When in Luang Prabang in October, I definitely want to see/attend the morning alms giving ceremony, although they say it can be a bit of a zoo. Apparently, there are tons of people shoving their cameras in the faces of the monks, using flash photography and selfie sticks. My plan is to take my Nikon with the incredible zoom, so as to be able to take photos from quite a distance without interrupting the flow of things. They say that men are able to stand face-to-face with the monks (but not actually looking them in the face), show them their offering, then place it in their bowl/bucket, after which the monk will say a chant/prayer to the person giving the offering. Women, however, must be lower than a monk, so must kneel to make their offering. They also must have their arms, legs and chest covered. One of the VPs from our L.A. office just told me the other night that he had attended the alms giving ceremony in Luang Prabang. He said it was well worth seeing.
I would also like to see an alms giving ceremony in Bangkok, but have no idea quite where to go. Does anyone have suggestions? I see that there are tour groups offering tours to alms giving in Bangkok, but that is definitely not an option for me. I would like to go to a temple that is smaller and out of the tourist limelight, but not too far on the outskirts of Bangkok. More than likely, it’s best to ask around the neighborhood that I’ll be staying in where they would suggest.