Warm coconut juice in a coconut by the Mekong. Lovely setting. Fun treat. But turns out warm coconut juice on a sweltering day is not delicious.
Top of Mount Phousi
Night Market on the streets of Luang PrabangLao is known as the Land of A Million Elephants. Unfortunately, there are only about 1600 left in the country. From Luang Prabang we took a day trip out to an elephant village where they keep eight elephants that were saved from the logging industry. They live there with their mahouts (elephant trainers) and the proceeds from tourist visits pay for their upkeep and care.
Mae Kham is a 35 year old female elephant and we were told that she was one of the most gentle of the bunch. Elephants eat for about 20 hours a day and sleep for about 4. And, indeed, while we were there, they ate nearly the whole time!
Riding the elephant
We also got to feed them bananas!
Addy and Me
Not a bad view from lunch!
After riding the elephants, feeding them and bathing them in the river,we took a boat to Tad Sae Waterfall.
Elephants playing in the waterfallAddy and I had a long day playing with our new elephant friends, and then enjoyed some beerlao and mango sticky rice next to the river.
This morning, I got up at 5am to watch the people give alms to the monks. Every morning, the saffron frocked monks rise at 530am and receive alms or offerings of food, usually rice, bananas, and other treats, walking through the city streets around their temple with their begging bowls from worshippers. In recent years, this offering ceremony has become a bit of a show with tourists showing up in droves with flash photography, inappropriate dress and a bad attitude. I slipped down a side street after the first group of monks passed and found an area where the tourists weren't flashing cameras and where actual Lao worshippers were passing out their offerings of sticky rice. I tried to just observe from under the shade of my tree (it was rainy) but I did get a few (non-flash) photos.
This morning, I got up at 5am to watch the people give alms to the monks. Every morning, the saffron frocked monks rise at 530am and receive alms or offerings of food, usually rice, bananas, and other treats, walking through the city streets around their temple with their begging bowls from worshippers. In recent years, this offering ceremony has become a bit of a show with tourists showing up in droves with flash photography, inappropriate dress and a bad attitude. I slipped down a side street after the first group of monks passed and found an area where the tourists weren't flashing cameras and where actual Lao worshippers were passing out their offerings of sticky rice. I tried to just observe from under the shade of my tree (it was rainy) but I did get a few (non-flash) photos.
Monks receiving offerings
the side street as the monks received their last few offerings and head back to their temple
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2 comments:
i love coconut juice. i'll take it warm. slurp.
20 hours of eating? I could get behind that!
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