MORNING ARRIVAL

Day One:
After checking into the Lanjia Lodge (9:30am), your host will give you an overview of the lodge, and introduce the Hmong and the Lahu hill-tribe communities in the area, the Golden Triangle and the giant catfish (locally known as Pla Buek)  the world’s biggest fresh water fish, found in the Mekong River. You will learn about activities that affect the Mekong River and about the people whose lives depend on the river. Later, your host will take you on a walking tour through the Hmong and Lahu villages. You will visit the Hmong shaman at his home, where you learn why the fireplace is an important part of Hmong culture and why they bury the placenta and umbilical cord of their newborn babies. Lunch will be served on the charming terrace overlooking the Mekong River and beyond to Laos. In the afternoon, you will be shown how to create your own batik piece or, if you are interested, how to make and set animal traps.

Later you will plant a tree at the Herbal Plant Nursery Project, which was dedicated to His Majesty the King in celebration of his 84th birthday on 5 December, 2011. The main objective of the project is to improve the quality of life of local people by educating them in how to grow vegetables and the importance of the eco-system in their village. In the evening you will have dinner at the Lanjia Lodge and watch Hmong and Lahu cultural performances. You will stay overnight at the Lodge.

Day Two:
There is no set program for today. You are free to spend the rest of your stay at leisure.