Aboard the Gypsy, from Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang - Day 3

At the confluence of the Mekong and the Nam Ou River, the Pak Ou caves open into the cliff like two secret sanctuaries, hidden within the ochre rock. For centuries, pilgrims have left Buddha statues here as offerings: seated, standing, meditating, gilded or blackened by time – today numbering more than 4,000, watching silently over the water. Accessible only by boat, the site ...

History tells us that Laos was once the land of a million elephants.Today, only around 700 remain, of which roughly 300 live in the wild.To protect them (and also to run a fairly lucrative business), numerous so-called “elephant protection” centres have sprung up in Laos, as in Thailand. Unfortunately, not all of them are reputable, and for most, “protection” is little more ...

A popular ceremony, the Baci, also known as Soukhouane, is performed at any time of year to bring good fortune to an individual, but is most often held around events that affect family life (birth, marriage, funerals, illness, travel…). The ceremony is intended to call back into the body one or more of the 32 spirits (or Khouanes) that, according to Lao belief, every human being ...