2016 Year-in-Review

This year for New Year's Eve, I thought I would do something a bit different and recap what I've been up to for the past year. I know not everyone has time to follow my blog all the time, so I'll share some of the highlights of this year; the biggest things that 2016 has brought me!

You can click on the links to read the posts I've written throughout the year. I'll also include links to videos from my YouTube channel!

New Year 2016

I rang in the New Year 2016 on Koh Larn Island off Thailand's east coast, with my good buddy James, who was visiting from America. Besides my family, this was the first time that a friend from the US has visited me here in Thailand! We spent a week in Bangkok, and took trips to Koh Larn for a tropical New Year's weekend and to Ayutthaya, exploring the ruins of the ancient capital.

Video: James visits Bangkok

Video: New Year on Koh Larn

Video: James and I visit Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam

The End of Another School Year

I said "goodbye" at graduation to the first class I ever taught, and I got an award from my students.

Teaching is not always easy, but it's times like this when I realize what a difference a teacher can make. These are the moments when I really love my job. I was quite close with the class that graduated, and they helped mold me into the teacher that I am today.

Japan

On my way back home to visit Texas, I spent a week in Japan with my girlfriend, exploring and seeing as much of the Kansai and Kanto regions as we could. I even won a year-long bet against my friend Ryan, and got a rare box of sake in the process.

Video: Himeji Sake Special

Video: What is Purikura? 

Video: A Week in Japan

A Few Adventures in the USA

During my annual visit back to the USA I went caving in Spider Cave at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, and took a snorkeling trip in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with my good buddy James.

The Start of My Fourth School Year

I got a promotion in my job, and had a visit from the professor who first sent me to Thailand four years ago.

Koh Samet Island 

 I visited Koh Samet Island for a long weekend when I really needed a holiday, and went out on a nighttime cruise on a squid boat!

Laos

Pinky and I spent a weekend in Vientiane, Laos, and crossed another new country off my list.

Video: A Weekend in Vientiane

I've been trying to get to Laos for three years now. I'm glad I finally got to see it! Laos is one of the world's five remaining Communist states, and one of the friendliest and most laid-back countries in the world. Vientiane is probably one of the smallest and most rural capital cities on Earth, and it was a great weekend away from Bangkok exploring a new place.

Cambodia

I spent my October term holiday in Cambodia, traveling from one end of the country to the other and roughing it on a jungle island.We had a hard time deciding where to go this October for my semester holiday. At the last minute, we decided on Cambodia. We started in Siem Reap, had a "baguette incident" on the road to Sihanoukville, roughed it on Koh Rong, and ended the journey in Phnom Penh. We are very glad to get to visit and explore more of Thailand's neighbor to the east.

Video: A Week in  Cambodia

Chantaburi, Thailand

For the Father's Day weekend holiday I had a getaway to Chantaburi and visited a cool national park. I gave myself a new goal for 2017, and have already gotten started!

Video: Chantaburi Holiday

Photography

Siem Reap, Cambodia

At a camera shop in Kyoto, Japan, I picked up a cheap plastic camera, and shot roll of black and white film that I had been carrying around in my shaving kit for the past year. I haven't shot film since high school photography, and I'm having a lot of fun through taking this super unpredictable camera around the world on my travels.

I'm definitely no great photographer, and the camera is really cheap and unpredictable, which is all part of the fun. I have no idea how each roll of film is going to turn out, but processing is very cheap in Bangkok, so I'm going to keep it us as a hobby.

Photo Galleries:

Kansai, Japan
Koh Samet and Koh Phi Phi
Vientiane
Siem Reap
Koh Rong
Otres Beach
Phnom Penh

For Christmas, Pinky got me two awesome new cameras and a few cool types of film! I'm so excited to try them out! Check back soon to follow me as I try to re-learn how to use film and re-discover how fun analogue photography is.

New Year's Eve 2016

And the year came to a close, once again with my friend James, this time in Kanchanaburi, my favorite province in Thailand! Check back in the next week or so to see more posts and videos about our adventures in Kanchanaburi, Bangkok, and Hua Hin!

Comics, Blog, and More

And please check out my other blog, Last Baht, where I post weekly videos and comics drawn by my girlfriend, Pinky, about our life and adventures in Thailand!

Thanks for following my blog and keeping up with my adventures living and working in Bangkok, Thailand, and as I explore Southeast Asia. As long as someone keeps reading, I'll keep writing! For me, this blog is my travel journal. It's where I'll record my adventures and my thoughts about life 9000 miles away from home. I'll be back in the USA in just a few months, and I look forward to seeing all my friends and family soon!

You can also follow our travel blog Last Baht for a more regular posting schedule. It's a project that Pinky and I started. Each week we will post comics, videos, and articles about our life in Thailand or about travel in Southeast Asia.

We publish a new comic about our life in Bangkok every Wednesday!

I try to post a video on my YouTube channel every Sunday. Subscribe there to keep up with my adventures!
 

Happy New Year! I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2017! Sawatdee bii-mai krap!

"Illumination" Walk

Merry Christmas!

Christmas season has come to Thailand, and the trees and lights are going up all over the city. Oh, excuse me... I mean, the "illuminations." You see, here in Asia, lights are called Christmas Illuminations to make them sound cooler.

I don't know if it was just early in the season, but Christmas at first seemed a bit subdued this year. It makes sense though, since the kingdom is still in its official period of mourning after the passing of the late king in October. Instead of the usual Christmas music, the malls and shops have been playing the King's jazz compositions, which I think is really a great tribute.

Nevertheless, the lights have begun to go up! I really want to get into the Christmas spirit this year, so I want to write a couple posts to show some of my favorite Christmas displays that I see in Bangkok this month.

Central World is the largest mall in Thailand and the ninth largest in the world. At the plaza outside the mall, they usually set up a really big and impressive Christmas display. This year's display was always super crowded; the white and yellow motif was to honor the late king.

In fact, a very slight breeze has started to blow, bringing much more pleasant weather with it. I can almost believe that winter is here and Christmas is on its way!

Central World Christmas tree at night

To find more lights, last week, I went out to Rajadamri Road.

Gaysorn Plaza

This was the first place I walked into and saw Christmas decorations! Gaysorn Plaza is one of Bangkok's older malls, and every year they usually put up a really classy display.

Hotel Intercontinental

On my way out I walked past the Hotel Intercontinental, which had a big tree up out front, and lights on all the trees surrounding the hotel!

MBK Center

 

 Finally, I stopped at MBK Center, the huge megamall which seemed so daunting my first weekend in Bangkok when I went there with Grant to buy a SIM Card. Who would have known that MBK could have brought me holiday cheer, when it stressed me out so much the first time I entered it?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Ayutthaya Christmas ADVENTure

On Christmas Eve morning, Pinky and I showed up at Hua Lampong Station in Bangkok, looking to buy a ticket to anywhere. We didn't plan anything, just wanted to take a day trip out of Bangkok.

Read about Ayutthaya here, here, or here, and just enjoy the photographs on this post!

arriving in Ayutthaya

There was a train leaving for Ayutthaya in twenty minutes, so we each payed 20 baht for a standee ticket, and hopped on right as the train was pulling out of the station! It was like being in an old film; we had to run across the platform and jump up on the train as it started moving! Luckily we made it.

excited at Wat Mahathat

An hour and a half later, we arrived! I've been to Ayutthaya a few times before, but each time I see something different. This was the first time for Pinky and me to go there together!

flower offerings

Though it's Christmastime, Ayutthaya is as hot as ever! It's in a pretty dry part of Thailand, there's not much shade, and I got a bit burnt!

a ruined statue

We rented bikes and rode around the tiny island on the Chao Phraya river, exploring the ruins of Siam's ancient capital.

golden cloth

 And lucky for us, admission to the historical park was free to celebrate the new year!

elephant rides

50 baht rented us each a bicycle for the day, and with the free entry to the historical sites, we paid only a few dollars each for the full day's adventure. Skipping hiring a tuktuk driver saved us a lot of money. Ayutthaya is so small that it's plenty easy to travel around by bicycle.

famous Ayutthaya tuktuks

Anyway, it was good to get out of Bangkok and get some sun and some fresh air! I've been having to work hard the last few weeks as we prepare for the midterm exams before the New Year holiday.

the Ancient Palace

Just three more days of school! After that, my good buddy James will be visiting, and we will be exploring some cool places in Thailand over New Year break.

hello!

Photo Gallery: Phnom Penh and a Bit of Ratchathewi

Original Post: Mekhong Sunset

Something went wrong... Very wrong.

Shot on my Diana Mini camera using Lomography Lady Grey 400

My heart fell when I took this roll out of my camera and noticed that the shutter was stuck half-open. I went ahead and got the film processed; it doesn't cost much here in Bangkok. With a few exceptions, the photos were ruined; white, empty frames. The photos that were usable were washed-out and blurry.

Cambodian National Monument, Phnom Penh

I think I've fixed the problem now. At least I hope I have. That little camera has been on a lot of adventures with me, and I want to keep using it! We'll see after I develop another roll or two of film.

At the Cambodian National Museum, Phnom Penh

I guess some of the photos look alright. They look old. Really old. I had taken a bunch of photos at the beautiful old National Museum in Phnom Penh. Film is fun as a hobby, but I'm obviously never going to not use digital. I'll always use both film and digital, and this is one reason why. Not only is the quality on a digital camera better (at least compared to the Diana Mini), but there's less chance of something going wrong and losing a whole roll of film.

Cambodia National Museum, Phnom Penh

I wasn't even going to post these photos on here, but I changed my mind. I've got a little bit of free time this month (It's been a really prolific month of catching up here on the blog!), and I decided to squeeze in one more Photo Gallery post before the New Year. I'm trying to become a better photographer and recapture my love of shooting on film. Part of that is trying to embrace the failures as well as the successes.

I only used about half a roll in Phnom Penh. I was shooting in half-frame mode, so I got 72 shots out of a standard roll of 35mm. I walked around Ratchathewi Intersection, near my neighborhood in Bangkok, taking a few photos to finish up the roll.

Phayathai Railway Statinon, Bangkok

I've always embraced the unpredictability of the Diana Mini, and at least some of these photos turned out interesting and artistic in their own way.

Hua Chang Bridge, Bangkok

This next year, I want to branch out and experiment more with different types of film and photography styles. I'm planning on participating in #RedscaleMonth in February. We'll see how that goes.

railing at Hua Chang Bridge, Bangkok

Mulled Wine

The Sunday before Christmas once again found me enjoying one of my favorite Bangkok Christmas traditions- the Carol Service at Christ Church, the city's historic Anglican church and chief bastion of English culture in the heart of Thailand.

Christ Church

The service began at dusk on Sunday evening. After many songs and several readings, the candles were lit. The congregation filed outside to sing Silent Night by candlelight to Bangkok.

singing carols

Every year the candlelight singing draws quite a crowd in one of Bangkok's more tourist-heavy districts, and last night was no exception. I suppose it is quite strange to see a crowd of (mostly) farangs standing around outside in the 80-degree heat singing Christmas carols by candlelight in one of the more touristy areas of Thailand's biggest city. Christchurch is a sanctuary of calm and peace in the chaos of Bangkok.

candlelight carols

Then, of course, it was time for the mulled wine and the mince pies, a rather British tradition that the congregation of Christ Church has carried on over to Bangkok.

mince pies and mulled wine

The season really is here! I'm so excited for Christmas, though I do miss being home during the holidays. I've got two weeks of work, then it'll be time for the New Year holiday! I have a few more fun things before the end of the year when a good friend visits from the USA too.

This weekend I'll take my annual Christmas walk to look at all the trees and lights up in downtown!

tree at Christ Church

A Snowtown Christmas

Merry Christmas from cold and snowy Bangkok!

Snow!

It's a Christmas miracle!

Just kidding.

It's Snowtown, a... theme park? attraction? wintery thing? in Gateway Ekkamai, a Japanese-themed mall here in Bangkok.

Snowtown

Snowtown made big news in Bangkok when it opened sometime last year. I had wanted to see it for myself for a while, and never got the chance. But Christmas seems like the perfect time to visit a Hokkaido-themed winter wonderland on the top floor of a shopping mall in Thailand!

winter time is fun, follow me!

We bought our tickets, put on our snow boots, and had a few souvenir photos taken. And then, we walked through the doors and into Snowtown itself!

Snowtown Village

Inside, we found a snowy plaza surrounded by wintery shops. The "village" is supposed to look like a small town in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island. The main attraction though is the snow.

lots of shops selling coffee, tea, and bowls of hot noodles

Well, I say snow. It's more like shaved ice. Walking onto the crunchy field is like walking on a big snow cone. So you can't exactly build a snowman or make a snow angel, but you can rent a toboggan and slide around on the ice. Of course, knowing Thailand, it's main purpose is as a photo op!

it's about to start snowing

And then at six o'clock, it started snowing (ok, so maybe the snow was just foam, but it certainly looked good in our pictures).

I wasn't expecting too much at Snowtown, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. It's exactly as cheesy as an indoor wintery land on top of a Japan-themed mall in Bangkok sounds, and we had fun. It was a nice way to spend an evening on the week before Christmas.

and here's the snow!

And then, it was time to go into the "ski lodge" and warm up by the "fire"!

toasty and warm!

Before we left the mall, Pinky spotted a claw machine, and gave it a go. She won a mini Santa hat on her first try, which I think might be the real Christmas miracle that evening!

another Christmas miracle!

And in the end we got a commemorative snow globe out of the whole thing!

commemorative souvenir