Obsession

Dear Family and Friends,

I have become a stalker; a creeping paparazzi. SE Asia is famous for their orange-robe clad monks strolling the streets and I fell in love with them at first sight in Luang Prabang. The vibrant orange contrasted with their dark skin is stunning and they have such an air around them that you can't help but stop and stare everything you spot one. At first, I tried to resist snapping shots without permission but, after a few days and no photographs, I became desperate and took to running down streets following some distant monk in orange before abruptly slowing down a block behind them. My stealth skills are severely lacking as I was caught every time.

I understand now why the majority of pictures of monks are of their backs. These stunning men seem to glide down the street at an impossible speed. I figure they have become accustomed to being minor celebrities and having the "paparazzi"everywhere so they have adapted; they must have developed subtle tricks to avoid someone taking the perfect shot, whether its by speed walking or by turning their bodies, just so at just the wrong time. It's a v. buddist thing to do; avoid confrontation, just zen-ly ruin the shot.

Imagine our dismay when we discovered we missed the daily early morning 'march of the monks' in Luang Prabang. Lonely Planet really dropped the ball on that one.. Not one word of mention.... My fears that our monk-spotting days would end once we left Luang Prabang were unfounded but my initial fascination remained. It became a running joke; I was always on 'monk watch', ready to whip out my camera at any time. In Vientiene we rented bikes and were riding around town when a buddist temple caught our eye so we stopped to investigate. I was casually milling around, talking to our travel buddy, Grant, when a monk walked by. I stopped mid-sentence and was ready to go into stalker mode when the monk approached us to say hello. My heart about stopped and my mouth dropped. Until that moment, monks appeared to be unapproachable, like they were the pope or Brad Pitt but this chatty 24-yr-old monk seemed almost as excited to talk to us as I was, if that's possible.

Facts about buddist monks that I learned in our conversation include;

Most buddist men spend some of their lives as a monk. Young boys can begin their training at age 10
At age 20, with a special ceremony, they become a full fledged monk

The orange robes signify...? OK, I did ask this question but I didn't really understand his answer... I googled it and it said something along the lines that they have to die the cloth with natural dyes and the natural dye ingredients produce the deep orange color.

They keep strict discipline. They do not drink alcohol, play soccer or become married.. If they do choose to marry, they can no longer be a monk. They also only eat twice daily; in the morning and late afternoon (that would be the hardest part for me, for sure).

Just when you think you're getting better, you're proven wrong. We were in an internet cafe in Vientiane when a monk walked in and sat on the computer next to Britt and we all just stared. Seeing a monk using technology seemed as funny as a tight-rope walking fish. Brittany did all creepers proud and tried to peek at what spiritual wonders he was up to but unfortunately, her Laos language skills are non-existent so she quickly gave up. I would like to say that I have become accustomed, almost immune, to seeing monks, but I haven't. Each day when I see them strolling down the street, umbrella in hand, heads slightly downcast, I can't help but smile and think that I will miss them dearly when I finally leave SE Asia.

xoxo
V