Monk Smiles

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Monks, Photography

Kidding. This is just the latest edition to my Monk Shot! category of posts, but since I’ve done both cute kitten and cute puppy posts this week already I’d thought I’d continue with my new Mr. Rogers persona. While any monk is a good monk to photograph in my book, I’m often drawn more to baby monks and ancient ones. But I don’t know if the baby monks should really be considered monks. First because they are not, they are novices. And second because their saffron robs are more the SE Asian version of the uniform worn at parochial schools in the States. Though I don’t believe the SE Asian version is responsible for quite as many sexual fantasies; I doubt if being a novice monk is as rife with the danger for abuse as is being an altar boy.

I took these photos in Luang Prabang, a town overflowing with baby monks. Most are students at any one of the hundreds of local wats. And most seem to spend as much time gathered with friends doing what kids do the world over as they do practicing to be little Buddhas. Even in uniform, they still manage to show their own unique personalty – whaddya want to bet that kid with the jazzy yellow hat is the cool one in his class?

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Luang Prabang, Monks, Photography

Buddhist monks have such an exotic and serene aura about them it’s no wonder that I’m attracted to them as a photographic subject. Having a thing for saffron doesn’t hurt either. Wizened old faces always grab my attention, but SE Asia’s youth bundled up in monk robes are equally of a draw. And Luang Prabang is on of the best locals for running across baby monks. Kids being kids as they are the world over, serenity isn’t part of baby monks’ charm very often, but then when one flashes a glorious smile like this, who cares?

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Ubiquitous Plastic Stool Shot! #19

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Luang Prabang, Photography

That much red, that many Ubiquitous Plastic Stools, it’s gotta get your blood pumping.

Apologies. I really should have warned y’all before posting this. I know, it’s almost too much at one time. A shock to the senses, but at least those of you in the U.S. have a three day weekend to recuperate. Maybe if they were blue the impact wouldn’t be so traumatic, but just think of all the pleasant fantasies your mind will play out reliving this photo again and again.

Surprisingly, there is no specific word for a group of Ubiquitous Plastic Stools. Or maybe it’s just time someone started a Wikipedia page to share their knowledge. A ‘stack’ of Ubiquitous Plastic Stools works, but then that doesn’t fit if they are not stacked, or in a case like this one where the stacks are numerous. I’m thinking a ‘harem’ of Ubiquitous Plastic Stools is a good choice. What say you?

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Bonus Shot: Being Loose in Laos

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Luang Prabang, Photography, Stupid Tourist Tricks

As a follow up to my recent post on fashion dos and please for the sake of the children don’ts for touri visiting Thailand, I thought I’d share with you one of the reasons Luang Prabang is not one of Pattaya’s sexpats’ favorite weekend getaways. Besides being a World Heritage City, Luang Prabang is home to about 1,000 wats. There are monks everywhere you look, most of them young and attending school at any one of the numerous schools financed by foreigners. It’s not a party town, nor do the locals want it to become a scene for Girls Gone Wild. Hot and humid as most of SE Asia is, previous visitors, undoubtedly of the backpacker persuasion, have left their stamp on the city and the city has responded by trying to stamp that trash out.

Signs abound, notably in English and not the local language, instructing visitors on the proper decorum for dress. They pop up at the airport to catch touri on arrival, and are prominently displayed throughout town. There are also a large number of signs that explain how not to behave when observing monks making the alms rounds in the morning, which many visitors assume is some local pageant put on for their amusement instead of the integral part of local culture that it is.

Sometimes I think there should be a test required before a passport is issued to people.

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Luang Prabang, Markets & Shopping, Photography

Some years ago it became popular in the U.S. to hold a ‘Take Your Kid To Work Day’ that was supposed to boost employee morale. I’m not sure that having a bunch of rug rats running through the office was a good idea, nor was the expected resulting pride in their parental unit’s job that forthcoming when little Johnnie asked why daddy spent his entire day toiling in a small cubicle. Sometime you don’t have to think too hard to figure out why the rest of the world finds Americans so funny.

Hauling you kid to your workplace isn’t optional for others in the world. Day care is an extended family concern that often means packing the kids up and taking them along with you. Then mom or dad gets busy trying to make a buck and the kids are left to fend for themselves. It’s not unusual to see vendor’s children trying to amuse themselves at street markets in SE Asia. And they can often be quite entertaining.

This little tyke with her mom at the morning market in Luang Prabang tuned the world out while she played with her new toy: a raw egg. Though not quite at the level of a Game Boy as toys go, it held her attention. I guess it’s nice for kids in the west to have computerized games and portable videos to keep them occupied, but I have to wonder if that constant sensory input doesn’t retard the natural imagination and creativity of children. I think this little Laotian girl may be getting the better end of the deal. And at least she knows what she’ll be having for lunch.

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Bonus Shot: Curiosity at the Wat

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Bonus Shot: Dat Rice

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Luang Prabang, Photography

I really enjoyed my short visit to Luang Prabang and want to go back and spend longer in the sleepy little town. By luck, the hotel we stayed at was right next to the morning market. If you are not a sound sleeper, that would be bad luck; the market starts early, before the sun is up, and the locals are not quiet about it.

After mainlining a suitable amount of caffeine, we took a stroll through the market every morning. Incredible photo ops everywhere you looked. Fortunately I had my friend Noom with me, and as I often do, shot an arched eyebrow to elicit an explanation for those things vendors were peddling that I couldn’t identify. Unfortunately, like most Thais, he won’t admit when he doesn’t know something. His fall back answer for unknown foodstuff is, “Dat rice.”

I dunno. Maybe it is. Maybe in this instance he got it right. But then the snicker the vendor let out tends to make me think there may have been a bit more to the story.

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Monk Shot! #46

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Luang Prabang, Monks, Photography

Not destined to be on the honor role.

I’m sure one of the main reasons I liked Luang Prabang so much was its over abundance of monks. By far the majority are baby monks, which has more to do with education than religion. The wats in Laos, many of which receive donations from European countries, serve as the country’s school system so students get a healthy dose of Buddhism along with their basic education.

Wat Siphouthabath at the foot of Mount Phousi has an extensive compound of classrooms with students of all ages. And like school kids everywhere in the world some study, some hang out waiting for their friends to get out of class. The studious ones were not as photogenic.

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Bonus Shot: Luang Prabang To Go

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Luang Prabang, Photography

As long as I’m posting sun beaten weathered wood shots, I’ll add this one of an equally ubiquitous SE Asian scene, the infamous drink in a bag. I learned early on in my travels to the region that aluminum cans and glass bottles have value, so don’t expect to be walking away with part of a vendor’s profits. I’ve actually learned to enjoy coffee in a bag. But buy a coke in a bag, with no ice, on a hot afternoon once and you’ll be cured from ever doing that again.

Luang Prabang Windows

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Luang Prabang, Photography

Yeah, I know. They aren’t Ubiquitous Plastic Stool shots, but then I tend to snap shots of windows where ever I go, not just specifically on a single trip. Penang’s colorful colonial architecture inspired windows are world-renown. At least amongst us window aficionados. Less well-known, Luang Prabang’s come in a close second. They’re often the sole spot of color on a building’s exterior, even when it’s a monochromatic scene the weathered wood adds to their allure. Get your fill now, these won’t become a photographic series of posts. (But then I never did get around to posting my window shots from Cambodia, so there is hope!)

Bonus Shot: Luang Prabang Still Life

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Luang Prabang, Photography

Battered aluminum siding, a weather-beaten wood table, a monk’s robe . . . and I’m in photographic heaven.