Monks and Slow Boats

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We were so entranced by the cultural capitol of Laos, that we stayed for a week rather than the planned couple of days. Luang Probang is dotted with religious wat dome temples and French colonial houses. On certain side streets, if you squint, you get the feel of an era a century ago. In many ways, the town still moves at that pace. People seem to follow the slow-motion pace of the Mekong River which glides through town.

One morning, as we walked into our guesthouse lobby, which is really just a family's living room, we saw that all the furniture had been cleared out and preparations were under way for something exciting. 'Festival today!' our proprietor exclaimed, 'Monks at 10:00, you come back.' What host gift does one bring to a mystery party in a foreign country? Since it seemed to be food-oriented, we stocked up on a big bag of cookies from the local bakery. The gesture was appreciated, but woofully inadequate. When we returned to the guesthouse, we found about 10 monks in saffron robes chanting and what looked like the entire neighborhood kneeling around. We watched this and countless other rituals and surmissed that the family had invited the monks to bless them, their ancestors, their house for the New Year (mid-April in Laos and Thailand). We ended up with blessed string tied on our wrists, a sign of good luck, by the elders and a belly full of an enormous amount of home-cooked food.

After a week, we reluctantly moved on our way overland (overwater?) to Thailand. We took a two-day 'slow boat' ferry on the Mekong River. The only other boating option was a speedboat that was a mini-version of a cigarette boat. You have to strap down your luggage, wear a helmut and stuff your ears with plugs to avoid deafness from the incredible noise from the engine. Miserable. 'What a fantastic way to see all these beautiful, untouched hills,' we thought as we pulled out on day one. By the end of the second day, we were elbowing the other backpackers to deboard onto dryland. Even beautiful scenery can't make a bench more comfortable. At least I have my hearing.