Category Archives: Luang Prabang

Conquering the Darkness: The Festival of Lights in Luang Prabang

03 Saturday Dec 2016

Posted by in Buddhism, Diplomacy, Laos, Luang Prabang, Secret War in Laos, Travel, Uncategorized, UXO Removal, Wat Xieng Thong

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Twilight on the Mekong in Luang Prabang.

Twilight on the Mekong in Luang Prabang before the Festival of Lights.

Make no mistake about it. What Vatican City is to Roman Catholicism, Luang Prabang is to Theravada Buddhism in Laos. Consider Wat Xieng Thong akin to St. Peter’s. Because to approach this UNESCO World Heritage Site city, located on a peninsula at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers, without awareness of its spiritual life is to miss it entirely.

Jan and I knew that the Festival of Lights, or Boun Ok Phansa in Lao, was approaching in mid-October, marking the end of the rainy season. The late summer to early autumn time is a period of intense meditation for most Laotian Buddhist monks. We could enjoy a week off from our hectic schedule with the Hà Nội New Music Ensemble in Việt Nam and Luang Prabang, being only an hour flight away in Laos, beckoned to us again.

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Happy Anniversary!

17 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in California wine, Food, LA International New Music Festival, Latin Grammy Awards, Los Angeles, Luang Prabang, Mexico, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized, Vietnam

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Thanks to our readers!

Thanks to my global readers!

Today is the first anniversary of my LA International New Music Festival blog. What a rewarding journey thus far – I’m making a great meal tonight to celebrate, as your encouraging readership is the best surprise imaginable!

88 countries around the globe. 5300 readers for 49 posts. 20 countries from Asia, 16 from the Americas (North, Central and South), 31 from Europe, 8 from Africa, and 5 from the Middle East. But let’s not stop there. God bless the island countries of Planet Earth for adding 8 more locations from Mayotte to Jamaica, Cape Verde to Mauritius. I should have started this sooner!

A big THANK YOU to all my readers!

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Bangkok in Los Angeles: Glass Noodles & Green Curry

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Composers, Contemporary Music, Food, LA International New Music Festival, Laos, Luang Prabang, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized

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Reclining Buddha in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Reclining Buddha in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Last post I promised to devote my next chapter to the meal prepared in my home by Thai massage-yoga-guru Lawan and her cousin Supapan. I often think that cooking is the root of successful relationships. Jan and I are a summer Tanglewood romance that is still going strong and we love to cook together. The performing arts demand physical stamina so paying attention to your health is part of your job.

And how your body is functioning cannot be separated from how your mind is functioning. Separating the two is, for me, one of the big blind spots of Western culture. To change how you think, change how you eat.

Before I take you through our Thai meal in my Pasadena home (for my many international readers we live just a few miles from downtown Los Angeles), memorize these five words:

Sweet. Sour. Spicy. Salty. Bitter.

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Paradise Found: The Kuang Si Falls in Luang Prabang, Laos

24 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by in Composers, LA International New Music Festival, Laos, Luang Prabang, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized

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At the head of the Kuang Si Falls in Luang Prabang. Wish you were here...

At the head of the Kuang Si Falls in Luang Prabang. Wish you were here…

Though the photo above somewhat reveals the impact of the last of the numerous Kuang Si Falls outside of Luang Prabang in Laos, I am going to create a photo journey for you to share what is, for me, one of the most lovely places on Planet Earth I’ve seen.

If you’ve been searching, the Kuang Si Falls might be Shangri La.  Make that Shangri Laos…

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4,000 Buddhas: A Journey on the Mekong River to the Pak Ou Caves

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Composers, Contemporary Music, LA International New Music Festival, Luang Prabang, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized

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The meeting of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers in Luang Prabang.

The meeting of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers in Luang Prabang.

The view north up the Mekong River from Luang Prabang beckons with mystery. Soft clouds, ranges of mountains both close and far, a strong current flowing south to Cambodia and Vietnam, a breeze coming from distant China in the north. Autumn in the air.

And the 4,000 Buddhas of the Pak Ou Caves at the end of a two hour Mekong journey.

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Saffron Dreams from Luang Prabang in Laos

18 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by in Contemporary Music, LA International New Music Festival, Laos, Luang Prabang, Music, Southwest Chamber Music, Travel, Uncategorized

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6 AM in Luang Prabang.

6 AM in Luang Prabang.

Though only a short one hour flight from Hà Nội in Việt Nam, the UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang Prabang in Laos is in another world. Of another world. And still in this world.

Luang Prabang has not been ruined by development. The daily alms ceremony shown above is centuries old and respected with calm observation from bystanders. An awareness campaign throughout the city reminds visitors to keep the ceremony respectful. The city awakes every morning at 4 AM to the sound of a deep temple gong, rousing the monks to meditation. A peaceful life rhythm each day.

This is not a Buddhist Disneyland…

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