Place to see: Luang Prabang, Louangphrabang, Laos

Postcards about Luang Prabang:

• 

  7 February 2008
  From:
  Frans & Claire van der Lee

  To watch the monks' daily alms procession you have to be the early bird. I found the sweetspot to be between 6:45am and 7:15am. The guidebooks tell you to go by the Three Nagas Hotel for good viewing, but the non-main roads where town residents actually live let you get away from the tourists snapping away. If you are on the main road, be patient and let the first wave of tourists get their fill of picture taking and then wait for the second wave of monks to come by after the tourists have moved on. The most important thing is to respect the ceremony and use a telephoto lens. Keep a respectable distance and do not use a flash. Do not buy food from vendors to give to the monks. I chatted with some monks and they said they find the vendor food to be quite dirty and not good. A local organization publishes a great pamphlet on how to preserve the dignity of the daily event, it is just too bad that most tourists do not take the time to read or follow it.