This morning we were up very early at
5:30 a.m. to go see the Tak Bat -- The Monks' Alms Procession daily at
dawn. Saffron clad monks pad barefoot through the streets while pious
townsfolk place tiny balls of sticky rice in their begging bowls. It is
a quiet, meditative ceremony through which monks demonstrate their vows
of poverty and humility while lay Buddhists gain spiritual merit by the
act of respectful giving.
If you are wanting to participate in
this ritual it is recommended that you get some Kao Kai Noi (the best
grade sticky rice) to be cooked to order by your guesthouse. Or busy it
fresh-cooked from the morning market before the procession. Carry it
in a decent rice-basket, not a plastic bag. Before arriving, dress
respectfully as you would for a temple (covered upper arms and chest,
skirts for women, long trousers for men). Wash your hands and don't use
perfumes or lotions that might flavour the rice as you are handing it
out; remove shoes; put a sash or scarf across your left shoulder; women
should kneel with feet folded behind (don't sit), men may stand; avoid
making eye-contact with the monks.
These processions occur all
over Laos. However, old Luang Prabang's peaceful atmosphere and
extraordinary concentration of mist-shrouded temples means that the
morning's alms procession create a specially romantic scene. We were
embarrassed by some tourists who stuck their cameras into the monks'
faces trying to get the perfect picture. However, the procession we
witnessed was a fairly quiet one.
After the procession, we went
back to our G.H. and packed our knapsacks and had breakfast. Then we
set out on a walking tour of the town. We strolled through the morning
market once again amazed by the sights we saw, including three-inch
cockroaches for sale?
Continuing on our walking tour, we visited
the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre TAEC. Here, we learned about
northern Laos hill tribes' culture. Then we proceeded to the That
Chomsi Stoupa which is high above the city. We walked through a very
interesting local neighbourhood to get there. Then we headed along the
Mekong Waterfront and had a coffee at one of restaurants along the river
taking in the very beautiful view of the river, boats and gardens along
the shore of the river.
We crossed the Nam Khan river (which
joins the Mekong River) using a bamboo bridge that is only used only in
the dry season. In the rainy season, it is not possible to use the
bridge as the water would be above it. The bridge is not there from
June to November. We crossed the river for a well-deserved lunch at the
Dyen Sabai. Here we sat on recliner cushions in rustic open-sided
pavilions that climb the lush wooded slope across the Nam Kham river.
We ate an smoked eggplant dip with an exotic mixture of rice and fish
steamed in banana leaf and a pot of green tea -- what a treat of taste
and vision.
After lunch we headed back towards our G.H. to pick
up our knapsacks. On the way we visited another Stupa, the famous Wat
Xieng Thong. It is Luang Prabang;s best-known and most visited
monastery.
This evening we are catching an overnight bus and
going to Vientiane and transferring to another bus going to Tham Kong
Lo which is in central Laos as we head towards the border and Cambodia.
Our overnight bus was a VIP bus, like the last VIP bus we had in
Thailand. We survived our bus trip and were happy to arrive in
Vientiane on Monday, January 28th, the capital city of Laos. Vientiane
is not a very vibrant city. It is described as a sleepy, riverside
capital with a handful of temples and an armful of good restaurants,
cafes and bars. Here, we waited for our connection, i.e., small truck
picking up several others who were going in our direction, and taking us
to the bus station to go to our destination Ban Kong Lo from which we
would visit the Tham Kong Lo cave. The bus ride to Ban Kong Lo was six
hours long as we meandered along to our destination stopping at many
villages.
F.Y.I. : Today is our first 'cloudy' day and we are very thankful for it.
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