luang prabang

luang prabang. at the convergence of the khan and mekong rivers sits luang prabang. encircled by green mountains, full of buddhist temples, saffron robed monks, green markets, vendors selling hill tribe handicrafts, french colonial architecture, as well as the cafes and bistros the french left behind… it is no wonder that alina and i were eager to get to this little city, a unesco world heritage listed historic site. not to mention, luang prabang is about 20 degrees (fahrenheit) warmer than the northern hill tribe areas, where we had been for the last few days.
motivated by the cold, the promise of hot water showers and the best food of laos, alina and i boarded a bus heading to luang prabang via udomxai via luang namtha via muang sing… two days later we stepped out of a tuk tuk and set out to find a room. after getting settled in we decided to take a stroll and seek out some of the highly esteemed cuisine that the city boasts. i loaded up on super strong lao coffee, french inspired salad and a crispy baguette sandwich stuffed with chicken, lettuce, cucs, tomatoes, onions, watercress and mayonaisse - my batteries were quickly recharged after a week in unseasonably cold weather.
leaving the paradise cafe we headed down the street into the town center and passed the children's culture center, an after school program set up to preserve lao culture through traditional dance, puppets, singing, music and handicrafts. they were moments away from starting their performance (held once a week) featuring epok puppets, traditional dance and music. since it was rather serendipitous that we passed by at exactly the hour of the performance, and being that we had no where to really be, decided to join them for the show. what a good decision it was. we were welcomed with something that i really wanted to be a part of while in laos, the baci ceremony.
the baci ceremony is traditionally performed in laos for special occasions, weddings, homecomings, farewells, festivals or to mark a journey. performed by monks or a village elder, chanting and prayers start the ceremony to bless the group and bring good luck, health and prosperity to the group. then white strings, symbolizing purity and meant to bring good luck, are tied onto the participants wrists. it is a really cool ceremony and it was very special to be a part of it, conducted by an older man and the lao teachers and students of the ccc. it was highlighted by a little 2 year old boy, welcoming alina with a warm "sabaidee" and with full concentration, struggling to tie strings onto her wrists. it was great.
afterwards, we were treated to some small candies, lao tea and performances of puppets, music, dance and martial arts. a pretty cool evening, especially considering it was totally unplanned…
we finished off the evening with a few bowls of khaw soi, lao noodle soup with fermented peanuts, chiles and buffalo meat, then headed back to the room for some much anticipated sleep, undisturbed by the chilly air we were escaping in the north.
we'll be here for a few more nights - with plenty of temples, markets to explore and food to sample, i am sure we'll make the most of our days here in luang prabang. more to come… david
if you want to check out some more info on the baci ceremony look at this site: http://www.laoheritagefoundation.org/ceremonies/baci.jsp