Savannakhet Province plays its own siren song with ancient Buddhist libraries, remnants of French Colonial times and a significant stupa holding relics of the Buddha. Sitting just to the east of Savannakhet town, Xe Champhone District has monkeys with attitude and skulking crocs.
MOK PA
An authentic, traditional Lao dish that is comprised of steamed Mekong river fish infused with with kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, fish sauce and other herbs wrapped in a luscious green banana leaf. The cooking process renders the marinated fish magnificently succulent and buttery, which makes mok paa truly mouthwatering dish.
Experience a taste of Laos by enjoying the delicious mok pa, spicy or non-spicy, with either steamed or sticky rice.
Furball 2018: Animal Love, Welfare Aspirations Light Up The Night in Laos
Fashionable Folk and Animal Spirits were very much in attendance as the very first Furball 2018 touched down in the Lao capital Saturday with some 150 folk in attendance.
Attendees helped raise funds for construction of a secure fence to mark the perimeter of Laos’ very first sanctuary for aged, infirm and other domestic animals, offering treatment and dignity to felines and “man’s best friend” alike.
In a salute to the effort, an entertainment line up of some of Laos biggest names such as Ola of the band Black Eyes, Aluna Thavansouk and Tot Lina hit the stage with well known tunes in Lao and English languages.
The musical feast was preceded by multiple courses of Crowne Plaza Hotel’s very finest kitchen creations.
Love Me, Love My Dog
Coming out to the strains of 70s British pop singer Peter Shelley’s hit was Aluna Thavansouk.
She also thrilled the charity’s supporters with her version of John Lennon’s legendary Imagine.
You Make Me So Very Happy
Attendees were treated to the rare reemergence of Singapore-bred & Laos-based inspiration Shanaynay, who lent her voice and presence to thrill the crowd.
The smooth voice of Sanonh and the up and coming vocals of Pepsi Song Contest Winner Kob also tickled the fancy of the animal lovers in attendance.
Furry Friends for a Cause
The fundraising Gala supports the Vimaan Suan Foundation’s Sanctuary Building Fund.
Proceeds from FurBall 2018 are be earmarked for Phase One of the construction of the Sanctuary located in Naxaythong District.
According to organisers, “each ticket sold will help build approximately 1 meter of wall that is 3 meters tall to protect the resident animals from predators and dog/cat thieves.
“Additional funds raised will be used to raise the level of the land to ensure the safety of the resident animals in the event of flooding.”
The River Resort: Riparian Luxury Meets Lao Hospitality
On the right bank of the Mekong, just north of Champasak town, sits a hidden treasure in Laos: The River Resort. Formerly a royal orchard, the 30,000 square meter area is teeming with green space for travellers looking to get away into nature and affordable luxury.
I had heard of The River Resort for quite some time and that it was a not only beautiful, but had a holistic attention to detail. People often remarked that it was a highlight of Southern Laos! I needed to find out for myself.
Cheerful Mr Ton, the General Manager, greeted me at reception and walked me through the property to my room. I learned that the resort itself is comprised of 28 Deluxe Guestrooms, 20 two-storied villas; and 8 adjoining rooms in two-storied structures. Each room has a splendid Mekong River view or Pond/Garden view, which can be enjoyed through large panorama windows.
The property also has two infinity pools with Mekong views, as well as a stunning riverside restaurant serving sumptuous Lao, Thai, and Western cuisine. There is even a rooftop area that is perfect for small private events or corporate meetings, complete with its own bar. Mr Ton also mentioned that the hotel has their own boats available for journeys up and down the Mekong, and even sunset cruises!
The American and Japanese owners fell in love with the location and invested in building this unique hotel project in keeping with the history of the area, and with a focus on the wellbeing of both guests and the community. The River Resort is dedicated to sustainable practices by composting organic waste to grow the magnificent flower, fruit, and vegetable gardens; using solar power in the kitchens, using ecologically grown bamboo in most of the furnishings; as well as maintaining a working rice paddy on the property! Hotel staff are almost all from the local area and have learned that hospitality brings skills they can use to improve their lives and share their region with the world.
I decided to see more of the area before dinner and boarded one of their comfortable local-style boats. In this area, it is very common to construct a large platform spanning two local pirogues as pontoons. Sitting in comfortable rattan chairs under a grass roof, I was feted with local snacks and a few soothing bottles of Beerlao to help quench the late afternoon heat.
Admiring the mountains towering over scenes of local life along the riverbank, it truly felt like a special piece of paradise.
Getting there:
The River Resort is just outside of Champasak town,
which is 30 km south of Pakse city. Lao Airlines flies from Vientiane
to Pakse daily, and flies from Bangkok four times per week.
Text by JASON ROLAN
Photographs by THE RIVER RESORT
Originally published in Champa Meuanglao magazine.
BBC 100 Women 2018: Laos’ Rugby Trailblazer Lao Khang Listed
Laos’ national women’s rugby captain, star player turned development officer in the country’s rural province of Xieng Khouang, Ms Lao Khang has been one of 100 Women, a global list of inspiring female folk compiled annually by the BBC.
“Lao led the Laos women’s national rugby team to historic international victories, and is the first Hmong woman to earn her rugby coach license”, the inscription read.
The Lao Rugby Federation welcomed the news:
“Congratulations to Lao Kang, the LRF’s Xieng Khouang Rugby Development Coordinator, for being named one of the BBC 100 Women of 2018! As a star player, coach, and leader, Lao has inspired many and continues to be a trailblazer in Laos and in the region!” the LRF posted on its Facebook page.
Lao was also the focus of a documentary that screened on Japan’s NHK World network entitled Because I am a Girl.
The recognition comes as the popularity of the game particularly among girls in rural Laos is on the rise, particularly in multiethnic villages.
Combined efforts, particularly in the province of Xieng Khouang, have seen the Child Fund’s Pass it Back program emerge using rugby as a tool to increase teamwork and self-confidence among girls and young women during their developmental years and beyond.
The programme has attracted high level support, with Australia’s former foreign minister Julie Bishop being among the foreign visitors to help the LRF give the “game they play in heaven” a kick-along in Laos, Laotian Times reported back in 2016.
Award-winning OB-GYN: Japanese health advisor achieves global recognition for efforts in Laos
Laos-based medic Doctor Hiromi Obara from Japan is one of twenty women practitioners in the field worldwide awarded in 2018 by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics’ (FIGO) at its World Congress in Brazil. The recognition comes amid contributions to improving the health of women in low and middle-income countries and other resource-limited settings.
As the winter snows fall on Japan’s rural and windswept northern coastal Aomori prefecture, the cool, dry season of Laos in tropical South-East Asia may seem somewhat distant indeed.
For award-winning medic, Dr Hiromi Obara, the connection between the two places and their people is clear when it comes to maternal and child health.
Growing up in this part of rural Japan helped put this women’s reproductive health specialist on a long path to the international impact that has now seen formal recognition. Her inspiration to pursue a career in this critical field of medicine was born of experiences of people in her homeland, whose geographically remote and less populated parts have long-faced the challenges of deficits of access to medical care due to distance and related issues.
Her career since has seen her obtaining her MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to contributing in joint efforts with counterparts to improve access to quality care for rural and remote communities in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos and beyond.
Dedication and capacity developed over the intervening years has led to present focus on the health of women and children in Laos. In this south-east Asian nation, she actively supports policymakers and practitioners to assist more women and children in rural and remote parts to achieve better health outcomes thanks to increased access.
Serving as a Health Policy Advisor to Laos’ Ministry of Health on behalf of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Dr Obara is working closely with fellow officials and programme managers in the country to improve access to the services provided by professional health personnel nationwide.
Now, these efforts have been formally recognised by her fellows in the field. FIGO, a peak body representing national societies in some 130 countries worldwide, awards women obstetricians and gynecologists, predominantly from low- and middle-income countries, who have contributed significantly to the improvement of health care for women in their daily practice or via research.
Among the twenty FIGO awardees announced at the triennial global congress held in October in Brazil, Dr Obara was one of a handful to hail from a developed country.
Asked what she is most proud of, it’s the impact of the results of the work of her counterparts and the achievements they have been able to make with women, their children, families and communities.
“Compared to other countries, the situation in Lao PDR was notorious concerning inequity in access to Maternal and Child Health Care, as recently as 2011/12.”
“However, thanks to the government’s commitment, investment in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health has increased by various means such as the development of midwives, free MCH access schemes, resulting in improved pro-poor access to maternal and child health at scale.”
Among these achievements is the increased percentage of births attended by professional health personnel. As average, the proportion of deliveries attended by professional health personnel increased from 42% in 2011/12 to 64% in 2017.
Credit for such improvements she ascribes primarily to efforts of counterparts in the ministry at every level, from leadership to those delivering lifesaving and protecting services across the country.
“My counterparts (MoH officials) have strong ownership and leadership which, together with the inputs from JICA and other Development Partners, has contributed to the recent health outcomes, in particular, pro-poor and equitable access to maternal and child health services.
“Without enough dialogue, it is not possible for me to offer technical support. As such, I appreciate their kind collaboration. I have learned a lot from MoH officials here in the Lao PDR.”
On secondment from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) Japan, Dr Obara has over 18 years’ experience providing technical, programmatic and management support in reproductive, maternal and newborn health (RMNH).
Her career has since seen her contributing across several locations in the Western Pacific Region and beyond, focusing on resource-limited settings in particular.
At home in Japan, she has served as Deputy Director of the International Affairs Division of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and as a doctor at Jichi Medical University Hospital.
Apart from Laos, she has also worked as a reproductive Health Medical Officer in World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific and as Chief Advisor to JICA’s MCH project in Cambodia.
Dr Obara counts among her areas of expertise country policies, strategies, plans, clinical guidelines, and efforts to improve financial access to and equitable access to and quality of care. Her efforts include contributing to regional and global meetings as an RMNH expert and to WHO publications as a member of several Guideline Development Groups and the Independent Review Group.
Such contributions have seen her well placed to offer advice to health authorities in how to best conduct maternal death reviews, improve newborn care, eliminate unsafe abortions, develop policy strategy frameworks and conduct monitoring both at country and regional levels.
Looking forward, Dr Obara is optimistic about the trends and prospects for better access and outcomes for women and their children in Laos as the developing nation closes in on its 2020 goals.
To achieve these goals and continually improve the health outcomes for women and infants in 2020 and beyond necessitates appropriate funding allocation to the sector in terms of facilities, equipment and medicine as well as providing targeted incentives for ongoing improvement of human resource capacity to deliver result-based, family-centered services and clinical care countrywide, Dr Obara said.
Dr Hiromi Obara presented with FIGO Award at World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Inflight Magazine Offers Special Advertising Discount for Lao Products
Champa Meuanglao, the official inflight magazine of Lao Airlines, is offering a special promotion to Lao businesses that create and sell their own products. The magazine section, entitled “Made in Laos” is showcasing souvenirs and other items made by Lao producers in order to catch the attention of foreign visitors.
Launched in the November-December edition of the magazine, the issue was released in time for the Lao Handicraft Festival from 27 October to 4 November this year.
The Made in Laos section of the magazine featured cotton pouches from the Lao Textile Museum, Matsutake Whisky produced by Kualao Restaurant, Lue Shoes by Herworks, Herbal Soap by Les Artisans Lao, and a Lanten Geometric Pouch by the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center in Luang Prabang.
The magazine is now calling on any interested businesses and artisans who may wish to promote their products in the January-February issue of the magazine. Interested parties may contact the magazine for enquiries at info@champameuanglao.com or by phone at +856 20 55731717.
