A second day in Luang Prabang....

By some king of Divine providence, the monks with their big bad drum failed to show for their march past my hotel room at 4.30 AND 6.30 this morning---this scribe managed to take his zzzzzzz's until a civilized 7.45am. Dawn weather heavily overcast and threatening. Hot and very humid per usual.

Carrying the wedding gifts to be blessed.....

            Luang Prabang is basically only a small, four street town at the junction of two rivers and easy to walk around. Yesterday, I think I saw most of its surface visual assets and determined today to try and LOOK at things more through my camera lens. So much appealing here to capture in terms of colour and interesting typical Asian human inter-action. Walked very slowly through the street market and had fun engaging the vendors in conversations of smiles, gestures and single meaningful words with the aim that I could obtain natural & relaxed photographs. This is a technique that is not second nature for most of us, but definitely becomes easier the more that one practises.
                  My walkabout continued along the road to where all the wat/temples are located. These temples are largely used as living and training quarters for (male) monks, that appear to

So tranquille....

be as young as 8-10 years of age. I have been told that many Lao families seek to place sons in the temples as monks for a couple of years in order to make them disciplined & lifelong practicing Buddhists. Photographing the monks is permitted in the wats, but visitors, especially females, are expected to be modest in behaviour & dress. Absolutely no smoking allowed and one is requested not to walk in front of the monks as they move around. I was fascinated to watch them as they worked, the older monks directing the younger boys---something similar to the boy scouts, or YMCA summer camp.
                 The good karma of all the temples might have saved this traveller from a nasty accident......
Looking everywhere but the edge of the pavement, I took a full sized dive to the concrete, landing on my chin. Nasty crack heard in my back, Struggled up--quick bone fracture inventory--all seemed to be working OK. The miracle== for the past several days I have had a sore shoulder, nothing serious. The said crack upon hitting the paving slabs was the manipulation I would

1953 Citroen.. Note hammer & sickle above car....

have needed at the chiropractor. Self help medicine!!        
                    Internet booked hotel and purchased a ticket for the VIP big bus, (not mini-van) to Vang Vieng, 6 hours and about 250 kms along the road due south, towards Laos capital city Vientiane.