The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

In April 1998 I went to Luong Prabang, Laos.  It was a wonderful experience:  at that time Luong Prapang was just named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and wasn't too crowded with tourists. It seemed like half the population were Buddhist monks.  A serenity pervaded the small city up the Mae Kong River.  Every morning hundreds and hundreds of monks take to the streets to gather alms.  I visited many Buddhist temples ("Wat") and spoke to monks, many of whom spoke good English.  This monk asked me if he should quit the monkhood and go to the city and learn computers.  I told him he was already engaged in the most worthwhile path anyone could follow.  He thanked me and I asked if I could take his photo . . . he said yes, and that is the photo the young monk is holding in his outstretched hand. Several years later a friend happened to mention he would be traveling to Luong Prabang.  I asked him to bring the photo of the young monk to him, it would make a great adventure to find him and give him the photo . . . as well as take a photo of him with the photo.  My friend did just that, and that photo is the one the young monk is holding on his lap.  Several years later, you guessed it, another friend of mine was heading to Laos, and Luang Prabang, so I asked him if he was up to an adventure . . . he was and took this, final, photo of the now not-so-young monk with the two pevious photos.  I never went back to Laos, nor have any of my freinds gone there, so I have not delivered THIS photo to the young monk . . . and taken his photo with it.