called (by those aware of such distinctions) “falang” whereas non-French westerners would be American, Ahngrit (English), etc. In Thailand falang simply means any westerner, with the emphasis on Caucasian ...

The Legacy of Angkor in Isan: Prasat Phnom Rung
... Cambodia is the direct descendant of the once powerful and sophisticated Khmer Empire whose borders, during the Angkor Era (8th to 14th centuries AD), encompassed much of what are now Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. The legacy of this civilization can be seen in the exquisite temples of that period, many of which have been reclaimed from the dense jungle where they have remained forgotten for centuries ...

The Secret Crossroads
... I first became intrigued with Assam because of similarities with Thailand, my adopted home. When most people think of Assam, they think of tea plantations, the hill station of Shillong and possibly Kazinranga, Lady Curzon's Rhino Park. In fact, Assam, the “Seven Sisters” has been divided into seven separate states of India. It encompasses peoples of Tibeto-Burman, Tai, Mon-Khmer and, of course, Indo-Aryan origin, as well as incredible geographic diversity ...

The Nam Hin Boun River
... Rivers in Laos are more than a source of water. They are still important arteries of trade in much of this sparsely populated country. They yield a large percent of the Laos' protein intake in the form of fish, crustaceans, frogs, other reptiles, bugs and other aquatic critters. They provide a place to bathe and chat and relax after a hard days work and for children to play. They are the lifelines of the Lao people ...

A Flower Blooms From the Ashes of War: Part 2
... I have just returned from the Lao side of the Viet Nam border, having assisted Jeff Hudgens and his 6 friends from the United States build a school floor and provide medical and material assistance to Ban Na Hom, a remote Lao village on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The inhabitants of the village are a minority group of Mon-Khmer extraction – the Bru Tribe – who have lived in and cultivated this area long before the great southward migration of Tai peoples from China's Yunnan Province in the 13th century ...

Saek New Year, Jan 21–23, 2004 in Ban Asamat
... Who are the Saek People? Where did they come from? I went to the village of Ban Asamat for their New Year, which coincides with Chinese New Year and Vietnamese Tet, to find out ...

Animism and the Bai Sii Su Khwan
... While Buddhism is the religion of most Lao people, animist beliefs pervade all segments of the Lao population. The belief in phi (spirits) defines the relationship of Lao people with nature and community and is often considered the cause of illness and disease. Particularly at the village level, belief in phi is blended with Buddhism, and often monks are respected as having the ability to exorcise malevolent spirits from a sick person or to prevent them entering a house. Most wats (temples) have a small spirit house built on the grounds that is associated with the phi khoun wat , the benevolent spirit of the monastery ...

Caught in the Center of the Drug War
... The Akha Hill Tribe people are caught in the center of the Drug War in the Golden Triangle. Neglected and ignored, often persecuted, some 300 Akha villages line the border with Burma, an extremely odd victim of the war on drugs. Neither the DEA or USAID has any time for these people, though both heroin and amphetamine pass through their villages on the way into Thailand. No poverty alleviation efforts can be found. Neither Agency shows any awareness of these people, nor do they have any funds available for things as simple as clean water. Caught on the border, the Akha can hardly have much say in what flows through the border areas or not, neither have they much reason to be concerned. Few look out for them, and the Thai Forestry Department is busy taking the little rice lands they do have ...

A Flower Blooms From the Ashes of War
... From the beginning, North by North East Tours has tried to help and support the villages in Laos through which we run tours. It is an ongoing commitment to show as much respect and responsibility to the people of the countries in which we operate as we do to the people whom we introduce to them – especially at a village level ...

Call it Work, Call it Fun
... Recently I spent a month surveying possible new trekking routes north of Luang Prabang, the ancient Royal Capital of Laos, by motorbike, boat and walking.

Sak our Lao guide, and I left Luang Prabang early one misty morning on motorbikes, heading north. Forty kilometers up the road we entrusted the bikes to a roadside shop and engaged the services of a long-tail boat on the Ou River to take us 2 hours up-river through rocks and rapids ...

Searching for Bombs: Hell and Hope on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
... We bounced along the rocky, red caverns of the road. A log truck barreled past, and we gulped for air before covering our noses and mouths with dampened bandanas. Moments later a fine scarlet haze billowed in the green-flap windows and settled into our lungs and hair. Dennis flailed the steering wheel to avoid the calamitous pits that threatened to swallow the wheels of our Russian military jeep. For hours the teeth jangling continued, further into eastern Laos, toward the hills of Vietnam. The world rattled past in a red blur punctuated by slammed staccatos as the driver's side door bounced off its hinges. “Good thing the road's so good!” Dennis yelled cheerfully ...

Young Martin's Laos Adventure
... Our group consisted of seven guys. My father and myself are both Americans. We had met Nick Ascot a few years before while traveling in Laos, while we were checking it out, and he was looking for possible tour routes. Then there were the three Swiss guys. Edi was at home in Southeast Asia and indeed, had lived there for a number of years, at some point running into Nick. The other two guys were his friends who he was hanging out with. Nick, had set it all up, and Montri was Nick's right hand man, sort of like the tour-guiding equivalent of Indiana Jones. Together we spent four days in western-central Laos, spending most of our time in the middle of nowhere, and our last day in a town just across the Mekong River from Thailand ...

Inroads of Progress
... What is poor? Laos is considered to be one of the very poorest of countries. This is a rather, if not entirely, misleading statement - judging something by an artificial standard. Per capita income doesn't tell us much about quality of life. Per capita income is a way to classify people and countries by a western standard – essentially, spending power. It imposes the standards of the rich upon the poor. It is the standard set by mercantile missionaries whose ultimate aim is to convert the ignorant, the heathen, into faithful consumers – to create a middle class. Ultimately, who benefits? ...

Lonely Mouth
... Fishing is a sensible hobby as it provides not only relaxation and time to meditate close to nature, but also serves the purpose of providing food for the family. But fishing is fishing and this isn't about fishing.

A trishaw driver naps in the shade of a building. A police car on the side of a highway, ostensibly as a warning to speeders, shows two booted feet of a sleeping gendarme sticking out the open door. A food vendor drapes herself around the back of her chair, quite perfectly asleep. A truck driver lies blissfully under his truck in the heat of the day. A dog asleep in the middle of the road raises one lazy eyelid at an approaching vehicle and lets it shut again. A seemingly boneless cat appears to be dripping off a chair. The art of relaxation is still very much alive in Southeast Asia ...

Muang Ngoi
... The Tai people are considered by most historians to have originated in China's Yunnan Province near northern Viet Nam. A number of successive migrations brought them further and further south and west. By the 6th century AD they had already established themselves in Muang Swa - today known as Luang Prabang - and the Ou River valley ...

North by North East at Thailand Travel Mart
... "Opening Isan (NE Thailand) to the Australian market" and "Incentives in Laos" were two important themes for North by North East at the Thailand Travel Mart (TTM) held last month (September) in Bangkok. While critics of the regional mart maintained that the number of qualified buyers from worldwide markets decreased this year, and complained of "Post-SARS effects," North by North East Thailand and Laos was able to parlay the event into both immediate and long term business ...

Akha Zhang - The Way of Akha
... The Akha people have no one word for "go". There is either go up or go down. They live on mountain ridges and high slopes, practicing shifting cultivation. Flat land is only in the river basins which historically has always been occupied by whatever culture is strongest ...

Dark Harvest
... An oxcart carrying a farmer, his wife and child near the Thai border of Cambodia, went to collect a load of rice. Their cart was light on the journey from their village but heavily laden upon their return and consequently triggered an old anti-tank mine, killing the farmer and his wife and the two oxen. The mother, embracing her child was catapulted into an anti-personnel minefield beside the road. It took villagers 3 days to find a man named Aki Ra to clear a way to the baby, who miraculously survived by suckling its dead mother's breast ...

Mother of Water
... Rolling under the smooth surface in the straight reaches, seething with foam in the gorges, sculpting stone and moving millions of tons of silt as it winds its way from Tibet to the South China Sea, the Mekong River is one of the world's truly great rivers ...

The Shiny Side of Vientiane
... Thirty-one years ago, Laos was a country at war. Vientiane, its low-slung capital was a sprawl along the Mekong River; red dust and potholes in the dry season, red mud and deeper holes in the wet. The charm and relaxed pace of life in Vientiane belied the realities of a war that had been going on for 8 years already. The ‘Baw pen nyang' (Never mind, no problem) attitude of acceptance of the Lao people was difficult to understand in face of the events surrounding them ...

Allure of Unknown Laos: How Hipster Backpackers Followed Early Explorers to Laos
... Not so long ago, tiny, mysterious Laos was a country essentially forbidden to foreigners, a country at war, where only the oddest westerners could be found. However the allure of the unknown in Laos has always been powerful…attracting intrepid explorers, merchants, soldiers of fortune, spies and other shadowy characters, and finally in the 1960s, long haired backpackers ...

Why Bother with Laos?
... I've been to Laos twice, which already suggests to the alert reader that I found it a place worth returning to.  The first time I went with a reasonable quotient of unease. Laos is, after all, a bit of an unknown to most Americans like myself  We have a collective memory only of bombing the whee-hah out of the Plain of Jars, and a staggering lack of knowledge when it comes to Lao history and culture ...

Ho Chi Minh Trail Retrospective Expedition with Tim Page
... How secret was it really? This secret: the Americans totally denied secretly bombing it for years, and the Vietnamese denied ever secretly building and using it. The Ho Chi Minh Trail was for decades the single most important piece of real estate in Southeast Asia, but very little of this importance filtered into the Western news media. What happened there shaped the direction of the war more than any other single influence ...

Wishin' You Were Fishin'?
... The Mekong River system, with an estimated 1,300 species of fish is, next to the Amazon basin, the richest freshwater fishing ground in the world. While one doesn't normally associate SE Asia with fresh water sport fishing, incredible opportunities await the adventuresome angler in Southeast Asia ...

General Aderholt's Ho Chi Mihn Trail Adventure Diary
... As we bounced thru Laos over the old Ho Chi Minh Trail, past war relics and unexploded ordinance, I smiled, thinking of my first meeting with Brigadier General Harry “Heinie” Aderholt ...

Baan Nahom: Adopt-a-Village Report
... Mr. Hudgens became acquainted with Nahom in 2002 when local villagers helped us locate his father's Vietnam War era crash site.. During his trip, Jeff was greatly touched by the Bru tribesmen's hospitality ...

Ban Hua Na: Adopt-a-Village Report
... Rarely are we faced with simple & clear answers to difficult problems. Every now and then however, there are some. Today, because of the caring & compassion of a group of people half a world away, a man who was going to die will not die ...