The it boast rich by diversity and branch taking wilderness. The river originates in the tibetan plant to induce over 4300 kilometers long. The, the space of the river is ever changing at points that flow slowly through tropical landscapes and others. It plunges through steep. Gorgeous, meet home is the lifeline of south east asia. Its a transport route for millions of people bringing work and food to many countries. It flows from china threw me on my louse tile into cambodia and vietnam to the south china sea. Its one of the longest rivers in the wells. The. Were on a journey through northern allows us to explore the landscapes and experience the laid back laotian way of life. The time in a small village on the meek, on river lives 50 year old 2nd. Twice a day. He takes his whole fishing boat out onto the river of a 1200 different species of fish live in the me call, making it one of the most species rich imminent waters on the us. So ive been fishing here for over 20 years now. I moved to the village as a young man to live with my wife. I learned how to fish from the old man in the village, how long the fishing is, know my main source of income loss. I also work as a teacher at the Elementary School in the village. Its like an item publishing is what i like to do the most. So i lost the rif awesome. I can always add a little extra. Yeah. So, but just have to keep quarterly. Recently soccer has needed lots of patients. A big catch is read these days, but hes still in high spirits. Thought, well, i know its the most efficient and unfortunately this is no time comment because of times signed mining and climate change. Fish populations have been declining in the me call the for to see where im moving to move to and its been more difficult to catch fish lazy because the river and the weather. Ive changed a lot how you can come by the fish somehow seem to move different even they used to come over here. I dont understand whats happened with that hope i knew how like the how they didnt put well, but now im gonna keep that on. The big soccer has another fishing net that he put out this morning. He attached the net to plastic bottles, so it doesnt sink and he can easily find it again. The fishing was that its such a gray feeling when you catch a big fish in the field and my home at the de la carlyle thing out of the night of the night or anything. And its just that the money own from selling the fish and the market is important to begin to play even if its not much. So to me it was, it was the, theres nothing begun this natalie to thought hes called a few small fish, which will be enough to feed his family tonight. The shy 12345, theyve all prepared. His fish come to me and my family will bring them an ethan with sticky rice and so hancock. And well have some rice whiskey as well. That goes perfectly with the fish. And they like it. And like i kind of like this soccer lives with his wife not far from the river. Like the majority of lotions he lives in the countryside and is self sufficient. A 3rd of the countrys population is under 15 years old. Sucka also has to dont is the land blah blah, hit 1st, the slice to finish my time and they have and then put them on skews. Itd be awesome. The the fishes then left to dry a little in the sun before he fries it in the oil. Its a traditional, inexpensive loud dish. Fresh from them, he called the house is located in the heart of southeast asia, a relatively small country, about half the size of from is compared to its more develop neighbors, thailand and vietnam. Now is more rustic unless touristy. Its a country state in ancient tradition. And known for its relaxed method to, to have the way of life in the mountains is North Atlanta lines. The tranquil city of lou on prevent many coolant, the most beautiful city in asia, the new and providing use the former seat at the royal family. And now a eunice go wild heritage science. The city has a population of about 70000. That historical town is known for its unique tom and architecture. The as the evening falls from 9 small k to blow wine providing stuff to life. And its not any popular with the local the, theres a huge variety of food on all that. Its a piece for the census the, for the equivalent to 0. 50 joyce, and its laotian, soups and needs teams. Phenomena leaves me most. The most popular thing we sell is its seaweed from the me call. Ive been working here for 10 years now in the 2nd generation. My parents also, so the puddle and a storm neva belie pound has also been working at the night market for many years. A parcel, water, buffalo, meat, pork with gar, laker, copper line. Sometimes its eaten with sesame. We fried a water buffalo with bamboo and serve it with sticky rice, the meat taste, sweet and salty. During the pandemic bin, i pound had to get creative ways that wasnt easy during the corona virus pandemic. I tried selling online instead of luckily i was able to sell a lot on facebook during that time. So it worked out quite well. A little further on co not make soups, to order from a selection of vegetables, mushrooms, sausage, and toughest. Ive only been selling here for 5 weeks. Well, i also sell online from home to the loan, but i wanted to test the market to see if it would work here to 36 year old kona is now the market every night from 5 to 11 pm. Shes happy, sofa, and fresh soups. Ascending well the, the monkey just bouncing late into the night. If you stay up late enough, theres something completely different to see. Come Early Morning the, the long pro bang. Religion determines the rhythm, the city at 4 am, amongst begin the morning, pray, the concert more than men, the monks and the temple chunk every day to honor the dates of the buddha, like a drawn thing is a form of meditation for the mind and body of items and teachers, the monks to become better. People try so hard to get into line the delay and go on there. Why . How many parents wont last summer to try and become monkish . What . Maybe up the many older men or someone so experienced the who . Uh, civic come, how soon would it be based off to the pratt some that and hundreds of other monks walked silently to the old town to the arms giving center many gold tack. But an ancient buddhist ritual as a Buddhist Monk working for money is so they didnt. So the monks receive food donations from devout bodies every morning. For them its an honor to deny it increases that chance of a better reincarnation. Traditionally, all monks week baffled in the summer when its sometimes reaches over 40 degrees celsius during the day are allowed to wear sandals. America to when we come here every day to give them some food except one more 2nd. Uh huh. What a man the countrys traditional spirituality is becoming increasing. The entwined with tourism and the ritual of the monks has at times become a tourist spectacle. Hello. Everyone wants to southie with miss gardner. Recently weve had some problems with the tourists because they dont behave respectfully in the to risk sometimes get to know why they take lots of photos and thats the last with the flash one month, which really disturbs the home ceremony. What type of deal whats going up . The donations they received during the arms giving include rice skews pumpkin soup sausages, lamb steamed violets and stained fish in phenomenally once remain silent. Even during breakfast, a particular challenge for the children, the boys controlling the monastery at the age of 10, many families from the region enter that children into the monastery. So they can learn from the months on the phone and couldnt come aboard for ive got 6 uh, phone man, you got some children wants an education, but the families come to for the school for the comes on here. I think at the time which teach subjects like english and math, this is a great opportunity for young people to put those older people who have no family will feel lonely. Coming to us to find peace more clear and i see with 15, but do by the time i did as i know by while the young monks go off to school. So im that takes care of public relations. Digitize ation even has a place at the buddhist monastery these days. The monk regularly live streams is brands and meditations on his facebook page. If some people dont come here with the saw, the pick you all load is interesting. I want to participate this and i want to be to happy life and, and then they can come, it is looking to picture. So if we have to use multiple by 4, thats why theres no cell phone band in the temple of flow on prevent the, there are more than 7000000 people in laos who belong to lots of different ethnic groups. The government divides the inhabitants into 3 regional groups. The highlands allow sions who live in the mountains to help people to move on the mountain slopes. The lowlands allow sions to make up. The knowledge is chance of the population. Almost 2 thirds of all nations live from agriculture. Many from rice conservation to staple food in lotion, cuisine. But thats still the only reason. Fama den tang grows rice. The 23 year old also gives rise sweatshops for taurus to prepare the ground for rice conservation. 10 must take off the muddy soil and hes helped by susan the water buffalo, rice panos have been doing this for a 100. So if you. Ready ready some pharma why stain uh, someplace very 5 a they have no money to buy the machine thing or tractor or they, they used to own buffalo because normally one family that if im barely though for the family to eat, so they dont need the machine, the price is one of the worlds most important and food crumbs and tours. So keen to learn about duty. A den welcomes gases from all over the world today from new zealand, single pole from germany, and the sea deform last, how this last crop. So we want to plan the seat today. Any one you ready . Mm hm. Normally i was born in the assembly of the family. So when i was young, i followed my parents to to feel this. And then they just learned by looking or see how they do scan started working on the psalm at age 14. He also went to school here but completed his High School Diploma in the city. Now hes back on the farm, growing rice and showing taurus surround a week if you jim and a lady see the road very long road when the math and it bit it grow very easily. Yeah. You can see for additional rice conservation involves a lot of manual labor in the rise ponds. So one month old that move to the fields where they have more space to grow and help to prevent weeds. The tourist help to refund them. The see only 3 finger, so if you put the whole hand through because so you have to put only 3 finger, stick it to do much. That is yeah, just to make sure you arises, standing nicely. To grow, right . The traditional way. You have to put your back into it the this from here they quit lucky this, the waterfall. They can go right on. Yeah. Around. But normally for a local farmer, they do only 2 times a year, each the sickle loose and as you hold it is it takes 4 to 5 months for the rice pounds. The rankin harvesting the stage is also hard work. The tiny rice grains all hayton at the top of the stokes and need to be removed from the panels. Traditional farmers thrash their rice by hand. They look different and conduce upside down. Put it forward, the binds, grab it around, its not easy as the tourists quickly find out the, you know, week for a family of 4 or 5 people about 20 to 30 kilograms. If you want to cook stick or right, thats one bag of rice per week. The allow sions use it to make that sticky right. Before you called it, you will have to sell your rice into water 1st. So you have to soak, you just have a rice, you put it to the normal water, clean and threatened to water out put new water in and leave the rise to air for one day or one night. So that is maximum, but minimum is 2 hours. The grains of sticky rice glue together and separate again when they come into contact with a song. A tough job for, for a bone of rights. The, the me calling with a storms 800 kilometers of the border between thailand and laos. And there are visible differences between the 2 signs. While on the ties side, there are lots of mountain buildings. On the laotian side, there is more traditional villages surrounded by nature. There are also a few tories by sailing on the me call. The one is the captain of a small crew ship. The 72 year old is off and on the river for many weeks. That all the people dont mind calling this my life. Ive been working on the me calling since i was 17 years old. Really. I mean, and i was just a bridge where i work hung up, then i have for 10 rice. So i dont have to leave the bridge during the journey close to like on the bad and ive been and this is my buddhist train, the guards me and blessed as me with good fortune when i travel. I mean, hold on, hold on for them. And this is where i sleep for of a sleep here equal to captains mechanic data may control, next engineer. I mean they just come down to Something Like that. That sounds like the energy is doing a cargo, but with the transported goods are you . My father showed me every rock and every rapid to watch. I mean, thats why im an expert to data like top down. Anybody else kwan still has to take tons with another captain, the pots of the river. He doesnt know that well, and there was like, oh, what did they hear . What i learned the route from line for back to the n t. M for my father and i bought the alaska. If you want to seal here, youd have to sell you the route for 5 to 10 years. So you can try, but it takes time. The id is dont time today for the tories to both the me count some for this go on most carefully more his ship on the on page joel klein also now this difficult maneuver from his father, [000 00 00;00] the chef. The noise is responsible for the catering of the 28. 00 tourists on board. The 33 year old wants to use the trip a show to go shopping at the market. That sort of thing to me give me the zip quintile. Ive been working on the ship for 17. Yeah. Someone who im now the head shift of a 3 member kitchen to have it. A lot of i the you have a lot video. Okay. The, the noise is also on the boat for several weeks. He really sees his little dogs at the end, but its a sacrifice hes learned to live with. Being a chef with these green jobs since he has 10 years old. Being 5, i always likes to cook being guy, especially dock and fish, just like i told i dont mind whole today. Li, noise menu features a traditional laotian soup and for this he needs lots of fresh vegetables, plus some salad and fruit. Everything is fresh and local. Even the contains on the grill, which li noise enjoys has a mid day snack. The currency here is allow kemp. 10 euros is the equivalent of over 180000 kemp. You can all from paying dollars all the time bought in dallas as well. As i said before, the hyatt and well take some beat, we have a new us, can i get 3 bundles for 10000 company minute as well, but ill give you 2 for 10000 comes up. Do you still have them in dependent . But yes, i have some back here, especially harvested yesterday. Okay. Then ill take some more thoughtful coolant 10000 altogether. Okay, fine. Let me, let me go. Good. Good. So im gonna go to the same time sounds. Its kind of, you have to haggle with the sentence in the house. You always have to haggle. Its just part of shopping. Otherwise youll have to pay and you wont get a good price. It goes to close out the little. How about the hold up in the else now hes just missing one final, very special ingredient, but his su a little bit low. Now i should have everything for tonight so you should be in the accounting. Im quite happy with the price is i have well get the mushrooms are quite expensive. It was 820. So 100 grams evening. Thats quite a lot. So im 600. Its just a short ride on allows taxi back to the ship where he starts preparing the evening meals the law. The kitchen team basically gets on with the cooking, kept in one so its relaxed at the wheel. He knows hes roots inside out. He doesnt need a navigation system, but at some point he may need to use Satellite Technology because the river is changing rapidly. The water levels fluctuate more because of the dams in china and thailand, which has a huge impact, villages have to be relocated. There are a few a nutrients and the water and fish a dying theyve run into some difficulties today. The water level is quite low. Danger, assigned banks are foaming in the river. One has to concentrate again. Well yeah, no, im not scared. I know my sham well, and i knew what it can do high that he there on the last trip pull on mocked particularly shawna, a response with stakes, which now floating the river on like points. The captain asked, so team member to check the depth of the one to just in case one hasnt run a ground on assigned to banking over 50 years, but only a few contents on the me come can claim that the eventually that out of danger at the me comb, son has plenty of water on the hook key again the and while its calm again and the bridge down in the kitchen, its full steam ahead. The team is busy cooking the suit, the by the most important ingredients, official, some spices. It gets hot in the cramped county, and sometimes it gets up to 40 degrees down. And while i dont know, my fully put, so i have to cook for over 28 people who are at home. And now for the last, the noise wouldnt trade his jump on the ship with anyone on land to mount the my favorite place to work is on the ship. People. Yeah. And you see son much great nature, the small villages and all the people in the bank. See why the a lot. Yep. Its very special. I wouldnt want to give it tom. Good. Perfect. Ok, good. Really delicious. About really good laotian food. So i have just have to be careful with the teenage needed for the allow sions i put in 10 or 15 with on from the tourists, maybe one and one. Anyway, theyve given once the food is in south johnson given to the guests, which has consumed coordinator day the evening, my philosophy because i love cooking very much. Its after a day like today im most up pretty tight in the gas. Its enjoyed the soup. Even if it is a bit spicy than usual and today the someone who also knows about good taste is 67 year old, some chum. She makes our own whiskey from rice, but shes feeling worried about the future of our business. The life is good for us here in the village. We have everything we need here. The food we eat is a gift from nature. But we have big problems because of the dams that are being built here by the investors that keep buying up our field. And our villagers dont have bills to grow rice, which i also need for my wispy in some childrens village. 5 families alone may have from the side of rice whiskey governing method. The whisky recipe is a family tradition. Thats very old having some trouble. 1000 like alcohol himself, but there are plenty of people who do lots of locals by and drink the spin rates. Its cheap and doesnt require many ingredients, a name and co signed. So just, you know, dickie rice and use powder name and ben. Its mixed. Well together, so that a kind of a met the left in the barrels for a week. Then some chum taste the liquid and sometimes adds a little water. A week later, the mentor liquid is boiled. So until the boiling phase is always exciting. Thats what determines the alcohol level. Meaning some chum measures the temperature. 70 degrees below the that the boat, right. Lets do some shopping produces of, of 500 liters a month. She themselves, the bottles to trade is on the market. A model cost is 30000. 00 kit. Thats about one euro. 60 but the profits onto enough to do everything shed like in the living. Oh, i would like to repair my house and help the poor people in the village so they can send their children to school. Along the me calling river. Many people live in poverty, and many houses are in poor condition. The laos is a full country, and the corona virus crisis has compounded the struggles of allow economy even further. But with the easing of the time demick in china is new silk road lotions, hope the Economic Situation will improve. Slowly, things are picking up again. At least in the villages, people benefit from the free natural Building Material that surrounds them. Some people like call me even built that house is completely by themselves from bamboo. Uh well, today we have to repair a wall in our house because the old phone broke and it rained in the nice for our daughter photo that happens all the time. Hopeful, get it done today, but then a may even have here. This is the old well and all these holes are where the mice eat into it. The mice are a big problem. So now im gonna go up to 28 year old call me inherited the house from his parents. He now lives here with his brother, his wife and dad, daughter, or call me as a sama, engrossed cassava, the devil root of a tropical tree. They have to renew the bamboo bowls roughly every 10 years, which call me now knows how to do very well. And what a is, oh and this is the bamboo from the forest is free. So when it hit nice email there and just take as much as we need, allow hang up. I dont have to pay anything for it. And i dont have to go to the city a little bit, so youre going to be saying that it is good. I can work with whats already growing around. I hang all funny on family life, but we still have to process the process into stripling slides in right . Because otherwise it will bend under the heat of the sun, a crumbled settle. Have a loss of work to do to help the heck out of the the who is an important resumes for many people across asia. Its a fast growing natural material that can be used, natalie to build houses and furniture. Many also use it as firewood, even as food call me and his wife a building the new wall. Once its finished it will be was approved and relatively stone proof. Yeah, you, my leg was a lot and i prefer village life to city lights. And on my how give me a city, you need a lot of money to cover all the expensive box and i in the village, you dont need so much money factor black. Um that link, i mean what . Divide that word and again by you in the future, im hoping to save some money to buy a small truck. What i buy, its no easy. What about but it would help us on the visit . I had a truck, i could take microsoft at the city, so they are, is a higher pricing. They will come in and everything will be good. And then 2 months or then quarter tone way kind of a little i neva helps calling me to install the new band, the few nails here and that, and the house is fine. And the roof had to love with that. I couldnt sleep before because of all the holes i needed to night. Ill sleep suddenly again. The, the 10 family also has their own house with a god and they grow. Chinese ginger, also called finger at the plant, is related to ginger, but the taste isnt quite as spicy. The root is used as a spice and tie. Kerry added china as im additional tongue to use if can give cod. Its good for iraqi arms and legs by headaches and facing the higher d goodman. A few of the plans of granting just behind the 10 families house. How do we take them off to doing the root . So the we also use the leaks. Ok. How many we cut the roots into slices and drive them in the sun. The chinese ginger originally comes from the mountainous regions of china, but today its growing across most of south east asia. Once a year, the time the families sounds almost veteran tile hobbies to china because thats where they on the most money and they can live well from it. This also saves the time, find me the trip to the market in the capital, which lies if you kilometers about the south along the river. The v n t on is located directly on the banks of the me come river. Its a charming city with its many temples, possibly markets, and historic buildings. Traditions are preserved alongside them old mountain way of life. The Fashion Design of va income lives in that city. Stone sounds top quality, wave ensconced, closing, and bags made of silk. Or idea to combine the old with a new has been a great success. No, i used to, we have traditional patterns, but then i realized that everyone does that. So i wanted to design patterns that would be interesting for tourists. Like what now i make modern design that incorporate traditional allow patterns and motif for the kids they cheated, signed the items on display here, sells the income is one of the most successful business women in the capital have. This is a traditional low pattern that lies pin at the top. Its traditional, but ive combined it with a new modern style at the bottom. And the patterns on the soak still go together and say, uh my customers like the style and it sells. Well, look inside my organs, i know how many boom, nice to a need the va income sounds please type. Its gone for the equivalent of about 200 us on affordable to most laotian that have popular susan here with tourist customers in my store. Comfortable all over the world, but most of the scarves i explored are to japan and america and the produced right in the backyard. A 1000 women sit that their lives. It takes one person about 2 weeks to make one of the expensive. So scotts, when i come from the ethnic group, red tide in northern loud in the past, women were taught to prepare themselves to leave home and become good wives. They had to learn to weave and cook. Since women received no schooling, finding a good husband always depended on how well they could bring it down in the hole. In plucking the va income takes good care of weavers and make sure they have everything they need. Ive been working on this car for 6 days so far. I love working with the va income is a member of the allow handicraft association. Its important to have that poor female workers are supported under that work is paid valley fund via income expects good work in real time. She always overseas, the production of the scouts that south what happened . You have to do the Quality Control very carefully. Leading is not that easy for me to sell the scarves. Well, every centimeter needs to be correct. The income has been recognized internationally for the quality of a watch. And shes always got new ideas in the pipeline. Coming, i would like to open many more stores with young people for a creative and motivator. Despite the setbacks of the pond, demick louse has made good strides to count poverty and hunger over the last 20 years. The. Its also a country of great beauty, rich culture and serenity. The theres an old long problem that says the whys do know terry. And those who hurry, us seldom wise. The other kid is by, by a continent bursting with creativity, needs to design is and cultural icons, aspartame, lifestyle, ad coming as diverse and exciting as the concept is, itself is as a back in 30 minutes, d w. The what thing is that, what do you get for 0. 50 for 0. 50 . No. Thinking cost sales and lots and lots of stuff. Did you know it costs 0. 50 to feed one hungry child for one for the evening and former Prime Minister robert caesars party wins the largest share in parliamentary elections with no needs to bring allies on board. Plus nigeria,