Kees Sprengers - Ethnic Diversity in Luang Namtha - Laos: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Family visit NZ Nov 2011

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:29:06 GMT

Pancakes in Sen Monoram

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:23:44 GMT

One day we hired a guide and a car to do some sightseeing. During a trip through a village we saw some women operating a grindstone to make rice flower, in liquid form. We were explained this would be used for 'pancakes'. Later that afternoon we had lunch at a restaurant in the middle of a coffee plantation. The pancakes were on the menu, and we ate them. We liked them so much that we asked if we could order one more and record the process of making them in the kitchen. The whole story with detailed photographs of the process will soon be published on our blog on http://foodfromnorthernlaos.com
(The name mentions Laos, our most visited country, but this was recorded in Cambodia instead)
This is only a few pictures, the total series on this subject will follow as soon as my internet connection gets a bit more cooperative.

WWF Sen Monoram

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:15:13 GMT

On invitation of Bill Tuffin, who worked for WWF in Cambodia for a while, we came to Sen Monoram to take some photographs of several local projects. This included a day on the road with WWF to look at some of their involvement. These images are full size and will take some time to show if you have slow internet. They are primarily intended for WWF, and can only be downloaded and reproduced by WWF. Anyone else who wants access to downlaod, contact me directly.

Cooking with Ma

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:00:31 GMT

Ma is a collegue of Brigit. We asked Brigit, who works and lives in Sen Monoram if she knew someone who could demonstrate how to cook a couple of local dishes for us. She found Ma prepared to do so. This gallery has all the photos from that that cooking session. It will soon be fully described in our blog on the foodwebsite http://www.foodfromnorthernlaos.com/ under the heading Blog.

Vandara 4 Liz

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:01:08 GMT

Elephant Sanctuary Cambodia

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:47:53 GMT

In Mondulkiri province an elephant sanctuary was set up a few kilometers outside the provincial capital Sen Monorom. It was started about 5 years ago by Jack Highwood.
You can find them on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/70820671560/

We spent a day exploring it and photographing. More about our visit later . In the meantime these websites will tell more about the sanctuary
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cambodia/northeastern-cambodia/sen-monorom/activities/ecotour/elephant-valley-project

http://www.globalteer.org/projects/cambodia-elephant-forest-conservation.html

We came to Cambodia this time to visit our friend Bill who worked for WWF in Mondulkiri, to photograph several tourist ventures, and to find out about and record some Cambodian food. As I am writing this, Dorothy is working on the first of series of Cambodian recipes, see
http://www.foodfromnorthernlaos.com

Wat Xiang Thong -Luang Prabang

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:34:30 GMT

A series of photographs i shot during my last visit to Luang Prabang Laos. An important old temple, due to be restored this year with assistance of the US ambassadors fund.

Wat Visoun -Luang Prabang

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:31:57 GMT

Alexselect

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:08:23 GMT

Khamsouk's Wedding

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 09:13:52 GMT

Wedding in the Khmu village of Ban Chaloensouk, Luang Namtha, district and province, Laos.

I have posted the whole story of this wedding in four parts on our blog at http://www.foodfromnorthernlaos.com/2011/08/04/khamsouks-wedding-part-4-and-final/, but with only a few pictures. I intend to put here about 100 pictures of this wedding

Ban Goop, Nale district

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:08:52 GMT

A visit to Ban Goop in Nale district. November 2003, in the company of Dorothy (My wife), Bill, Pawn and Bouakhet. The trek was made to investigate the possibility of developing a new tourist trek in this direction, as an extension to the Luang Namtha Ecotourism Development Project . Although we found plenty of things that may have been interesting to foreign tourists, the venture never got off the ground due to lack of official approval. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful opportunity to visit a village that had not previously been visited by foreigners.

Jack's 90's Birthday

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:57:45 GMT

Zaydin's Birthday

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 07:29:40 GMT

Akha Villages in Luang Namtha Laos

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:36:40 GMT

In early 2003, I visited for the first time Ban Nammat Gao and Ban Nammat Mai, two Akha villages in the protected NamHa Biodiversity area, high in the hills above Luang Namtha town. These villages had been selected by the Unesco sponsored eco-tourism development project as destination for tourism treks. It took six hours on foot to reach Ban Nammat Gao, following steep jungle trails.

The Project had built a small guest lodge which could house the maximum eight visitors allowed per group, plus their two guides.
The following day, a nearly seven hour trek to Ban Nammat Mai, and the third day six hours to get back to Luang Namtha.

My first visit to these two villages was an eyeopener, and I visited them twice again in the next few months, and again in december 2003. Each time on my repeat visits, I took back many of the photographs taken on my earlier visits, which were very much appreciated by the recipients. They also enabled me to take more photographs inside the houses, and build up a good general picture of life in these hillvillages.

Unfortunately for the eco-tourism project, both villages have since moved from the protected area to sites closer to the road and to town.

Recently, a visitor called cat, has added some very informative comments to my comments, on photo #5,#6,#15,#51,#58,#72.

I strongly encourage further comments from those who have more information then I have.
Technical note for photographers:
In 2002/2003, I used Sony Cybershot 717, later 828. Some of the colour isn't as refined as my later portfolios shot on Canon 20 and 5D. Those shots in the Akha village portfolio that do not have exif data were shot on 35 mm Contax rangefinder, and scanned. The interior shots were sometimes done on high speed colour print film, which results in grainy images.

Isan Wedding

Mon, 31 May 2010 05:34:27 GMT

Lanten (Lantien, "Yao Mun") Wedding, Ban Nam Lue

Sun, 16 May 2010 11:56:12 GMT

Lunar New Year in a Yao Mien village

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:13:22 GMT

Yao Mun Ordination ceremony

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:20:13 GMT

In early January 2009, as I was travelling in Luang Namtha province, I stumbled upon a Yao Mun village (Lantien) where a ceremony was being organised to ordinate two young men into Dao (Tao?) priesthood. I am grateful to the people of the village to allow me to photograph this ceremony, so there will be a record for posterity.
More detail to come

Portraits from ethnic villages in Laos

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:07:28 GMT

A selection of portraits of people in Luang Namtha Province.

More information about who and where will be added soon

Dao Ordination in Yao village

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:31:27 GMT

Laos- Lantien ordination ceremony

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:27:00 GMT

Frame 2 -5 contain a text explanation of the origin of this gallery

Hmong

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:26:00 GMT

Tai Dam festival 2008

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 08:03:00 GMT

Ban Nam Lue - Lantien

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:17:00 GMT

People at work in Luang Namtha - Laos

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:14:00 GMT

People at work in Luang Namtha - Laos

Grace's birthday 2

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:28:00 GMT

Grace's birthday 1

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 05:12:00 GMT

The best 41 pix of Grace's birthday. Click on the thumbnail to open the picture, then Rightclick on the picture and choose download if you want it on your hard drive or want to print it.
I'll be sending Esme 6x8" prints of these in a week or so, plus 4x6" of the 86 pix in folder Grace's Birthday 2

Landscape in Laos

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:21:00 GMT

Non Luang Namtha photos

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:21:00 GMT

Akha Experience -Muang Sing - Laos

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:00:00 GMT

The Akha Experience is a 3 day trek through the hills near Muang Sing, Luang Namtha province, which allows visitors to the district an opportunity to experience aspects of the Akha way of life. The trek was set up in 2005 through an initiative of GTZ (a German development organization) in cooperation with Exotissimo, a travel company operating in Laos.
Linkto Exotissimo webpage

The trek sets off near a temple on the top of a hill overlooking Muang Sing Valley, and winds its way over the hills and through the jungle. The first day, lunch is prepared by the Akha Guides from products grown in the village or collected from the jungle. The lunch is eaten next to a waterfall in the forest.
On arrival in the first village, the visitors are housed in a specially built lodge. This is built in traditional style, but furnished withsome un-traditional luxury such as a solar heated hot shower, very welcome after a long, sometimes muddy trek.

More traditional Akha food is cooked, the visitors are offered a drink of rice whiskey, and sometimes a dance or music performance. The next day, a walk around the village, and the trek continues, sometimes through jungle, sometimes through ricefields.
An effort is made to give the visitors an opportunity ofexperiencing some of the things the village people do in the course of their daily life, riding a buffalo, cutting (or planting) rice, harvesting cotton,carrying firewood, spinning cotton etc.

I was asked by GTZ to photograph the experience for their initial publicity campaign. Due to my busy schedule, I had to leave on arrival in the second overnight village, but it was a great trek, and maybe one day I’ll do the whole three day trip.

The primary purpose of the project is to enable thevillagers to earn some money, to improve their living condition.