For our final three days in Laos, we immersed ourselves in the day-to-day life in a Hmong village in the mountains outside Luang Prabang. This home-stay was an experience we will remember for life. Here are the top 5 highlights from our time in the village:
1. Spending time playing with the children in the village:
Each family that our group stayed with had young children. The kids were shy at first, but by the end of our stay they were drawing, playing, and laughing with us.
2. Trek to mountain viewpoint
On the second day in the village, our guides Tong & Si Song led us on a short hike to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the village and surrounding area. We passed some mountain rice fields along the way and got to relax in a shady hut on the hillside. Some of the children from the village accompanied us on the hike, and it was fun to spend that time with them.
3. Meeting the village shaman.
The village shaman welcomed us into his home, and our guides helped translate for a Q&A session to learn about his role in the village life. This was a great opportunity for us to learn about the Hmong people’s animist beliefs. The shaman taught us how he communicates with spirits and serves as a mediator between the village and spirits, to help people in times of sickness or bad fortune.
4. Hmong Dance & Music
Some of the children in the village prepared a traditional Hmong dance to show us on our second day. It was fun to see them in their colorful costumes. Later that day, we had a very special performance by one of the elders in the village, who played a traditional Hmong flute for us. Our guides translated the meaning of the song, which is usually played at a funeral to help guide a person’s spirit home. After the performance, some of us got the chance to try our hand at playing the flute too.
5. Kuang Si Waterfall
After saying goodbye to our host families, we left the village on the third day and headed off for a very muddy hike to Kuang Si waterfall! We trekked through the jungle for a couple hours until we felt the cool mist of these epic cascading falls. Then after a quick dip in the pond down stream, we all left the jungle feeling refreshed and ready for one last go at the amazing Luang Prabang night market.
-Cultural Exploration Thailand, Laos, & Cambodia