Monks and more

Just a few photos today, since I'm on my lunch break at work. Here is the line of Buddhas sitting on my desk in the office:

The temple whose monks I recorded chanting is around the corner from my office, so the neighborhood is full of monks traveling to and fro. Sovi, the owner of Top Banana, tells me that young men often become monks for just a few months at a time, to get a bit of education and to live a relatively stable, if meager, lifestyle. Here's a monk bus that I saw loading up in front of the Wat:

You often see monks taking the motos (motorcycle taxis) to and from the Wat as well:

On my way to work this morning, I saw these monks giving a blessing. The man ran out of the photocopy shop where he works and tucked some money into their bags, in exchange for which they chanted for a couple of minutes while he prayed. (For the record, I asked permission to take the picture.)