I have recently returned from a two-week trip to Laos, where I travelled with my father and step-mother. We started in the North, at Huay Xai, then travelled by boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, and finally spent a couple of days in Vientiane. Although I had spent almost three years as a monk living by the Mekong River, in Ubon Rajathani, and had looked over each morning at the forested hills of Laos, this was my first visit there. I was especially interested in getting a sense of how Buddhism is surviving in this ‘communist single-party socialist republic.’ On the whole I was delighted by my visit—by the encounters with Laotian people, by the beauty of the landscape, and by the apparent vitality of Buddhism in this land. Following are a few photos I took, which provide a feeling of this unique country.
Monk's Robe at Wat Pah Phai, Luang Prabang
Monks at Wat Pah Phai, Luang Prabang
Wall Painting at Wat Pah Houak, Luang Prabang
Wall Painting of Three Women at Wat Pa Houak, Luang Prabang
Novices at a Meditation Retreat at Wat Pah Phon Pao
Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang
Reclining Buddha Shrine in the Red Chapel, Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang
Haw Phra Bang, Luang Prabang
Novice Monk at Wat Sensoikharam, Luang Prabang
Buddha Rupa at Wat Sisaket, Vientiane
Smiling Buddha at Wat Sisaket, Vientiane
Buddha Rupa at Wat Sisaket, Vientiane
Entrance to Wat Sisaket, Vientiane
Back Entrance to the Cloisters at Wat Sisaket, Vientiane
Gable Roof at Wat Sisaket, Vientiane
Novice Monk at Wat Sisaket, Vientiane
Naga Balustrade at Haw Phra Kaew, Vientiane