Laotian monks' daily walk

The monks filed past us silently, their bright saffron robes cutting through dawn's haze like a beacon. The only sounds were the chirping of birds and the clicking of tourists' cameras photographing the monks on their tak bat, Lao for "monks' morning rounds" or the Lao tradition of monks walking silently through their communities soliciting rice and alms.

It's not unusual in Southeast Asia to see monks on the street early in the morning with their alms bowls, going from home to home to receive a small donation of rice or, occasionally, money. It's all part of the Theravada Buddhist tradition of "making merit."

But in Laos, this tradition is done a little differently. Instead of a small group of monks going out in the morning, tens or even hundreds of them go out at dawn, walking silently through the cobblestone streets. The Lao faithful line up, kneeling on straw mats or sitting on small stools, to give each monk a small portion of rice. It's a silent, beautiful tradition that has become one of the main reasons tourists are flocking to Luang Prabang.

Our first stop in Laos was Vientiane, the capital.
The Hotel Beau Rivage Mekong, where we stayed, is on the Mekong River in a residential neighborhood about a mile from downtown and close to five or six Buddhist temples (called wats, as they are in Thailand). During the rainy season, when the river is high, the water is about 30 feet from the hotel's front door. During the dry season, the water recedes to about half a mile away.

 

 The first morning in Vientiane, I got up before dawn to wander around the neighborhood and look at the temples. As the sun came up, I was greeted silently by 20 monks starting their tak bat......Read   more

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