Why is this Monk Piloting a Boat on the Mekong?

Monk Boat Captain
Mekong River, Laos

Monk heading up a boat on the Mekong River in Laos

{ 300mm } – { f/5.6 } – { 1/640s exposure } – { ISO 400 }

. . .

So why IS this Monk steering a boat up the Mekong River in Laos?

I seriously have no idea! In my travels, I have encountered countless Monks working on everything from building houses to selling prayer beads, this scene struck me as the most odd of all of them.

Here, a young Monk shuttles passengers across a wide stretch of the Mekong River in Northern Laos. Is he doing it for alms? Because it’s his Monkly duty? Because I took this photo from a passing boat, I’ll never know… but it’s fun to imagine.

. . .

This Photograph was Featured on CNN.com

On Sunday, May 2, 2010, my Mekong Monk photograph was featured as the lead image on CNN.com Travel’s homepage, as well as in a slideshow about Laos.

My Mekong Monk photograph on the front page of CNN Travel

 . . .

But enough about me… let’s get back to the real question.

Why was this Monk piloting a boat on the Mekong River in Laos?