Day 61

I got a knock on my room door at 6.15 and remembered that I'd agreed with Frank to go and watch the Alm Giving Ceremony. This ceremony happens every morning around Laos but is most famous in Louang Prabang because of all the monks there. Locals line the street with bags of rice and give small handfuls to passing monks who collect it in bags of their own. I wish I could say it was wonderful experience to see this charity but it is totally spoiled by the intrusive tourists that are not content with photos from a distance. It felt like a bit of a circus, even some of the rice givers turned out to be tourists who had come from out of town. I think I was still tired or hungover but I singled out one tourist for attention - he was interrupting the procession and weaving in and out so he could get his perfect video. I wondered if he even realised he was up to close. With that I walked up to him, turned my camera's flash to "always on" and took a picture six inches from his face. I hoped to get my point across at least, but he just walked off as if nothing had happened.

1 Monks at the Alms Giving Ceremony

Frank went off back to bed and I went to the internet place as once I'm awake I generally stay awake. On the pc next to me one of the monks sat doing his emailing and chatting on MSN. That was interesting, there's no reason why they shouldn't be online I suppose. It was interesting to see that he didn't pay either - monks are greatly respected in Laos so it must just be a perk of the job!

2 More monks at the ceremony

We switched to a new guesthouse that Susan had found, it was an ok place, not really worth paying another 2 dollars a night for but I was glad that Frank's bum recommendation had been put right at least.

In the evening we found a vegetarian buffet place where a plate of good food costs 25 pence. Louang Prabang still has some persuading to do with me, I'm not convinced it's "all that" yet.

3 The tourists

4 The monks are having to give him room now!

5 Gotcha!