My experience on the rice farm inspired me to return to Laos one last time before leaving Asia. While Laos is an enjoyable destination on its own, what impressed me even more is the number of activities and learning experiences available in this simple remote village. I’d collected a list during my last visit and returned just to look into them for future trips.

Sengkham Ancient Tea

Vora and I arrived in the afternoon and walked down the main street lined with French colonial buildings. We were on a mission to find her brother’s favorite tea shop and ask about an order he hadn’t received. While we waited for that to be sorted out, the tea shop manager had us sit down while she prepared tea for us to sample.

She let us smell the tea before she put it in the wire mesh strainer to flower. She then used the initial tea to wash out and warm our cups before finally pouring the steeped tea into our cups. I’ll be honest, despite the pomp and circumstance it simply tasted like tea, but I enjoyed the presentation.

After tea tasting, we again walked along the main street where the first tents of the night market had begun to pop up. Eventually we came across a vendor who had the bowl I’d been looking for. It was a beautifully carved wooden bowl, but what made it unique was the indentation for the thumb. In this way the bowl could be held firmly while eating from it.

It might sound funny that someone without a kitchen would want a bowl. I have to admit, I hesitated to buy it considering that I probably wouldn’t have much opportunity to use it, but you have to understant that I’d been regretting not buying this bowl since the last time I’d seen it six years ago. Who’d have thought that in all my world travels, I’d never see another like it. So I bought it, if only to know that I had it should I not return to Laos for another six years.

By the time we reached the center of town, the night market was in full swing. We did a circle of all the offerings before settling on our individual choices. Across the street was a rooftop restaurant that looked down on the market, and we decided to cap off our evening with a drink while looking over the town of Luang Prabang.

The next morning I rented a scooter for the day for about $6 and headed out with my list of places to check out. I’d heard from people about the opportunities to make all kinds of things from food to candles to blankets, and I planned to visit all of them.

I began the tour by dropping my scooter. Whether it was the slick roadway or my pulling out of the driveway too quickly, in 2 seconds I found myself flat on the roadway. Fortunately I hadn’t picked up any speed, and I only had minor scrapes on my ankle and arm. Unfortunately, I would no longer be able to poke fun at all those other tourists walking around with bandaged arms and legs.

The Weaving Sisters Workshop

By the time I arrived at The Weaving Sisters shop, my cuts had begun to bleed a bit, but I applied some hand sanitizer and taped them over using duct tape that I always carry with me. With my bandaged appendages, I headed into the shop.

There were two women seated on the floor with sticks held by their feet. I’d never seen anyone make a loom using their body. In perfect English, one of the women told me about the village she came from and the classes they offered. Unfortunately because of the small size of their studio, they could only host about four people so that probably wouldn’t work for one of my groups.

The Garden of Eden

The next stop was a jewelry making experience. While I have no interest in making jewelry, I could see myself sitting through one of their classes simply for the experience of looking out over the river below. Small groups were spread out in different areas of the rustic buildings, and everyone was busily working on their projects. I admired the completed pieces in the gift shop before hopping back on the scooter.

P 70 Pottery, Cooking, and Candle Making Classes

I headed next to the shop that offered pottery, cooking, and candle making classes. I thought it was an odd collection of offerings until someone pointed out what they all had in common: heat. As I entered the space, there was wood stacked everywhere. This was used as fuel for the stoves and ovens that were part of each of the classes. Again, the shop was small, and it didn’t take long to observe the workshop areas.

Nalongkone Shop 2

I had two more stops. The first was a paper making workshop. I arrived too late in the day to see any classes in session, so I just walked around the spacious gift shop admiring the paper, journals, and scrap books for sale.

Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Centre

I’d saved the best for last. Not because I knew it would be the best, but it just turned out that way. It was not easy to find the driveway that led to its waterfront location. Even as I headed down, it seemed like I’d made a wrong turn. Perhaps this is why the classes offered included transportation to the Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Centre.

I knew the place was different because of the well manicured garden you walked through on your way to the registration desk. The map at the front suggested at least five different venues including dyeing, weaving, a cafe, and a hotel. I took advantage of a tour group that had just arrived by following them to the dyeing and weaving areas. I was able to learn about the history and offerings of the center.

After watching people learn how to operate looms, I decided to grab a coffee and relax on the river. It was clear that this would be an ideal place to bring a group. With an onsite hotel and restaurant, it could even be the place we stayed if it weren’t so far from town.

Having investigated all of the workshops on my list, I headed home to return my scooter, a little worse for the wear. I was happy to have a good set of places to come back to with my fellow travelers for my next visit to Laos!