Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
villages along the Mekong and its tributaries; see
communitylearninginternational.org
for
more.
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat & Sun 9am-4pm.
Monument Books
Sathouyaithiao Rd 071 254954,
monument-books.com/laos.php
;
fiction and non-fiction, travel guides, maps and children's books.
Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat
9am-7pm.
(largely secondhand) to buy and borrow, plus maps, coffee and art.
Daily 8am-10pm.
CLOTHES, TEXTILES AND HANDICRAFTS
Traditional textiles are practically Luang Prabang's signature product. Both antique and new
textiles can be bought here, and the city has many upscale boutiques specializing in high-
quality Lao textiles - look for the “Handmade in Luang Prabang” label (see
luangpra-
banghandicraft.org
for more).
boutique selling a fine range of linen homeware and elegant silk women's clothing, ideal for
perfecting that Catherine Deneuve-in-
Indochine
look.
Daily 9.30am-10pm.
Kōpnoï
Ban Aphay 071 260248,
kopnoi.com
;
map
.
This excellent shop sells a small
but select range of fair-trade Lao textiles from around the country, including beautiful silk
scarves. It also carries an eclectic range of other gift and household items, including Khmu-
made bamboo straws (80,000K for 12), cushions, lamps and jewellery. The exhibition space
upstairs, which showcases local art, is worth a quick browse.
Daily 8am-9pm.
Mulberries
Souliyavongsa Rd 071 254594,
mulberries.org
;
map
.
Beautiful fabric and
clothing from this fair-trade company, as well as mulberry tea and smellies. Also has a silk
farm and training centre in Phonsavan.
Ock Pop Tok
Branches on Sakkaline Rd 071 254406 and Sathouyaithiao Rd 071
253219,
ockpoptok.com
;
map
.
Though the textiles here are a little pricey, there's no deny-
ing the quality of the work, which surpasses most of what's on offer elsewhere in town.
All of the products have been made in Laos - either in the shop's
Living Crafts Centre
or
through their Village Weaver Projects which support local communities. The Passa Paa range
(
passa-paa.com
) at the new Sakkaline Road branch is particularly worth a look. Colourful
Hmong toy animals from $5.
Daily 8am-8pm.
TAEC
Kitsalat Rd 071 253364,
taeclaos.org
;
map
.
The excellent shop at the
museum
sells a wonderful collection of reasonably priced handicrafts, with half of the shop's income
going back to village producers.
Tues-Sun 9am-6pm.
