Luang Prabang all day...

I was warned about the march of the monks. These saffron robed young men march by the hundred from their dormitories to the Wat (temples) for early morning (4.30am) prayers. The tramp of sandalled feet would not be too hard to take and with a sigh I would turn over for another 3-4 hours luxurious sleeping time---however, the march past my hotel bedroom window was accompanied by

Collapsing banks on the mighty Mekong

the booming cadence of the big drum to keep all the monks in step. Worse to come again the monks and big booming drum wound their way back past my bedroom from prayers, two hours later at 6.30.
 I have committed to get up tomorrow, stand in the street and milk the monk march - photographically. Likely the 6.30am performance will work best, any earlier and it is still rather dark.
                 Planning a two day stay in  Luang Prabang (LP), today, my first full day, I concentrated my touristic efforts in the west end of this small town. Paid my

Lao love....

mandatory $4 admission to the largest Wat--somewhat disappointed as it appeared to me to be rather neglected in terms of maintenance. The dark streaks of mold on white paint, so prevalent in this part of the world due to the high humidity, do little to enhance the optics. My timing however, was perfect in that a wedding party was at the wat for a pre-ceremony professional photography session in traditional costumes and resulted in some shots that would have been otherwise unobtainable by that man in blue cap and Tilley shorts.
                  To put the town in perspective for this visitor, I strolled the (Mekong) riverside walk and was able to take in views that the vast mass of visitors to LP miss in the sales hyped pressure to see the local waterfalls and the elephant park, where even the opportunity to wash your own elephant is offered! Remarkable, here along the banks of this swollen river, engorged by monsoon rains as many other places that I have seen this couple of weeks, is the widespread collapsing of hillsides and river banks, blocking roads and taking homes and businesses to their doom.
                  The main street of the town is closed

Ain't she sweet.......

5-10pm for a large night market apparently much loved by the package tour crowd.The trinkets and goods are of dubious origin---likely hauled in from nearby China. I did see one group of metal jewellery that resonated with me & which claimed to be made entirely from melted down (US) bomb and destroyed aircraft detrius. One is reminded here that the USA dropped a greater tonnage of ordinance on Laos, 1968-75 than it dropped in all theatres during WWII.
                   Tomorrow, will reveal whether I have the 6.30 am intestinal fortitude to rouse myself, rain or shine, to  digitally capture the marching monks of Luang Prabang.