Everyday was a sunny day for me in Laos.  We got to Luang Prabang late the night of November 13, 2008, and stayed at Nam Soke Guest House that only cost us 80,000 kip per night, that’s less than $9.50 per night, and I was kind of surprised because I’ve heard that it’s very expensive in Luang Prabang.

I found out at the check in counter that morning almsgiving is around 6 am, so my plan was to get up at sunrise to watch monks lining up to receive alms the next morning, and luckily I didn’t have to go far, the guy at the counter said that the monks would walk passed the intersection at the guesthouse that we’re staying.  Getting up in the morning was not a problem for me, at this point my night and day were still mixed up, I got up at 4 am that morning, and waited until 6 am before I went outside.  It was still dark, and a bit chilly, the air is crisped at this time of the year, and it reminded me of back home.

I spoke to one of the locals, and she said that there are 14 Wat (Buddhist Temple) and over 300 monks in Luang Prabang.  According to our Buddhist belief, Tuk Badt or almsgiving is believed by many that it’s a Boun (merit making) of life, that they’ll live a long and healthy life, which technically speaking, by Tuk Badt, they’re offering foods to the monks to sustain their livelihoods.  I’ve noticed that female has to sit and male can stand to give alms, and monks walk bare feet to collect alms or Tuk Badt, it is such a beautiful sight to see, to be honest, I’ve never seen anything like this before in person.