A lovely souvenir from Laos

Our friends Lee and Courtney recently returned from a year-long backpacking trip to New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, Greece, South Africa, and parts of Europe. They wrote about their journey on their blog, sometravelrequired.com. I was so touched by this beautiful painting that they brought back for us as a souvenir. They purchased it from a monk in a small town called Luang Prabang in North Central Laos along the Mekong River. Luang Prabang is a beautiful town filled with French architecture and charm. Much of the population living there are monks in training. Monks of all ages from 5 to the elders are roaming the streets in their orange robes, holding umbrellas to shade themselves from the hot sun. As Courtney said, "it is a magical place." Thanks, guys!

Photo by Lee and Courtney