Greenery
Sunset on the Mekong
Tropical Plant Canopy
Eaten away but still lookin' pretty.
Laos seemed to me to be a serene and deeply spiritual place with customs and traditions quite foreign from my own. From a locally printed guidebook, I found this excerpt on death rituals and funerals thought-provoking:
Funerals in Laos are not the sad, somber affair they tend to be at home. They are in fact, quite the opposite. Instead of mourning with heads bowed and voices low, the Lao send their friends and family off with a celebration that could be mistaken for any other typical celebratory occasion: attendees at the gathering eat, drink and dance.
This is not due to indifference, but a deeply held Buddhist belief that Nirvana awaits all those who have lived a devout existence with kindness as their guiding principle.
The place where the people sit in vigil is called "Heaun di" which means "happy house"! People gather for 7 days to participate in the "ngan" or festivities. Monks chant their prayers enticing the dead to depart the house and run to paradise; there is no need to stay and haunt the house, go to your destiny.
Boston through frosted windows.
Caught some sights in my sleep-deprived, 12-hour layover in Munich.
WINTER IN A SUNLESS CANYON
CASCADES
SAIGON MARKET
