Brothers in Alms

Monks receiving alms
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By Christina

After two days of drifting on the Mekong River, sitting on hard wooden benches and eating salty snacks, we were definitely ready for hot showers, comfortable beds, and good food. Lucky for us, the charming town of Luang Prabang was the next stop on our itinerary, and it more than satisfied our needs.

It is not often that an entire town is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but Luang Prabang is one such special spot. Given its location on the banks of the Mekong (another river forms its northern boundary), there is a sultry and distinctly tropical feel to the place, with lush palm trees and banana plants everywhere. The essence of the town, however, is religious, and scattered throughout its alleyways are Buddhist wats, each with a gang of resident novice monks. It is these monks, with their bare feet, shaved heads, and yellow-belted saffron robes, that left such a lasting impression on me. I loved catching occasional glimpses of them hanging out in front of a wat or walking together down the street.

Grayson making merit
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Although not mentioned in Lonely Planet or many of the guidebooks, the morning ritual of alms-giving (“Tak Bat” or “making merit” in Buddhism) is something not to be missed. Our first morning in Luang Prabang, Dan and I got up at the crack of dawn (the drumming at the wat across the street acted as our alarm clock) to watch nearly one hundred monks parade past locals giving out food (primarily rice, but also the occasional crackers or vegetables). Evidently, it is a big deal to give alms to the monks, as we saw busloads of Thai and Lao people arrive and set themselves up on tiny stools with rice baskets in their laps. These folks were mighty happy to be in Luang Prabang and there was a festive spirit in the air prior to the monks’ arrival.

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When the monks showed up, however, it was all business, and each was given a small handful of rice, the accumulation of which was intended to feed the monk throughout the day. Following the monks around like pilot fish on a shark, were groups of children holding boxes and bags. They were pretty well dressed and looked well fed (this town is quite prosperous), however, every once in awhile, a monk would reach into his bowl, grab a pile of rice and unceremoniously dump it into a kid’s bag or box. It was the trickle down theory at its finest!

Downtown Luang Prabang
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Two mornings later, I was back on the street, this time with Grayson, who, after seeing my pictures from the previous morning, wanted to do some merit making himself. Some nice Thai gentlemen offered up a spot on their mat and a stool for him, and with three baskets of sticky rice, he made himself comfortable, waiting for monks. It didn’t take long for us to spot orange robes in the distance. Soon, he was scooping out rice in rapid succession as the boys (and the occasional man) filed past. Like me, Grayson really enjoys “the culture of the monk” and though tired from the early rise, he was glad to have participated in this tradition distinctive to Luang Prabang.

At the Tiger/Bear rehabilitation center
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Continuing our quest for the perfect massage, the kids and I started checking out the massage places as soon as we stepped foot in the town. There were lots of choices, which made things easy. We were pretty keen on having a distinctly Lao experience, however, and we finally settled on a place that offered traditional Lao massage as well as Lao herbal steam treatments, where a hot ball of herbs (sort of like a potpourri ball) is pressed all over your body. We were extremely decadent and went for 2 and ½ hours of treatment – half hour of herbal steam treatment, one hour of massage, and one hour of foot massage. (At $13 for the whole shebang, we could afford to be decadent!) We walked out of there very relaxed and very happy.

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Two of our three nights in town were spent at the Hmong Night Market. Each night, several blocks of the main street are closed off and the Hmong people set up blankets displaying their wares for sale. The craftsmanship of the offerings cannot be overstated – this is some very cool stuff. Abby, in particular, had a great time buying things. She is a great negotiator and she charmed the pants off most of the Hmong women with her ruthless, yet smiling way. Nine times out of ten she got the price she wanted, usually because the seller didn’t quite know what to make of the sweet little western girl!

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Not all of our time in Luang Prabang was spent on hedonistic pleasures, however. One morning we visited the sight of former King Savang Vattana’s Grand Palace. Although Laos hasn’t had a king since 1975, you would never know this looking at the rooms of the palace. Everything is spotless, and the rooms remain in “move in” condition, particularly the king’s massive (40 feet by 20 feet) bedroom. We especially liked the room displaying the gifts sent to the royals from countries around the world. We have talked to the kids about moon rocks throughout this trip, telling them how such rocks were a favorite gift from the US to other nations in the 1960s and 70s. To date, none of the national museums we have visited have displayed this uniquely American souvenir. Luck was with us in Luang Prabang, however, and we finally found some moon rocks – well, moon flakes – in a display case in the palace. After all the build up, however, I don’t think the kids were that impressed.

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We also spent an afternoon traveling thirty kilometers or so out of town to Kuang Si Waterfall. It was nice to see the countryside outside of Luang Prabang and the waterfall was glorious. Not only was there a main waterfall (dropping hundreds of feet), but there were numerous smaller waterfalls, many of which fed into swimming pools with beautiful aquamarine colored water. Best of all, however, was the rope swing that the kids discovered hanging from a tree next to a pool. Close to an hour was spent swinging through the air and plunging into the water.

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Near the waterfall was an animal rehabilitation center for Indochinese tigers and Asiatic Black bears. As loyal blog readers know, we love places like this. A good hour was spent here, checking out the animals and talking to the Australian guy working on the project who told us all about poaching issues in Laos and the effort being made to save both of these species. Watching the bears frolic in their spacious, comfortable enclosure was a lot of fun, and we also were lucky to get within a foot of the tiger (in her enclosure, of course).

The place was a lot like the rehabilitation center for Sloth Bears that we visited in India, with one significant difference. Here, they actually hope to release animals back into the wild. In contrast to the Sloth Bears who are captured to become dancing bears, the Asiatic Black Bears are captured purely for medicinal purposes (gall bladder bile, paws, etc.) and are kept in cages until they are old enough to slaughter. For this reason, they do not always interact with humans and it is this fact that gives them a chance to be wild again. The project currently has one bear that they are trying to release in the Bokeo Forest (where the Gibbon Experience is).and so far it is looking like he might make it. To learn more about this project and the rehabilitation of Asiatic Black Bears, check out www.bearlao.com.

My blog entry would be incomplete without some mention of the food we ate in Luang Prabang. As you may have noticed, tasting the local cuisine is a big part of the travel experience for us. Similar in flavors to Thai food, Lao food is fresh and delicious. We are especially fond of “raw” spring rolls (lots of veggies and bean sprouts wrapped in rice paper) that we did not find in Thailand, but love back home. There are delicious donuts and muffins everywhere on the street, and baguettes (a legacy of French rule), can be stuffed with anything you want. I tried something on the menu called a Luang Prabang salad (watercress, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, and onions with a tasty dressing) and liked it so much that I ordered it at nearly every meal in Luang Prabang.

While out walking this morning, Dan asked if I thought I would come back to Luang Prabang, and Laos generally. I took one glance at the beautiful, post-card perfect Colonial buildings lining the street and said, “definitely”. Our visit to Laos has given me a taste of what this country has to offer, and, like a good Luang Prabang salad, I want more.