Travelfish correspondent Ivana Lexa-French

Born in Aarhus Denmark, Ivana got her first passport at 6 months old and often traveled around Europe with her mother's theater company, while also making frequent trips to visit her family in the U.S. She attended an Arts high school in San Francisco and studied Social Anthropology in Scotland along with a hefty dose of ethnic dance. After completing her studies, she found herself with cold hands and itchy feet.

In 2009, Ivana moved to Southeast Asia to work as an English teacher and find new cultural windows in which to peep. She has been living in Vientiane since 2010, where she seasons her days with road trips, tasty food, Lao massage and scoping out the seedlings of Vientiane’s burgeoning arts scene. She currently teaches Geography and Environmental Management at a local international school.
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Posts by Ivana Lexa-French:

• Nam Phu: Vientiane’s famed fountain

  First published: 19 May 2013
  

  Nam phu literally translates into ‘water mountain’, and is the Lao equivalent of fountain. While Nam Phu in Vientiane is not the largest or most spectacular fountain in the city, it’s known by no other name and acts as the central landmark of downtown Vientiane. The fountain is a legacy of the historic French presence in … read the full post

• What to buy at Vientiane’s Talaat Sao (Morning Market)

  First published: 15 May 2013
  

  Every Southeast Asian city has a market that’s a treasure trove of exotic bits and pieces; while Laos cannot rival the markets of Chiang Mai and Bangkok, in Vientiane Talaat Sao, or the morning market, offers a great selection of local offerings, mostly of the fabric-based kind. The name is a bit of a misnomer, however, … read the full post

• Vientiane’s waterfront

  First published: 06 May 2013
  

  In 2012 Vientiane completed a massive redevelopment project along the riverside. Previously it was home to little more than rustic sunset shacks and simple eateries. At times, the river was higher back then, as the Chinese had yet to complete their many damming projects upstream on the Mekong, and during some wet seasons the many … read the full post

• Caffeine in Laos: A coffee (and tea) primer

  First published: 27 Apr 2013
  

  Laos produces some exceptionally good coffee; some locals boast that it’s the best in the world. Of course, this depends on personal taste, but for those who like their coffee rich and strong, they’ve come to the right place. Most all of the coffee produced in Laos is grown on the Bolaven Plateau in southern … read the full post

• Review: Seoul, Vientiane

  First published: 20 Apr 2013
  

  If you’re in the neighbourhood of Vientiane’s Thai consulate and you’re hungry but all Lao food-ed out, you’ll find an abundance of Korean restaurants. Of the various to choose from, we reckon Seoul has the best food, cooked fresh and seasoned well. The atmosphere is far from romantic, with high ceilings, white walls and bright … read the full post

• Review: Ban Pako, Laos

  First published: 03 Mar 2013
  

  Fifty kilometres northeast of Vientiane, a red dusty road winds through farm villages, beneath the boughs of subtropical trees, and ends at a bend in the Nam Ngum River. Here, on an ancient temple site, sits Ban Pako Eco-Resort. While no remnants of the ancient temple are visible, a sense of tranquility instills a timelessness … read the full post

• French restaurants in Vientiane

  First published: 18 Feb 2013
  

  One of the best French colonial legacies in Laos is the abundance of French restaurants serving classic French cuisine. After a few weeks, or months, of trekking around in tattered boardies and living off of pho, it can be a very refreshing experience to put on your most dapper-looking threads and indulge in some elegance. … read the full post

• Love in Laos

  First published: 09 Feb 2013
  

  Courtship has its rules and customs in all countries and it helps to be aware of unforeseen cultural expectations. Here are some ground rules to keep in mind in Laos. The Lao, generally speaking, are a flirtatious lot. Sexual innuendo and proposition-fuelled banter form a central aspect of social interaction. In a country where white … read the full post

• Awkward healthcare questions in Laos

  First published: 16 Jan 2013
  

  There are certain pharmaceutical and medical needs that travellers may have that are slightly awkward to satisfy — say, asking around Vientiane whether you can get the morning-after pill or miming to a pharmacist that you have intestinal worms. If you’re in Laos, here are a few helpful tips that will hopefully help you avoid … read the full post

• Vegetarian food in Vientiane — and the rest of Laos

  First published: 26 Dec 2012
  

  For travellers seeking an exotic dining experience, Laos offers opportunities from crunchy crickets fried in chillies to savoury chicken testicle pudding. For those travellers with a less adventurous palate, meals in the countryside are often limited to fried rice and noodle soup and for vegetarians, sticking to a meat-free diet is almost impossible. In Vientiane, … read the full post