Every morning in Luang Prabang, the spiritual capital of Laos, hundreds of monks walk barefoot in single file through the streets, carrying their alms bowls to receive alms from people. The donors offer sticky rice, snacks and fruit to the monks in order to gain merit, which they believe may lead to a better next life or lessen the number of times they must be reincarnated before achieving nirvana.

Unfortunately, this lovely ceremony has become somewhat corrupted, with tourists jostling to get the best photo, blinding the monks with flash bulbs in the pre-dawn light, and generally exhibiting rude behavior. In addition to the tourists, vendors quickly learned there was money to be made from this daily ceremony and they are just as obtrusive, shoving food on unprepared tourists who end up paying exorbitant amounts of money to buy food to give to the monks, some of which is inappropriate, old, or improperly prepared. To fight this the government is now posting signs advising tourists not to buy from these vendors; rather it is suggested to buy fruit or prepackaged snacks, or ask your hotel to assist in preparing food the night before.

Despite these problems, this incredible ceremony known as Binthabhat, is a must see when visiting Luang Prabang. Photos and videos are perfectly acceptable if done in a respectful way, standing back from the procession and perhaps using a telephoto lens.

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