In our months of travel, we were fortunate enough to visit the beautiful countries of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, India, and Nepal. Each country having so much dynamic to offer in its own right and none of them greater than the other enough to take the ranking of number one. Every place exposed beautiful cultures, lush nature through it's landscapes and wildlife, political conflict and hardship met by its opposition of people's smiling resilience through it all, making the trip one that will forever be in the back of our minds, one that has shaped our world views and made us realize even more the importance of having one.
But also, the warmth from the people who we met along the way. The locals who took us into their homes and villages and gave us hospitality too meaningful to put a price on. And the other travelers we met, from all over the world, who allowed for meaningful conversation, comfortable silences, wonderful times, and necessary friendships, adding a stronger pulse to our lives and our views of the world, making it seem more hopeful, exciting, diverse, and complex, yet more similar then we both could have ever imagined. In turn, planting within us a lifelong desire and priority to forever remain curious of the world and to always be willing to leave behind the comforts of where we are and what we know in order to go out and find more. learn more. know more.
So, I've posted just the film shots i took throughout the trip, with the exception of a handful of shots from my digital camera good guy(captioned as so). hope you're down.
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Um Phang...
...A Town in the western mountains of Thailand bordering Burma. We rode on the tailgate of a truck for 4 hours with local farmers and families, through winding roads in the mountains to get there...probably not the safest of options, but an incredible way to meet the people and see a new place. The pictures here are of our time in Um Phang during our river trip to the Thilawsu waterfall. The man in the pictures was our river guide, who then became a good friend to us. Unfortunately the digital photos and videos of the ride to Um Phang were among the photos lost in the package we sent home...so memory makes up for it's absence.
Mae Hong Son...
...This part of the trip, Kevin and I decided to rent motorbikes and ride through the Northwest of Thailand from Chiang Mai(in the Center of northern Thailand), until we ended up in Mae Hong Son (the Thai city which borders the northeast of Burma). It was an incredible part of the trip. Altogether i think we rode close to 300 miles or so in the span of two weeks, stopping a lot along the way. It was all empty winding roads accompanied by rice patties, and lush rainforest. Pictures don't do the place justice as usual. I had digital photos and videos of the ride and the two weeks spent in the region...part of the infamous package. Bum deal.
So, I've posted just the film shots i took throughout the trip, with the exception of a handful of shots from my digital camera good guy(captioned as so). hope you're down.
fair warning...you might need to take an intermission after Cambodia...
Here's the map we used to mark our way through southeast asia...
lines=travel
dots=places we stopped at for longer than a couple of days
pink line=distance traveled on motorbikes
arrow=flying to india
ink on map throughout whole trip=about 30 lost blue pens.
lines=travel
dots=places we stopped at for longer than a couple of days
pink line=distance traveled on motorbikes
arrow=flying to india
ink on map throughout whole trip=about 30 lost blue pens.
.jpg)
...THAILAND...
Ayuttuya...
...The ancient capitol of Thailand. The city is covered with ruins of ancient temples.
Ayuttuya...
...The ancient capitol of Thailand. The city is covered with ruins of ancient temples.
Um Phang...
...A Town in the western mountains of Thailand bordering Burma. We rode on the tailgate of a truck for 4 hours with local farmers and families, through winding roads in the mountains to get there...probably not the safest of options, but an incredible way to meet the people and see a new place. The pictures here are of our time in Um Phang during our river trip to the Thilawsu waterfall. The man in the pictures was our river guide, who then became a good friend to us. Unfortunately the digital photos and videos of the ride to Um Phang were among the photos lost in the package we sent home...so memory makes up for it's absence.
Mae Hong Son...
...This part of the trip, Kevin and I decided to rent motorbikes and ride through the Northwest of Thailand from Chiang Mai(in the Center of northern Thailand), until we ended up in Mae Hong Son (the Thai city which borders the northeast of Burma). It was an incredible part of the trip. Altogether i think we rode close to 300 miles or so in the span of two weeks, stopping a lot along the way. It was all empty winding roads accompanied by rice patties, and lush rainforest. Pictures don't do the place justice as usual. I had digital photos and videos of the ride and the two weeks spent in the region...part of the infamous package. Bum deal.
...LAOS...
We traveled through Laos by way of boat, via the Mekong River, stopping at various towns along the way.
...along the river...
...Luang Prubang...
...giving alms...spreading the goods...
...CAMBODIA...
...Phnom Penh...
...Angkor Wat...
...Angkor Wat at dawn...
...INDIA...
A month's time was spent in India, starting in Calcutta and working our way north along the eastern coast via train stopping in the mountains of northeast of India for two weeks, then through Nepal, and after two weeks back down through the north central region of India for another two weeks where we then ended our trip in Delhi. India was incredible.
...Darjeeling...
...from our room...
...around the town...
...sunrise over the hidden Himalayas, from Tiger Hill...
...Tibetan Monastery...
...Photos from the good days spent at the Tibetan Refugee Camp in Darjeeling...
This refugee camp has been here for the Tibetan refugees for nearly 60 years now. You see refugees of all ages. It's unlike other refugee camps in that it is a self help center, meaning the refugees are taught to use their skills(whether it be painting, knitting, etc.) to produce souvenirs that are sold at the camp(all money goes directly to them) in order for them to have a source of income and some sense of independence in their unfortunate oppressed lives. Although their lives are confined to the premises of the camp... the joy, and the hope, and the resilience shown by these incredible people made you think otherwise. It was such a crazy juxtaposition to see...because on one hand, you have these incredible people that are happy surviving with the means that have been given to them, living in Darjeeling one of the most beautiful and serene places, but they're restricted to the confines of the camp...not allowed to experience freely the beautiful place where they live.
-the juxtaposition-
...Varanasi...
...one of the oldest and most religious cities in the world...
(digital photos)
...Agra...
(digital shots)
...Delhi...
...Two days were spent in Delhi before flying home. It was our last stop on the trip and we were fortunate enough to meet up with two of our great friends from back home. We caught them on the first day of their trip, and the last of ours. A gracious amount of beers were consumed. Great way to end the trip.
(digital shots)
...NEPAL...
We spent a little over a week in Nepal, spending our time in both the city Kathmandu and a small village just outside of the city.
...Kathmandu...
...The people of the city...
...The Monkey temple that towers over Kathmandu...climbing the stairs brought reality to the absence of my leg muscles...
(digital shots)
...Pashupatinath Burning Ghat...
Seen as the most sacred of all the burning ghats in Nepal. Cremations take place here 24 hours a day. Hindus travel here from all distances with their deceased loved ones to give their ashes the honor of calling the holy river their final resting place. Each ceremony lasted 4 hours...hard to describe how incredible this experience was. For me, this was a place of real peace. The sense of respect, spirituality, honor, and real emotions filled the atmosphere, and could not go unnoticed. At night...just before sunset...a group of musicians played a set of classical Hindu music, which added to the already transcendent ambiance of the place. I left here with a real admiration and respect for the Hindu culture...even more so than before.
(digital shots)
...wandering the city a bit...
just hanging out, killing time.
So...the guest house we stayed at during our time in Kathmandu had a curfew of 11p.m., which is par in Kathmandu where everything closes down around 10p.m. So every night, i'd make a stop at this convenient stand to buy a water and a snickers bar before going in for the night. Well the gentleman, Krishna, who ran the stand was a really sweet man. His English was very broken, but his desire to communicate was strong, so it worked. I really looked forward to my nightly visits to his stand, and the brief conversations we would have. So when it was nearing our last couple of days in Kathmandu, i was kind of already missing the nightly visits. When i told him that my friend and I were planning on taking a bus to go visit another town for a day, Krishna extended to me an invitation to come with him the very next day to the village where his brothers and his Mother live. He' d have his wife watch the stand in Kathmandu, and we would leave via bus to his family's village where we would then stay the night.
The village was a two hour drive via bus, and was set in one of the most beautiful places i've ever seen...Himalaya in the backdrop. His family's hospitality was like no other. His four brothers, their wives and children, along with the Mother, all lived on this plot of land. They make their living as farmers, all of which is done on their own land. His family, although we were limited to the broken attempts of speaking eachother's language , all showed us great warmth, kindness, and hospitality. We left Nepal with the comfort of knowing that we will always have a place to stay, great food to eat, and the company of great friends to enjoy, if ever we are to return to Kathmandu.
(Krishna)
After leaving the village, Krishna and his family had us stay in their flat for our last night in Kathmandu...
.....FIN.....
We traveled through Laos by way of boat, via the Mekong River, stopping at various towns along the way.
...along the river...
...Luang Prubang...
...giving alms...spreading the goods...
...CAMBODIA...
...Phnom Penh...
...Angkor Wat...
...Angkor Wat at dawn...
...INDIA...
A month's time was spent in India, starting in Calcutta and working our way north along the eastern coast via train stopping in the mountains of northeast of India for two weeks, then through Nepal, and after two weeks back down through the north central region of India for another two weeks where we then ended our trip in Delhi. India was incredible.
...Darjeeling...
...from our room...
...around the town...
...sunrise over the hidden Himalayas, from Tiger Hill...
...Tibetan Monastery...
...Photos from the good days spent at the Tibetan Refugee Camp in Darjeeling...
This refugee camp has been here for the Tibetan refugees for nearly 60 years now. You see refugees of all ages. It's unlike other refugee camps in that it is a self help center, meaning the refugees are taught to use their skills(whether it be painting, knitting, etc.) to produce souvenirs that are sold at the camp(all money goes directly to them) in order for them to have a source of income and some sense of independence in their unfortunate oppressed lives. Although their lives are confined to the premises of the camp... the joy, and the hope, and the resilience shown by these incredible people made you think otherwise. It was such a crazy juxtaposition to see...because on one hand, you have these incredible people that are happy surviving with the means that have been given to them, living in Darjeeling one of the most beautiful and serene places, but they're restricted to the confines of the camp...not allowed to experience freely the beautiful place where they live.
-the juxtaposition-
...Varanasi...
...one of the oldest and most religious cities in the world...
(digital photos)
...Agra...
(digital shots)
...Delhi...
...Two days were spent in Delhi before flying home. It was our last stop on the trip and we were fortunate enough to meet up with two of our great friends from back home. We caught them on the first day of their trip, and the last of ours. A gracious amount of beers were consumed. Great way to end the trip.
(digital shots)
...NEPAL...
We spent a little over a week in Nepal, spending our time in both the city Kathmandu and a small village just outside of the city.
...Kathmandu...
...The people of the city...
...The Monkey temple that towers over Kathmandu...climbing the stairs brought reality to the absence of my leg muscles...
(digital shots)
...Pashupatinath Burning Ghat...
Seen as the most sacred of all the burning ghats in Nepal. Cremations take place here 24 hours a day. Hindus travel here from all distances with their deceased loved ones to give their ashes the honor of calling the holy river their final resting place. Each ceremony lasted 4 hours...hard to describe how incredible this experience was. For me, this was a place of real peace. The sense of respect, spirituality, honor, and real emotions filled the atmosphere, and could not go unnoticed. At night...just before sunset...a group of musicians played a set of classical Hindu music, which added to the already transcendent ambiance of the place. I left here with a real admiration and respect for the Hindu culture...even more so than before.
(digital shots)
...wandering the city a bit...
just hanging out, killing time.
So...the guest house we stayed at during our time in Kathmandu had a curfew of 11p.m., which is par in Kathmandu where everything closes down around 10p.m. So every night, i'd make a stop at this convenient stand to buy a water and a snickers bar before going in for the night. Well the gentleman, Krishna, who ran the stand was a really sweet man. His English was very broken, but his desire to communicate was strong, so it worked. I really looked forward to my nightly visits to his stand, and the brief conversations we would have. So when it was nearing our last couple of days in Kathmandu, i was kind of already missing the nightly visits. When i told him that my friend and I were planning on taking a bus to go visit another town for a day, Krishna extended to me an invitation to come with him the very next day to the village where his brothers and his Mother live. He' d have his wife watch the stand in Kathmandu, and we would leave via bus to his family's village where we would then stay the night.
The village was a two hour drive via bus, and was set in one of the most beautiful places i've ever seen...Himalaya in the backdrop. His family's hospitality was like no other. His four brothers, their wives and children, along with the Mother, all lived on this plot of land. They make their living as farmers, all of which is done on their own land. His family, although we were limited to the broken attempts of speaking eachother's language , all showed us great warmth, kindness, and hospitality. We left Nepal with the comfort of knowing that we will always have a place to stay, great food to eat, and the company of great friends to enjoy, if ever we are to return to Kathmandu.
(Krishna)
After leaving the village, Krishna and his family had us stay in their flat for our last night in Kathmandu...
.....FIN.....
