{"id":1102,"date":"2008-08-28T14:48:57","date_gmt":"2008-08-28T19:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/?p=1102"},"modified":"2011-09-05T17:34:43","modified_gmt":"2011-09-05T21:34:43","slug":"champa-house-luang-prabang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/champa-house-luang-prabang\/","title":{"rendered":"Champa House, Luang Prabang"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s an interesting establisment in Luang Prabang, a house\/non profit set up by Prince (Chao) Somsanith Nithakhong, a Lao artist of royal descent.\u00a0 (He recently made an appearance on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations<\/em> episode on Laos) Educated in Laos and France, intelligent and eloquent in many languages, he spoke to us about the mission of the school.\u00a0 (Some of my art was hanging with his textiles last year in Lowell, MA.)<\/p>\n

It was interesting that their mission was not to perform for tourists.\u00a0 The photos below are really of a fundraiser that they hold every now and then.\u00a0 He and his fellow staff and teachers would like the school to be a resource and link to the younger generation, in learning and upholding traditional Lao arts, whether they be textiles, music, or dance.\u00a0 What really resonated with me was that he said the older masters are dying, and it’s up to the students to rise up and become the new generation.<\/p>\n

When the issue of tourism came up, the school did express that it was both good and bad.\u00a0 Chao Nithakhong said that in the past, bombs destroyed the land, and right now it is tourism.<\/p>\n

The money and recognition that tourism brings is good, but with this influx of people brings pollution and environmental issues.\u00a0 Laos is already a dirty place, but more and more empty bottles litter the land, and water pollution has increased with the sewage and detergent needs of travelers.\u00a0 They too expressed their sadness over the alms giving become a zoo-like spectacle.\u00a0 Hundreds of tourists carelessly using flash photography adds up over time, and it just smacks of disprespect.\u00a0 In the Lao tradition (and not the Thai tradition) everyone, even a King must kneel before monks, when giving alms.\u00a0 To have noisy and not properly dressed tourists interrupt the daily ceremony is saddening.<\/p>\n

It is amazing that my home country of Laos has gotten so much international recognition for eco-tourism, but this rapid globalization is a big problem for a country that is easily 40 years behind most of the world.<\/p>\n

\"bvong_pix_laos_house_champa.jpg\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s an interesting establisment in Luang Prabang, a house\/non profit set up by Prince (Chao) Somsanith Nithakhong, a Lao artist of royal descent.\u00a0 (He recently made an appearance on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode on Laos) Educated in Laos and France, intelligent and eloquent in many languages, he spoke to us about the mission of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11311,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4,59,7],"tags":[58,60,287],"class_list":{"0":"post-1102","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-lao-culture","8":"category-laos-trip","9":"category-photos","10":"tag-laos","11":"tag-luang-prabang","12":"tag-photos","14":"post-with-thumbnail","15":"post-with-thumbnail-large"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pelE0-hM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1100,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/luang-prabang\/","url_meta":{"origin":1102,"position":0},"title":"Luang Prabang","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 28, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0005.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1108,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/mt-phousi-luang-prabang\/","url_meta":{"origin":1102,"position":1},"title":"Mt. Phousi, Luang Prabang","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 29, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1106,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/luang-prabang-long-boat-race\/","url_meta":{"origin":1102,"position":2},"title":"Luang Prabang Long Boat Race","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 29, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/000.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1104,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/thak-baht-luang-prabang\/","url_meta":{"origin":1102,"position":3},"title":"Thak Baht, Luang Prabang","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 29, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Luang Prabang, the old Royal Capital of Laos, has always been known as a jewel amongst the already beautiful landscape of Laos.\u00a0 I'd always wanted to go, but I would honestly have to say that it's not quite what I expected.\u00a0 The first chance I had to walk around this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0003.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1026,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/traveling-through-laos-with-friends\/","url_meta":{"origin":1102,"position":4},"title":"Traveling through Laos with Friends","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"September 2, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are the people that I traveled through Laos with.\u00a0 All amazing and kind hearted people with some connection and empathy towards\u00a0Laos and\u00a0its people. (Please excuse my\u00a0silly bios) :) 1] FB Writer, Interviewer, Cookie Thief, Author of \u201cVoices from the Plain of Jars,\u201d helped to expose the secret war in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/bvong_pix_laos_team.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/photos-that-luang-at-sunrise\/","url_meta":{"origin":1102,"position":5},"title":"That Luang at Sunrise","author":"Boon.Vong","date":"August 18, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Still wasn't used to the jetlag, so I got up at 4:00am,\u00a0Vientiane\u00a0time.\u00a0 Had nothing better to do so I\u00a0stepped out of the hotel and started walking to\u00a0the That Luang Stupa, which is the national symbol of\u00a0Laos.\u00a0 It was a somewhat long walk to the site, and at that hour of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lao Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Lao Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/category\/lao-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"That Luang at Sunrise","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/bvong_pix_laos_02_that_luang.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"medium":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"vantage-thumbnail-no-sidebar":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"vantage-slide":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"vantage-carousel":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004-272x182.jpg",272,182,true],"vantage-grid-loop":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004-290x272.jpg",290,272,true],"yarpp-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004-120x120.jpg",120,120,true],"sow-carousel-default":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004-272x182.jpg",272,182,true],"sow-blog-portfolio":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"sow-blog-grid":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false],"sow-blog-alternate":["https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/0004.jpg",290,290,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Boon.Vong","author_link":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Lao Culture<\/a> Laos Trip<\/a> Photos<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"There’s an interesting establisment in Luang Prabang, a house\/non profit set up by Prince (Chao) Somsanith Nithakhong, a Lao artist of royal descent.\u00a0 (He recently made an appearance on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode on Laos) Educated in Laos and France, intelligent and eloquent in many languages, he spoke to us about the mission of…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.b-vong.com\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}