Alms giving in Luang Prabang

// June 6th, 2010 // Photography, Travel

The monks would normally start parading and collecting alms around 7am on the streets of Luang Prabang. We woke up early and start heading out to the centre of Luang Prabang where the monks will walk pass.

This is our hotel (Haysoke Hotel). The buildings around Luang Prabang are never tall, normally hotels are averaging around 3 storeys high.

Once we arrive at the street where the monks will parade, sellers quickly approach tourists to sell foods for the monks like glutinuous rice (sticky rice), the basket container is used to put sticky rice. They also sell cakes, bananas, sticky rice and more sticky rice.

NO problem selling with no lights.

Foods that we bought are laid down on mats, awaiting monks to walk by. We’re suppose to kneel down and put food on the monk’s food container. We’re not suppose to touch or talk to the monks.

Becoming a monk attached to the temple is a form of education in Laos. They start young.

Tourist keep snapping away as the monks walk pass.

Spotted a beautiful Laos girl in traditional outfit giving alms as well.

Big sticky rice container.

Huge number of monks. They are only allowed to eat from whatever they can collect on their food container. No more than that.

I lost track counting; mostly young monks.

China guy wearing so many cameras with him. In total he has 3 cameras including a point & shoot on his hand. I wonder whether he is really enjoying photography with so much weight around him.

We bought too many kinds of food, we should just follow what the locals normally do by just giving sticky rice with a BIG container, with this we can give alms to ALL of the monks. If I give a rough estimate, it’s around 500 monks, more or less.