Rural Village - Laos
The village of Ban Na exists since 1948. It is a quiet, typically Lao rural village. It has 600 inhabitants or 110 families, tendency slowly increasing. This friendly village is a good place to learn more about the genuine lifestyle of the Lao Loum people.
Most of the villagers are subsistence farmers (rice and vegetables like eggplants). The women go daily into the forest to collect some additional food from there. Men may go for hunting, even into the nearby-protected area, or for fishing in the numerous creeks during the rainy season. After work, children play a game of football or takraw, a combination of volleyball and football, in the playfield.
Most of the villagers are subsistence farmers (rice and vegetables like eggplants). The women go daily into the forest to collect some additional food from there. Men may go for hunting, even into the nearby-protected area, or for fishing in the numerous creeks during the rainy season. After work, children play a game of football or ‘takraw’, a combination of volleyball and football, in the playfield.
In the evening, villagers meet in each other’s houses to sing and play the guitar, drink a Lao Lao (locally brewed rice whisky) and eat sticky rice with fish or soup. You can also visit the local ‘pub’ for a refreshing soda. During the months of December and January it can be quite cold and in the early morning hours the people are gathering around smoky fires along the village road with a hot meal or drink in their hands to warm up after a chilly night.
With appreciation for your: