Laos

After the toilet building in Thailand's northern Hill Tribes we were ready for another stint of adventure. We hopped over the border into Laos and boarded a boat on the famous Mekong River. The boat took two full days to arrive at our destination, Luang Prabang.
 
On the slowboat we met a German guy named Dirk who we ended up rooming and traveling with through our entire week and a half in Laos. We went from a team of two to three. A cool thing about backpacking: you meet so many like-minded people from all over the world. And I don't know what it is, but the Germans we've met have all been particularly cool.

The best part about Luang Prabang was talking to Buddhist monks and learning about their meditation practice and their views on life. We found some monks studying English and chatted with them all afternoon. Every monk we met was very welcoming and gave off the most calm vibes. And they're as dedicated as they are approachable. They only eat in the morning, never after 12pm. They do chants, temple chores and meditation every day. They shave their heads and eyebrows once a month to symbolize their liberation from vanity. I studied science, Chris studied anthropology, these guys study how to be good people and live modest lives. They're pretty incredible people.

We learned that every morning at dawn the locals line the streets to offer food to the monks, its called collecting the morning alms. The morning alms serve to a) supply monks with food since they're not allowed to handle any money to purchase food with, and b) to give the locals the opportunity to do a good deed every day to generate good karma. The pictures below are from the morning alms.

The only troubling thing about our discussion with the monks was learning about the impact tourism has had on them. Tourism in Luang Prabang has grown so much in last few years that a huge number of locals have moved out to more rural villages. Their properties have been replaced by tons of guesthouses, restaurants, bars, etc, many of which are run by western owners. As a result, there are not enough locals participating in the morning alms, making it difficult for the monks to commit to their traditions. This is just one example of how tourism impacts their culture.

Being a tourist myself, I couldn't help but feel guilty. By paying for food and accommodation, I am supporting this city's transition from a quaint Laos village to a western tourist hotspot at the expense of locals, including these monks who I've decided are some of the most incredible people I've ever met.

But on the other hand, the growing tourism in Laos is a great thing for their economy. Lots of locals have left Luang Prabang, but many of the locals that have stayed have learned to adapt to and take advantage of the constant waves of tourists in their city and now enjoy a higher standard of living. By spending my money here, I'm also supporting the city's growth and its people. So I guess its good for those who take advantage of the change, but I lean in favor of the monks. Either way, it seems impossible to know whether you're having a positive or negative impact on a place when you're a tourist. The answer is always a bit of both.

We eventually ended up talking to the head monk of one of the temples and he invited us into his temple to meditate with his community of monks. We watched them do their chants, then we meditated with them for half an hour. It was a cool experience, but my inflexible legs were not pleased with half an hour cross-legged.

After Luang Prabang, we ventured to a couple quiet villages where we did some relaxing, some cave exploring (that badass below was our tour guide), and even played some bacce ball with a group of trashed rice farmers. All in good fun.
 

Again, the facebook album tell those stories better. Laos was really quiet and laid back, but now we've moved on into Cambodia which has been nothing short of chaotic. Update soon.