Last week, I accompanied 20 fifth graders on their study trip to Vang Vieng, Laos, about 4 hours north of Vientiane. The classroom teacher, Paula, worked with an organization called Green Discovery to plan a fantastic trip that built on the theme of environmental consciousness. The students were totally keen to discuss the impact of tourism, explore the concept of healthy ecosystems, learn about sustainable businesses, and reflect on their roles in caring for the earth. In fact, they were such independent learners that we teachers got to kick back and enjoy a little mini-holiday!
Our first stop was the Phosar Paper-Making and Reforestation Project funded by a Japanese group. The project uses tree bark to make paper, textiles and chopsticks for export. When we asked about the “reforestation” part, they admitted that they really aren’t doing that anymore. They quickly added that this type of tree grows to maturity in just one year. Whatever.
Later we visited Tham Chang Cave, the biggest cave in Vang Vieng. Inside, the guide encouraged us to close our eyes and stay very quiet, not an easy feat for 10 year olds. When we emerged from the cave, Paula asked the kids to pick a partner and compare the ecosystem inside the cave with that on the outside. It was amazing to see how much they knew and how eager they were to tackle the subject. At the bottom of the hill, the kids played an impromptu game of soccer.
Our hotel overlooked the Nam Song River and beautiful rock formations. The kids played in the pool while we watched the locals zip by in their dragonboats, training for the upcoming holiday races.
After dinner, we had a “bonfire.” By North American standards, it was really just a regular-sized campfire, and the kids were woefully uninformed about s’mores, but they had a lot of fun singing songs and debating the best methods for roasting marshmallows.
We enforced “lights out” at 8:30 p.m., and the students were pleasantly compliant. That gave Paula and me a chance to enjoy a Beer Lao on the balcony overlooking the river. While we were relaxing, a HUGE insect (very nearly the size of a velociraptor) landed on the wall nearby. We tried to ignore it, but occasionally it would leap across to the opposite wall and freak us out. Finally, we summoned the front desk clerk, who caught the bug and took it to the kitchen to fry it up as a snack.
The next morning, we toured an organic farm that raises silkworms and produces mulberry tea, fruit wines and goat cheese. Students got to cut and roast mulberry leaves for tea, make organic fertilizer (aka goat poo), peel starfruit for wine, and milk a very patient goat. After lunch at the farm (where we munched on fried mulberry leaves with honey – yum!), we hiked to the river and crossed the water in a longboat. The Green Discovery guys gave a quick demo of knot making and rock climbing techniques. Then we all grabbed a harness and gave it a go.
Kids were only allowed to climb up to 5 meters, but I decided to show off and climb to the top. The kids were shrieking, “Go Miss Sharon! Go Miss Sharon!” At one point, I couldn’t find a handhold, so I shouted down to the belay dude that I wanted to come down, but he said, “No, keep going!” My leg started shaking uncontrollably, which was a little embarrassing, but eventually I made it to the top and then rappelled back down. One little girl said, “You’re the bravest woman EVER!” As if.
Another quick dip in the pool for the munchkins and then we all marched into town for dinner. One of Vang Vieng’s claims to fame is the unfortunate presence of many, many TV restaurants. Customers sit on cushions at elevated tables and watch episodes of Friends or Family Guy. When you walk through the town, those two shows are playing at nearly every restaurant! The kids were glued to Friends on the big-screen TV as they slurped spaghetti. Kinda fun, kinda sad.
On our trip back to Vientiane, we took a motorboat for about 2.5 hours on the Nam Ngum Reservoir, which was created when the Nam Ngum River was dammed in 1971 to generate hydroelectricity. We passed forested islands (formerly the tops of small mountains) and fishing villages. At the power plant, we met our bus and drove the rest of the way home.
If you plan to do any adventure travel in this neck of the woods, I strongly recommend Green Discovery.
The kids had a fantastic time, and so did the teachers!
