Photo of the Day

Mekong Monk Captain
Mekong River, Laos

{ Nikon D80 } – { 300mm } – { f/5.6 } – { 1/640s exposure } – { ISO 400 }

A monk heading up a boat on the Mekong River in Laos
A monk heading up a boat on the Mekong River in Laos

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
My Mekong Monk photograph on the front page of CNN Travel

 . . .

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

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.