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!