Nothing is sacred

For the first time in a long time, I woke up while it was still dark out this morning to go observe the offering of alms. Every morning here in Luang Prubang, as in many cities and villages across Southeast Asia, the monks come out en masse. They form a long line and proceed to advance through the streets where locals, and now tourists, line up to give them food. From a hygiene perspective, it's kind of a nightmare as everyone uses their hands. But then, that is still my over-sanitized American mind at work.

It's a cool ritual, one that a friend of mine participated in, as a monk, when he lived in Thailand. It was quite a sight to see - hundreds of monks, young and old, shuffling down the street in silence. It was beautiful. At the same time there was something not beautiful about it as well, and that was the fact that the tourists just about outnumbered the monks. I had seen signs around town showing pictures of obnoxious behavior - camera-happy tourists standing too close to this procession to get that "perfect shot". The posters serve as a plea to "please respect this tradition" by not doing this. Sadly, some folks had missed these signs. I never got closer than the other side of the street. In a way it was a missed opportunity as I don't have a good enough zoom lens to get the kind of shots I could picture in my mind. But at the same time, there's something to be said for sitting back and observing with your own camera, your eyes, sometimes. At one point, overwhelmed by the spectacle of it all, I decided to turn the lens on the tourists. It was almost as interesting as taking pictures of the monks themselves.

Don't get me wrong, by my mere presence alongside everyone else I was anything but above the fray. I wonder how the monks feel about it. I wonder if any other tourists felt the way I did. I wonder why I was born with such a keen sense of observation. It's a blessing and a curse.




Nearly empty baskets of rice wait to be picked up after the procession.


Unfortunately this shot is a little dark because I didn't want to use my flash. I just think this is the epitome of cluelessness and poor form. She even had a point-and-shoot, most of which have ridiculous zoom capabilities.