Our day started early with a 6:00am start when I was collected by BandM's freind Tom and his wife Tiak, son Tonmee and wee daughter Savannah who took us all to Pha That Luang to take part in the morning celebrations.Wat lighting candles and making offering to monks
Thousands of people arrive settle in, say prayers make offering light candles and then leave
Thousands of people had vgathered to say prayers and make offerings to the monks. Like everryone else we spread a mat in the ground and while the others said prayers BandM and I sat taking it all,in. Once again the thing that struck me as much as anything was the beautiful and elegant clothing worn by the women. I knew that I had to wear a sabai and had bought my shawl with me. Local ladies were wearing the traditional skirts with beautiful blouses (generally sitting on the hips, tight fitting and tailored and mostly silk, in colours that beautifully compimented their skirts. Of course they also wore the Sabai which again complimented the other fabrics. All so petite, beautiful, beautiful. I felt like a slobby heffalump next to them.
We watched the people take their silver look bowls up to the tables where lines of Monks sat and where the people shared the contents of their bowl into the containers sitting in front of the monks. Then it was our turn and we too shared the contents of our bowls returned to the mat where we poured a small amount of water into our bowls then poured that onto the ground. We then lit two candles and left them on the ground before we left. Why two candles? Why the water? I have yet to find out.
Once I arrived I got to meet Deejai (the cutest wee puppy) and Joey a beautifully coloured tortoiseshell cat, both are residents in the Bainbridge/Dobson household and both, from what I can see, very much loved and spolied and rightly so. They should be. Deejai (means happy) is a new addition and as yet is not totally toilet trained but with tiled floors and the pathetic amount of pee that he does its not a major.
Rested and ready for food we head to town and go to Laos Kitchen for lunch. Yum, yum yum. Chicken wings delicately flavoured with lemon grass and lime, to die for. Fresh spring rolls; The best I have ever had and other yummy things which unfortunately were overtaken by the spring rola and the chicken wings.
Then on to a bar called Borpenyang, overlooking the river. We arrived and climbed stairs, and climbed stairs and climbed stairs. 5 floors of them. Nearly killed me but well worth the view from the top. A beer or two later and we saw the fries go past, so yes, we had to have some. Just as well as it turned out they were our dinner.
And then we move on to what we had set out for. The final night of the THAT LUANG festival. I expected somber, religious and serene like this morning. Anyone that has been to Djeema el Fna in Morocco may have an inkling when I say total madness for it made Djeema el Fna look retarded. No snake charming of massive food stalls, but stalls sellign everythig. You can think of, and hadnt imagined. And each stall compete with loud speaker and either loud music or some loud mouthed person telling you how wonderful their product was and trying to tempt the punters to buy. Total madness, deafening noise, but no pushing, shoving or shouting by the punters.
Three stages, each showing something completely different, one with traditional dance, another local rock misic and another with western music. All full throttle noise wise. All pounding in my head.
We move through the crowds and go through a security check where we ate randomly frisked and our bags checked and proceed towards the stupa where we watch people place their offerings and the foot of the statue and move on.
Further along we move to another security line but here are not allowed through as B and I were not wearing Lao skirts. We were able to hire them which we did and had come prepared with our Sabai
Suitably attired we are frisked again and move through to the main part of the temple. Here people are doing somehting similar to what I had seen two nights previously wher they circle round the temple three times with their offerings. This time there were no towers but smaller offerings. We were each given one. Three lotus flowers plus three incence sticks and two candles. We lit the candles and the incense lit from them but didnt do the three rounds, rather we sat and people watched. At kne stage the procession stopped and the music changed tempo and a tthrong of police came through.. Behind them followed the Prime Minister and his entourage, like everyone else doing their three rounds. We later saw them praying in front of a buddah where they had left their offering.
We watched the monks, resplendent in their robes and tried to figure out what the different colours and way of wrapping the robe signified. Another google search for another day.
We waited for the fireworks which by our standards were rather pathetic, but on the terrace of fhe temple they did have a lovely sparkler display. One of the rockets threw a fit and bounced back into the corwdsw hich could have been rather dangerous. Fortunately it wasnt going too fast and people were able to get out off he way.
Time to go and we make our way out, through the bedlam, find a tuktuk and head home. It has been a long but exceptionally good day.
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