29 December 2012 Unforgettable Luang Prabang
Monks’ procession at dawn
For longer than has been recorded, monks have been getting up with the sun to walk to the temple, a walk lined with kneeled worshippers filling the monks’ bowls with food offerings. Their only source for food for their two-meals a day (morning and lunch – no dinner) as monks are not allowed to cook.
At least two hundred monks, silently moving along the pavement in their saffron robe against a night blue sky, slowing awakening, was quite a sight.
Worshippers were numerous and generous, the moment wasso beautiful and solemn that it might as well having been a show. This moment was actually core to the effective functioning of Lao society: religion has kept its original function which I believe to have disappeared in Occident which was to help the less privileged in order to realize the full potential of a society. Properly fed, the monks can spend their day focusing on meditation and other activities in particular learning since most of them are children or teenagers, actually students.
Monks do not only receive food, they also give it away. Children from deprived families come to collect food and at the end their recipients are full. Fellow monks on vacation are contributing as well.
Buddhists welcome children from a very young age, especially orphans or those whose families are so poor they can’t look after them. Tin used to be at the same place as this young boy when he was a child: since school was not free and his parents are farmers, becoming a monk had been the only way for him to access education. He learnt Buddhist scriptures but also sciences, history and most importantly English. This discipline was one of the most favorite and explains why since the beginning of the trip so many monks had come to us: they wanted to practice their English.
At 17 Tin was allowed to leave the monastery so he went to the capital Ventiane to pursue his studies. For this, he worked in a restaurant from 6am to 4pm in order to pay for his English studies which took place between 6pm and 9pm. Long days yet he considers himself to be lucky as the lack of tourism 10 years ago made odd jobs a rare commodity. He was then recruited by a travel agency in Luang Prabang and could return to his family.
When the touristic season was over, Tin goes back to his village where he helps his parents in the farm. Unfortunately there wasnot enough tourism all year round to allow him to live off it. This makes me sad, he was so passionate about his country, and loves to share it! There was more to offer than people to receive it.
Luang Prabang street market
A lot of culinary curiosities.
Royal Palace
(pictures are forbidden)
The throne room was quite curious: walls are upholstered in crimson on top of which very tiny cut mirrors depicts the life of the laotians. There was also a mural from the French painter Alix in a rather naif style depicting Loas’ rural life, especially the markets. They are at the center of social life in Laos: Tin remembers very well that he grew up in society where money did not existed, all trades were made through barter.
We can also some very nice objects which have been offered by friendly countries, apart from a scarf stitched by the precedent queen. My travelling companion was subjugated by proofs of a world without money while I am saddened by the apparent lack of local savoir faire; to me this lack of technology was the sign of great vulnerability.
Royal park was cute
Wat Xiengthong Temple
Magnificent with its pointed roof reaching to the floor like a weeping willow. More examples of these sort of mirrors glass mosaic I attempted to describe above. Here was Buddha’s tree where he received his illumination, with heart-shaped leaves.
During the visit, Tin tells us a bit more about his life. After the monastery then Ventiane; back to Luang Prabang as a guide he continues to use his meagre salary to auto learn English. His dream was to write up the tales his grandmother used to tell him when he was massaging her feet.
He tells us one of the tales depicted in mirror glass mosaic. It was the story of a coward rabbit who panics at the sound of what sounds like a gunshot, and set the forest in a panic as well, fearing that men are on the hunt. He then reaches out to the golden elephant for advice who tells him to verify his source of information. They get closer to the men and notice that they are not on the hunt but taking down trees, one of which had originated the cracking sound. Morality: when feeling fears studying danger was what can allow to overcome it.
We can see the monks in activity they are really cute and laughing.
In the temple there are some boxes with which we can tell the future. We shake the straws to mix them up then pick one which provides a number corresponding to a card predicting us a lot a very nice things.
We then go spend some more time on our beloved Mekong river.
