Asian Food Tours:
Laos Food Tour
A fascinating tour to a little-known country and you're invited to tag-along with our chef and local guide, Ning, to explore the food and culture of Laos in Vientianne on:
- Oct. 27 - 30 2008
- Feb. 23 - 26 2009
As the tours are restricted to 8 people, remember to book early as they fill fast. Phone our office on (07)5446 8977 to ensure spaces are still available.
The Tag-Along Concept
The Tag-along concept is simple - book your own flights and accommodation (use frequent flyer miles or hotel discount cards) and meet our chefs for four days exploring the sights, sounds and tastes of Vientianne, Laos.
Our chef and guide will help unravel the mysteries and complexities of Laos food and culture.
The idea of the tour is to take it easy and we found 4 hours is plenty of time to take in all the sights, sounds and tastes each day. The rest of the day is free to do some shopping or simply put your feet up before heading off again at night. Our guide will give you plenty of suggestions on shopping and quirky things to see and do.
The main focus of these tours is food and fun with members meeting up at night at a great restaurant to swap stories and share a laugh.
Where to stay:
We suggest these four hotels in Vientiane as the best places to stay:
- Setha Palace
- Inter City Hotel
- Beau Rivage
- Villa Manoly
Finding websites for them is hard but a quick google search will reveal several websites where you can book and pay for rooms online. Laos-hotels.com is a good site to book these hotels or more.
Once you book your hotel please let us know where you are staying so we can contact you.
Day 1:
In morning, we participate in a traditional welcoming Baci ceremony in a local home.
A baci (said as baassi, nothing like chocolate kisses) starts the tour. The Lao believe that like elephants, humans have 32 souls which at regular intervals need to be reunited with the body. You never know, a soul might have ended up in lost luggage at Suvannabhumi airport or may be idling at the incoming airport duty free. So to tempt the soul to come back, chants and offerings are given around a pyramid (makben) constructed from banana leaves and marigolds. The morning’s ceremony is always begun or ended by a glass of lao lao the customary rice based white lightning. Residue is poured on the floor to soothe house spirits.You will then see your taxes at work at an Ausaid sponsored restaurant run to train street kids. The food, a wonderful range of local fare, is served by kids whose lives started with abandonment and despair but whose attentive professional service now ensures them a job in Laos booming tourist industry.
Afternoon free to take in sights or rest ... suggestions are to visit the Wat Sisa Khet and Royal Wat
Sunset drinks on the Mekong at a riverside bar.
Optional dinner at Nao Dao French restaurant (own expense)
Day 2:
We head to traditional brick bakeries where baguettes sprayed with oil from an old fashioned pump action spray alarmingly labeled Baygon, are freshly made 4 times a day. Then venture on to insect and wild game markets, and finish up in tucked away coffee shops where local Health Ministry officials discuss vasectomies and malaria. Then drive in our bus to a typical Lao household on edge of rice paddies, and help the family women cook a special Lao lunch for our group.
Afternoon and evening free. Optional street food dinner (own expense) - linger over yellow spiced roast chicken or pounded fish in banana leaves.
Day 3:
Free morning
Picnic lunch at Buddha Park.
Visit organic vegetable farm and local Lao market, selling insects and ant eggs.
Travel by our private bus to Ban Pako National Park. Overnight stay with evening meal
(included in fee).
The last night is spent at an out of town eco lodge reachable by a 20 minute trip on a primitive boat made of canoes lashed with planks. The cottages by the river barely have electricity, and cold water showers start the day. But the tranquility is catching, and the sunsets along the reaches of the Nam Ngum river are magical.
Day 4:
Start the day with a bush sauna with sinus clearing herbs and a walk through traditional villages on the other side of the river to see a different side of authentic Lao life.Morning Boat trip up river to protected area. Return to Vientianne late morning
Lunch at local noodle store or local restaurant serving Lao sausage.
Afternoon Free
Farewell Dinner at Kua Lao with dancing.
How to Book:
The four day tour costs $800 which includes:
- All tag-along related daily transport (we have our own airconditioned van)
- All street/market food, lunch and snacks (excluding alchohol and Vientianne evening meals)
- Overnight stay and meals in Ban Pako
Book and pay in advance by calling our office on (07) 5446 8977 or .
