East Eats West

The protection and development of UNESCO world heritage Luang Prabang - an interview with Madame Manivone from La Maison du Patrimoine

Picture: A new Luang Prabang house is built in traditonal style.                                 

Someone once described Laos as a place where all noise has been deliberately turned-off. It is so far been outstanding in constant to noise-polluted Asia where quietness is hard to find; Asia sometimes seems to equal noise and construction. The magic of quietness can be literally felt in Luang Prabang but it is not only the quietness that makes Luang Prabang magical, it is also its location on the bank of the Mekong, its wonderful colonial architecture and tranquillity due to the gentle heart of the Laotians. And compared to other Asian sprawling and mushrooming cities Luang Prabang shines through the absence of ambitions and sky-high aspirations. In short, Luang Prabang is very close to heaven on earth.

But this heaven has to fight tourism, development and the growth in population and the heroine who is fighting the dragon of modernization is Madame Manivone of La Maison du Patrimoine. I visited Madame Manivone who is a director at La Maison du Patrimoine, the institution which oversees the restoration, conversation and development of Luang Prabang in cooperation with UNESCO, the Laotian government and it is funded by the French Government and South Korea, this week to talk with her about the conservation and protection of Luang Prabang. Her responsibility is for example to check any alterations to any structure in Luang Prabang and she then approves or declines the request. In order to appreciate this Herculean task one needs only to look to Siem Reap and Angkor, where mostly Thai money and a government hell-bound on tourism-development have in a few years plastered Siem Reap with hundreds of hotels and destroyed its tranquillity. Especially in such poor countries as Cambodia and Laos tourism means much needed money and jobs and it therefore takes a lot of courage to stand up to cash-rich foreign investors. And La Maison has a track-record in resisting threats to the Luang Prabang heritage: it prevented the building of a three million baht huge luxury hotel by Thai investors on the bank of the Mekong, it banned the noisy long-tail boats from the Mekong River around Luang Prabang and it prevented Thais building a Thai-style temple in Luang Prabang. So far she also has been successful in blocking an enlargement of the existing and tiny airport. Madame Manivone stresses the importance of sustainable development and is currently working on a master-plan for the development of Luang Prabang. But it is not only conservati on and protection that is on Madame Manivone’s mind: she wants to protect Laotian culture and traditions and for example bans swimming pools on the heritage area that might disturb the passing monks during alm’s giving. Furthermore she supports land-owners in the restoration process with free wood and advice and she pushes traditional building-techniques as using bricks for driveways and floors that also cool during the summer heat. Next year La Maison will organize a Laotian food festival in order to protect Laotian traditions.

Luang Prabang has been for ten years a UNESCO world heritage site and the cooperation between the French and Laotian government has been very successful. I am sure that Madame Manivone is up against formidable enemies in the form of business men trying to invest in Luang Prabang according to their own liking. In an Asia that is rapidly developing and destroying anything old, Madame Manivone and La Maison du Patrimoine are a laudable exception. I hope she will succeed in protecting Luang Prabang from the negative aspects of tourism-development and at the same time develop this little town in the mountains. May short-term profiteering for once succumb to far-sightedness; for the sake of the magic of Luang Prabang.

Picture: Madame Manivone from La Maison du Patrimoine and my sister Peng

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NGO marketing and the value of nice buildings

Picture: The SOS Children Village in Luang Prabang

Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world due to its infertile land, war ridden past, few job opportunities and lack of infrastructure. It is no wonder that orphans and kids from poor families are a common thing in Luang Prabang, Laos. In Luang Prabang two organizations, the SOS Children Village and a state-orphanage look after the disadvantaged children. The two institutions vary in many things but two outstanding differences are the funding and their infrastructure. The international SOS Children Village which has 160 children being looked after by women acting as ersatz-mothers was founded in 2000. The compound with neat and spacious houses, schools and a playground look more like a holiday resort than an orphanage and all the children wear neat uniforms and seem happy. The 265 children from the government orphanage also look happy and I saw many smiling faces. But in contrast the houses are very basic and the children sleep in rudimentary dorms compared to the beautiful and new rooms for four children at the SOS Children Village. Also in stark contrast to the international orphanage the governmental one only has 0.10$ for food per kid per day and they can only serve two meals a day. And what kind of meals: some rice and a meager soup of vegetables and meat. One could accuse the SOS Children Village of investing lots of donor-money into (too) nice houses and gardens. But actually the outstanding infrastructure is not only for the children, but more for the donors. It is a fact that good-looking children and nice buildings draw bigger funds than modest state orphanages. In the end, it is all marketing and this is where the SOS Children Village excels with being the charity sponsor for the FIFA World Cup 2006. I guess if nice houses pay for meals and clothes, even indirectly, it is okay.   the meantime my sister Peng and I are raising some more money for the state-owned orphanage and the less priviledged kids.

Picture: The Luang Prabang State Orphanage with orphans in the classroom

The first anniversary of my blog EastEatsWest and thoughts about its future

A weblog (or blog) is a very new invention going back to the end of the 90ies. Therefore it is rather hard to define what it exactly is with definitions ranging from a personal online journal to an online conversation (read more about blogs and other challenges of mass media today on The Economist). What is clear that weblogs are a social phenomena: instead of a one-way sermon as with mass-media blogs are interactive, about net-citizen raising their voices. Blogs are about individuals expressing his or her unedited voice to a very small audience of a few to many thousands a day.

I started my blog EastEatsWest in May 2005 with regard to my travels through my beloved and so adored Asia. The basic idea was to express my passion and love for Asia,clearly underlying the fact that our little planet earth is a wonderful place to discover and we should not look down on other nations, customs and traditions. Different does not mean worse. My blog is now one year old and has grown in many ways: First and foremost, my blog has inspired me to push further and learn more during my travels, to take the extra step for a picture and always and everywhere listen to people and their stories. With almost 600 pageviews in the last 7 days my blog attracts more and more traffic and with traffic comes the realization that someone actually is interested in my content and so the responsibility increases. Secondly, I added more functionality with a search function and the function of a newsletter via email. Thirdly with the Google Ads I try to at least recuperate a fraction of the costs of my blog and therefore learn about the possibilities of online advertisement. It is a stony path though.

With my journey slowly nearing its end I wonder more and more what to do with my blog in the future without the traveling: shall I stop it, shall I continue writing about my life, and about my career and thoughts about life? Shall I continue pursuing topics relating to the raise of Asia or articles I come across? Anyhow, I would like to learn from my readers, improve my blog and the quality of the entries. But for that I need to know what you, my reader, think and like about my blog. As blogs should be conversations I would like to ask you therefore a few simple questions:

1. What do you want from my blog in the future (continue, more stories, more pictures…)?

2. What do you want to read about it (travel, the raise of Asia, thoughts about life…)?

3. What kind of pictures do you want to see?

4. Which entries do you like the most (travel stories, reviews, photos, thoughts about life, links…)?

Please answer the question in posting comments. Posting a comment is very simple: just click at the bottom of this entry on the “comment” link and enter your thoughts. I am eager to hear what you, my online readers, think about my blog and how you see its future. In the end, it is also our blog.

The joy of traveling during off-season in Asia

Picture: A boat on the Mekong River near Luang Prabang

If you only have a few weeks of precious holidays in a year, you better make sure the weather and your holiday destination are as good as they can be as you do not want bad weather to mess with your travels. This thinking leads to the worldwide herd-effect of mass-tourism with tourists all showing up about the same time of the year at the same tourist spots, called high season. The fear of bad weather and wholeheartedly trusting the savvy advice of a  guide book or travel agents lead tourists to over-pay and amassments at tourist destinations, seriously contributing to a stressful holiday experience. As in investments a counter-cyclical tourist behavior can sometimes pay off. Let me explain why: First I like to remind you that the weather changes, everywhere, also in Asia, so the low-temperature dry-season in South-East Asia does not always fall between November to April. Secondly tourist spots develop their own charm and laid-back atmosphere during off-season and sometimes the pace changes dramatically, making for a magical new experience. Just come to Luang Prabang in Laos now, in the end of April, and experience the bliss of tranquility and happiness. Thirdly the wet-season can mean monsoon and torrential rain but does not have to necessarily. Depending on the location a daily rain-shower can be even refreshing, like here in Luang Prabang. Nevertheless two occurences in Asia are better avoided: heavy rains during the monsoon high-season and incredible peak-temperatures, especially if you want to visit monuments and sites outdoors, like in Angkor. Nevertheless if you risk visiting a destination off-season, you might be in for a pleasant surprise of magical tranquility and even save on your budget. So before you book your next trip to all-year round weather-perfect Bali, try Laos, Thailand or even Vietnam. And bring a rain-coat, just in case.

The Future by and of Asian women

According to a recent Economist article women are the world’s most under-employed resource because of their still low participation in various economies and their even wider absence in top management. On the other hand, worldwide and especially in Asia, more and more women get higher education some with even better grades than their male counterparts. The article argues that women therefore entail a bigger economical potential than the rise of China and India combined. Traveling in Asia I have come across many different types of modern, young and educated women who are already embracing the changing trends of the economy and through their economical prowess they start to shape Asia’s future. For example I met a Malaysian doctor who due to racial discrimination was forced to study abroad in India and subsequently worked in England. As a Muslim she is opposed to fundamental Islamic law and demands the same rights and freedom as her fellow male countrymen and opposes Muslim fundamentalism.

Or a young and charming Laotian businesswoman who learnt the trade of hotel manager in Laos and studied Spa Management in Thailand before opening her own two spas in Luang Prabang, Laos, with some money from her parents. She currently employs over 20 staff including her sister and brother and consults an uncle concerning the opening of one of the first resorts in the South of Laos. Having already been to Europe and across Asia she longs for future travels across the world whilst enjoying her well earned wealth.

A female Chinese friend of mine who is about to work for Lufthansa as a flight attendant studied a few semesters in Holland and has traveled a few times to Europe. Her aptitude in the English language combined with curiosity made her work in various jobs and industries and she feels that as a flight attendant she could travel the world and earn money, combining both aspirations of hers.

As varied as their backgrounds and lives, yet these women have a few things in common. First, their parents have all at one time underlined the value of a good education and supported them financially. Secondly, all mentioned women are in their thirties and have just embarked on their careers. Thirdly they are to varying degree financially independent and unmarried, therefore making their own personal decisions. And fourthly with their self-confidence and financial means they strive for personal freedom and the right to decide for themselves. With their willingness to work, learn, consume and travel they will be shaping the future of Asia and therefore the world. It seems that in times of peace women clearly outshine their male compatriots, not only in Asia. Finally!

Justin from England against local Muay Thai Fighter in Chiang Mai

Picture: Justin from England getting ready to fight

Unlike Bangkok, one can watch Muay Thai Boxing in Chiang Mai for a modest 400 Baht, ringside that is. Compared to the eye watering 2’000 Baht the promoters demand from tourists in the capital of Thailand it is a bargain and the fights are of  similar quality. With the promise of a “farang” (foreigner) fight on Friday night EastEatsWest had to go and watch the gruesome duel. It is not uncommon for foreigners to come and train in Thailand in Muay Thai Camps available throughout the country. Interestingly the Dutch seem to excel in their fighting prowess as the current K1-champion, Sammy Schilt, clearly lays proof. Compared to European fighters, the Thais start learning their skills at a tender age of 14 or younger. These adolescents were also the ones who kicked off the fights that night. Most of the younger fighters were fighting wholeheartedly but lacked the punch of older fighters. Nevertheless, one 15 year old fighter kicked his opponent so furiously on the thigh that the poor guy could not walk anymore for over a hour. Ouch! As the evening wore on, more seasoned fighters, among them soldiers, made their way to the ring for a five round of three minutes each. Most of the fights were mediocre as all fighters, true to Thai tradition, clutched on to their opponents for prolonged period of times and not much kicking or boxing could be witnessed (in Muay Thai elbow and knee-strikes are considered to be the pinnacle). Due to the fighters light weight, tiny build and the extensive clutching Muay Thai sometimes looks dull compared to K1 where much heavier and bigger fighters fight with very little clinging and more KOs can be observed.

Picture: Justin posing before the fight

After 10pm the climax of the night was about to happen when bald-headed and greased-up Justin from England got ready to fight against a much smaller Thai opponent. Before the fight Justin got oiled up by a Thai in a dimly lit room and got his glove put on (everyone uses the same gear, including genital protection). In the meantime his Thai opponent powdered his face white and started pacing up and down without much warming up. Justin had even enough time to strike a few poses for the numerous foreigners attending the spectacle. Once the bell rang Justin fought bravely but he was also a bit timid and I wondered if that was his first ever fight. He seemed to not really want to hurt his faster but much smaller opponent.True to his style the Thai started off slowly, judging his opponent with probing kicks and blows. As the fight progressed and the traditional Thai music became more feverish the Thai stepped up his fancywork but clearly did not unleash his full power. Justin, due to his lack of decisiveness, never really threatened the Thai fighter but got punished a few times for his delayed reactions. At the end the Thai won and quickly left home after his day’s task was done while Justin seemed happy to have survived. Nevertheless I have to pay my due respect to Justin who stepped up in a ring to fight a Thai in their homeground. And for the many foreign spectators, they also got one of their own to cheer for, so everyone earned something from the whole spectacle. Anyhow, if you have not been kicked in the shin or upper leg and punched once, you cannot appreciate the pain and skill involved in Thai Boxing. And never ever underestimate a tiny Thai fighter, the Thais are ferocious and fearless fighters! Picture: They local Thai fighter getting ready to fight

Beautiful Luang Prabang, Laos

For more pictures of magical Luang Prabang click here.

The magic of Luang Prabang

Picture: Cyclists in front of a Wat in Luang Prabang                        

For more pictures of Luang Prabang, click here.

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