Luang Prabang lights up for Southeast Asia’s premier film festival
Luang Prabang was lined in red carpet last night for the kickoff of the eighth Luang Prabang Film Festival.
Normally known as a sleepy town steeped in local tradition, a more cosmopolitan crowd descended upon Luang Prabang for the festival’s opening. Filmmakers from all across Southeast Asia and abroad have flocked to this UNESCO World Heritage site to celebrate Southeast Asian cinema for six days and nights.
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Papayromania!
British cuisine may have a reputation (undeserved) for blandness, but we Brits are addicted to spicy food. Indian restaurants now outnumber fish & chip shops, and whilst they may owe their original popularity to being the only places you could get a drink back in the dark days when the pubs closed at 10.30pm, they are now loved for their spicy cuisine as much as for their exploitation of loopholes in the licensing laws.
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When young Lao couples move out, do they need to find work?
A Lao friend recently complained about finding and keeping staff. She said, Lao people may not need to work.. Yesterday I read in the Vientiane Times that mining companies are trying their best to hire local people - however, it is still a skill problem. But as you may know from my podcast episode with Titi about career development, there is also a lack of knowledge about what working in a job means at all.
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Pakse, Laos
Close to the border with Vietnam and Cambodia, the area around Pakse in southern Laos is blessed with natural beauty and far more.
For most tourist visitors to Laos, Luang Prabang is the only game in town. Direct flights from various cities in Asia mean visitors can even bypass the charming capital city of Vientiane in their rush to reach what is admittedly one of the most stunning towns in the region, leaving the rest of the country still largely untouched by tourism.
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Xayoh Grillhouse brings steak culture to the capital
Xayoh Grillhouse started as the first grillhouse in town. Copying the concepts of american steakhouses, it offers steaks and burgers. Recently added was a superburger. But to be honest: there are better places for steaks. Althought they may try heir best, staff has not much clue about what they serve, the baked tomatoes look disgusting, and the overall presentation is poor.
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B-52 in Laos - the drink and the background
For all hipsters in Laos, who don't know the background of the B-52 drink. The name refers to the US B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber. This bomber was used in the Vietnam War for the release of incendiary bombs, which likely inspired today's flaming variant of the cocktail; another hypothesis centers on B-52 combat losses
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Wine tasting in Laos - a new opportunity
It is not that we don't have wine in Laos. Compared to Thailand wine is actually cheap here and we have quite a good selection so far. Thanks to the french community, wine is accepted here, thanks to winemakers around the world good wine is available here as well.
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Int'l agencies making effort to improve food security in Laos
VIENTIANE, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Some international organizations have initiated a program to help Laos to improve food security in the country, according to a press statement released to Xinhua on Monday.
The European Commission -- United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (EC-FAO) Food Security Program facilitated a second multi-agency collaborative meeting on Sept. 22-23 in Vientiane to develop a linked risk and vulnerability survey to improve food security in Laos.
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Frozen Yoghurt arrives in Laos
Finally the Frozen Yoghurt hype arrived in Laos. On June 12th YoQueen opened on Dongpalan Street, very close to the RBAC College. It is owned by Lao-Australians and provides the usual, but mouthwatering range of frozen yoghurts.
I tried the green tea with mango and almond, and yes, yummy yummy, yummy. The middle size was about 19.000 KIP, not cheap, but affordable. Most customers are Lao people, by the way.
Let's see how this business is going on, if it is successful, we may see the same development as in Vietnam, where many Frozen Joghurt shops opened up in a short time.
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Baan Tonmali Cake Coffee Shop
We do not have Starbucks here in Laos, and that might be good, cause it allows the local coffee shop scene to develop. A new kind of gemstone just opened a few days ago. The Name is Ban Tonmali Cake, what translates House of the Yasmin Cake, and is a small cute fancy place to have coffee and - cakes. Owner Phanumad Disattha is a filmmaker, and decided to create a place where filmmakers and photographers can meet. The filmmaking business got a boost recently, having two filmfestivals in Laos and a growing interest in locally produced movies.
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