Novice monks

The 40mile cycle in search of a stunning waterfall...was it worth it?

July 24th 2015
Luang Prabang: A town that almost all travellers in Laos pass through, sometimes the only place in Laos some travellers on a 3/4 week South East Asia tour visit. Attracted by the Mekong riverside location, the abundance of golden glittering temples, the saffron cladded monks that causally roam the streets and the many activities on offer here; Luang Prabang is generally a place in South East Asia ... read more

Asia » Laos » West » Luang Prabang

Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathe... ... read more

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CrispyLife

mikesrtw

Hi we're Chris and P. We have quit our jobs and sold our house to follow our dream of travelling around the world for 12 months!!! Let’s jump back about 2 years - We're driving to P's friend’s house for an evening meal when she turns and says "I've been thinking..." And what a thought that was indeed. That thought turned into buying a dilapidated property and spending a total of 2 years 'doing it up' ourselves coupled with a new job and a wedding thrown into the mix for good measure. We even questioned ourselves at times on whether travelling would actually become a reality or be j... full info

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8th October 2015

taracloud
Tara Cloud

Perfection, but....
Gorgeous waterfalls, that most amazing veggie buffet--how to choose?, and photogenic novice monks--the place sounds fantastic. However, in this very Buddhist country, it's interesting that they offer elephant rides, which I've read aren't much fun for the elephants, have bears in cages and bludgeon a fish to death rather than going for a less painful throat slit. Also bizarre that the monks were forced to do the alms ceremony for tourists. I guess no place is perfect, but this does sound pretty great! Congrats on the bike ride, you intrepid adventurers!

9th October 2015

mikesrtw
CrispyLife

Perfection but...
You summed up our experience really well. Overall we enjoyed our stay. We on one hand thought it had integrated tourism well but there was more than met the eye. The monk culture was no longer what it started out to be, now enforced and leading to the adults monks passing on their duties to the younger monks in training. It is very upsetting when you think of the devastating effects that tourism has. Yes we heard good things about the elephant camps and wanted to take part in the bathing and feeding (something that we later did in India) as opposed to the riding. The problem is so many people love elephants, as afterall they are amazing creatures. What they do not know about is the cruelty and suffering each one goes through to successfully be able to offer a ride and the continual pain they experience as the wooden benches used on them eventually break the elephants back. Something I only recently learned myself which led me to raise questions about the moral foundation these camps say they have. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! ?

11th October 2015

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Monks
Great collection.

11th October 2015

mikesrtw
CrispyLife

Monks
Thank you. There were too many photos we liked to just choose one and putting them together surprisingly worked well. ?

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