About This Gallery
I traveled the SE Asia loop counterclockwise in the first half of 2007, from Thailand thru Cambodia, Vietnam and then Laos. After a week in Bangkok, it was off to southern Thailand for an easygoing beach-based entry into these new Asian cultures. Cambodia expanded quickly beyond Angkor Wat to include Phnom Penh and the beaches of Kampong Som, once I discovered the energy and peaceful dynamic of living this particular edge. Vietnam similarly demanded twice the time I'd anticipated due to it's own captivating cultures, as I took the south to north 'open bus' that made befriending fellow travelers easy. Laos was just a possibility for this journey from the start, until repeated encounters with other travelers who had already been. Inquiries about Laos were intriguingly met with a common, tilted stare at the sky, followed by a softly intoned, ‘Oohhhh... Laos....’ Hard not to go after that. And then even more difficult to leave. Perhaps the most relaxed people and place I’ve ever encountered, where time operates on a whole different continuum. The route back to Bangkok then took me through northern Thailand, also most alluring for its own unique mellow nature, if inevitably less so than Laos. These images highlight this long, meandering journey. I hope you enjoy.
I traveled the SE Asia loop counterclockwise in the first half of 2007, from Thailand thru Cambodia, Vietnam and then Laos. After a week in Bangkok, it was off to southern Thailand for an easygoing beach-based entry into these new Asian cultures. Cambodia expanded quickly beyond Angkor Wat to include Phnom Penh and the beaches of Kampong Som, once I discovered the energy and peaceful dynamic of living this particular edge. Vietnam similarly demanded twice the time I'd anticipated due to it's own captivating cultures, as I took the south to north 'open bus' that made befriending fellow travelers easy. Laos was just a possibility for this journey from the start, until repeated encounters with other travelers who had already been. Inquiries about Laos were intriguingly met with a common, tilted stare at the sky, followed by a softly intoned, ‘Oohhhh... Laos....’ Hard not to go after that. And then even more difficult to leave. Perhaps the most relaxed people and place I’ve ever encountered, where time operates on a whole different continuum. The route back to Bangkok then took me through northern Thailand, also most alluring for its own unique mellow nature, if inevitably less so than Laos. These images highlight this long, meandering journey. I hope you enjoy.
About This Gallery
I traveled the SE Asia loop counterclockwise in the first half of 2007, from Thailand thru Cambodia, Vietnam and then Laos. After a week in Bangkok, it was off to southern Thailand for an easygoing beach-based entry into these new Asian cultures. Cambodia expanded quickly beyond Angkor Wat to include Phnom Penh and the beaches of Kampong Som, once I discovered the energy and peaceful dynamic of living this particular edge. Vietnam similarly demanded twice the time I'd anticipated due to it's own captivating cultures, as I took the south to north 'open bus' that made befriending fellow travelers easy. Laos was just a possibility for this journey from the start, until repeated encounters with other travelers who had already been. Inquiries about Laos were intriguingly met with a common, tilted stare at the sky, followed by a softly intoned, ‘Oohhhh... Laos....’ Hard not to go after that. And then even more difficult to leave. Perhaps the most relaxed people and place I’ve ever encountered, where time operates on a whole different continuum. The route back to Bangkok then took me through northern Thailand, also most alluring for its own unique mellow nature, if inevitably less so than Laos. These images highlight this long, meandering journey. I hope you enjoy.
I traveled the SE Asia loop counterclockwise in the first half of 2007, from Thailand thru Cambodia, Vietnam and then Laos. After a week in Bangkok, it was off to southern Thailand for an easygoing beach-based entry into these new Asian cultures. Cambodia expanded quickly beyond Angkor Wat to include Phnom Penh and the beaches of Kampong Som, once I discovered the energy and peaceful dynamic of living this particular edge. Vietnam similarly demanded twice the time I'd anticipated due to it's own captivating cultures, as I took the south to north 'open bus' that made befriending fellow travelers easy. Laos was just a possibility for this journey from the start, until repeated encounters with other travelers who had already been. Inquiries about Laos were intriguingly met with a common, tilted stare at the sky, followed by a softly intoned, ‘Oohhhh... Laos....’ Hard not to go after that. And then even more difficult to leave. Perhaps the most relaxed people and place I’ve ever encountered, where time operates on a whole different continuum. The route back to Bangkok then took me through northern Thailand, also most alluring for its own unique mellow nature, if inevitably less so than Laos. These images highlight this long, meandering journey. I hope you enjoy.
