Be aware of the Expat virus
Expat like to talk and sometimes complain about expats. That's one of the rules I was told when I arrived nearly 4 years ago in Cambodia. Neither me nor my wife are well connected to the Expat community. We usually have more local friends. One reason is that we actually left Germany forever, so no reason to look for western communities since we decided to live in Asia.
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Les Artisans Lao go green with a recycling program for bottles
It is so fantastic to see that customers can have an impact. a while ago I suggested to Les Artisants Laos, who are making the popular and outstanding cosmetics here, to recycle the plastic bottles they use for sprays and liquid soap. Today they announced this:
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Seriously burned baby Vinna needs help
sorry but by requet of the Lao Women Internation Group we had to remove this article, because we were not authorized to ask for donation for the kid, as we were told in an email.
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Jet Set: Vientiane
Getting lost in Vientiane is nearly impossible. A tiny capital by any standard, a basic walking tour will take you around the downtown area in 15 minutes.
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Xao Ban opened it's own shop near VIS
Their products are selling quite good, but not always available - mainly because the supermarkets don't take care of the stock. So founder Nongnut decided to open her own shop. It is conveniently located next to the Vientiane International School and offers the whole range of fresh products from Xao Ban - and even more. I have't seen the Pumpkin Spread in the supermarket shelves yet, neither the passion fruit syrup. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also available, and around noon the delivery man bring fresh bread.
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The 10 best places to have coffee in Vientiane
Laos is a relaxed country, times slows down here, you lay back and see what's coming down the Mekong river. One of the places I can relax the best are coffee shops. I usually take a book or my iPad with me and sit there for hours, enjoying the coffee, watching people and read a bit (and work sometimes as well). So this is my personal list of the best places to have coffee in Laos. Please note that Laos is a small coffee producer, but with excellent quality.
True Coffee
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Lao Business meetings - a new network event
Although there are workshops here and there and some business associations, Vientiane lacks of regularly business oriented networking events. In a country that still lacks of enough SMEs it is important, to connect people, share knowledge and ideas and developing markets.
The basic idea of a monthly Vientiane Business meeting is to bring foreign investors and business men together with local entrepreneurs and business owners. It is not an expat only event!
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Coffee production in Laos
Every country has it's own image, like Cambodia as the country where Angkor Wat is located and where the Khmer Rouge killed their own people, or Vietnam as the place where the Vietnam War took place, and Thailand as the land of the smiling people. What about Laos? It is getting a bit of a reputation as an eco-tourism destination, it is known as a laid back country where everything slows down. But not many people know that it actually produces one of the best coffees in the world.
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Review: Cafe and Restaurant L'Oriental
The bright yellow painted walls of the building outside hadn't been there when I passed that street the last time, so I thought it might be worth a stop. On a wooden board, was mentioned the different kinds of ice cream on offer, and a quick look through the window made me confident enough to enter.
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Horrific car accident in Vientiane
Many commuters were wondering why there was a huge traffic jam at Khouvieng road this morning. When they got closer to the Donpalan roundabout, they saw the reason: a car was lying on its side in the middle of the canal. A scan of the scene, showed a deformed crash barrier on Khouvieng road, a chopped tree and a lot of debris from the car.
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