Monk Fishing
Got up early to see the local Buddhist monks collecting alms from local people, but the gate to the hotel was locked and no one around. Funny, considering that all Luang Prabang tourists aim for this photo-op. I broke out by jumping the wall into the next property, escaping through their open gate, and caught up with about a dozen monks making the rounds. There are 200 monks in Luang Prabang, but when they collect alms, they're not all strung together in one long queue the way it looks on postcards. There are breaks in the line, then a smattering of monks at once. It's a strange -- laying in wait for them, springing to action to take photos when they walk by, then scurrying down the road after them. It's hard to even get a shot that doesn't include a tourist taking photos in it. A serene and beautiful moment of their daily life, appropriated for our viewing pleasure.
After, I went to the morning market where local people shop. Eels sloshing about in a bowl with a screen on top. Itty bitty pale pink transparent fish wriggling en masse before being tossed into a small plastic bag. Some sort of live rodent, fluffy and brown. Entrails galore. Chilies upon chilies. Many-hued eggs. Stray dogs trotting by, lazing in the shade. Banana leaf packets of rice and chili paste and other fillings for take away. Frogs splayed three to a skewer and grilled.
