The meek home is the longest river in south east asia. The boast rich by diversities and breathtaking wilderness. The river originates in the 2 beds and plant to induce over full 1300 kilometers long. The space of the river is ever changing at points it flows slowly through tropical landscapes. At others, it plunges through steep. Gorgeous, meet home is the long sign 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 thailand, to cambodia and vietnam to the south china sea. Its one of the longest rivers in the world. The were on a journey through northern allows us to explore the landscapes and experience the laid back laotian way of life. First 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 22 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 on mon fishing is not my main source of income loss. I also work as a teacher at the Elementary School in the village. Its like a night and publishing is what i like to do the most. Well, i love the river, certainly. I can always add a little extra. Yeah. So but jump ship to keep cub court. I really recently, soccer has needed lots of patients. A big catch is read these days, but hes still in high spirit. Stop. Well, out of the listing, refreshing. And unfortunately, this is no time comment because of dams signed mining and climate change. Fish populations have been declining in the me call the for i see, see where i never moved to movies like its been more difficult to catch fish lazy because the river and the weather ive changed a lot how you can go by the fish somehow seem to move different even they used to come up with. Yeah, i dont understand whats happened with that hope i knew how like the how they didnt put well, but now im gonna keep them in a big sike. It 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. It was a night or anything. And its just that the money we own from selling the fish and the market is imposing too many to pay even if its not much. So we bought so many of us. It was the, theres nothing begun this nat honda but hes called a few small fish, which will be enough to feed his family tonight. The shy 12345. Theyve all prepared his fish tonight for me and my family. Well 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 then like a like a kind of like in 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 so that the countrys population is under 15 years old. Soccer also has to dont is the land by that, by headphones to slice, to finish up on top of that and then put them on skews and verify from the the fish has been left to dry a little in the summer before he fries it in the oil, its a traditional, inexpensive loud dish, fresh from the me call. The house is located in the hot tips southeast asia, a relatively small country about hoff this size upfront is compared to its most developed neighbors, thailand and vietnam. Now is more rustic unless touristy. Its a country state in ancient tradition and known for its relaxed, meditative way of life. In the mountains, is north of laos, lines the tranquil city of lou on prevent many called it the most beautiful city in asia. The new and per bang is the former seat of the royal family and now a unesco wild heritage sites. The city has a population of about 70000. 00 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, the laotian, soups and nice people. Phenomena leaves me most. The most popular thing we sell is dave, how do you see read from the me call ive been working here for 10 years now in the 2nd gender. I guess my parents also. So hows it going to panell and a storm neva. The light pond 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. That was an 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 at the market every night from 5 to 11 pm. Shes happy so far into fresh soups. Ascending well the, the monkey just bouncing late into the night. If you stay up late enough, thats something completely different to see. Come Early Morning the, the long pro bang. Religion determines the rhythm city. At 4 am. The monk speaking that morning proud the concert more than men, the monks and the temple chunk every day to honor the t to the buddha. Like a tron thing is a form of meditation for the mind and body and teaches the monks to become a and better people. Try 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 hot. So im gonna think of a off to the pratt, somebody and hundreds of other monks walked silently to the old town for the escaping cetera. Many cold tact but an ancient buddhist ritual. As a Buddhist Monk working for money is so they didnt. So the monks receive food donations from devout buddhist every morning. For them, its an honor to night. It increases that chance of a better reincarnation. Traditionally old monks was baffled in the summer when it sometimes reaches over 40 degrees celsius during the day. Theyre allowed to wear sandals. Ive done to america to when we come here every day to give them some food except when were so didnt know 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 its sometimes get to know why they take lots of photos. And thats the last with the flash level, which really disturbs the home ceremony. What type of deal whats going up . The donations they received during the arms giving include rice fuse pumpkin soup sausages, lam stained violets and stained fish in phenomenally amongst remain silent even during breakfast, a particular challenge for the children, the boys can join 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 of the song about couldnt come aboard for ive gotten sick time for me and you have got some children wants in education, but the families come to fault the school field comes on here, i think at the time of what we 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 board. And i see with 15, but the by the time i did a single 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, as 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 then they can come this look the picture. So we have to use multiple by 4. Thats why theres no cell phone band in the temple of flow on preventing 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 largest share of the population. Almost 2 thirds of all nations live from agriculture. Many from rice conservation to staple food and 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, then must take out the muddy soil and hes helped by susan the water buffalo, rice panos have been doing this for 100. So if you. Ready some form of why stain uh, someplace. Very 5 a they have no money to buy the machine thing or tract though 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 rice is one of the worlds most important and food crops, and tour is so keen to learn about a t. A den welcomes gases from all over the world. Today from new zealand, single poll from germany, and the see the from last. How this last crop. So we want to plan the seats today and when youre ready. Mm hm. Normally i was born in the assembly of the family. So when i was young, i follow with my parents to to feel this. And then we just learned by looking or see how they do a dan started working on the som 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 aerobic if you germany and they 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 retain them. The see only 3 thing. Good. 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 and the waterfall. They can go right on. Yeah. Around. But normally for a local farmer they do only 2 times a year. Each is sick of the race. And as you hold it is it takes 4 to 5 months for the rise. Ponce, the ranking, the 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 rice before you called it, you will have to sell your rice in the 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 bow live, right . Uh, the the, the me calling with a storms 800 kilometers of the border between thailand and louse. And there are physical differences between the 2 signs. While on the ty site, there are lots of mountain buildings. On the laotian side, there is small traditional villages surrounded by nature. There are also a few tories about 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. But all the people that dont mind calling this my life. My been working on the me calling since i was 17 years old. Legally. I mean, and i was just the bridge where i work hung up. Then i have for jan rice, so i dont have to leave the bridge during the journey. Hows the wife on the bed . And ive been and this is my buddhist train, the guards me and blesses me with good fortune. When i travel i hold on hold of them. And this is where i sleep for of a sleep here equal to captains mechanic data megatron x engineering. I mean they just a competitor and whatnot. And the tax on what it might be here and shes doing the 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, give me put you juan. Still has to take tons with another captain, the pots of the river. He doesnt know that well. There they go. How would it be here . They would learn the route from lying on her back to the n. C. M for my father and i bought a lot faster. If you want to seal here, youd have to study the route for 5 to 10 years. So you can try, but it takes time, but i dont have it. I like the theres a stop time today for the taurus to both the me come some for this. Go on. Must kathy moore, his ship on the on page joel klein also now this difficult maneuver from his father. The chef lee neu. K is responsible for the k touring of the 28 tourists on board. The 33 year old wants to use the trip a show to go shopping at the market. For the thinking to me to me sit tight. Ive been working on the ship for 17 years. Someone who im now the head shack of a 3 member kitchen tea like ive had with a lot of i thought on that you have a lot video. Okay. The, the noise austin on the boat for several weeks. He really sees these little doors at the end. But its a sacrifice hes learned to live with. Being a chef was his dream job since he was 10 years old. Being 5, i always likes to cook. I dont think i especially dont can fix just like i told i dont mind whole a daily 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 lower camp. 10 euros is the equivalent of over 180000 kemp. You can know if im paying dollars all the time, bob, 10. 00 as well. As i said before, theyre hired and well take some beam. Were going to ask, can i get 3 bundles for 10000 lumina with no, but ill give you 2 for 10000 a couple of the 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 go together. Okay, fine. Let me, let me go. Good. Good. So lets go to the same time sounds. It kind of, you have to handle with the sentence. In the house, you always have to haggle. Its just part of shopping and hold on. Otherwise you will have to pay and you wont get a good price. It goes to close to the little. How about the hold up in the else now hes just missing one final, very special ingredient. But his suit, the the, the now i should have everything for tonight so you should be in the accounting. Im quite happy with the price is a 100. Well, you guys dont need the mushrooms are quite expensive really to yours for a 100 crimes evening. Thats quite a long time. 600. Its just a short ride on allows taxi back to the ship, where he stops preparing the evening meal. The law, the kitchen team basically gets on with the cooking campaign, juan, 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 punctuate 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 in danger. Assigned banks are forming 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 shadow response. We have stakes, which now floats in the river like boys. The captain asked so team member to check the depths of the one to just in case one hasnt run a ground on assigned to banking over 50 years and only a few captains 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 while its calm again and the bridge down in the kitchen. Its full steam ahead. The team is busy cooking. This is the by the most important ingredients. Official austin, spices. It gets cold in the crime to county the city. Sometimes it gets up to 40 degrees down there. So i looked up no more fully put. So i have to cook for over 28 people who at home and now for the last leroy wouldnt betrayed his jump on the ship with anyone on land. The last thing for a place to work is on a ship to people. Yeah. And you see son much great nature, small villages and all the people in the bank see why they see a lot. Yeah. Its very special. I wouldnt want to give it tom. Good. Perfect. Ok, good. Really delicious. About really good laotian food. So id have just have to be careful with the teenage would be that if i for the allow sions, i put in 10 or 15 with on, from the tourists, maybe one in the way of giving you the once the food is in south jonathan, given to the guests the shaft consume, coordinate to day the evening my philosophy because i love cooking very much. Its all through a dialect today. Im also, im pretty tied in the gas. Its enjoyed the soup. Even if it is a bit spicy than usual 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 buying. Families alone live from the sound of rice, whiskey government a method the whiskey recipe is a family tradition. Thats very old. Having some trouble doesnt like alcohol himself, but there are plenty of people who do lots of locals by and drink the spin rate. Its cheap and doesnt require many ingredients, a name and co signed, so just yall, 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 trauma taste the liquid and sometimes adds a little more to a week later. The mentor liquid is boiled. So until the boiling phase is always exciting. Thats what determines the alcohol level. We need 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 then sells the bottles to trade is on the market. A model. Cost is 30000 kept. Thats about one euro 60 but the profits on to enough to do everything shed like in the living. 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 meek on river, many people live in poverty and many houses are in poor condition. The loss is a full country, and the corona virus crisis has compounded the struggles that 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 called me even built, that house is completely by themselves. From bamboo level. Today we have to repair a wall in our house because the old phone broke and it rained. And i wasnt nice for our daughter photo that happens all the time. I hope well get it done today, but then i may go when i didnt even have here. This is the old well and all these holes are where the mice eaten to it. The mice are a big problem. Tony, let me 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 called me as a pharma and gross cassava, the edible 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. By the way is oh and this is the bamboo from the forest is free. How when they hit and i think you know they are 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. Oh embassy. You gotta the thing that is good. I can work with whats already growing around. I hang all a funny home satellite, but we still have to process the band concerts into stripe line slots in right . Because otherwise it will bend under the heat of the sun, a crumbled settle. Have a lot of work to do the coupon code, 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 not tiny 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 water proof and relatively stone proof. Yeah you, my leg was a lot and i prefer village life to city lights and i might have given you city, you need a lot of money to cover all the expensive box and i in the village. I dont need so much money factor black um look, i mean when you buy black luna and again. But you know future. Im hoping to save some money to buy a small truck. Thats what i buy. Its not 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 prize. It may go near that would be good. And then to muddle through the portal by kind of little neva helps calm me to install the new back to a few nails here. And that in the house is fine. And the roof out to the food and a lot in love with that. I couldnt sleep before because of all the holes. I need it tonight, so hey, ill sleep. Secondly again. The, the 10 family also has their own house with a garden. They grow chinese ginger, also called fingerprint supplant is related to ginger. But the taste isnt quite a spicy. The root is used as a spice and tie carry, added china as an additional problem to use the objective card. Its good for iraqi arms and legs by headaches and this, and i already have a few of the plan. So grounding just behind the 10 families house. How do we pick them up or doing the root . So the we also use the leaks ok. How many we cut the roots into slices and dry them in the sun. The, 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 bank. So to me calling 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 passed on sounds top quality wave, ensconced, closing, and bags. Native sales are idea to combine the old with the 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 tourist lackland. Now i make modern design that incorporate traditional loud patterns and motif for the kid a she designed the items on display here south. The income is one of the most successful business women in the capital have. This is a traditional allow pattern that lies pretty me 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 to others, say uh my customers liked this style and it sells well. Look inside my organs and i know him and boom, nice to a need. The va income sounds place type. Its gone for the equivalent of about 200 us on affordable to most lounge ships that have popular susan here with tourist customers and my store comfortable all over the world. But most of the scarves i explored are to japan and america and that, but use to write in the backyard. A 1000 women sit that at that loops. 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 allows. 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 to receive no schooling, finding a good husband always depended on how well they could bring them in some hole in cork, in the va income takes good. Can a weavers and make sure they have everything they need time ive been working on this car for 6 days so far. I love working with va income is a member of the allow handicraft association. Its important to have that pool of 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 discounts. That sounds good. 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. On the 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 process that says the wives do know terry. And those who hurry us felt a wise the she speaks her mind even though the campus does the talking to mark that from somebody a toe we could, healer is taking african comedy stages to get to get away with things. Not c max in 30 minutes on d. W. The people in trucks engine 20 to see the city center. The street explains the around the world more than 130000000 people us we of mine because no one should have to make up your own mind. Dw may 4 mines the. This is the w news light from berlin, germany, a drum said to gaza. A military plane to live is loan awaited food a to find passes for any restrictions on the ground. But the ones that emergency aids isnt enough to stop now nutrition and another day of voting and rushes president ial election independent is doing all that can to bones, to turn out that observe is pointing to evidence of manipulation. The