Having a better idea of ways to shoot the Monk alms processional, we slept in a little (until 6!) before heading to end of the route. By this point, the sky is a little lighter and there's a nice long line of Monks coming up the street. It made for a very nice shot. We then headed over to the seasonal (it washes out during the rainy season) bamboo bridge to see if we could catch any monks crossing it to come over for classes. We were in luck, find a couple of groups using it.
This morning was the 4th class of the trip. By this point Ira expects everyone to bring their A game to class. As he says, all of our pictures will impress our family and friends but he's expecting a little more from us and is not afraid to tell us (in a semi-kind way, of course).
After lunch, we walked to our next adventure, a cruise on the Mekong river. Meaning 'the mother water', the Mekong is the 12th longest river in the world at 2,700 miles in length. It has a very profound influence on the people that live within its watershed. I would liken it to our Mississippi River.
Boats use the river for both transportation of goods and people, especially during the dry season when it's a little more navigable. We had two boats taking our group plus the kids from the photography school we had met yesterday. What a peaceful journey we had with nice breezes complimenting the beautiful, mountainous landscape.
Our first stop was at Whiskey Village where they make, you guessed it, whiskey. Fifty gallon drums are used as stills to make the rice whiskey they are known for. During the bottling, various forms of critters are placed in some of the bottles as a little added benefit. I wasn't tempted, but someone from our group said the whiskey was slightly sweet and not too awful. There were also little booths set up where women were selling their handcrafted scarves and clothing. Cute little village.
Our next stop was at the caves of Pak Ou. Two caves provide the resting place for thousands of Buddha statutes of all shapes, sizes and materials. This is one of the most sacred places in the Luang Prabang province and has thousands of visitors a year. The lower cave has a lot of natural light and is an easy climb from the boat dock. The upper cave is much more of a hike and the cave is quite dark inside. It's really quite a sight.
The return trip was much faster since we were moving with the current. We had a beautiful sunset on the river before docking. We chose the sister restaurant to L'Elephant for dinner this evening. It was delicious!
Tomorrow: Our final group day
This morning was the 4th class of the trip. By this point Ira expects everyone to bring their A game to class. As he says, all of our pictures will impress our family and friends but he's expecting a little more from us and is not afraid to tell us (in a semi-kind way, of course).
After lunch, we walked to our next adventure, a cruise on the Mekong river. Meaning 'the mother water', the Mekong is the 12th longest river in the world at 2,700 miles in length. It has a very profound influence on the people that live within its watershed. I would liken it to our Mississippi River.
Boats use the river for both transportation of goods and people, especially during the dry season when it's a little more navigable. We had two boats taking our group plus the kids from the photography school we had met yesterday. What a peaceful journey we had with nice breezes complimenting the beautiful, mountainous landscape.
Our first stop was at Whiskey Village where they make, you guessed it, whiskey. Fifty gallon drums are used as stills to make the rice whiskey they are known for. During the bottling, various forms of critters are placed in some of the bottles as a little added benefit. I wasn't tempted, but someone from our group said the whiskey was slightly sweet and not too awful. There were also little booths set up where women were selling their handcrafted scarves and clothing. Cute little village.
Our next stop was at the caves of Pak Ou. Two caves provide the resting place for thousands of Buddha statutes of all shapes, sizes and materials. This is one of the most sacred places in the Luang Prabang province and has thousands of visitors a year. The lower cave has a lot of natural light and is an easy climb from the boat dock. The upper cave is much more of a hike and the cave is quite dark inside. It's really quite a sight.
The return trip was much faster since we were moving with the current. We had a beautiful sunset on the river before docking. We chose the sister restaurant to L'Elephant for dinner this evening. It was delicious!
Tomorrow: Our final group day
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