Dismount
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2008
1
24
82
Trip End
Dec 30, 2009
Luang Prabang,
Lao Peoples Dem Rep
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The monks come down the road. The procession is led by the head monk and at the back are the little monks who look about twelve. They have big football-like pots with them. People put in food: traditionally rice and bananas but they also give money, crackers and I even saw some of those Halls sweets in wrappers. Everything goes into the same pot. The monks then go back to the temple, chant for a bit and eat from the shared food. They have 2 meals, one at the beginning of the day and one at 11am. Just fluids after that. Buddhists believe that giving confers blessings in the next life.
After breakfast Andrew joins the group for a 30km ride through attractive countryside to reach the Tat Khong Si Waterfalls, a series of waterfalls and pools. The water has a pale blue hue. We swim in one of the pools and some of us jump from a tree branch 3-4 m above the water. Lunch is offered but nobody is really hungry. The bikes are needed for another trip so we return in the minibus to LP. I manage to lose my helmet and gloves in the change over but I am not too bothered as they are old and I was going to throww them out at the end of the trip.
J feeling better so after we move to another hotel Sala Prabang, we go for a walk round town. We climb the 100m up the Phu Si Hill. There is a temple at the top with great views over the town and Mekong. On the way down by a different route we come across a teenage monk lookin at an old anti-airrcraft cannon carcass. I ask if I can take his photo - ok. He then produces a camera and asks if I can take his picture with that too.
Further along, another teenage monk comes and talks to us in excellent english. He has been a monk for two years but is also at high school where he attends extra english classes.
We meet the group for the final time that evening. We have got on well together. Partly due to compatibility, partly shared adversity and partly group size. It could have been very different but that is the chance you take. Cycling has been a great way to see parts of the country that are of the main tourist train. Spice Roads have been and excellent company but the Thai side of the operation is better than the Laos one. We were very fortunatee as Ant as our leader, a very nice man.
