Rural Village Experience & Big Brother Mouse

Few books are available in Laos, and they rarely reach the rural villages and the children that need them most. Big Brother Mouse is a locally run project committed to changing this by publishing books that make learning to read fun and easy for rural children. On this tour you will help this great charity by distributing some of these books to a small village in northern Laos. Meet up with Mr Ken, who has climbed the social ladder from a young rural village boy to a successful entrepreneur running his own social enterprise in Luang Prabang, and who will accompany you today. Start the day with a visit to the Big Brother Mouse shop to select some books for the village visit. You will then head north out of town for a 1½ hour drive to Mr Ken's hometown, Ban Phadaeng, a remote village well off the tourist trail. After a brief stop at Mr Ken's family house, continue to the nearby village of Ban Thapho where you will visit Mr Ken's old primary school, which is constructed from bamboo. Here you have a unique opportunity to meet the young students and even participate in an English class if you like. You can also play some language games and hand out the books you brought this morning. After class you have some time to stroll around the village and the nearby river before sharing a locally prepared lunch with the small team of teachers. With the help of Mr Ken, the teachers will give you a further introduction of the school and answer any questions you may have. After lunch you can participate in a Baci, a traditional ceremony led by a village elder, which involves gently tying cotton cords around your wrists, symbolizing friendship, good health and good luck on your journey ahead. Afterwards depart for Luang Prabang, making a stop at an interesting Hmong village en route, and you will arrive back in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon.

This experience is part of our Project Protect Pledge. See here for more details - https://www.bambootravel.co.uk/pages/responsibletourism