PaulLucasPhoto

6 days, 600km

2006-06-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Hello all, well now that Paul has headed back to Canada, via a beach stopover in Thailand, I think it is time to wrap up the blog for the time being. I would love to go into greater detail about our motocycle trip, but it is a little overwhelming. We will be approaching some media outlets back in Canada about possible stories and will be sure to keep you all updated. Some highlights of the trip:

1. Mai Chau, the town in which we first stayed. Set in a small beautiful valley, this place seemed to pulse with life. We arrived just at the right time as the harvest of rice had just begun. We pulled in the late afternoon and spent our time wandering around watching all the farmers work. It was dusk so the light was perfect, golden and everywhich way we turned life seemed to hum low down in the air where you could breath it in. It was the first time I saw Paul so stunned that he didn't even know where to start taking pictures. He stood for awhile just staring around mumbling...there's too much...where do I start?

2. Dien Bien Phu and weasel shit coffee. Our third day on the road had us pulling into the town where the French lost a decisive battle against the Viet Minh and they gave up their colonial objectives and left Vietnam for good. We got to tour around the hill where a 57 day siege was placed on the French troops by the Viet Minh. Historically a very interesting place. I also got to try a famous Vietnamese drink called Chon, a coffee made by taking coffee beans and feeding them to a certain species of weasel. Apparently the weasels only eat the best grains. The feces of the weasel are then taken and brewed into a coffee. Crazy! Who thinks of these things. And it was delicious...a nice nutty taste to it. I can't believe they don't serve this at Starbucks. "Excuse me, I'd like a shitty capuccino and a crappy latte to go"....never have I been able to drink something and then exclaim, "Man, this coffee tastes like shit!" and have it mean something good.

3. Tram Tan Pass. One of our last days on the road we went through a high mountain pass. We had beautiful breathtaking scenes of mountians and the valleys. It seemed to go up and on forever, but when we finally made it to the top...the whole pass was clouded over so we didn't get to see much. When we finally reached the top we came across a string of street side restaurants set up under tarps and treated ourselves to meat sticks, sticky rice cooked in bamboo and coffee. Not a bad way to end the drive.

4. Sapa. One of the most beautiful, picturesqe mountain towns I've ever been to, high up in the pass practically sitting right on top of the peaks. It kind of reminded me of Nelson BC or some place like that. It was a good time to be there as there were relatively few foreigners around. Had some great meals (western which was nice after so much time in the boonies) and did some shopping for great traditional textiles. Lots of local hill tribes folk walking around in traditional garb, the works. Spent a great day and a half hanging around and enjoying the much cooler weather.

5. A train ride. After sapa, Paul and Michael (another traveller we hooked up with along the way) and I drove into Lai Cai where we put our bikes on the train and booked a hard sleeper overnight to Hanoi. The train was so hot I could have baked cookies. We had only been on the train about 20 minutes when some punk tried to steal my sunglasses which I managed to stop him from doing. Quite the spectacle but for details you'll have to ask Paul.

We managed to get back to Hanoi (with very little sleep) and dropped the bikes off at the shop. We spent one last night in Hanoi and then took the plane back to Vientiane. Overall, I'd have to say I loved Vietnam, although Hanoi was a bit much at times.

After a couple more days in Vientiane, Paul and I had to say our goodbyes. Paul took off for Thailand and I made my way back up to Oudomxay. It was hard to say goodbye, but we are already talking of future activities. Please stay tuned and if you want us to email you with updates you can put your address in our comments or just email Paul or myself. Thanks for following our adventures everyone and for all your input and kind and generous comments. that's all for now. Patrick and Paul

Hanoi Traffic & the Russian Minsk

2006-06-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hello all once again. Well, Paul and I are back in Vientiane after having completed a gruelling 6 day, 600km+ ride through Northern Vietnam on a pair of Russian made Minsk Motorcycles. Unfortunately, we were unable to access the blog the entire time, but no worries I will do my best to distill the wild tales and adventures we experienced over the next couple of days.

We got back to Hanoi from Cat Ba Island on May 30 and immediately made our way through the old quarter looking for Cuong's Motorcycle Adventures, the shop we were told rented the Russian Minsk. It took a little while but eventually we found it tucked away on a small street near an overpass. We arranged to pick up the motorcycles in the morning to begin a 6 day ride through northern Vietnam with stops in small towns along the way and ending in Sapa, a high mountain town in the far north close to the Chinese border.

The bikes we rented, 125cc Russian Minsks, are actually quite popular throughout the country. The bike, a squat little beast, that rides low and mean with a large gas tank and a long black seat, straight handle bars that jutt out to each side, all topped off with a round single head light. When they run, they sound like a mix between a souped up lawn mower and an old washing machine. The Minsk's popularity most likely stems from the fact that it is quite tough, powerful enough to get through almost anything, and extremely simple and easy to fix and maintain: the communist ideal!

The next morning we returned at 8am with our bags and I stood shaking with excitement as one of Cuong's mechanics went over the bikes with us, explaining some driving and maintenance tips. I sat watching the traffic that flowed past the sidestreet in a steady stream of motorscooters, trucks and carts in the usual chaotic pattern. I don't know how many of you have experienced traffic conditions in the developing world, but in my experience, Hanoi is among the worst I have ever seen. There are so many scooters here - a constant surge of them weaving in and out of each other like water molecules. Scooters are to Hanoi as bicycles are to Bejing, like tuk tuks to Bangkok, or SUV's to the clogged superhiways of Los Angeles.

When Paul and I first arrived in Hanoi we were blown away by the amount of traffic, how the scooters, the drivers of which of course never pay any mind to traffic rules and just kind of zip around in a lassaiz faire and chaotic manner, never seem to actually hit each other, but always manage to miss by a few inches and then carry on like nothing happened. A favorite passtime of ours during the first few days in Hanoi was to find a balcony somewhere safely above the din and watch the traffic for hours, hypnotized by the sight of waves of scooter traffic coming together and moving past without a single scrape, bump or fender bender. It just didn't make any sense.

I thought of this while waiting for my cycle to be prepared, feeling a little nervous about getting on a bike and taking myself out into the void.

One rule that Cuong has is that first time renters do not go out into the Hanoi traffic on their own. Someone from the shop would have to lead us out of town until we were safely past the hectic downtown traffic. Nevertheless, we pulled out from the shop with a fair amount of trepidation and made our way into the stream. The first few minutes were terrifying as scooters, cars, trucks, buses and even horse drawn carts swirled around us. People beeped their horns constantly and with no apparent purpose. I gripped my handle bars like they were safty handles on a sinking ship. Gradually, however, as we made our way through the streets, I began to relax and realized that as long as you drove straight and at a consistent spead the traffic actually moved around us in a somewhat predictable manner.

I began to even enjoy myself. At one point I even decided to try my horn. I gave it a little hit and it came out sounding like a sick goat's "baaaaa!" Immediately every scooter around me answered like dogs in a cacophony of sound. It was like finding myself in a pack of wild animals. I tried it again, "baaaaa!" Again a wave of horns erupted around me. It felt like I was listening to the seemingly disconnected sounds of a forest at night. At first its just a wall of noise, but as you listen closer individual animals and insects begin to become distinguisable: the high pitched beep of the scooter; the overbearing honk of the tour bus; the low tonal wail of the dump truck moving by like a despondant whale; the condescending bark of the oversized SUV. After a while in became almost beautiful in its own way.

As the drive continued, the chaos around me actually began to make sense. If there is one thing that can be said about Hanoi traffic: it seems to work. Everyday, tens of thousands of people move through the city and in my time there I did not see one accident. It's entirely different as a rider than being a pedestrian. You become a part of the chaos and can almost begin to pick out the patterns of movement through the streets. It's a wild thing to experience and I loved every moment of it. I know Paul did as the moment we left the city and stopped at the side of the road where we would say goodbye to our guide, Paul ripped off his helmut, turned to me and yelled, "That was the most wickedest thing ever! You want to do it again?" I didn't, but it was pretty special.

Hanoi & Ha Long Bay-Vietnam May 25 to 30

2006-05-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings, Sin Chao from Vietnam. Paul and I arrived in Vietnam 6 days ago by airplane via Vientiane and now we are in Hanoi. We have been trying to do a blog but have had some difficulties finding a reliable internet connection. So I will try to sum up the last few days as conscisely as possible.

We arrived in Hanoi early on the 25th and made our way to a hotel in the Old Qaurter, an area of town that has been the commercial centre of Hanoi for the last 800 years. It's an exciting area, thick with motorscooters driven by endless lunatics who view honking their horns as some kind of rite of passage similar to packs of wild monkeys. The din is endless and the traffic is never ending through narrow winding streets flanked on either side by tall buildings of French colonial architecture painted with vivid pinks, greens reds and blues. The sidewalks are clogged with restaurants and people selling goods. Making your way down the street can be a frustrating and overwhelming experience. We spent our first two days just exploring the Old Quarter, eating lots of Vietnamese food, drinking the local brews and recording the amount of time that passed between people honking their horns. (The record was an astonishing 3.5 seconds!)

Our second night we went to the famous Hanoi water puppet theatre. Apparently this is an art form unknown outside of Hanoi. Started by peasant farmers in the rice paddies during the monsoon season, the puppet masters stand behind a bamboo curtain and move elaborately carved, painted and costumed wooden puppets across the surface of a shallow pool of water with poles from underneath. Accompanied by a traditional Vietnamese orchestra and narration, the show lasted about an hour and covered the full spectrum of Vietnamese history and culture. Not bad for an easy night out.

After two days in Hanoi we decided we could no longer handle the noise and horns and left the city bound for the Coast and Ha Long Bay.

If you are unaware, Ha Long Bay (which means descending dragon in Vietnamese) is a biologically significant area of geographical beauty, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The area (I have no idea how big it is) is a large area of coast line and thousands of small islands that jut out of the ocean and tower with rock cliffs up to 150 ft and are covered with lush vegetation. Vast numbers of birds, including some huge predators (hawks perhaps) could be seen circling and flying all over the Islands.

Paul and I arrived in Ha Long City on the Coast and managed to organize passage on a Junk boat on a five hour tour through the bay to an island called Cat Ba. The tour turned out to be a little bit too much of a pre-packaged mass tourism nightmare, with a precise schedule laid out that our Vietnamese guides stuck to like army drill sergeants. "Please hurry on to the boat! You have 30 minutes to eat and then 1 hour to watch the beautiful scenery! Hurry! Enjoy! Now we visit special cave with clearly marked trails...This is a nice spot...Enjoy the rocks. Hurry! Enjoy! Please get back on the boat, we must go and enjoying Kayaking and swimming! Hurry! Hurry! Enjoy! Enjoy!" The only part that wasn't planned was when some boat captains on Junks parked next to us at a cave site got into a huge brawl. It was chaos, with people bashing each other with sticks, hammers, and even a large ash can. Pretty exciting to say the least. Hence Paul and I have developed a new saying: "I'm gonna beat you like a Vietnamese boat captain!" All I could think of the whole time was that I was glad I was not on those boats. Imagine what you'd do if you break with the itinerary!

After five hours on the boat we made it to Cat Ba Island and jumped ship as fast as we could and swore to each other there would be no future tour packages for us. Cat Ba turned out to be a beautiful Island with tons of short rocky peaks covered in lush jungle. Unfortunately the main town of Cat Ba has become a heavily developed tour resort aimed mostly at the Asian market. You can't even sit in a chair on the beach without renting it out for 20,000 dong! Not expensive but still kind of weird for two guys who just finished a 2500 km excursion through the wilds of Lao.

We still had a great time however taking it easy, going swimming, eating tons of delicious seafood, and just hanging out. At one point we rented some scooters and spent a day zipping around the Island with some friends we had made who were also visiting. Outside of Cat Ba Town the Island became much more laid back and genuine with small fishing and farming villages scattered throughout the hills and rocky outcrops. The Island has some great roads that follow the coast line and we managed to get a great view of the nearby islands, many bays and inlets dotted with traditional Junk fishing boasts and more avian wildlife. It was a very nice relaxing time after the rather hectic and chaotic time we spent in Lao working on the documentary.

Now we have returned to Hanoi with a even crazier and unique plan for our last 7 days in Vietnam. While traveling over to Cat Ba, Paul and I met a older Spanish man who had found a motorcycle shop in Hanoi that rents out old style, vintage Russian-made Minsk motorcycles. So, we have decided that starting tomorrow we are going to rent a couple and do a tour around northern Vietnam up to a small town called Sapa and then probably take a train back hopefully in time to catch our plane back to Vientiane. I have no idea what the internet access will be like, but I promise we will do a blog as soon as possible.

Take care all and stay tuned for more. Patrick and Paul

End of In Country Documentation

2006-05-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

Hello all, as you may have guessed the In-country documentation phase of our Lao Photodocumentary project has all but wrapped up. Paul and I had a great time visiting all the different cooperants, communities and their projects and learned some great lessons about what it means to be doing development work in Laos today. At this time we are taking some vacation time and are traveling around northern Vietnam together. Once I have returned to Oudomxay and Paul has returned to Canada (June 15) the second phase-Production will commence. Paul will develop his film (I believe he shot around 60 rolls on the documentary alone) and then edit and scan them onto a set of disks, which will then be delivered to CUSO Canada. From that point CUSO can distribute the photos and images as they see fit. I will start preparing the profiles of each of the cooperants who participated in the project and a series of accompanying articles, which we intend to approach a number of media publications in Canada and abroad with. In addition we are hoping to work with CUSO to organize some exhibits and photo displays and perhaps even a series of presentation upon the completion of my placement and return to Canada.

We will continue to use this blog site as well as Paul's website (www.paullucasphoto.ca) to posts any news and upcoming events. So please stay tuned. Also, we will continue to post blogs on our continuing travels and adventures here in Vietnam. Thanks to all of you who have supported this project (especially CUSO Canada and CUSO Lao and the project participants) and those of you who have been following the project on this blog. I'm sure we will have many more exciting events in the very near future. Take care, Patrick

Motorbikes, Trips, and Monkies

2006-05-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hello all, well Paul and I have safely made it out of the bush and back down to Vientiane relatively safely.

Late Thursday afternoon we left Oudomxay and drove northwest through Luang Nam Tha province and into Bokeo province. Our goal was to eventually reach the Gibbon Experience, a unique and dynamic wildlife conservation project taking place in the newly claimed Bokeo Nature Preserve.

The road to Bokeo was an adventure in and of itself. Just past Luang Nam Tha, the road instantly turns from a beautiful, smooth, newly laid black asphalt into a tiny dirt path barely large enough for a small truck to pass through. We literally drove around a corner and found ourselves coming to an abrupt halt staring at an old broken sign that read, "Nam Ha Biodiversity Conservation Area" and a small dirt road that disappeared around a sharp corner. After discussing our options for a few minutes, and attempting to ascertain that we were indeed on the right road from some Chinese construction workers (of course none of them spoke Lao or English) we decided to throw caution to the wind, jumped back on our bikes and made our way into the dark forest path and around the corner into the unknown.

The path (and calling it a path is being somewhat generous) wound down through the mountains, crowded on either side by dense jungle. We were forced to squeeze off to the side every few minutes to let other vehicles, trucks, buses, etc to pass by. After passing through endless mudpuddles, rivers, small bridges, and small isolated villages, we finally reached the other side of the Conservation area where the road opened up into a large expanse of construction and mud. After three hours of slogging through the dust and mud (yep, in Lao you can have both at the same time) we reached a small town called Vieng Phoukha, where we managed to stumble across a decent guesthouse in the dark. The next morning we continued our drive and finally reached the Gibbon Experience shortly before noon.

Named after the Black Cheeked Gibbon, a large indigenous monkey, the project involves local Lamet and Hmong communities in preserving the forest for the purposes of eco-tourism and habitat conservation.

The experience is the opportunity to spend two night and days living in treehouses 75 ft off the ground in the canopy and zipping back and forth between houses and ridges on wires 150 ft off the ground and up to 400 ft long. Paul and I were fortunate enough to get a tree house all to ourselves from which we could see the entire valley.

According to some of the local guides, the Bokeo Nature preserve is approximately 123,000 square km, and has never been slashed and burned. Apparently the local Lammet and Hmong people have historically used the area for logging and hunting, as well as for gather other non-timber forest products. As a result the area is largly untouched primary forest and jungle with massive old trees and lush vegetation.

According to the staff at the project, the preservation status for the area was advocated and promoted by the local communities. The project is run entirely by local people with guidance and support from foreign staff. All funds from the project (it costs $130 US per visitor for a three day stay) goes back into the project to pay administrative costs and to hire and train local forest gaurds.

The area has extensive populations of wildlife that are hard to find elsewhere in Lao, including: the Black Cheeked Gibbon, Barking Deer (which sounds like something between a dog barking and an old man wheezing), numerous snakes, another type of small monkey, the name of which I have forgotten, and also a few tigers.

We finally got out to the project area in the early afternoon and had the chance to get out on the wires. The tree houses are spread out across a set of ridges several km apart. Paul and I had to cross two valleys using 4 wires to get into our tree house. As Paul pointed out, there can be no cooler way to enter a hotel room than flying into a tree. That night we got to sit up in our treehouse alone, quite isolated and listening as the entire forest came alive.

In the morning, around 5am, we woke up to hear the Gibbons singing. That's right, the monkies can pound it out better than Frank Sinatra. Once they really get going, it actually sounds like a Star Wars battle scene. All of this to the background of a beautiful sunrise over the jungle canopy while drinking coffee in a tree.

We spent the day walking through forest and zipping back and forth on the wires. On the second night we had the chance to go out on the wires after dark. Just imagine hanging on a wire 150ft above the ground with a clear sky of stars above you. Not a bad way to spend the weekend.

On Sunday we woke up early, walked back to the village where we had parked our bikes and hit the road making our way back to Luang Nam Tha, Luang Prabang and eventually Vientiane. The ride back to Luang Nam Tha, through the Nam Ha Conservation area was long but uneventful. It wasn't until we passed back through Oudomxay on our way to Luang Prabang that things got a little more interesting.

Just before a small town called Pakmong, the half way point between Oudomxay and Luang Prabang, my bike got a flat tire. Paul and I took turns riding the bike until we were stopped by some friendly villagers along the side of the road who insisted they could help us. We got the tire off the bike to find that the inner tube had all but disintegrated into a fine black dust. We were forced to take Paul's bike and head down the road to find a replacement. Two hours and two towns later we got back to the village and replaced the tube.

In exchange for their assistance, the villagers showed us a rather badly infected wound that was festering on the leg of one of the men who assisted us. Luckily, Paul had a first aid kit and we were able to help him out.

Finally, we got back on the road and all I can remember thinking is that the situation could have been worse: we could have broken down with no way of fixing the bike and it could have been raining.

Half an hour past Pakmong, the throttle on my bike broke, forcing us to stop just as it started to rain. That's Lao for you: always one step beyond, think things can get worse and they will. Fortunately I was able to find and hire a truck in the next village with a driver willing to take me into Luang Prabang. At least the drive was nice. Thank God I had Paul around to help me keep my cool and keep laughing at the situation. By the time we made it into Luang Prabang there was little else we could do than have a quick bite to eat and get some rest for the next day.

The next morning we went to the bus station and I managed to convince the bus driver to put my bike on the top of the bus. Of course the bus left 2 hours late, drove super slow and we didn't get into Vientiane until 11pm, sixteen hours later than I had hoped. Oh, well, what can you expect, we made it alive. This is Lao PDR (Please Don't Rush on Positively Dreadful Roads) after all.

May 18

2006-05-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Paul - Hello all. It looks as though my time here in Oudomxay is over. Pat and I are heading out after lunch and going north to Bokeo where we're booked into the Gibbons Experience located in a nature reserve. We'll be staying in a hut perched high in the forest canopy and moving around via the extensive cable systems they have strung up between trees. Not a bad way to spend the weekend. We're anticipating at least a 10 hour drive and plan to arrive tomorrow before noon. We'll be out of touch until we reach Vientiane on Tuesday. Patrick has several meetings to go to and I plan on doing some more photography. We fly to Hanoi on the morning of the 25th and will return on June 7th.
I've spent these past few days since returning to Oudomxay hanging out at the Wat in the centre of town and talking to the novice monks - many of whom are studying English and jump at the chance to practice - and driving out into the country to photograph the landscape.
I'm sorry to be leaving here so soon - it has really captured my imagination and I see so much potential for photo stories.
All the best to everyone and we'll be in touch again next week.

Back from Ban Tang Ngeuy

2006-05-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

Pat-Hello all.

Yesterday Paul and I emerged from the bush after spending three days in one of my target villages, Ban Tang Ngeuy. B. Tang Ngeuy was the first village community I started working in and have done the majority of my work thus far.

B. Tang Nguey is a small village of Khmu people with around 28 families and 150 people. They have converted from traditional shifting cultivation to sedentary farming, growing both sticky rice and conventional rice strains, as well as soy bean, which they export to China. They also harvest a number of non-timber forest products including mushrooms, orchids, and forest fibres called "piat" in Khmu, which they use for making traditional textiles such as shoulder bags.

Last year my office (Science Technology and Environment office for Oudomxay (PSTEO) and I did a clean water self-help initiative with funding from the German Development Service (DED) with 30,000,000 Kip (approx. 2500 Euros). We installed a gravity fed water system, introduced and provided training in the construction, use and maintenance of biosand water filters (a simple technology that uses sand, gravel and gravity to filter water for personal consumption) and built a fairly large toilet for the village primary school.

Paul and I returned there this past weekend with the intention of building two new filters for some of the poorer residents who couldn't afford to build one themselves. It was a great weekend and was a real pleasure to see how adept the villagers have become in building and using the filters. It was a real surprise to learn that 10 families have plans and have already purchased all the necessary materials to build an additional 10 filters. It's a very satisfying experience to see the technology we introduced last year making such a positive impact in the village and the residents using them and expanding their use.

We managed to get one filter finished though we had a number of problems with installing the sand. Initially we couldn't get the water to flow at all, and then, once we took it out, washed it and reinstalled it, the water was flowing too quickly. As a result we will have to return in a weeks time and try and get it working properly. Oh, well, "bo pen nyang" (no worries) it all takes practise.

Paul - Ok, so try to imagine this... Crossing a river on motorcycle no less than four times then arriving in a small, remote village, and having dozens of kids and adults flock down to stare. Then try to imagine three foriengers sitting in a hut on bamboo mats drinking Lao Hai while a group of adults all talk to Patrick at the same time. They listened with rapt attention when he spoke to them - the impact Patrick has had on this beautiful little village was obvious and even more obvious was the respect they have for each other. It was a treat to share this with Patrick and I was a little in awe of the work he's done here.

I feel as though I've been given a rare gift with my time with the Khmu people this weekend. I found them quick with a smile and willing to allow me to photograph them. My one regret is not having the time to spend with them and to really have the chance to capture their lives on film. Perhaps I need to come back.

We took some time from our work with the water filters to take a swim, but the leeches - one of which found its way to a very awkward and embarassing spot on our English friend, Paul, quickly drove us from the water.

The villagers performed a Basi for us on our last night there - the hut in which we stayed was packed with people for the ceremony - it was something that I'll never forget. It's fair to say Pat and I over indulged in the Lao Hai (as did many of the villagers) and we danced until late.

The Khmu language is like music and I managed to learn a few phrases the most important possibly being their "cheers!" equivelant. And what can I say about the noises here? The lush forest surrounding the town is a cacaphony of sound. In the village itself, it was amazing just to sit and listen to families, and the work noises they produced. They're a very tight community and have no problems joining other families for dinner or to sit around swapping stories and sharing laughs. They made me feel more than welcome.

I really do need to come back here - I've barely scratched the surface in terms of photography.

May 11

2006-05-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

Paul - Today we leave for the village where Patrick has done the majority of his work this past year. I'd love to mention the name of the village but Pat's not around to ask and like with most Laos words, it went in one ear and out the other.

I should say that its been a pleasure watching Patrick talk to everybody. It's become all to easy to sit back and let him to all the talking and sorting things out.

I spent some time yesterday up at the temple that is situated on top of the small mountain in the centre of town. I went up with a book and sat for awhile but I was really just waiting for one of the young monks to come and talk to me which was pretty much just a matter of time. Before long a young monk you introduced himeself as Sy Vanh sat next to me and we had a long conversation about where he was from, how long he had been studying English and about religion in Canada.

I plan to go back to the temple soon and speak with him again - establishing some type of relationship is important if I want to photograph the monks. In the end, though, I'll be happy just to simply get to know them better - they play an important role here in Laos, it seems.

I'm looking forward to the time we'll be spending in the village. Should be interesting to see how they respond to my camera gear. I realize that the equipment can be a bit intimidating so I'll have to take it slow, particularily considering my mere presence made a young girl cry the other day. It's a strange realization that my looks can make someone cry.

Xieng Maen, Luang Prabang & Oudomxay

2006-05-09T03:51:00.000-07:00

Hello all, so Paul and I finished up our time in Luang Phabang with Loretta and our patience really paid off (or I should say Loretta's patience with us paid off). On our last morning we took a small fishing boat across the Mekong River to a small community, Xieng Maen, on the far side where Loretta and the Science Technology & Environment Office has been working on a waste management project for some time. We attended and observed a workshop organized by Loretta and STEO coordinated to educate local village residents and farmers on making compost from house hold materials. Loretta and her colleagues have done some amazing work and it was great to see them all working together with the local residents. It was interesting how much knowledge the residents had already concerning composting and its uses, but had not really ever realized the opportunity presented by domestic waste. As I have seen elsewhere, the village residents jumped right into the workshop with great enthusiasm and I'm sure Paul managed to get some great action shots up close and intimate. I always enjoy seeing these kinds of simple projects that build on the capacity and knowledge that already exists within a community and provides the residents with new energy and confidence to apply in new and effective ways. In my opion, Loretta and STEO have the right approach to community development and it got me very excited about returning to Oudomxay and getting to work on my own projects.

After the workshop Paul and I quickly packed up our bikes and headed out of town for the four or five hour drive north west to my placement and current home community of Oudomxay. I knew Paul would enjoy the drive despite the much smaller roads, and rougher driving with potholes, as the road climbes high up into the highlands of the Annomite mountain range. It's a twisting and convoluted path that makes it's way over the ridges and through some of the largest Hmong communities in South East Asia. It crosses the boundary between the Nam Phak and Nam Ou watersheds. Gradually the road makes its way down into secondary growth forests interspersed with inumerable patches of shifting cultivation farmed by the Hmong, Akka, and Khmu ethnicities. After a couple of weeks of rain the area has greened up nicely and doesn't look so degraded from all the slash and burn that was happening just over a month ago. It has to be one of the most spectacular drives in Lao. There was almost no traffic on the road and we made it into Xay Town and my house just before dark, very tired and somewhat dusty.
Today, we dropped into my office and ended up heading out to Ban Tan Nguey, which is the village (Khmu People) my partners (Science, Technology & Environment Office for Oudomxay) have been working in since I arrived last April. It's planting season so many people were out working in the fields during our visit but I managed to show Paul around and introduce him to the village chief. We have made tentive plans to return this weekend and build some biosand water filters. I think Paul was impressed by the village and the wonderful children that hung around us doing the visit.

May 7

2006-05-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

Paul - Yesterday Loretta and I visited the Children's Centre here in Luang Prabang to photograph the recycling centre she helped organize. The kids were very helpful when we asked if they mind doing some sorting of paper and plastic, etc for the photoshoot. They're not much for standing around for very long and when the set about actually doing the sorting for the camera, if was a flurry of activity that was over almost before I could my camera to my eye. Pretty energetic bunch for such a hot morning.
Next to the recycling centre, under a covered area, a large group of kids had gathered and were singing loudly along with a drum and playing a game that I couldn't quite get the nuance of. I stood on a bench at the back and had dozens of smiling faces to choose from for a few images. Loretta explained to me that often the kids will make up songs and games as they go along - very imaginative and creative. It would have been the perfect time to have our digital dictaphone - which, by the way, is currently on its way here thanks to the efforts of our chief logical coordinator and father, Garnet Lucas.
Pat joined me this morning as I photographed one of the local temples. The light was a perfect, soft gold colour for shooting. Need more morning like this one.

May 5

2006-05-05T00:44:00.000-07:00

Paul - Today is a rest day for Pat and I. Last night the heat and dehydration finally caught up with me. After a bout of being violently ill I decided the best way to spend my evening was to take to my bed and drink massive amounts of water. I was feeling 100 per cent this morning but still decided to take a break today. Well worth it.
So far, photographing around the three areas we've visited so far has been an interesting experience. There's a lot of western travellers here, all running around taking photos and I get the impression a fair number of locals are a bit tired of it which makes my job a bit harder. I've found the best way to deal with this is to wander away from the crowds and just sit in one spot and let people move around me. I've already gone through a quarter of the hundred rolls of film I brought and as I keep telling Pat, "I'm just getting warmed up."
I'm definately looking forward to getting up north and into more remote villages and locations to photograph.

Paul Lucas Photography

2006-05-04T04:24:00.000-07:00

Pat-Hello all, for those of you who view this post and have spent any time overseas you will understand the energy that a visiting family member can bring. I can't articulate how special it is not only to have Paul here, but for us to be working on this documentary together. We have been talking about doing something like this for so long it's a little surreal to actually find ourselves here. For the last week or so I have had the pleasure of showing Paul around and introducing him to my strange and beautiful world. What's so fascinating about it is that Paul, being a photographer, and a very creative and passionate one at that, has a way of bringing in new ways of looking at and seeing the world around him, of bringing out and exposing the relationships between people and their environments. Precisely the kind of insight that is required, not only for a documentary, but when working as a volunteer. I have had the pleasure of standing back and watching him work, his interactions with his subjects and the landscape. I must say he has a real talent for connecting with people, making them feel at ease, and then documenting their reality without any tricks or games. I believe that what we will all see at the end of this is a genuine and compassionate depiction of dynamic and continuously changing cultures.
Today we took a small boat up the Mekong river from Luang prabang to a set of caves called Tam Ting. The caves have been used as a centre for religious and spiritual activities since the 12 century. Initially it was used for animist worshipers but eventually became a Buddhist shrine. With over 4000 sculptures it is a breathtaking and almost overwhelming experience. Paul spent a good hour photographing and was so excited he was shaking.
Hopefully tomorrow we will be headed across the Mekong to a village on the far side where Loretta has done a great deal of work in environmental education and waste management. Should be interesting. Stay tuned and have a great night.

May 4, Luang Prabang

2006-05-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

Pat-Hello All, so Paul and I are hanging out in beautiful Luang Prabang. A UNESCO World Heritage City situated at the intersection of the Kaen and Mekong Rivers, Luang Prabang is a beautiful city filled with temples and colonial french architecture. It's only 200km from Oudomxay so as you can imagine I have spent a number of my weekends here. It's got one of the best night markets I've experienced in South East Asia, tons of great restaurants, and lots of stuff to see. We've been here for a couple of days as we wait for an opportunity to visit some of the work sites of Loretta Mckinnon, a CUSO Cooperant who has been working with the Luang Prabang Science Technology and Environment Office for the last two years. Loretta and her colleagues at STEA have done a number of exciting projects involving solid waste management (composting and recycling) and environmental education. Tomorrow and Saturday we are hoping to visit and community recycling bank at the Luang Prabang Children's Cultural Centre, a village across the river from Luang prabang, and hopefully a school in the City. In the meantime, Paul and I visited Kuansi waterfalls yesterday nearby Luang Prabang where we were able to go swimming, beautiful way to cool off. Also, Paul has been getting some great shots of people engaged in various activities along the river banks of the Mekong. In a few minutes we're going to hire a boat and head up river to Phak Ou caves to see some buddist statues.

May 2

2006-05-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

Paul - Today was my first day of officially driving through the mountains to arrive in Luang Prabang about mid afternoon. What an amazing experience. We left Vientiane three days ago and made a two-day stop at Vang Vieng where we were blown away by the razor-ridged mountains surrounding the town. We had a hotel room a cheap little place down by the river. We had quite a bit of rain while we were there but I still managed to get out to shoot and made some images of a fisherman casting his net in the rain in the early mourning. We took a short time out yesterday to go down the Mekong river on a inner tube were we promptly burned our bellies a fantastic shade of pink - we'll learn our lesson at some point in time I hope. Later that night as we walked around the town we wandered into the Wat (Laos buddhist temple) where we stood for some time listening to the young novice monks singing. Pat and I are currently looking to get a dictaphone to record the sounds of this amazing place. Sounds as thought we'll be very busy photographing here in Luang Probang. Loretta has a number of activities going on over the next three days that Pat and I are excited about. Should be some good images here.

April 28, 2006

2006-04-28T03:23:00.000-07:00

Paul - For the past two days, Pat and I have gone out to the country side west of Vientian to visit Khamhieng and photograph his work with farmers in several small villages. I finally had my first taste of travelling over dirt roads via motorcycle - interesting to say the least. When I wasn't dodging potholes filled with bright red mud, I was dodging water buffaloes, dogs and the occassional chicken. The photography went very well - lots of great shots in two seperate, beautiful villages.
The weather continues to be hot, hot, hot interspersed with thunder and lightning storms, but luckily we've managed to be back in Vientian before it started pouring - although today we were chased home by a large, ominous, black cloud.
Other highlights inluded, smiling villagers who proudly showed us around their villages, watching said villagers kill and serve us a snake for lunch, and listening to the cicadas in the trees.
Pat - In the first of the two villages, Ban Paktap, Khamhieng and the villagers showed us the community rice bank (Thanakan Khao). Started in 2004 the idea is that the bank provides the seed for families to grow rice and after it is harvested the villagers pay back in rice with a surplus allowing the bank to grow each year. Already upwards of 60 families are participating. After that we wandered around the village looking at the various fruit trees which have also been supported by cuso in the form of saplings of Oranges, a type of durian called Mak Mii, Mango, as well as others. In the second village, Ban tanman, we were taken out to see the organic rice fields and watched as the villagers prepared the rice to evaluate the yeild for the year. The rice is grown using an organic fertilizer, which Khamhieng has trained the villagers to make themselves. Basically they take the leaves from the fruit trees (nitrogen fixing trees) and place them in buckets with salt and water and allow them to ferment naturally. the process, known as bio extraction results in a potent bio organic fertilizer. three teaspons with 10 litres of water is enough to spray one field of rice. The results on yeilds is startling. According to Khamhieng, fields that use coventional chemical fertilizers will yeild up to 5 tons of rice per hectare. By using the organic fertilizer developed through bio extraction, one hectare can produce up to 7 to 8 tons of rice! In my opinion this is a perfect example of how a simple locally produced product can be used to boost yields, create rice sufficiency, and alleviate poverty. Khamhieng and the villagers were wonderful hosts and we learned a great deal.
Tomorrow we head north. at this time we have decided we will not be able to head south to Muang phine to visit Jean-Yves, a canadian cooperant working in eco-tourism. I am feeling the need to get back to oudomxay to get my projects off the ground as we have just received our funding from the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation, and my counterparts are very anxious and excited to get started. They won't stop calling me! So, we are going drive north with stops in Vang vieng and Luang prabang. Hopefully we will be able to visit and photograph some of the work that has been done by Loretta Mckinnon in Luang prabang. Either way I'm sure we're going to have many exciting adventures and lots of great images to show for it.

April 26

2006-04-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Paul - I now have my very own motorcyle (rented of course). It's a beutiful Honda Baja 250 cc with plenty of power. I've been driving up and down a winding, and very wide (thankfully) road here in Vientiane just to get used to the feel of being on a bike again.
Today Pat and I did our first interview and photo shoot. We're busy making plans for one more shoot tomorrow before heading south on friday. I'll have been in Vientiane for over a week by the time we leave and I'm anxious to get out into the county for a better look at Laos.
Pat - Watching Paul regain and work on his motorcycle legs has been an interesting experience. although he has yet to attempt navigating the chaotic streets of Vientiane. Can't wait to get out on the open highway together.
The interview today with a Lao National Cooperant, Boutsady at the Gender Development Group went very well. Boutsady has been a cooperant for almost four years and it was fascinating to learn of all the work she has been doing. She has several projects going including research into domestic violence against women and children in five provinces through the country. The results have been quite spectacular raising awareness among the government and the general public in Laos on the extent and impact of violence against women, and leading to the development of a national law drafted by the Lao Women's Union protecting women and children against domestic violence. She has also seen the creation of the first shelter and counseling centre for victems of domestic violence. Also, Boutsady and GDG have a pilot project training women and building their capacity to address domestic violence and support small business and new income generating activities in five villages in the Santhong District of Vientiane province. It was an exciting and informative meeting and I look forward to doing more. Tomorrow we will be visiting Khamhieng in the Santhong District. Khamhieng is also a Lao National Coooperant who works in organic sustainable agriculture with local farmers. Should be interesting. We are also hoping to visit the Santhong District Lao Women's Union at that time as well. Stay tuned readers! Cheers, patrick

2006-04-24T04:22:00.000-07:00

April 24

Paul - Today was my first day on a motorcycle. Pat had me riding up and down the road outside the CUSO office. I think I'm going to like this.
We're currently organizing our first photo shoots near Vientiane before we head south to Muang Phine to visit Jean-Yves - another CUSO cooperant who's doing eco-tourism work there.
It's raining hard outside at the moment which is a refreshing respite from the heat. Today was a busy day of running around arranging a bike for me, asking about visa extensions and otherwise getting ready to hit the road. I love this city but more than ready to move on to see more of this amazing country.
Pat-so here I am on the blog...never done this before, kind of neat. it's great to finally be here in vientiane with Paul. We've been waiting along time to do something like this together so it's great to finally have something coming together. thank goodness cuso has been so supportive. I'm sure we're going to be able to deliver some great material. I think the best part of having Paul here is not only sharing this wonderful country and culture with someone but also watching Paul go through the experience of taking it all in for the first time. It reminds and refreshes for me everything I love and cherish about Lao. It's going to get that much better I think after we get out of vientiane and into the country. We are going to be seeing a lot of country in the next few weeks together and I expect the experiences will be wonderful and overwhelming.

Day 1

2006-04-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I've arrived. The trip over went well and unlike several of my other overseas trips, my pack actually made it with me.
I arrived in Vientiane early yesterday and was met by Khamla - who has worked for CUSO here for many years. She and her husband were kind enough to take me to the beautiful guesthouse where I'll be staying until Patrick shows up, hopefully on Sunday evening.
My first impressions of Laos are all very positive to say the least. So far I have found the poeple to be engaging, and always quick with a smile.
Although yesterday I was feeling pretty strung-out from the trip over, I found time to sit at a streetside cafe and sampled (several times) the local Beerlao which was decidedly tastey in the 37 C heat. It's great to be here - the camera's loaded and I'm good to go.

Trip to Laos

2006-04-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am on my way to Laos on Apr 18, 2206 for a photo assignment with CUSO. I will be in South East Asia for approximately 8 weeks. I will be posting blogs as often as I can, considering I will be on the road much of the time and not always have contact with the internet.