When I first moved to Thailand, I was a little nervous about taking photos of monks or talking to them because I didn’t know the etiquette, but over the years I have met many fascinating monks and found that they are often approachable, well-traveled, and […]
While visiting the 12th century Khmer ruins in Phimai, Thailand, I happened upon six women dressed in resplendent yellow dresses. “Tam mai suai?” – Why pretty? – I asked. The friendly ladies said that they were headed to a festival with lots of dancing and […]
I stood on a bluff on the outskirts of Dhaka and looked out over a bleak scene – fields of bricks, punctuated by chimneys coughing up black smoke, stretched out to the horizon. I walked down the hill and went into the first brick field – […]
When I arrived at the shipyards in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I thought maybe I’d passed through the gates of hell and ended up in Dante’s first circle. All along the riverfront, massive cargo ships have been hauled onto land where they are undergoing repairs. The scene […]
I grew up in a small, rural town in Oklahoma where all life is lived indoors. Everyone travels by car, all commerce and events happen inside, and there is little interaction with neighbors. My hometown doesn’t really have pedestrians. If you see someone walking they […]
The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, is a colossal religious complex that defies human scale. The temple is centered around a golden stupa that reaches 326 feet into the sky. It is estimated that up to 60 tons of gold comprise the spire, the top […]
The San Pya Fish Market in Yangon is the sort of place you smell before you arrive. The pungent aroma of fish immediately smacks you in the face and the piscine perfume saturates your clothes and stays with you long after leaving. In fact, when […]
If you have taken the time to read the other three posts I made about our Thai New Year trip to rural Isaan, then you know that all the people from the village spent four days drinking in a manner usually associated with celebrations after […]
The grand finale of our Songkran experience started like the other days – we were promised afternoon sanook and told to wear nice clothes, but offered no further instructions (that we understood). (Note: this is part three of a 3-part series. You can catch up […]
Even though Sri Lanka is a very colorful place, I found myself thinking in black and white while walking with my camera. I am a big fan of high contrast black and white photos. To me, photos with pure blacks and very bright whites really […]
