Good Spirits
Meet four foreigners who visited Laos, fell in love with the country's spiritual capital of Luang Prabang, and decided to give back to their new home by celebrating its culture
American-raised Tara Gujadhur is co-director of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC). She arrived in Luang Prabang in 2006 to work as a sustainable tourism advisor for an international development agency, before soon founding the TAEC.
The organisation is dedicated to the appreciation for the rich cultural diversity of Laos. “Few people realise that almost half the country's population is made up of ethnic minority groups, particularly here up in northern Laos,” explains Gujadhur. Through the TAEC museum, crafts programmes, school outreach, and research work, they promote pride in the knowledge, lifestyles, and customs in these communities.
“Most of Laos' craftwork is based on cultural identity and traditional practices. For example, Khmu men make bamboo baskets a shape distinctive to their village, Tai Lue women weave prayer flags to hang in the temple to show their devotion, and Yao Mien women demonstrate their dedication through embroidery,” she says. Many such crafts are still made in rural communities by hand, whereas the rapid development of neighbouring countries has meant the production of items like these has declined.
“Though a city, Luang Prabang often feels like a village,” reflects Gujadhur. “It is a tightly knit community. No one is further than two degrees of separation from anyone else, and it's not unusual for you to find out that your mechanic is the brother of the owner of the noodle soup you frequent and she's married to your next door neighbour. Everyone looks out for everyone else, and has great pride and love for Luang Prabang.”
Michael Vogler, founder and CEO of the Mandalao Elephant Sanctuary, is originally from Colorado. Mandalao is the first non-riding elephant project in Luang Prabang, where a small herd of elephants - ranging from four to 60 years-old, rescued directly from logging camps in western Laos - roam across some 150 hectares of natural forest.
With an emphasis on engaging the local community, over half of their staff live next to the property in the village of Ban Xieng Lom. Additionally, they purchase elephant food from local farmers. “MandaLao is committed to maintaining and preserving the Lao culture and way of life,” says Vogler. “We regularly bring out student groups and novice monks to meet the elephants at the sanctuary. Additionally, we support our local village's 'dragon boat' racing team, as well as local Lao traditional dance teams.”
Vogler first came to Laos a decade ago and immediately fell in love with the place. “I'd moved to Thailand straight after high school to teach English and then spent a lot of time traveling around Southeast Asia, but never had the chance to visit Laos,” he says “It was always this sort of enigma to me I guess, a lost relic amongst the hustle and bustle of neighbouring countries like Vietnam. I guess if I had to chalk it up to one word it'd be the 'mystical' nature of Laos that originally brought me here. Basically, to me, this is the last really untouched, uncharted country that's left in Southeast Asia.
“In many ways Laos feels a bit like how the Wild West must have been. The country's natural beauty is stunning and people can, and do, live their lives on their own terms. Outside of Luang Prabang proper, people are for the most part living as they have for countless generations. However, while it is an incredibly poor country it rarely feels that way. Predominately, there is an air of happiness, warmth and community - even in those communities where, by Western viewpoints, existence might feel bleak.”
Caroline Gaylard, owner of Tamarind Laos Restaurant and Cooking School, comes from Melbourne. “I first traveled to Laos as a backpacker in 1999 and quickly fell in love with the country, which I found stunning, the people, who were so relaxed and friendly, and their laid back, fun-loving lifestyle. So a year or two later I returned as a tour leader. It was while I was leading a trip to Luang Prabang in 2001 that I met my husband Joy. After another year out on the road, I moved to the town to be with him.
“Joy was working in a bookshop in the city, and he noticed that a number of people came in enquiring about Lao cookbooks, of which there were none. At the same time, we were eating food cooked at home by himself and his ex-novice monk housemates and friends. We were also eating food bought in the market, and it was all delicious. And none of it was anything like the food available in restaurants at the time. There were some Lao dishes available, but they were either not clearly explained. Really the majority of food being served as 'Lao' was either Thai, or generic Asian backpacker food - Lonely Planet at the time described Lao food as 'just like Thai, but less spicy'.”
So the couple started writing a cookbook. “We dreamed of opening a gourmet food tour company, but Joy was laughed out of the local tourism office when he went to enquire about it. We then planned to open a cooking school, but we couldn't afford the initial outlay. So we started with a little cafe. The plan was to introduce visitors to Lao food by holding tastings, and we opened our doors in December 2005. As word spread and demand increased, we started to hold private dinners, and as time passed and we grew, we eventually opened each night for regular dinner with an a la carte service, and then moved into our current premises right on the Nam Khan River.
“I was drawn to Luang Prabang by the physical beauty of the town,” says Gaylard. “A finger of land, caught between two rivers: one the mighty Mekong, the other the gentler Nam Khan, dotted with palm trees and lined with the graceful shophouses featuring a combination of distinctive French colonial and traditional Laos influence. That never ceases to please the eye, but it’s the people and their relaxed lifestyle that make it a special place to live.” It's also a city covered with temples, the spirituality exuded being central to all community life and activities. “The constant presence of the orange-robed monks gives everything a slightly mystical feel and their chanting and drumming can be heard daily inside every house – very definitely including ours!”
Jo Smith is the co-founder and creative director of Ock Pop Tok, a social enterprise and 'living craft centre' engaged in the production of textiles and handicrafts, which aims to promote the status of Lao women as artisans, and to provide opportunities. “We are guided by the principals of fair trade,” says Smith, “and our core values are empowering women, producing high quality handmade products using natural and organic materials, collaborating with the local communities, combining tradition with innovation, and - just as importantly - always having fun with colour and design.
“We believe that societies are dynamic and always evolving, and that crafts and textiles are an expression of culture,” she says. “Therefore they will change, and we both honour the traditional but enjoy being part of the evolution. We encourage our team of weavers to be creative, to think outside of the box and be influenced by the world they see around them. We believe you can discover Lao through textiles, and our Living Crafts Centre and shops are places where you can learn about Lao culture. Viewed that way, our sales staff are in fact cultural ambassadors and we train them to talk about textiles and ethnic groups and offer our visitors a chance to learn more.”
Luang Prabang has evolved so much in the 20 years Smith has lived here. “It's like the industrial revolution passed by in just a decade. When I first got here there was only one internet cafe, just a handful of restaurants and guesthouses, and everyone rode bicycles because only the rich had motorbikes. The roads weren't paved and where we have our Living Crafts Centre was considered way out of town - people thought we were crazy to be based out of the old area, even though it's just two kilometres from the centre of town, opposite the main market, and takes exactly 6 minutes to drive!”
All this change makes Luang Prabang an interesting place. “To see local friends lives change and improve is super cool, as is seeing the positive impact of tourism, like how it can still play a part in preserving local culture. Many people lament change, but we should see it as an incredible opportunity to help things change in a positive way.”