I'm a Buddhist albeit not a good one, but I still hope to find Zen in my life. I've never been a fan of sitting meditation or going to temples, but walking can be a great form of meditation. I broke my ankle when I was in the military and have arthritis now plus I got so sick of marching and running that I promised myself I'd never do it again, but sometimes you have no choice.
This is the second night in a row that a cat burglar has snuck in through my window and stolen all my cash so I had to walk to the police immigration station to extend my visa today. Good thing I prepared the money for the cops and put it under my mattress or I'd be screwed and would have to pay a $10 a day fee for ever day that was an overstay.
At first I thought it was just me being forgetful or maybe I accidentally dropped it, but after last night I'm sure they came in through the window, snuck in my room and took all my big bills. I don't know why they left the small change on the floor, but I'll be ready for them this time. I've moved the bed up next to the window so I'll feel them if they come in again.
Speaking of being a poor Buddhist, I'll make sure they have a nasty fall next time they visit. They won't die, but hopefully they break a leg or an arm and they'll be an easy beat down and arrest after the drop. I may be a Buddhist, but I'm also an American. We usually get our revenge tenfold. I never taught my children to turn the other cheak. If someone hits you, you hit them back harder at least ten times. I also taught them to put the first round of the shotgun to be non-lethal rubber used in prisons so it wasn't all over the top violence in their self-defense education. Maybe cops should adopt this practice. It would definitely put them at a disadvantage, but that's their job right?
If you come here to Luang Prabang and want to extend your visa for 30 days, then you can go to the police immigration station that is near this temple. It was about a thirty minute walk from town. You can extend your tourist visa twice. They charge about $3 a day. Since there are no flights out of the country, they're letting us extend this until the pandemic ends. Whenever that is.
You can see the temple in the middle of the screen. If you go straight, you'll turn right after the temple to get to the cops.
I decided to turn right and go in the back way.
You can take a left about halfway up this street.
There are usually many beautiful flowers here, but not today.
If you come this way on a motorcycle, go slowly or you'll bottom out your bike going over this bump.
Speaking of taking a fall, I feel sorry for the construction workers who have to trust their lives to this mess.
Here's the back entrance to the immigration office. The police and other government employees were out cutting the grass with sickles.
Here's what the building looks like from the front. If you take a tuk-tuk they'll come this way. They'll charge you about five bucks, wait for you to do the visa paperwork, and send you back.
They used to have a security check, but they just let you in now.
These guys earn about ten bucks a day for their labor.
This temple seems to always be closed. No one wants to walk up the hill, so you can enjoy the place to yourself most of the time.
I doubt ancient traditional temple architects would approve of the blue PVC, but what you gonna do?
Here is the housing for the novice monks.
The older monks get a bit more privacy.
You can see Luang Prabang from up here. It's really a town in the middle of the jungle. It's green and beautiful like this all year round.
These were the only flowers in sight. They must come out in the winter. The rainy season just ended and it rained hard, so I'm guessing the constant downpour must wipe all the flowers away.
This is the driveway to the biggest and nicest home in town. I bet they have some wicked parties during New Year's.
It made me happy to see this solar powered warning light. I look forward to the day every home and personal vehicle is powered by our sun. In a sunny place like this, they'll turn to solar over time. Especially when it's cheaper to do so. Elon Musk will likely make it happen. I hope he lives to be 100. Thanks for checking out my walk today. I hope that this post is useful to anyone extending their visa here in the future. Have a good day and don't mess with Americans, especially crazy ex-military ones.