Mekong Meditations - Nov 28-Dec 4, 2011

LUANG PRABANG - A Writer’s Heaven The charming heritage listed town of Luang Prabang, where the Nam Khan River meets the mighty Mekong, in Central Laos, is the location for this unique writing sojourn. Morning writing workshops leave time for exploring buddhist temples, museums, galleries and local markets. On both sides of town, open air cafes provide the perfect place for writers to contemplate the powerful presence of the river and catch a spectacular sunset before browsing the night market with its array of antiques, Hmong embroidery and delicious Laotian food. There’s also fine dining in restaurants across town, excursions up river to villages that rarely see tourists, visits to local weavers, artisans and a chance to help out with a local literacy project. DAILY WORKSHOPS Each day Jan will guide you in meditative writing and creativity techniques you can use in your daily explorations. She will also introduce you to the art of travel haibun, a form of descriptive writing used by the Japanese haiku poet Basho on his pilgrimages in Japan. Exercises evoking the senses and elements will complement visits to local artists who will share their knowledge of paper making, paper cuts, bamboo weaving and collage methods. Using local handmade papers, traditional fabrics and oriental stitching, by the end of the week you will not only have written a collection of writings but made a book to put them in. For more info and bookings go to