The temples in Luang Prabang are beautiful every day, but decorated for Boun Lai Heua Fai they are absolutely magical! When I walked into one for the first time, I felt that I had been transported to a fairy land. The festival officially started on a Saturday, and continued through to the parade on Monday. The first night, Saturday, ended up being a little rainy at the end. Sunday was a complete wash-out, with pouring rain and thunderstorms. So disappointing, though I had fun having drinks and dinner with a friend. The weather for the parade on Monday night was perfect. Before the parade reached my end of town, I even had the opportunity to help one of the temples put the lanterns out on the ground and light them. On Tuesday evening, a Facebook post from one of my favorite temples, Wat Pa Phai, alerted me that they were extending the celebration for another night. I quickly gathered up my photo gear, and headed out the door! It was a fabulous evening, the crowds had thinned, people were very respectful, and a peaceful feeling prevailed.
Temples Decorated for Boun Lai Heua Fai
Crossing the Mekong
One Sunday morning, I went on my usual walk: dropping off my laundry, and then to breakfast. At breakfast, I ran into Toan, a really nice young man that I see around town pretty frequently. I ended up talking to him for a time, while viewing the Mekong, and enjoying an iced latte and a breakfast wrap. Looking across the river, I decided that’s where I’d go next. So, I went up the street and after negotiating a reasonable price, I hired a guy to ferry me across in his boat. The other side of the river seems very rural - it’s beautiful, there’s a nice walking path through the jungle along the river. First, a young girl came out of her house and ran after me. She gave me a beautiful chrysanthemum. At the end of the pathway, I stopped to look around a temple, which seemed rather ramshackle and overgrown. I put the chrysanthemum in the hands of a Buddha statue. Then, I sat down for a moment, and out of nowhere, music blasting, came an ice cream man. It was hilarious. Of course I bought an ice cream.
After enjoying my frosty treat, I decided to head back down the path, thinking I’d go to the village at the other end, maybe a mile away. By this time, it was around 11am. The day was heating up. I was melting. I was walking in the shade, and it was still 90 degrees and extremely humid. When the first man approached me, offering a boat ride back to the other side, I took him up on it. I scrambled down the river bank, got in his boat, and was looking forward to the wind in my hair for a few minutes as I was swept across the Mekong. But no - the boatman drove right into a sand bar and we got stuck. We had to wait in the middle of the river until a couple more guys stopped to push us out. Luckily, I thought this, too, was pretty funny! I’d rather get stuck in the middle of the Mekong than stuck in the snow on Woodward Avenue.