After breakfast we set off touring first up to a temple perched on the top of a hill which gave beautiful views. This temple differed in that it was the home of the few nuns that are living in the area. The walls were covered in wonderful paintings that told the life story of Buddha. We then set off through the countryside which is always interesting as you get a different view of the country. We passed through several small villages before reaching our destination which was the small village of Bak where we boarded long narrow tin boats with about a 10 inch freeboard ,a bunch of strangers and not a life jacket to be seen for a trip down river to the Tad Sae Waterfalls. I was happy everyone decided to remain seated and we reached the destination which was very worth while. There has been a shortage of rain in Laos lately so the falls were not as full as usual but the water cascading over the picturesque rocks to the lovely blue pools was very scenic. Wooden bridges placed in a couple of places gave one great picture opportunities and if one was so inclined you could go for a dip. I did put my feet in but the bottom was too slimy for my liking. A couple of elephants were taking people for rides through the water as well. After our visit here we returned to the city for lunch then went to the village of Ban Xiang Chong to visit a weaving and paper making factory. Even the dying was done naturally and by hand. We returned to the hotel in time to fit in a massage before a busy evening.
We started the evening with a private Baci ceremony. This is a national custom of blessing led by a Sharman who has been a monk at one time and is basically a good luck ceremony. Ours included the Sharman and six elders from the community. We all sat around a pha Khuan which is created out of banana leaves and marigolds. The ceremony started with chanting by the Sharman and then the others joined in. The Sharman then tied a string onto each of our wrists as he made good wishes for us. After he had tied his strings each of the others present tied two strings on each of us while wishing us well in our lives and travels. This of course had to be interpreted to us by our guide. What we could understand was their wonderful genuine smiles. After the brackets were tied the Sharman blessed some food and we were given the traditional boiled egg, sticky rice and vodka. Then we were presented with the pha Khuan for good luck. It really was a moving experience. One of several we have been lucky enough to have on this trip.
Another stroke of luck was being in Laos for the Festival of Lights which is held every year on the last night of Buddhist Lent. Every village builds a fireboat out of bamboo and paper and lit with candles in the shape of a naga or dragon and there is a huge parade down main street which lasted over two hours which included over 50 fireboats and 100’s of enthusiastic villagers carrying individual floating flowers and candles that they would release into the river with the fireboats. At the conclusion of the parade the dragons and thousands of individual floats are released into the river to pay homage to the Lord Buddha and to send away any negativity and bad luck. The beautiful creations are set on fire as they are put in the river. We watched the whole parade and then made our way towards the river but to say it was mayhem would be an understatement so we elected to end this special day with snacks and a toast in a bar overlooking the busy street below.
Givalms to the monks each morning. What they do not eat they give to the poor
The monks receiving food from the nuns
Temple where the nuns lived at the top of the hill
Bright paintings adorned the walls
The Laos version of the circle of life
Lovely view of Luang Prabang from the second story of the temple
Vendors hoping to sell some food as people set off to the waterfalls
Eric being a gentleman and helping someone off the boat
First view of the falls
Picturesque how the trees ,rocks and water all mix together
The water looks more inviting in the pictures
Babies are cute every where
Must be spectacular when the water levels are high
Small farms pop up everywhere
This very well maintained wat complex was in a very poor village
This was a typical home in the village where the temple above was
These ladies make 50 sheets of decorative paper a day starting with pulp
The chanting at the beginning of the Baci ceremony
The chanting continued
The Sharman ties strings to our wrists. You are supposed to leave at least three on for three days for good luck. We decided to leave as many on as possible until we are safely home.
Elders giving us good wishes
Eating the traditional food. Eric had a hard time getting the egg down so had to have two glasses of vodka
Blessing the pha Khuan
Being presented with the pha Khuan which we kept in our hotel room until our departure
Some of the floating nagas people purchased to float in the river
More offerings for the river
One of the dozens of colourful nagas getting ready for the parade
Young boy entranced with the parade. Love the character in Grandma ‘s face
We saw this fire boat being brought in from a distant village and it was several miles away and they pushed it the whole way. That is determination
Seems a shame to set this on fire
All throughout the parade you saw the participants relighting the candles, especially as they got near the judging area.
The work and imagination that went into each one is incredible..as they were lit only by candles not quite sure how they did not catch fire accidentally
The two night previously it had poured with rain and the lights that were planned for all the wats were ruined so was really nice that the sun Gods were shining on the parade
All the villagers were dress in their traditional costumes
This was my favourite so I will end this post with this memory
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