"Baw village" is located on the Mekong River between Luang Prabang and Pakbeng. Ban Baw is a very old village. For over 600 years the village has held three different ethnicities: Lao Loum (the ethnic majority in Laos), Tai Lue and Shan, but these days the majority are Lao Loum. The population of 180 live in 36 households.

Shan people came to Ban Baw as refugees from Burma. Since arriving in Laos, many of the Shan people have left via the Mekong River to Thailand. Those that remained have learnt to integrate with the Lao and their customs, believing currently in a mix of Buddhism and Animism (spirit worship). Nowadays, the three tribes live together in harmony as family and have developed similar customs to each other, wearing indistinguishable clothing and celebrating events such as weddings in the same fashion.

Daily life for the villagers is challenging, as their primary occupation is farming corn and rice. The village depends heavily on the vagaries of nature. If it does not rain, crops will not grow. The terrain around the village is very mountainous, and suitable land for farming is very difficult to find. For this reason, the fields are quite close to the village centre. If the harvest is abundant, the villagers will have excess crops to sell or exchange. Merchants often come in advance of the crops harvest, leaving items to trade against the future produce.

Ban Baw has one school, which only caters to primary children from the age of six years old. Children study for five years, after which they have to continue their studies in Luang Prabang or other local villages which do have a secondary school.

The inhabitants of this village are well known for their ability to make Lao Lao, the popular rice whisky which is distilled from sticky rice. They sell their produce to Luang Prabang as well as many other villages in the surrounding districts.
Lao Lao is made using sticky rice grains that have been husked. The rice is soaked in water overnight to soften it, after which it is steamed. The cooked rice is then rinsed with clean water, then mixed with powdered steamed rice flour and the leaves of the sang bong tree. The mixture is put in a large clay jar and left to sit for around a week until the rice has fermented. At this stage water that has been secreted is removed.
This by-product of the Lao Lao process is called Lao Sator and is enjoyed for its good smell, sweet taste and lemon yellow colour. Fresh water is added and the jar is left for a further three days. Finally, the stored rice mixture is distilled. This is done by boiling it in a large pot where the steam rises and is caught on the pots lid. As it condenses and cools, the liquid drips out of a spout and into a waiting jar beside the pot.
This is the Lao Lao, which has an alcohol level of 45-55% proof. Lao lao is served when visitors come or at celebrations such as Basis and weddings, and is particularly popular in the countryside.

From November to February, on our upstream (Luang Prabang to Houei Say) itinerary, we are sometimes unable to fit a visit to Ban Baw .  We apologise for this but as it can be foggy in the mornings, and getting dark early, we need to ensure the safety of our passengers to get to the LuangSay Lodge during daylight.