Postcard from Laos
We have heard from our Pakenham Campus World Challenge student travellers – now here is an update from the Berwick Campus students who are discovering fascinating Laos.
The students are part of a 40-strong group currently completing the World Challenge expedition, which aims to teach life skills and giving back to less-fortunate communities.
This report is from teacher Bernie Mills, who is accompanying the students:
“From the moment we landed in Laos it was apparent that the well-known traveller’s term LPDR (Laos People Don’t Rush)was fact. Unlike other South East Asian countries, there is a relaxed quality the people posses that is unique. The team, however, planned an itinerary that was very busy and ensured we made the most of the time we had. Our adventure began in the capital Vientiane. Our time in Vientiane was spent exploring the cultural delights of a vibrant city based on the banks of the Mekong Delta.
Vientiane has a mixture of river side cafes with traditional Laos food, buzzing market places and arguably the best coffee in the world. It was the perfect place to begin our trip and plan for the upcoming challenges that lay in the month ahead.
Our first challenge was a three-day trek in Phu Khao Khuay National Park, home to the people of the Ban Na Village and wild elephants. The main focus of this trek over a few days was to let our bodies adjust to our new environment under the strain of the searing humidity. During our stay in the park, we embarked on a local fishing adventure, slept in a tree house above the forest canopy, and had our first real introduction into chilli and sticky rice- traditional Lao food. The local food we ate was amazing and strange at the same time. On completion of the trek, we had the elders of the village (about 30 locals) conduct a traditional departure ceremony followed by endless plates of food- certainly a highlight so far.
The second phase to the trip saw us pack up and head North on a 6.5 hrs bus journey through breathtaking country side on our way to Vang Vieng. Although a tranquil and scenic ride, some of the students felt the effects of the bumpy and windy Laos roads. This little adventure was to be one of the many journeys involving buses, boats and trains and gave the group some insight of what to expect when a bus is titled VIP…
Our arrival into Vang Vieng was a bit of a shock after the relaxed Laos we had experienced. It is a town that is surrounded by breathtaking scenery, however, it has a main street laced with western foods and TV shows. It did not take us long to continue our journey North to Luang Prabang. Learning from past experiences, the team decided to hire a personal van for the 6.5 hr drive. The group enjoyed arguably one of South East Asia’s most scenic drives and an opportunity to reflect on how fortunate we are living in Australia.
In Luang Prabang, a city less catered towards Westerners than Vang Vieng, the team was keen for some ‘r&r’ and to embrace our ‘LPDR’ term, when a swift change of plans saw them whisked away to the Pineapple Village to begin the project phase.
We took a tuk-tuk to Kok Negew Primary School, a community school with 100 students ranging from 5-12 years of age. My understanding is that Beaconhills College is the first western school to visit their school and assist in their development. The conditions of the classroom were very basic, all learning taking place in classrooms with dirt floor and minimal light.
The community Kok Negew was very welcoming towards us, even allowing us to help them cook our meals. The children were especially curious of our belongings and strange habits, and were not shy to be banging on the doors and making noise outside the room we were sleeping in from the early hours of the morning every day. During our time in the school, the students taught the many classes ranging from Grade 2 to 6 essential English words, such as ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’. To further their education, they taught students and teachers games such as ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’, ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’, ‘Ship, Shark, Shore’ and Tunnel-ball. While there was a clear communication barrier in place, it soon became apparent that laughter and fun are universal languages that don’t require explanation.
The restoration of the classroom was another key aspect of our mission. It had started as a dusty, dilapidated, bland, uninspiring stone building, but after countless hours of work and hard labor on the building, we managed to finish painting the entire inside of the classroom and apply the base coats on the outside of the building. After completion, it is now a much better learning environment for the children. By the end of our time in the village, the team had achieved more than we ever set out to do there, and, at the same time, got so much back from the community we had lived with for the past five days. Although extremely tired and weary, the students certainly made the most of this amazing opportunity and some excellent learning outcomes have come from it.
Our next journey continued towards the sleepy town of Nong Khiaw. Nestled on the banks of the river, surrounded by caves and adventure activities, Nong Khiaw was a great place to unwind, do some exploring and prepare for our boat ride to Muang Khoa. As usual, though, we decided that rest can wait for another day and the caves high up in the hills were more appealing and should be visited.
Laos boasts some of the most breathtaking landscapes including remote fishing villages set amongst limestone cliffs. Rather than taking another bus and having to deal with the bouncy and dusty roads, we decided to take a boat ride north. This gave us some further insight into how beautiful and somewhat untouched Loas really is. After six hours, an inspired team hit the banks of Muang Khoua, totally exhausted but excited about completing the first leg of our adventure and ready to move onto Vietnam where the amazing adventure will continue…”
Disclaimer:
All information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to change without prior notice.
Beaconhills College will not be legally responsible for any comments posted on this website by third parties.
