Every morning, the people of Luang Prabang wake up and sit in the ready on their mats, waiting for hundreds of monks to walk by and take sticky rice, tangerines and other treats from them. This custom begins at around 6 a.m. with the striking of gongs alerting the monks that it's time to get going. I believe they've already been awake since about 4 a.m. meditating. Apparently, monks are only supposed to eat two meals a day, and all before noon. Unfortunately, this custom has now become a tourist attraction. Between 5:30 and 6:30, busloads of people from Thailand set themselves up, but at least they are Buddhists, and have come to participate. The more nefarious tourists are the ones who position themselves directly in front of the monks and point they're long, professional-looking lenses
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