Favourite Foods in Asia

Christina writes: Now that our time has ended in Asia, I thought I would do a quick food round-up of some of our favourite food experiences. While I didn't take photos of everything we ate, I did capture some of the more interesting regional food we tried. My favourite cuisine was Vietnamese - beautiful greens and lots of flavours without too much chili. I'm not adverse to a bit of heat in my food, but to taste the flavours I normally associate with Thai cookery without the chili was a revelation. Throughout Asia we ate lots of seafood, lots of rice or rice noodles and lovely green veg. And all of it was inexpensive.

Cha Ca - catfish cooked with fresh greens and served with rice noodles, herbs, peanuts and sweet sauce

Rear: Green papaya salad and in front, fresh springrolls - made by us at our cooking class

White Rose Dumplings - a Hoi An specialty Pork and prawns shaped inside to look like an open rose.

The cakes at Cargo - Hoi An

Including my personal favourite, White Choco Kalua Cake

"Three Friends" Pork, Prawn and Mint.

Banh Xeo - pancakes that look like omlette (although they contain no eggs, turmeric gives them their colour)

Take a pancake, fill it with greens

Then wrap the whole lot in a soft rice paper and dip in fish sauce

Mekong Delta specialty: Elephant Ear Fish - take a flaky pice of the fish, wrap in rice paper and dip into spicy/sweet sauce

Cambodian deep fried crickets

Fish Amok - delicate flavours of lemongrass, garlic, galangal, chili and coconut - a Cambodian favourite

Laos HotPot BBQ

Street Food in Thailand

Delicious and cheap!

ByeBye Bangkok. See ya S.E.A

21/02/13   A Quick Trip To Paris

Craig writes: Bangkok, who would have thought just six million people could make so much pollution. There is a permanent fog of noxious gas hanging over this very broad and tall city that I have yet to encountered anywhere else. I found the air hard to breathe, my energy levels were constantly down and my mood was decidedly crabby. I did not enjoy this place. If cruising big air conditioned shopping centres is your thing you'll be fine. Sure, there are the usual cheap eateries, markets, massage places and some sites to see but there is no charm or character here. There are plenty of signs to warn you of bag snatchers on motor bikes and you can't catch a cab without being  taken to a silk shop, a tailor or a jewellery store.

We did have a good day when we got out of the city and went to Dreamworld.  It was the celebration for Charlie's birthday that we promised him back when he had to spend his big day in museums and palaces.  The big attraction here was Snow Town. No actual snow but lots and lots of crushed and flaked ice.  I think we all had visions of it being a bit like Narnia with endless places to explore and hide, soft powdery snow to roll in, to make snow angels and have long lobbing snow ball fights. Alas no.  It was cold though, minus 7. There was a cool toboggan slide and you could make "snow balls" of a fashion. Without gloves though, trying to make a "snow ball" literally left your hands numb. If you did manage to press one out, which we did, throwing it at each other was out of the question. They were a solid block of ice. You could throw these things through a plate glass window, twice. We had thoughts of spending a couple of hours in there but they only supply with you a pair of plastic boots and a thin jacket designed to make sure you don't linger to long. Twenty minutes later, after half a dozen short toboggan rides and a photo op with the polar bear and the Woolly Mammoth we were out in the warm muggy air. At the risk of sounding like a theme park tosser, it's ok but it ain't Disneyland. There's some good rides and some pretty lame ones.  The crowds aren't that bad although the 50 minute wait for the two minute Space Mountain ride, with no 360s, was the only real clanger.  Still, the boys had a great time, Christina managed to escape and grab an hour long foot rub and Callum and I did some damage on the bumper cars. 

I knew the Thai's had a great respect and admiration for their Royal family but the city is practically a monument to them.  There are pictures, elaborate shrines and massive billboards everywhere. Mostly portraits of him looking very earnest and regal in the full royal regalia with a chest full of medals and colourful pins. There was an odd one of him near the airport dressed in some nice designer casual wear. He's wearing an open neck shirt with a camera slung around his neck like he's a tourist just popping up from the country to visit a few temples and take some happy snaps. Maybe thats his wink and a nod to the common people. He is definitely a total rock star here.  The Queen also has her fare share of exposure, but there is no doubt it is the Kings show. 

For our last meal in Asia we decided to leave the boys in the hotel and go to Paris. Well Paris in Bangkok.  The write up said it was ranked 116 out of 1600 reviewed restaurants, and, only 100 metres from our hotel. Being a Friday night we didn't fancy our chances but it was our last night and real close. So,  you could imagine our surprise when at 8pm we walk in to find just us and one other couple. Apparently a major traffic jam in the city and some big cancellations had kept the place empty. As one of only two potential sources of tips for the evening we were given maximum attention. At one stage we had four waiters hovering, two loitered permanently. One literally stood three metres away, staring intently and trying to anticipate our every need. No glass stood empty for more than a few seconds , the bread basket was never empty and if I made the mistake of glancing his way he'd be on me like fat on a hog to ask if everything was alright. By the time we left the restaurant he was finishing my sentences for me. 

Outside of the city, I like Thailand. It's modern in parts with enough village charm in others to know your in an old country with a culture borne of a millennia of complex, intriguing and often violent history.

We've loved it here, like we have the whole of South East Asia and would recommend it whole heartily.  Well be back!

Elephants, Mahouts and Poop

Craig writes: One month ago today we were standing in line at Perth International Airport waiting to hit the road. Here we are one month and four countries later. Some days it seems like we left yesterday and others like we've been gone for months.

Today we're at Ayutthaya on a three day elephant stay. We're in the country side about an hour and a half out of Bangkok. First thing you see when you pull in is elephants. Elephants every where.  From "tiny" 200kg babies up to hulking 3500kg adults. They have tame ones, artistic ones, fast ones, slow ones, cute as a button ones and stone cold killers that if not for being taken in by the Foundation would be a set of patio stools by now. Pi Om and his wife Pi Lek are the original founders of the Pra Kochaban Foundation established to breed and protect these amazing creatures and try to reestablish the once noble status they held in Thai culture.  They are both still the spiritual heads of the Foundation and reside on the property but it is run by two very able bodied Aussie girls , Michelle and Ewa with two very competent assistants, English Paul and Scottish Neil, plus a cast of Mahouts. On our stay there were two Swiss,Quentin and Lorene, Hayley, a young Melbourne girl and Jeanette from Palm Cove in Calf. USA. Also young Kaizes, a terrific play mate for Charlie, and his great Aunts Carmen and Maria. 

Once we arrived and we're put through a comprehensive introduction and safety briefing we were taken out to the day spot and introduced to our elephants. Christina and Callum were paired up with Rosukon, one of the taller girls here.  She's a gentle and patient forty year old who doesn't mind picking up the pace if given the chance.  Charlie and I had Jumpee, a spring chicken at 30 ,and also one of the taller girls.  Shes a bit shy but sweet as candy and loves a good dunking in the river.

That's Jumpee to my right and Rosukon to Christina's left

Aren't they a bunch of gorgeous girls.

You wouldn't know it to look at it but the place has gone through some major heart ache over the last few years.  A big flood in 2010 did a reasonable amount of damage then in 2011 a major flood came through and all but wiped the place out.  They get patronage from the Royal family but not any money. A bit of sponsorship here and there helps but for the most part they survive on people coming to stay and donations. It is a bit surprising that money is so hard to come by when you look at the importance elephants have played in Thailand's history. Up until 100 years ago elephants in Thailand were considered as important as people. The Buddhist considered them one incarnation away from humans. For over 5000 years it was literally on the back of the elephant that Thailand remained a great warrior nation and a very productive agricultural one. Centuries ago when Cambodia had captured vast tracks of land in the north, the king of the time put together a 10,000 strong elephant army and pushed them back into Cambodia where they stayed. In more recent times the strength of their elephant army drove their quarrelsome neighbours, the Burmese back over the border where they also have stayed.

The compound is a collection of stilted huts made of a very hardy woven bamboo and the roofs are all corrugated iron. The huts have two comfortable twin beds, are air conditioned and have their own toilet and shower. In the open common area sparrows have nested in every conceivable corner and the constant chatter and movement is very pleasant.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner here. It was fantastic

The purpose in being here is not to have an arms length sanitized peak at some lovely big creatures. Give them a little pat on the trunk and head home. For the three days we are here, and others are staying for a week, we are given an elephant to feed, water, ride, wash, put to bed and clean up after.  So, what does an elephant eat. Well it varies a bit, pineapple leaves mostly, ban-yon grass and some rice hay but essential almost anything vegetarian you put near their mouth. Between 100 and 200 kilos per day of it. They'll wash that down with about 120 litres of water.  They only digest about 40% of what they eat so they crap a lot. And yes, that's the clean up bit. Thankfully it doesn't really pong, it's just all plant matter. But still, it is poo and there is a hell of a lot of it.

Up to 200kg a day of this stuff

When the girls get a bath, everyone gets a bath

The morning poop scoop and sweep before we get the girls in from their "bedrooms"

They can overheat so you have to bathe them and wet them down a bit. Every morning before breakfast we have to clean their day area and their "bedroom".  The day area is a big under cover section where they hang out in between taking us for a ride or doing some work around the place.  Their bedroom is not a nice little stable with fluffy pink throw overs  and pictures of a bare chested Elephant Man in a pair of hipsters up on the walls. It's a designated area out in a big paddock where every night they're walked to, secured, given a late night snack and "put to bed". In the morning their walked back to their day room after we've scooped and cleaned it and we then go in with rakes, brooms and tarps to  clean up the mess in their bedroom.

To ride an elephant properly is truly an original experience.  It's like being on the shoulders of a bald giant who has just started an Ashley and Martin programme. Big spikes of sparsely placed hair on top of a huge broad noggin. When you sit on them you literally get your butt right up behind their ears and nestle in front of their shoulders.  You control them by kicking their ears and by using some well chosen commands. Kick right to go left, kick left to go right and kick both ears to go forward.

One happy boy

One happy girl

Christina and Charlie playing submarines

Yeh I know but it wasn't our idea

These are magnificent beasts. They can stand, legs crossed and leaning on a fence like two old friends and chat to each other for hours. When they look at you you can tell their watching you, listening to you, sizing you up and deciding how much to trust you.  The babies often dart out from under their mums to jostle with each other or maybe charge one of the stray dogs. They'll make a show of themselves and then charge back under mums protective trunk. Kane, the youngest baby at about 8 months was a real character. We got to give him a bath on the last day and he was playing up like the typical cheeky kid he is.

Christina squirts Kane up the clacker

Kane falls over in hysterics, that must have really tickled

And, they're very very clever. Peter is the stand out. Young at eleven but already an accomplished artist.  He is the go to elephant for movie roles, commercials and currently the artist in residence. His paintings sell for around 1000 Baht. If I hadn't seen it I would not have believed it. His Mahout places him in front of a canvas and puts a small brush in the end of his trunk which has a tiny little finger at the end of it. Then, with the most delicate of touches he proceeds to put paint to paper. In a matter of only minutes appears before you the unmistakable rump of an adult elephant with two young calves either side.  Wagging tails, blue sky and a field of beautiful multi-coloured  flowers. He is the typical adored artist, a real prima donna.  He loves a compliment and knows when he's getting one. Tell him he's done a great job and he smiles, has a chuckle, lifts his trunk, wiggles his big hairy bum and does a happy dance. He is adorable. I want one. Interesting fact.  Did you know elephants have over 40,000 muscles just in their trunk?  Oliver Stone came here when he needed elephants for the dismal epic Alexander and Jackie Chan used the elephants from here for Round The World In 80 Days. Peter was also the principal talent in a recent Samsung Galaxy commercial.

The Master at work

Peter made a funny.

Yes , no human hand has touched this.

20/02/13

I got woken up this morning about 6am by a whooping Keowe, think I have that right. The male is the noisy one. He's pitch black with bright red eyes and the size of a large cockatoo.  Paul says he looks like Dracula's parrot.  Apparently the cuteness wears off in a week or so and they become quite annoying but as we leave today they'll always be those cute little whooping birds to me. There were only a couple of Mahouts out at that time of the morning, just starting to get the boys and girls going. Getting some ready for breakfast, some getting a hose down and others starting to move some feed around. There was one young boy sitting almost three metres atop a towering Bull who was only about 8 years old. He looked so relaxed and casual up there he may have just as well been riding his Malvern Star down the driveway. Nothing on but a pair of  shorts and a takaw in his hand. That's a small length of wood with a sharp steel hook on the end used to control the elephant. It looks like a medieval disemboweling tool but to the elephants it's would be no more than getting a whack with the wooden spoon from mum.  He rides and controls this massive beast with nothing more than the occasional prod and some harsh words. With that he gets his elephant to move in any direction, sit, stand up, turn left or right, or go and collect and move hundreds of kilo's of feed.

Young fella aboard his Play Station

Our last day today, we leave for the drive back at 5pm. This is one of life's experiences that everyone should do. We all spent some time with our elephants to say goodbye and for me it was a moving moment. I stood in front with my hand stroking her massive trunk and the weathered grey folds of her face. Quietly thanking her for her patience and the opportunity to look after her and to ride her.  I hoped that she liked the small pineapples we found in the pineapple branches that we could give her as a treat and the scrubbing and bath that we got to give her.  The whole time I spoke to her, this un-tethered giant creature just stood there and listened to me and looked me straight in the eye only occasionally dipping her head in what I took to be acknowledgment.  

They are regal, intelligent and beautiful creatures and I hope that the Foundation is successful in restoring the dignity and status to which they are thoroughly deserved.

Christina writes: I cannot recommend Elephant Stay highly enough. We first heard about this amazing place on a documentary "I am Eleven" a film about children, all aged eleven, from all over the world. In the documentary two boys were interviewed at Elephant Stay, a young Mahout in training and a British ex-pat boy with a love of elephants. The documentary only showed glimpses of life in the elephant village, but straight away we put it on our wish list when planning this trip. This experience exceeded all of our expectations. 

The mahouts always had our back

Jumpee could always find something to eat in the strangest of places.

Who's the cutest baby at Elephant Stay?

Thailand - Krabi

12/02/13
Craig Writes; I wake up to a very light tapping some where in the distance. It slowly pulls me from a deep sleep. It goes away and I start to slowly drift again before it returns.  Very light but close and persistent. I slowly raise my head from the pillow and listen. It's pitch black and there is someone knocking at our door. My first thought is it is the boys who's room is next door to ours. It turns out to be our very quiet and gentle Buddhist guide Som and the reason for the flutter at the door is that we're late. The alarm that was supposed to wake us at 4.45am for a 5.45 pick up didn't and it is now 5.55 am. Fortunately we were 95% packed from the night before.  So it was round up some toiletries and the remaining pieces of clothing, jam them into a suitcase, zip, lock and down three flights of stairs.  All in only 10 minutes.  We were late but not terminally.

The flight to Bangkok was only a couple of hours but the layover was nearly three. Bangkok airport is huge so there was plenty of shops to browse through and things to nibble on. The boys spent the most of the time cruising down the up and up the down travellators until security caught up with them. I spent my time eating mango with sticky rice from a small kiosk at the far end of the restaurant strip.  Sweet sweet mango, slightly salty rice with creamy coconut milk drizzled over the top. Oh yeah! After boarding it was only another hour on to Krabi. When we arrived it was 28 degrees and raining. A thirty minute taxi ride and we pulled into The Pakasai Hotel.  Nice place. It was only a three minute walk to the beach, has a gym, an infinity pool, good restaurant and bar. All set in a forest of Homeland Trees, coconut palms and ornamental ginger.  Our room overlooked a large Koi pond that hugs the side of the open air restaurant. 

Love those infinity pools

Great for breakfast but dinner came
 with your own bottle of mozzie spray

Well, here we are in Thailand so lets give you some interesting little snippets.  It is our first industrialised country since leaving Oz. Last year it had a GDP of US$364 Billion dollars. Not too shabby.  Two thirds of that comes from the industrial and service sector, unlike a lot of it's neighbours who rely mostly on agriculture. While certainly industrialised it is not first world.  More like second world with a bullet. It has a population of 65 million and the capital , Bangkok has a population bigger than the whole of Laos, a little over six million.  It is predominately Buddhist, 93%, 5% Islam and the rest is a bit of a mixed bag. Here's an interesting fact about the place.  Carbon dating of bone fragments and artifacts have put human settlement in this region as far back as 35,000 B.C. It is also the only country in this region that during it's entire history has not been colonized by another country. They did lose some land east of the Mekong to the French and the Malay peninsula to the British during the 19th century but have always maintained sovereignty.  The Japanese also managed to bully them into using the northern part of Thailand to move troops onto the Malayan frontier during WW II. Showing just how they clever they are, as soon as the war finished first thing they did was sign an alliance with the winners, the US. It's also fair to say they have had their fair share of coups d'etats since the end of WW II. But, they have had a stable democracy under a Constitutional Monarchy since 1980 and, they seemed to have worked out what an indicator on a car is for.

13/02.13

Ok, lets talk street markets.  Wow, what incredible value.  You have to find one when you're here and eat nowhere else. First day out wandering, Callum and I found some markets not far from our hotel and got  two huge pancakes, and a couple of large fresh pineapple juices for $3.30. Booze can be cheap by western standards but food is the stand out bargain here. I took Christina out for a couple of cocktails on Valentines day. One cocktail was 250 baht. About $8. Still cheap by Perth standards.  On the way back to the hotel we picked up four half chickens threaded on bamboo skewers and slow cooked over hot coals, two pad thai with shrimp and one fried rice with pork, 280 baht for the lot. A little less than $10.  It is insane.  And the food was fantastic.  Our last night here and we found a cheap cocktail bar, 150 baht each, $5. We clocked up 1200 baht on 8 cocktails then stopped again at the markets for dinner.  Four more chicken's, two pad thai and two fried rice with shrimp. We fed the whole family with food left over for only 320baht. That's about $12. Stay away from the Mini Marts unless you're desperate for toiletries. They charge like a Light Brigade.

DEE-LISH- USS

Those four on the right are ours

About $11.50 AUD; Feeds four with left overs

About $10 AUD; Pretty but didn't even touch the sides

Now, here's some little travel tips. Shop around. We wanted to book a four island day tour so took our business down to main street. There were plenty of places eager for our business for the low low price of 4700 Baht. That's about $150 for the four off us. Pretty cheap for our own boat and skipper for six hours, including mask and snorkel, water and fruit.  We were close to buying but decided to check out a guy we saw on one of the side streets.  Bingo, exact same tour for 2200 Baht. That's under $70.  Unbelievable value.  Second tip, be friendly. We gave some tour advice to a guy we met on the street.  Turns out him and his wife are staying at our hotel. We met up, chatted, clicked and exchanged e-mail addresses.  So now we have some new Bulgarian friends who live in Austria who we're going to either meet up with in New York in early July or in Austria  in late July.  Thirdly, don't go too hard with the whole bargaining thing.  That intricately woven leather bracelet with the Stirling Silver dragons that your trying to knocked down from $6 would cost you $30 to $40 at any weekend market back home. Be a little generous. Finally, don't get too upset if you order the stir fry with shrimp and you get chicken or your Hawaiian pizza with extra pineapple has none at all.  These poor people have to try and decipher every language and accent from Arabic to Zulu and most times they do a pretty good job. Show some tolerance and understanding.

15/02/13. At 9.30am we got picked up at the hotel and taken down to a local beach to board our traditional long-tail boat. Rustic, long and thin with a covered canopy in the middle to seat around a dozen people. The propeller sits back on the end of a four metre long shaft that the skipper whips in and out of the water depending on which way he needs to turn.  

Not ours but one of the many many others there

The trip out past the massive outcrops of limestone cliffs, shabbily covered in twisted spindly trees and motley green plants and bushes, was breath taking. So too was the armada of  boats stretching out on either side of us all heading in the same direction as us. Should be interesting.  Chicken Island was out first stop. Oh my dog. There must have been a hundred boats pulled up already and more on the way. There were hundreds of tourists scrambling over the small rocky outcrop of a beach and more stretched out in single file as they walk the length of a sand bar from one island to the next. Our skipper said we could stay there for an hour and join the crowded one km walk over the sand bar. The idea of walking chest high in water bum to back just to mingle with another few hundred tourist on the other side didn't really appeal. So, we walked around dodging budgie smugglers and people in two pieces who should have known better for 20 minutes then jumped back on the boat to head to Tup Island, our first and as it turns out, only snorkeling experience.

One of the many stunning backdrops

A broad bay opened up to us as we rounded an impressive facade of limestone cliffs.  There was a small concentration of boats in one corner but seemingly plenty of room on the other side of the bay.  But no that was apparently not for us.  We sided up to the others.  A dozen boats all cramped into this little corner. Spitting out their stinking choking diesel clouds till finally cutting their engines and dropping anchor.  I could tell before I even put my mask on that the promise of a "stunning under water adventure" and "masses of sea-life" were not going to eventuate.  There was a small crowd of tiny black and yellow fish that seemed friendly but that was it. The visibility was terrible,no more than two or three metres in a depth again, of no more than three metres. After ten minutes of not a lot except bumping into a discarded water bottle and nearly swimming into a floating brine of brown frothy "something", I got back into the boat hoping our skipper started at the bottom and it'll just get better from here. Just as I was lamenting a wasted day our skipper comes to the back of the boat, pulls a small banana from a clear plastic bag, peels it and passes it into Christina, Callum and Charlie who are still bobbing about in the water. Well, it may as well have been a bucket of chum.

From barely anything to a fish frenzy

Surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered, Charlie rethinks fish for dinner

From nowhere and everywhere massive schools of these black and yellow stripped fellas and a whole bunch of their friends came charging in. That's right, a banana. Even staring into the murky depths from the boat the frenzy was obvious.  I grabbed a narna from the bag and hopped back in. I'm glad I did.  It was to be the highlight of the day. After they eat the banana you put the peel between your toes and they nibble your feet. It was hilarious. After a massive potassium fix for the fish life we hopped back in and headed off to Poda Island for lunch. 

On a beach front at least 300 metres long our skipper literally had to ram our two metre wide boat into a one metre wide gap so we could get onto the beach. Once we made it onto sand the next obstacle was getting over and around people to find some clear air and hopefully the restaurant for lunch.  It made navigating Side Show Alley seem like a winters walk along the beach. We were only here to eat so once we got to the restaurant we stayed there till it was time to go back to the boat, un-wedge The Sinbad and continue on. On our way back to the boat we had to endure the sight of some idiot trying to impress his girlfriend by pulling the tail of this poor monkey trying to eat a banana. Seriously, you want to slap some people.

On and on and on they went

Next stop was Phranang Beach. This was recently voted one of the 10 best beaches in the world. I live in Western Australia so for me that's a really big call.  Frankly, I couldn't see it. I mean literally, I couldn't see it. If you could peel off a couple of layers of tourists and actually see some sand then maybe. But that's a big maybe. This poor place is slowly being promoted to death. The big attraction here though is not just the beach.  There is a conga line of people heading down to a big cave at the base of the limestone cliffs.  No ordinary cave, this one is overflowing with..... penises.  Yes you read it right.  Penises of all shapes and sizes and colours. From massive giant pillars of penises down to the more conventional slip in your handbag types.  Hundreds and hundreds of them. Some in pretty good shape for a penis living in a musty old cave, others certainly looking a bit worse for wear. Why penises you may ask.  Well, the story goes that the cave is dedicated to Phra Nang, a mythical Indian Princess killed many centuries ago in a shipwreck during a terrible storm. Local fishermen have been leaving the adornment of dongs ever since, not hoping for extra nuptials on their return but because it is a sign of fertility and a representation to  their god Shiva who will hopefully  get them back to shore safely from their fishing expeditions where I assume they can practice being fertile and raise new little fishermen. 

Hey there, what's up?

Our new Bulgarian friends, Nora and Anastas had been horse riding along the beach the previous day and highly recommended it.  We had a free day the following day so thought why not. You can hire the horses by the hour so we thought around 4.30 to 5.30pm would be nice. The sun is getting ready to set, it's on the beach, should be nice. Reception booked and at 4pm the next day we were waiting in the lobby. Sure enough, we were picked up and taken out to the ranch. By 4.30pm we were saddled up and ready to go. Unfortunately Charlie got cold feet once we stuck him up on a horse and he ended up trailing behind us on the beach. Christina had a lovely gentle ride along the shore as did Callum and I until we turned around to go back. Stubborn nags wouldn't go past a brisk crawl on the way out but they know where home is and the moment you turn them in the direction of their feed lot and give em a little yeeha they're off. It was great.  Callum got himself into a bit of strife not really knowing how to get the thing to stop.  Aaargghh didn't work.  We told him to try whoa next time.  But to his full credit he literally got back on the horse and rode him back to the stables.

As we prepare to ride off into the sunset and onto the Elephant Stay

That was our last day in Krabi and I think all off us would have liked to have stayed for a couple more days. There's a lot see but hey, we have to have a reason to come back don't we.

Ock Pop Tok

Christina writes: On the main street of Luang Prabang, just near the primary school, is a textile shop Ock PopTok. The space is full of the most beautiful scarves and home furnishings made in the local villages. Unlike the imported Chinese textiles that abound in the local night market these pieces are works of art. As soon as I discovered that there was a Living Craft centre that teaches traditional dying and weaving, I knew what I would be doing on our next free day. 

The philosophy behind OckPopTok is empowering women through their traditional skills, as well as promoting the beauty of Laotian textiles. The Living Crafts Centre, only a few minutes out of town by Tuk Tuk, is set in gorgeous grounds. Here the women work dying silk using natural dyes derived from the trees and bushes in the garden. They then weave the silk on traditional looms into beautiful works of art.

A full day of dying and weaving, including lunch and transport, cost $70 AUD. It was just me and two lovely Canadian women so we received lots of individual attention. We were welcomed into the cafe at the centre and greeted with tea before we started the lessons. First things first, a lesson on silk making and a run through of the natural dyes used at the centre.

Silkworms

Cocoons

Multi-coloured silk, all using natural dyes from the garden

 Then out into the garden to pick some pods and leaves to make up the dyes

Indigo leaves and Annatto tree pods

Annatto pods - all ground up

Indigo dye ready to go

Indigo

Annatto (Orange)

The dye kitchen

Fruits of our labour

After a delightful lunch - it was over to the looms. I can now honestly say, after spending three hours and weaving only half a metre of silk fabric,  I hold these women that hand weave on a daily basis in high regard. This is back breaking, repetitive work, yet there is also a meditative rhythm to this craft. The loom is threaded with the warp threads, and it was my job to weave the shuttle containing spools of silk, while operating bamboo pedals treadle style, to create the weft. 

Loom with a view - I don't think I looked up once.

Each time you throw the shuttle left to right and right to left you pull down the batten. Too hard and you can distort the fabric, too soft and the weave is loose. It is a delicate balance that I did not achieve with any regularity on this particular day. My completed piece looks home-made. I don't think OckPopTot will be sending me a job offer anytime soon.