Lao Short Film - Another Day at School (video)

This short film was submitted by Thanavorakit Kounthawatphinyo to the Asia-Europe Foundation short film contest that wrapped up in April 2012.

10th Annual Lao TESOL Conference 2013

January 29-30, 2013, marked the 10th Annual Lao TESOL conference.  It's an annual event that brings teachers of English language in Laos together.  Participants include Lao nationals and foreigners.  It's very much an opportunity for the participants to meet and greet and more importantly for Lao teachers to gain more knowledge from shared ideas.

(Photo Credit:  USA Embassy on Flickr)

Jaew Bong - The Best Lao Jaew!

The best Lao jaew (sauce), or perhaps we should just say it's one of our favorites, is this one called jaew bong.  Found a great video on Youtube (posted by Darly) showing how it's made.

Eagle Eye!

Seeing things from different perspectives - literally.  It adds a certain dimension to something you may have already seen.  Here are some elevated environment pictures from a variety of different photographers and sources. Also many of these random and beautiful pictures are from
https://www.facebook.com/TheGloryofLaos so be sure to check them out!

Lao Word of the Day: To Let Go or Release

Nitaya's Video Diary Continued (Episodes 2 and 3)

Episode 2: Helping Children in Luang Prabang

Episode 3 - The challenge of UXO in Laos 

From Opium Poppies to Coffee Beans (video)

Saffron Coffee has posted a wonderful video on coffee growing in Luangprabang and the Mien people and their new business relationship.  Additionally, they show how the coffee is cultivated and made.  Very informative and looks like good work.

Lao Short Film - I Hate My Mom (video)

Lao made movies often have a moral to be learned or attempt to evoke sentimental emotions.  This one is no exception.  It's a great lesson though.  Created by students, it was submitted to a film competition in Japan and won!  It really pulls at the heart strings.   

Driving Past the New Morning Market in Vientiane

For those who might not have seen how driving through downtown Vientiane and in particular past the Morning Market (Talaat Sow) looks like nowadays, here's a video from BeThereAsia.com.  It's not the same place we all remember!  Most of the reconstruction is complete.

Vat Phu Festival 2013 Promo Video

Vat Phu / Wat Phou Festival 2013 February.  Promotional video encompassing all the pictures that Adul took.  Simply gorgeous!

© Adul Tanthakosai

Random Awesome Image #9

Vientiane Tries to Tackle Traffic Congestion

As reported by the Vientiane Times (January 9 2013), the Lao government plans to increase traffic police in Vientiane as one of the proposed ways to assist in dealing with the traffic jams and congestion that now permeate many of the main roads in the city, in particular Lane Xang Avenue, Setthathirath, Kaysone Phomvihane, Nongbone, Asean, Samsenthai and the 105-bed Hospital roads.

LLR (book): A Short History of Laos

Title:  A Short History of Laos – The Land in Between
By:  Grant Evans
Edited by:  Milton Osborne
Publisher/Year:  English version published by Allen & Unwin (Australia), 2003; Lao version published by Silkworm Books (Thailand), 2006.
ISBN:  9781864489972 (English), 9789749511213 (Lao)
Price:  $30-45USD

US Olympian Lao-American Badminton Player Visits Laos

US Embassy posted a photo of Lao-American competitive badminton player Khan "Bob" Malaythong.  Bob represented America at the 2008 Olympics!  In the photo he's teaching a young Lao high school student a bit of badminton in Vientiane.

America's Miss Minnesota 2012 Visits Laos

Nitaya Panemalaythong is the first Lao-American to have won the title of Miss Minnesota (2012) in America.  With backing from the US Embassy, she's visiting Laos and documenting it and posting the videos on Youtube.  Good job Nitaya!

Here's the first two videos:

Lao Word of the Day: To Glow

Police Museum in Vientiane

One of Vientiane's newest museums - this one for the police.  We haven't had a chance to check the building out on the inside yet but from the outside it's quite an impressive building.  Here's a look.

New Dinosaur Museum in Vientiane

Another new museum in Vientiane just recently opened on January 16 2013!  This time it's dinosaurs!

As reported by KPL, the new museum created by the Geology and Minerals Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, will be a place where visitors can learn not just about dinosaurs but about evolution and development of the geological and minerals sector in Laos. All of this was done with sponsorship from the Lao-Thai Geological and Natural Resources Cooperation.

Laos and Thailand Cell Phone Frequencies Agreement

For those who use Thai cell phones while in Laos (or vice versa), this news may affect you.  It's been reported in the Bangkok Post that as of a recent December 2012 agreement, Thailand and Laos have signed a mobile phone frequency agreement.  The agreement indicates that each respective country's signal can only go 1km into their populated border areas and 2km in other locations.

Lao Word of the Day: Synonyms for People

Eyeless Spider Discovered in Caves of Laos

This past summer in August 2012, a new kind of spider, found eyeless in a cave in Laos.  While most spiders have between 2 to 8 eyes, these spiders astonishingly have none.  It appears that since they live in the pitch black darkness of caves, they evolved without the use of eyes.

Random Awesome Image #8

Painting of a Luangprabang temple.

Lao Word of the Day: Responsibility

Anti-Littering Campaign Stop Motion Video

Awesome stop motion video made by a young Lao guy named Joey Keophonexay in Vientiane.  He posted this video he made on Youtube about trying to help clean up Vientiane by advocating anti-littering, in Lao and English.  Check it out!

LLR (book): Festivals in Laos

Title:  Festivals in Laos
By:  Martin Stuart-Fox, Somsanouk Mixay
Photographed By:  Steve Northrop
Publisher/Year:  Silkworm Books, 2010
ISBN:  9789749511848
Price:  $25-30USD

Pathet Lao Caves (videos)

Just to show you how times have changed, the caves of the Pathet Lao leaders during the civil war years are open to the public.  The tours have been around for at least 10 years though.  And at the beginning, it probably received very few visitors.  But for those who are adventurous enough to go to the northern parts of Laos and for war history buffs, this could be a place well worth the visit.

WIG Bazaar 2013

The WIG Bazaar is set for February 2 2013 at  the Faculty of Engineering on Sokpaluang Rd.  Though typically held in November they had decided that because there were so many other things going on in Vientiane at that time that it would be better to reschedule.

What Makes Good Rice?

In keeping with our other post Rice Crazy in Laos, I recall one time while I was with my grandmother she took a taste of some sticky rice and quickly quipped that it was not good rice.  I was confused.  I thought it was fine and I saw it cooked from its hard raw state to its final product so I figured it was fresh sticky rice.  I was compelled to find out how she knew it was not good or by what definition she considered it to be inadequate.  So the question became:  How to evaluate rice?

Lao Heritage Foundation's 1st Cultural Exchange

The Lao-American charitable organization called Lao Heritage Foundation did their first cultural exchange program with Laos in 2011.  For those who haven't seen it, here's the sum-up video of what went on.  It's quite impressive!

High level politicians participating, an American ambassador who can speak Lao, wonderful performances by young Lao-Americans and Lao nationals.


Lao Heritage Foundation Cultural Exchange Program - Vientiane, LAOS -Promo from Ketsana on Vimeo.

Lao Language: Education Words

Random Awesome Image #7

 

Painting of Lao Countryside