Luang Prabang: The "River of Orange", and breakfast at "Same-Same"

Every morning, there flows a river of orange through the streets of Luang Prabang:

 

From where we stand, it's a quiet river, a solemn river. Instead of the rush of water, there is just the sound of bare feet shuffling against against asphalt...

and the swishing of robes....

 

For the uninitiated there is the distinct feeling that something special, and perhaps sacred is taking place. Even the dogs stop their search for food and tuk-tuk chasing to stop and watch:

 

Sometimes called the "Saffron Circuit", it is the collecting of "alms" by the Monks that occurs every morning. At just before 6am every morning, the Monks from the Wats around Luang Prabang start lining up. And at a prescribed drum signal start a well beaten path around the city of Luang Prabang collecting sticky rice, fruit, and other sustenance for the day. This occurs every day.... rain or shine.

 

  Upon check in to the Chang Inn, the young fellow working at the front desk asked us if we'd like to give alms the following morning. Having just an inkling, of what needed to be done, we said yes. And woke at 5am. Walking to the front desk we were prepped for alms giving. Right on street in front of the hotel everything was nicely made ready for us.

It was a nice touch that we, being totally ignorant of the how and what's of alms giving, really appreciated.

 

And so it came to pass.... kneeling on my creaky knees, we gave sticky rice and bananas to the young Monks.... some of them looking no older than 8 years old. They would walk by, discreetly open the container by their side, and we'd place some sticky rice or a banana in it.

For some reason, I felt a deep stirring, and was touched in a strange way that I wish I had the eloquence to convey.

After the rice and bananas were gone (we were told that at this time there were over 300 Monks in the Wats surrounding Luang Prabang), we retreated across the street.

 

Even though we found this to be beautiful and exotic, we tried to keep a respectful distance. During our stay in Luang Prabang, we woke every morning at least by 530 am, and stood outside to watch this. Watching this ancient tradition became our own little ritual.

We had another little ritual in Luang Prabang.... breakfast here:

 

Located at the end of the "Fresh Market", on the street which heads to the Mekong, is this little stand. The sign is in Lao, except for the phrase "Lao Coffee". We had been wanting to try some Lao Coffee, so we stopped here on our first morning in Luang Prabang.

 

The Woman running this stall, never moved quickly, but at an exact measured pace. And always exactly the same steps were followed each time.

The coffee was made following some exact steps; glasses were rinsed out with hot water from the boiling water pot. An exact amount of what looked like very highly condensed coffee was placed in the bottom of the cup, followed by condensed milk and a sprinkling of what looked like raw sugar. The cup was topped off with hot H2O, and served in the traditional manner, with a chaser of mild hot tea.

 

The coffee was wonderful, rich, smooth, yet strong, with chocolate overtones. Much better than any cup of Vietnamese or Thai coffee I've ever had.

While savoring our coffee, the Missus and I decided to try some of the noodle soup, which everyone else seemed to be getting.

 

  You chose the type of noodles you wanted, and what kind of meat, and again the Woman worked at a careful cadence, with exact steps that were followed for every customer on every visit. The soup can be adjusted in taste with fish sauce, chili sauce, limes, various herbs, etc, etc.....

 

This was a great bowl of soup. Even though it looked clear, the mild essence of pork came through. And though I'm pretty sure that the infamous 3-letter flavor enhancer was used in the broth, it was savory without being too salty. The noodles were fresh, and obviously bought from one of the many noodle vendors in the Fresh Market. It had a nice stretch, and a good al dente chew. The pork was an afterthought......tough and chewy....but man this was great broth and noodles.

And the Missus enjoyed munching on some green beans while waiting:

 

  So why do we call this place "same-same"? The Woman running the place doesn't speak much English. When we arrived on our second morning, She greeted us with a small, pleased smile, and simply said; "same-same?" And so, every morning, we'd walk pass the main streets and the Fresh Market, up to the stall, smile and greet the Woman, and place our order; "same-same". Same order, same price (2 coffees + 1 bowl noodle soup - 20,000 Kip, approx $2.50/US), same great coffee, same comforting soup. Same-same........

One last word(s) about the Saffron Circuit:

The area we stayed in was a short distance from most of the Guest Houses, and Lunag Prabang's main drag. We were situated right next to Sensoikharam, and several other Wats. This made the viewing of the morning alms collecting a peaceful and relaxing experience.

 

On our fourth morning in Luang Prabang, we noticed a bunch of buses parked alongside the road. With ever more mini-buses driving and parking along the street.

 

We noticed loads of Thai tourists disembarking, and had also realized that our little Hotel was booked solid with Thais. Many of whom lined the streets giving alms.

 

But for each person giving alms, there were two friends or relatives taking photos.....whether a photo opportunity, or to prove they gave alms, I'm not sure. But these folks were getting right up close and personal with the Monks.

 

We followed the procession down into Luang Prabang and couldn't believe the feeding frenzy.

 

Having checked my cynicism at Luang Prabang Airport I found this a bit disillusioning. These are still young men, and they are following a time honored tradition, so we tried to approach things with respect and discretion. It is a special moment for us tourists, something that I may never have the chance to see ever again. But this was a bit much, and very tough for us to see..........

 

Upon return, I watched Anthony Bourdain's episode on Laos, and paid special attention to the last portion where he mentions the mixed feelings about doing a travel show, and the damage to a culture that it can do..... I've come to really appreciate his viewpoints, he seems to get it. Striking that balance is important...........

 

This obviously well to do "businessman" was especially aggressive.......

 

It made us concerned about the future of this tradition. What's going to happen in 10 or 15 years? Our tourist dollars are important, but I'd hate to see a culture forever altered. And will rue the day that some facsimile of this becomes a tourist show. And even more..... I wondered what the dedicated true believers thought of us? And even worse, what terrible things were we(the Missus & I) doing to this culture. Did we do things the right way???

Comments

[Kathy]

Hey Kirk!
I wonder the same thing every time our family goes back to Vietnam. We don't go too often - once every few years or so. But with each visit we can't help but spot a very distinct loss in tradition and culture in everything from the food to the people -_-

[kat]

not sure if others were respecting the culture, but it seems like you did your part to respect it.

[Passionate Eater]

What a contemplative, and moving spiritual experience. Thank you for sharing Kirk.

And thanks for your forgiveness about my multiple comments! I am like those invasive tourists on the sign--but to the Mmm-Yoso!! site! You need to make a banner saying, "Please don't post multiple comments like Passionate Eater, respect Mmm-Yoso!!!"

Also, "same-same" seemed "great-great!"

[Kirk]

Hi Kathy - The Missus and I wonder if we return in 5 years or so, what kind of changes we'll see.

Hi Kat - Thanks..... we tried, but am not sure we got it right.

Hi PE - Thanks so much for lavishing all the attention on us! I think Typepad, which recently went through a big upgrade, is encountering some problems. So thanks for hanging in there, and not getting frustrated!

[ed (from Yuma)]

Another great post. Just enough food.

[mike]

Great post, Kirk. I know exactly what you mean about trying not to interfere with something you are experiencing while traveling. I've passed on a lot of "photo-ops" because it would have felt intrusive.

[foodhoe]

it seems that the pace is escalating. that coffee sounds like a fantastic way to start the day.

[Kirk]

Hi Ed - Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

Hi Mike - Yes, sometimes it just isn't the right thing to do.

Hi FH - Wow, I didn't even notice that.....I think you're right.

[Wandering Chopsticks]

Kirk,
I've really enjoyed your Lao series and was anticipating this post. I think you and the missus did a good job of respecting this ritual. You kept your distance and weren't snapping photos of you giving alms just for the scrapbook. The International Herald Tribune did a story on this recently - the loss of culture but also the need for tourist dollars. It reminded me of when I was in Sa Pa and saw similar types of interplay.

And better than VNese coffee? Whoa!

[Kirk]

Hi WC - We tried our best....the mixed blessing of outside $$$ vs. losing part of your cultural identity is worrisime. And yes, that coffee was awesome.