8/23/10 – 8/25/10 (luang prabang)
Annie LinLuang Prabang
Over the last few days we immersed ourselves into the quaint town of Luang Prabang. It is a beautiful town filled with old French colonial building and because of the strong Western European tourist presence there are many cafés and restaurants serving European cuisine. There is something peaceful about the town despite the number of tourists and travel agencies selling tours. Maybe it has to do with the laid back culture. The night market is the most serene and quiet that we had ever been to. It is very orderly and the shopkeepers aren’t constantly harassing you to buy something. Pretty much everything shuts down around 11pm and even our guesthouse asked us to return by midnight each night. Since we are not heavy partygoers it’s perfect for us.
Each day we plan small outings but always make sure to return during the middle of the day when the humidity is at is worst to enjoy our cool room. One of the first things we did upon arrival was visit the Vietnamese embassy to apply for a visa. We still haven’t decided how we are going to get to Vietnam.
We also visited the Dara Market, which consists of small stalls selling clothes, shoes, electronics and everyday necessities. We found a pair of trekking shoes for Jon but then decided to hold off purchasing them since we are not sure if there will be more trekking opportunities in our future. As our traveling fund dwindles we have been more conscientious about big purchases, which to us is anything over $20USD. If only we were like this from the beginning of the trip we could be traveling for another six months! Lesson learned.
One of the other things we have realized is that we have become fans of used bookstores. I feel like there is so much history on the shelves. I imagine most of the books come from travelers and wonder where the books have been. If only the books could talk. There are two used bookstores along the riverbank and one offers movie screenings in the evening. We have stopped by each day to check out what’s playing but unfortunately, it’s something we have already seen.
One of the days we rented bikes from our guesthouse to go wat (aka temple) hopping. They only had two bikes for rent. One was pink with hello kitty and the other one was silver with flowers. We tried to lower the seat on the hello kitty one but the lever was broken which meant that Jon had to ride it since it was too tall for me. At first he was resistant to the idea and I couldn’t help but giggle when he got on the pink bike. I think he looks great in pink. It was the first time we rented bikes and though it doesn’t allow us to go as far as scooters it was still liberating to be on our own.
After many boat rides and our very strenuous bike ride around the small town we rewarded ourselves with a Lao massage. Now that Jon has gotten a taste of the massages he has become a big fan of them. I have to say that the Lao massage was very much like the Thai massage and use the same techniques. After our bodies were contorted in all sorts of directions our muscles felt looser and we walked with a bit more pep.
A highlight of our time in Luang Prabang was observing and participating in the alms giving. Each morning at 6am all the monks from the various temples walk in a single file line along the streets to receive food from the locals. Each monk walks barefoot carrying a metal bowl with a lid. Most locals give each monk a small handful of sticky rice though we have also seen some give snacks or sweetened sticky rice wrapped in banana leafs. The monks also get other types of food from the local community. At 5:50am the street is lined with people sitting on bamboo mats with their container of sticky rice. The women wear skirts that cover their knees and both men and women wear a sash across their body. It is a religious ritual that has attracted many tourists. We talked to several people about the daily practice to learn the do’s and don’ts. On the first day we observed the ritual and took photographs on the side. There were about two hundred monks that walked passed the street where our guesthouse is located. It is a very quiet process and the tourists are warned not to interrupt the monks with their photography. The next day we made arrangements with a lady who owned a restaurant near our guesthouse to have a basket of sticky rice for me to contribute. A sound on the gong signaled that the monks were on their way. I sat on my mat with my basket ready to go while Jon took photographs. I was nervous giving out the rice since it’s really sticky and you use your fingers to scoop the rice and put it in the monk’s baskets. At one point I had to flick my fingers to get the rice off but it landed on the ground instead of in the basket. I felt bad but the monks smiled so they must have known it was my first time. After the ritual everyone picks up their mats and empty baskets and goes about their daily lives. There is something humbling about sitting on the ground handing out rice. Such a simple act yet so powerful. It is something I will remember for a long time.
Reader Comments (2)
Pink bike? I do think he might look good in pink.
I wish I was more reflective in the moment but I was quite nervous during the whole thing. Really intimate experience.