
The day begins in darkness, lit only by street lamps. As dawn breaks, a pale blue light reveals a quiet line of monks in orange robes moving through the streets of the Lao city of Luang Prabang.
The city, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane, sits on a narrow peninsula between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. It was once the seat of the Lan Xang kingdom and now is a UNESCO World Heritage city.