After leaving Hong Kong we had 10 nights travelling through Laos, staying in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and the capital Vientiane.
This was a country I’d wanted to visit for 40 years, ever since I gazed across the Mekong River at its closed landscape while in Thailand for my medical student elective.
I knew the saffron robes of Buddhist monks would be a prevalent feature, so I’d planned to illustrate the role they played in the visual landscape.
Wat Ho Siang, Luang Prabang: I haven’t been able to confirm the meaning of the ‘VIP’ on the star shaped Buddhist paper lantern.
Luang Prabang
Buddhist monks have been wearing saffron-coloured robes since the time of the Buddha, nearly 2500 years ago. Buddha taught that they symbolised renunciation of normal human life and recommended use of cloth discarded by members of secular society, and the colour was also chosen to be different from that normally worn.
The colours originally were those of spices and fruits (cumin, turmeric, saffron and jackfruit), but more recently commercially manufactured and dyed cloth is used.
Lao monks belong to the Theravada branch of Buddhism and wear saffron-coloured robes, but there is considerable variation as my images show, and some branches of Buddhism prefer other shades (such as the dark red found in Myanmar).
Vang Vieng
Luang Prabang.
Vang Vieng.
Vientiane
Late for the evening service
