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Lovely Laos - the city of Vientiane

4/24/2017

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Wat Sisket
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Praxay Monument
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Praying for peace - Wat Phrae Keo
I've just returned from the beautiful Laos, the best description for this gorgeous country, its friendly people, amazing architecture and stunning temples is .... lovely.

Everyone that visits here for the first time is always amazed at just how different it is from other countries in South East Asia.  From the lack of traffic to the ease of bargaining and the genuine kindness of its people, Laos is definitely a place to see before the rest of the world discovers this tranquil oasis.
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Peak hour in the city!
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The Black Stupa
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Praxay Monument
Its been a few years since I've been to its capital city, Vientiane and whilst its definitely changed from the sleepy town it was back in 1999 when I first visited, it is still a far cry from the hectic pace of its neighbours in Bangkok and Hanoi. 

It still has the vibe of a country town rather than a capital city and you can still safely cross the road and wander the streets without the threat of being mowed down by a motorbike or harassed by tuk tuk drivers or street peddlers.  
As well as seeing the obligatory tourist sites of Wat Phrae Keo, the serene Wat Sisket with its hundreds of Buddha statues, the famous That Luang Stupa and Praxay monument gate we also spent time getting to know a different side of Lao. 
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Progress - the tangled web of cables.
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Wat Phrae Keo
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Wat Sisket
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That Luang Stupa - the most sacred in Lao
COPE
One of the places on everyone's must see in Vientiane should be a visit to  the COPE  visitors centre which aims to highlight the enormity of the damage done to this beautiful country and its people as a consequence of the American/Vietnam war.  Often referred to as the "secret war" most do not know that from 1964 to 1973 that the US and its allies dropped over 2 million tones of ordnance over Lao in 580,00 bombing missions - the equivalent of one planeload every 8 minutes,  24 hours a day for 9 years! The damage done at the time and the enormous and destructive legacy of these bombs are still impacting on the people of Laos with many men, women and children still being killed or maimed by the remnants of these bombs everyday. 

COPE - the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise is run to  ensure that people with physical disabilities have local, free access to a quality, nationally-managed rehabilitation services.    http://www.copelaos.org/index.php
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COPE Visitor centre
LDWDC
One of the highlights of our of our time in Vientiane and one of the best experiences of the whole trip was a visit to the  fantastic Laos Disabled Women's Development Centre (LDWDC).     Run by a small group of dedicated  women this fantastic organisation aims to create practical opportunities for people with disabilities through vocational training and life skills training and advocate for the rights, recognition and equal opportunity of disabled women by promoting awareness and raising the profile of disabled women.  

When they have sufficient funds the centre sponsors up to 30 women with disabilities from all over rural Laos to come into the centre for intensive training in a range of activities from weaving and sewing to paper crafts and computer skills.  Participants get to specialise in an activity of their choice and are then equipped with the skills and supplies to be able to go back home and make a sustainable income for themselves. 

The centre also employs and continues to support a number of women who live at the centre.  These women actively produce a number of products which the centre is then able to sell,  ranging from cooking pots to gorgeous cotton weaving, handmade banana paper and a host of beautiful recycled paper crafts. 

We spent a wonderful afternoon with these inspiring women, touring the centre, having lunch and trying our hand at recycled paper crafts. W also had the privilege of participating in a moving Bacci ceremony conducted by the local Sharman. This ancient ceremony is based on the Lao belief that the body has 32 spirits and that when these wander from the body you are prone to sickness and bad luck - this ancient ceremony brings them back to you!  

I was so impressed with the centre and the fantastic work they do that I'm hoping to work with them in the future to take small groups of talented women with me to help in expanding their training to offer a number recycled crafts.   http://laodisabledwomen.com/

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Weaving at LDWDC
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Bacci ceremony
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Paper craft at LDWDC
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HOUEY HONG WEAVING CENTRE
We also spent a morning at the fabulous Houey Hong Weaving Centre.   I first visited the centre back in 2007 and am pleased to report that 10 years on they are still going strong and offering more fantastic classes and producing some of the most beautiful weaving you will see in all of Lao.  Established to provide various skill levels, in weaving, dyeing and tailoring for women from rural areas who are disadvantaged, poor and/or who have a disability the centre is also an important player in the revival of Lao’s traditional crafts, such as natural dyeing and traditional weaving.

We took the half day natural dyes class which focusses on using shibori dyeing techniques which was great fun.  I look forward to going back again and trying out some of its other classes on offer!
http://www.houeyhongvientiane.com/
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The Hmong of North Vietnam- a Photo Essay

3/20/2017

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From clan to clan and village to village the style and colour of Vietnams ethnic minority groups showcase a vibrant and fascinating culture of textile traditions.  One of the largest and most diverse of these groups is that of the Hmong.  From the sedate indigo garb of the Black Hmong of Sapa to the explosive colour of the Flower Hmong around Lao Cai each has adopted a unique costume and identity.  Here are just some of the beautiful Hmong I've encountered on my travels through Northern Vietnam.
Vietnam textile tour Hmong
Sapa is home to the Black Hmong. Most people that have travelled to Sapa will have encountered these beautiful women with their indigo hemp jackets, skirts and hats. The ubiquitous checked nylon scarfs are an ever present accessory across all the Hmong clans.
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if you are in Sapa around the New Year you can see the Black Hmong from around the district celebrate the Spring Festival - where thousands gather in their full traditional costume for a day of traditional games and rituals. Whilst most women wear their tradtional clothing all the time - this festival is an opportunity to also see the men and boys all decked out.
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Many of the Black Hmong women around the Lao Cai province can be seen winding hemp fibres as they go about their day.
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The Black Hmong from Sapa still use traditional hemp to make their fabrics.
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The Hmong still use traditional indigo dye methods to dye their trade mark indigo outfits.
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The Blue Hmong wear an outfit similar to those worn by the Flower Hmong - with the exception of all the decoration on their skirts and jackets being in blue.
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Many of the White Hmong clans stopped wearing their natural hemp skirts when Uncle Ho decreed them impractical for working in the field. However you can still find some villages that wear their white skirts.
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Without their white skirts you can easily recognise someone from a White Hmong clan by her black peaked turban.
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The style and height of a White Hmong turban is different from village to villages.
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Many of the White Hmong around Sinho attach a scarf to the top of their turban to give it extra height.
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The White Hmong of this village no longer wear their white skirts but their peaked black turbans adorned with brightly coloured pom poms identify them as being White Hmong.
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The Red Hmong around the Sinho area are usually recognisable by their red wool turbans.
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The White Hmong in this village have adapted the same scarves at their Black Thai neighbours.
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The Red Hmong of this village opt for a different hair style and are recognised by their black and white checked headband.
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Even though many of the Hmong woman are opting to wear synthentic skirts bought ready made at the markets - there are still some women opting to incorporate hand embroidered panels into their garments.
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The Red Hmong in the area around Dien Ben Phu are recognisable by the bright red decorations on their skirts.
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One of the brightest and most colourful of the Hmong clans are those of the Flower Hmong in the Lao Cai province.
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In the past all the embroidery on the jackets and skirts of the Flower Hmong was done by hand - today its bought in ready made machine embroidered panels.
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Whether its working in the fields or at the market you can always spot a Flower Hmong woman by her beautiful and vibrant coloured outfit.
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In the past Hmong woman often turned their colourful skirts inside out to protect the garment when working in the fields. Today with most Flower Hmong opting to wear synthetic ready made skirts there's no longer the need to do this.
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    I started running my textile focussed tours back in 2007.  Over the years I've seen some of the most gorgeous textiles made by the most gorgeous women.  This blog is a reflection on some of these

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  • Home
  • Newsletter
  • Tours
    • Small Group Textile Tours >
      • Hands on Thailand Craft tour
      • Textiles and Craft of Vietnam
      • Laos Textile Retreat
      • Hands on Textiles And Craft Laos and Cambodia Tour
      • Textiles and Hill tribes of Vietnam
      • Textiles and Craft of Oaxaca
    • Independent Textile Tours >
      • Craft & Culture of Cambodia
      • Laos Threads & Stitches
      • Discover Lao Textiles and Temples
      • Laos Shuttles and Spindles
      • Laos Textile Adventure
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Request a tour brochure
    • Client Testimonials
    • FAQ's
    • Health and Safety on tour
    • Why take one of our tours
  • Textile Trails Blog
  • Ethnic Minority Textiles
    • Dao Textiles
    • Dao Embroidery
    • Textiles of the Hmong
    • Hmong Embroidery
    • Hmong Story Cloths
    • The Lu
    • Indigo
    • Baby Hats
    • Beautiful ikats
  • Gold Coast creative escape November 2020