The Bagan Archaeological Zone consists of thousands of temple ruins.

Waiting for the Sun: My Freewheeling First Day in Bagan

July 08, 2017 in Travel

Bagan was founded in the second century A.D on the banks of the Irrawaddy River...Like so many other photographers before me, I came to photograph the epic sunsets and sunrises over the scattered ruins Bagan (unfortunately, the hot-air balloons were only operate during the peak season in mid October through mid-March.) But I had to work through some rigamarole before I would get the opportunity…

The Songrkan tradition of spraying water originated in the act of pouring water on someone as a sign of respect thought to wash away sins and bad luck. Over the years, that practice has transmogrified into the four-day country-wide water gun fight t… — The Songrkan tradition of spraying water originated in the act of pouring water on someone as a sign of respect thought to wash away sins and bad luck. Over the years, that practice has transmogrified into the four-day country-wide water gun fight to mark the Lunar New Year

Songkran Festival

May 30, 2017 in Travel

I had a blast celebrating Songkran, the Thai New Year, in Chiang Mai, a historic town and traveller-nexus in Northern Thailand. The water-festival, marking the Lunar New Year, has origins in the act of pouring water on someone as a sign of respect. Officially, Songkran, which lasts 3 days, doesn’t start until April 13th; however, celebrations were well underway the day before, with (mostly) young people taking to the streets in colorful clothing to spray one another with water guns. The country-wide water fight persevered for the next 3 days as Thais celebrated the transition from Pisces to Aries...

Young Thais hanging out on the banks of the Nan River, eating traditional foods and drinking watered-down whiskey.

Phrae and Nan Provinces, Thailand

May 26, 2017 in Travel

Phrae and Nan are remote, rural provinces in Northeastern Thailand. There are significant populations of ethnic minorities in the area, notably the Thai Lü, ancestors of immigrants from Xishuangbanna, in southwestern China. Both regions are a little off the beaten track and I didn’t see a single other tourist the entire time I travelled in this part of the country—probably also due to the fact that it was off-season...

Lopburi, Thailand

May 26, 2017 in Travel

Lopburi is one of Thailand’s oldest cities, developed during the Dvaravati period, circa 500-900 A.D. However, for most visitors to Lopburi, what remains today of its ancient architecture, is only a complement to the experience of the hundreds of rhesus and macaques permeating Lopburi’s streets and historic sites, which more than anything predicates Lopburi’s inclusion in the guidebooks...

A Buddha statue entwined in a Bodhi tree's roots at Wat Maha That in Ayuthaya.

Ayuthaya, Thailand

May 26, 2017 in Travel

Ayuthaya was my first real destination in Thailand after bussing from Cambodia to Bangkok...

Vietnam

February 22, 2017 in Travel

Like many Americans, my thoughts and knowledge about Vietnam have been greatly colored by the Vietnam War (or the American War as it is called in Vietnam). Never before had I visited a country in which I had such strong impressions of a particular time in its history, but such a dearth of knowledge about the country or its history on a whole. I knew that Vietnamese perspectives of the War must differ from those held by Americans...