Begin your journey by meeting your local family at Phosy Market. Learn about the significance of merit-making in Laos culture and how it is believed to bring good luck and keep misfortune away.

Shop for fresh and organic ingredients such as fish, vegetables, and fruits. After getting all the ingredients, head to your local host’s house to start cooking typical dishes that Laos people always prepare to make merit to the monks.

Enjoy making khao niew (sticky rice), bamboo shoot soup (Keang nor Mai), steamed fish in banana leaves (Mok Pa), Luang Prabang stew (Ork Lam), and aubergine sauce (Jeo Mak Kheua) with the host family. Once the cooking is done, proceed with the dishes to the nearby Buddhist temple to offer to the novices and monks.

Your local host and guide will guide you through the whole ceremony of offering merit, receiving a blessing from highly respected monks at the temple. By the end of the offering ceremony, bid farewell to all the monks as you walk back to the local host’s house and enjoy lunch together.