TRIP REPORT FROM LAOS - OCTOBER

Hi all! It's Jess here, last month Angela and I headed to Laos with our first ever Ace Camps group and the whole experience was pretty magical. I wanted to share a few highlights with you - if you haven't been to Luang Prabang - GO HERE NOW! We've got a couple spots left on our March trip with Maryanne Moodie - I really urge you to visit before everyone discovers how cool this place is.

Luang Prabang is a fairly laid back little city, more of a small town really, with only a few main streets, which are filled with wonderful restaurants + unique shops. The whole town is remarkably well-preserved and an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the past couple of centuries. 

Every evening the main street is closed to traffic and filled with local craft and food vendors for the night market. Some amazing finds to be had here. If you have had your shopping fill, the side streets are dotted with restaurants, bars and cafes to relax in.

The whole town is very focused on hand crafts and there are wonderful textiles to be found here - made in Laos - new and vintage alike. Bring extra room in your suitcase!

During this Ace Camp, Lotta Jansdotter taught a very fun colour play workshop before we dove into a 3 day Natural Dyeing and Silk Weaving workshop with Ock Pop Tok. Situated on the banks of the Mekong river, Ock Pop Tok is a lush garden property lined with little tree houses, weaving studios and a restaurant and bar overlooking the water - the PERFECT spot for a sunset cocktail after a busy day.

We experimented with colour, wove our own silk scarves and cushion covers, shopped all the shops and markets, enjoyed local home cooked meals and laughed, a lot. I can't stop raving to friends about this trip, and hope you'll consider joining us there next year, Until then - Jess

PS. Look out for our next trip report which will feature Alison's stay at Julia's Child's Provencal home as she cooks, eats and explores her way around Southern France.