Holy Rats! Batman!

 

January 4^th 2023 – Someplace between here and there

Yesterday in Luang Prabang was the first day I used the alarm function. Five am comes very early, even in the tropics.

530 coffee and on the pavement at 545. Off we went through the dead quiet streets. Except for one guy, everything he said he had to say loudly, and he had a lot to say. Then every dog he saw on the street he approached and it would usually start barking. I would have shot him if I lived on that street. He really ruined the tranquility of a morning intended for contemplation and reflection as we shared alms with the monks.

The ship had already arranged our spot on the sidewalk to present the alms to the monks. A long 10 person mat and ten little stools, more suited for seating kindergartners that adults. Butts lower than knees and knees at your chin. A covered bowl before each stool and a sash to wear. Left shoulder across the body and tied at the right waist.

Down the street in the darkness I could just see a line saffron starting to show. Then they were on us. A very orderly line of men each in turn stopping to receive a pinch of rice before stepping to the next person on the sidewalk stools.

From the corner there were about 20 tourists and then one local woman. She had all the proper equipment and what I thought was a trash basket. Each monk would receive a pinch of rice, but every now and then one of them would drop a white mass into her trash basket. I thought it was nice she has a place for used Kleenex. I was wrong as I found out later. The basket was when a monk thought he had too much food, that he would take some of his own and place it in her basket. Than at the conclusion she would either leave the basket or it would be collected by the poor and they would also have some food for the day.

After the monks ended we briskly walked to the morning market. It was different than both night markets. The one in Vientiane was mostly for locals to but clothing and phone cases and the like. Prabang Luang was an organized Cairo street bazaar. Morning market was some tourist incentive purchases, but primarily it was for the day’s grocery shopping. Fresh fish, and cuts of meat. Vegetables and herbs. Live chickens and of course what would a day’s menu not include? A nice dried rat or bat. All cleaned and ready for roasting.

Then back to the boat for our breakfast and some upstream motoring. This gave me an opportunity to pick at the knots of my crone bondage and I got all off without resorting to scissors, my teeth or a machete. Soon after my chakra’s were released, or cleansed we arrived at some caves.

These caves have been used for centuries as a place to bring and leave a Buddha statue. The cave is jam packed with them. Big ones, small ones, and even pocket sized ones. Everywhere a statue. So many in fact there were so many that they had to find a second cave higher in the cliff for more. The cave was ?? 200 ?? steps from the main one. When I got there, my Apple watch was buzzing like a hornet. I guess I had closed my ‘Steps ring, my Exercise ring and my Stand ring’, plus 15 flights of stairs.

Back at the first cave there was a mat and on the mat was a cup of chopsticks and pieces of paper in slots on the wall. You took the cup in your hands and tapped it gently as the chopsticks slowly inched up the cup until one fell out. This was your fortune. You looked at the number on the stick and found the corresponding numbered piece of paper and your fortune was written on the paper. Some fortunes were good, and some were not quite as good. It goes without saying that mine was perfect.

As an aside each Buddha pose is for one day of the week. For example, the Buddha standing with palms facing out front at chest high is the Monday Buddha. Based on the day of your birth. Google told me my birth day and it is the reclining Buddha. I do believe that finally something I can put my faith in.

Evening we beached at a sandbank and the crew started carrying tables and chairs out onto the sand. Some of the crew climbed into the jungle and starred tossing down dead trees and limbs. The plastic chairs were draped in cloth and then tied with ribbons and set in a semi circle around the dried logs. With the help of a Butane torch it was soon a nice bon fire an our dining room was prepared. Grilled food came by and then at the conclusion of dinner we set paper lanterns into the night sky. I was expecting hokey and instead was really pleasantly surprised.

Bed and morning came at 630 to the sound of engines and the day was started. A few hours of motoring and another sandbank and another village tour. Each one is the same as the one before, but each different in it’s own way. This one felt more like a real village, not a government planed community. The streets were not linear but instead followed the contours of the earth. This village had been established a long time ago. The tourist draw for this one was the women did fine embroidery in their down time and excellent work at that. The ladies would then take their work to Luang Prabang to sell in the night market. I think they were happy to see us for a few reasons. No UPS fees to get the embroidery to the big city on a long tailed boat. All cash, well the night market is all cash to begin with and no haggling. I think the passengers were happy too. No haggling, one flat price and they were pretty certain of getting an item made in Laos and not some factory I China.

I bought one and paid for it in Kip. I heard “Do they take dollars?” No. One of the members of my tribe puled me aside and asked me if I had any more Kip. I had a million (+\- $65) and so I had to lose my millionaire status. Alas now I am just among the 100k class.

Back to the boat and lunch.