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When he was 12, Khamla's family decided he was so bright and studied so hard that he should move to Luang Prabang, where he could become a novice monk and get a better education at the temple school. He made the journey by boat, since there was no road at the time. It was a six-hour trip and he didn't see his family again for nine months. "At first I was very unhappy and homesick, and sometimes I cried," he recalls, but soon he grew to enjoy novice life, and he now describes that period as the happiest time of his life. One memory from those years is that tourists were appearing in Luang Prabang. Many carried books and read whenever they had spare time. "Why would they do that when they're on vacation?" wondered Khamla, whose only experience with books had been a few textbooks in school. He had no concept that reading could be enjoyable. He wouldn't learn the answer to his question for several more years.
When it came time to create an entity to act as publisher, the best option available was to set it up as a business. (This is further explained on our FAQS page.) Sasha proposed that Khamla be the owner, and he readily accepted. He graduated in June 2006, got his business license the same month, and his publishing license soon after.
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