February Flying Carpet
In February
the Flying Carpet
shimmered in the heat of Laos and Cambodia
In February
the Flying Carpet
shimmered in the heat of Laos and Cambodia
Glitzy and bizarre
the shiny airport in Bangkok
the shiny airport in Bangkok
We flew to Luang Prabang in Laos.
Our multi-faceted guide, Khamsouk
began our tour at his monastery Wat Bang Sing Muang.
When he was 14 years old,
he traveled by walking, boat and truck for three days
to join the monastery.
He had never been out of his village.
The young monks chanted at sundown.
At Wat Xientong,
glass mosaics tell stories and parables of the life of the Buddha.
In 2006 Luang Prabang had many beautiful crumbly surfaces to photograph.
Now the city has been renewed with many guesthouses,
but the real life of the city endures.
but the real life of the city endures.
Our group had the rare privilege
of visiting Khamsouk’s family and village.
They welcomed us warmly,
prepared a beautiful feast which they shared with us
and showed us their weaving, dyeing and spinning tradition.
Every home had a loom.
Khamsouk told us about village life
and how his wife’s parents were building a Wat for the village.
We met a man skillfully stripping bamboo with a very large knife
and traveled on to our resting place for the night.
The next day we travelled by boat on the Nam Ou River.
We visited a village by the river
where children enjoyed seeing their images in our digital cameras.
The village was a basket lover’s dream.
Once again the power of the Buddha statues
collected in the Pak Ou Caves
was overwhelming.
Special thanks to Nancy Craft,
Khamsouk and his family,
Susan, Carla, Harriet, Andrea
and all the kind people of Laos
