Eyes Wide Open
It's lightning and thundering tonight in Luang Prabang, our second evening
in this World Heritage city in Laos. The monsoon season isn't
supposed to start until May but we've already seen some rain on this
trip.
*
When we woke up in Pak Beng a couple mornings ago, it was pouring. I was hoping the rain would let up before our walk to the boat at 8 am – it was Day 2 of our slow boat ride down the Mekong from the border city of Huay Xia to Luang Prabang – but it didn't. It was fine though. Scott and I haven't been walking in hard rain for a while (it never rained in India; it rained only a few times in Nepal) so it felt kind of nice to be in a rain jacket. The wetness seemed to add a little more excitement to the morning. We walked around Pak Beng for a bit in search of breakfast before heading to the boat. We got seated, munched on our sticky rice and sausage, and watched for the next hour as the rest of the passengers trickled in. They came on foot, by rickshaw, by van, in ponchos, in raincoats, carrying plastic bags filled with wrapped baguette sandwiches, Lays chips, bottled waters, and other snacks to survive the next eight hours on the boat.
For this second leg of the boat journey to Luang Prabang, the boat acquired three monks as passengers, which added a new dynamic. Locals kneeled to the monks as they stepped onto the boat and gathered around them to offer food. The monks remained surrounded for most of the day. From my seat, throughout the journey, I noticed the monks smiling a lot and spitting paan juices into a white plastic container. The foreign tourists, which the 70+ seat passenger boat was mostly comprised of, enjoyed taking photos of the monks, especially when the monks themselves were taking photos of the surroundings. Nothing like taking a photo of a monk taking a photo.
*
A lot has changed in Luang Prabang since my first visit with Rebecca in 2005. The change is mostly in the form of more (so many more) guesthouses, restaurants, shops, and tour agencies. Back then, Luang Prabang still had a feeling of a sleepy town. The streets were quiet. Restaurants weren’t overly done up. The town moved in a slow pace which extended to its visitors. Now, Luang Prabang is awake, eyes wide open, looking at tourism. Almost every inch of the old city is taken over by a business geared to tourists. It’s been strange to recognize some things but still feel like everything is new.
Speaking of new, the New Year is coming up in a few days. It’s celebrated in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and I’m sure other Southeast Asian countries. In Thailand and Laos, the way the New Year is celebrated is with a massive water fight, something akin to Holi in India except there is more water and less colored powder involved.
To start the festivities a little early, small groups of people today were standing on sides of the roads dousing people on the street with large containers full of water. Some pedestrians got hit but people on motorbikes and bicycles were the main targets. Scott and I got a good soaking, but our clothes dried within a few mere hours of walking around. In this intense heat and humidity, getting drenched was not a problem. In the coming days, I expect the water attacks to get a lot worse.
*
When we woke up in Pak Beng a couple mornings ago, it was pouring. I was hoping the rain would let up before our walk to the boat at 8 am – it was Day 2 of our slow boat ride down the Mekong from the border city of Huay Xia to Luang Prabang – but it didn't. It was fine though. Scott and I haven't been walking in hard rain for a while (it never rained in India; it rained only a few times in Nepal) so it felt kind of nice to be in a rain jacket. The wetness seemed to add a little more excitement to the morning. We walked around Pak Beng for a bit in search of breakfast before heading to the boat. We got seated, munched on our sticky rice and sausage, and watched for the next hour as the rest of the passengers trickled in. They came on foot, by rickshaw, by van, in ponchos, in raincoats, carrying plastic bags filled with wrapped baguette sandwiches, Lays chips, bottled waters, and other snacks to survive the next eight hours on the boat.
For this second leg of the boat journey to Luang Prabang, the boat acquired three monks as passengers, which added a new dynamic. Locals kneeled to the monks as they stepped onto the boat and gathered around them to offer food. The monks remained surrounded for most of the day. From my seat, throughout the journey, I noticed the monks smiling a lot and spitting paan juices into a white plastic container. The foreign tourists, which the 70+ seat passenger boat was mostly comprised of, enjoyed taking photos of the monks, especially when the monks themselves were taking photos of the surroundings. Nothing like taking a photo of a monk taking a photo.
*
A lot has changed in Luang Prabang since my first visit with Rebecca in 2005. The change is mostly in the form of more (so many more) guesthouses, restaurants, shops, and tour agencies. Back then, Luang Prabang still had a feeling of a sleepy town. The streets were quiet. Restaurants weren’t overly done up. The town moved in a slow pace which extended to its visitors. Now, Luang Prabang is awake, eyes wide open, looking at tourism. Almost every inch of the old city is taken over by a business geared to tourists. It’s been strange to recognize some things but still feel like everything is new.
Speaking of new, the New Year is coming up in a few days. It’s celebrated in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and I’m sure other Southeast Asian countries. In Thailand and Laos, the way the New Year is celebrated is with a massive water fight, something akin to Holi in India except there is more water and less colored powder involved.
To start the festivities a little early, small groups of people today were standing on sides of the roads dousing people on the street with large containers full of water. Some pedestrians got hit but people on motorbikes and bicycles were the main targets. Scott and I got a good soaking, but our clothes dried within a few mere hours of walking around. In this intense heat and humidity, getting drenched was not a problem. In the coming days, I expect the water attacks to get a lot worse.
posted by Siapiau | 8:25 PM
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