With the city of Pakse as departure area, we decided to discover the southern Champasak province by scooter. We had attempted a similar tour in the middle of Laos but heavy rains and flooded roads forced us to leave that area and move down south.
We planned a loop of three days, allowing us to visit several villages, water falls and the Bolaven Plateau, known for its ethnic groups and coffee plantations. Stefan, a German guy who's traveling around the world for one year, joined us. On the first day, we drove 80 kilometers and spent the night in a small place called Tat lo. The ride was very enjoyable and more importantly, dry.
When we were making a little pit stop along the road, we met an American girl who's working as a volunteer in an eco school. She invited us to visit this project and have lunch with her and some of the other staff members. The school was founded four years ago and has about 15 Lao students graduating every year. Students are between 15 and 25 years old and from various villages around the province. They are taught everything about sustainable agriculture during six months and after their graduation, they are encouraged to set up a little business back in their home towns. Staff of this school is following up on them and helps them purchasing what they need in the city and often grants them micro loans.
I was most impressed by the mushroom house they had built for less than 100 dollars. They grow the mushrooms in a dim clay house, out of bottles. Hard to explain, but on the pictures you'll see how it looks like:-)
Tomorrow, I'll post about the second part of this trip, a little less idyllic than the first day:-)
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