c(h)risiscaucasian

Tarik

2010-05-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Parade that is Agra

2010-04-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

Incheon: Best Airport in the World

2010-03-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

Korea may be on a long road toward sustaining the tourism industry of its dreams, but Incheon International Airport is certainly a step in the right direction. I mean, there's a world class Jjimjilbang in the basement equipped with private beds. For 20usd a night, you can enjoy a variety of Korean baths and wake up within a short walking distance to your terminal. Absolutely genius. Check out how seamlessly Korea meets the demands of stressful travel by offering respectful, entertaining promotion of Korean culture...

Gongju Baekje Festival (Downgraded Swine Flu Version)

2009-11-12T01:59:00.000-08:00

Gettin' Fluxus

2009-10-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

Shanghai

2009-07-13T00:16:00.000-07:00

Hiking to Donghaksa Temple and Nammae Pagoda, Gyeryongsan Nat'l Park

2009-07-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

CIFLE Travelling English Library, Tangjin Elementary School

2009-07-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

Cherry Blossom Festival at Donghaksa, Gyeryongsan Nat'l Park 2009, March 4

2009-07-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

Open-Air Market Outside Dong Myo Station, Seoul

2009-03-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

경복궁

2009-03-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Chiang Dao, Chiang Mai

2009-03-12T21:58:00.001-07:00

The Elephant Trade

2009-03-03T23:40:00.000-08:00

This is outside Lumpinee Stadium. It's a typical scene in Bangkok, especially around the tourist areas. Basically, you pay the guy a little money and feed the elephant. I'm not a fan and this elephant was pregnant. The owner insisted I feed her, which was probably provoked by my photo-taking. I was already on my second Singha and couldn't hold back. "Look at her", I gestured at the tear running from her eye. "She's pregnant. You think I'm going to support this?" Like it made a difference. He knew what I was saying, but not entirely. I mean, I see the whole picture, but that's my reaction to an animal crying from forced labor on two Singhas.

"I Want to Fight Tong Po!"

2009-03-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Angkor Wat

2009-03-02T18:05:00.001-08:00

Thai School Buses

2009-03-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Two young students sat across from me on the train. They mostly did their makeup, giggled and stared at me. I was too tired to start a conversation, so I sat quietly until they left. Because of budgetary limitations on education, schools in rural areas suffer from a lack of funding. I read that in many cases, students in these areas travel 60-80 kilometers to school each day. This is how some Thai students commute to school, from a train into the bed of a pick up truck. Click for a closer look.

Road to Siam Reap

2009-03-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

From Poipet I traveled three hours by taxi to Siam Reap. Dealing with Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism was a hastle. They try to scam you hard. And if you don't comply, they get angry. In the end, some Irish girls and I found a good deal on a driver; 1800 Baht for the ride paid upon arrival. We split it three ways. On this road there are no lanes. Drivers travel in the middle of the road and sort of move to the side as oncoming traffic appears. Cambodian drivers also like to use their horn as they pass other drivers. There was a constant din of honking the entire three hour ride. Along the way we encountered an overturned tractor trailer carrying empty plastic barrels. At the time it only made me slightly nervous. But the night before I left Cambodia it rained and this dirt road became a mud road. I was traveling by bus. Buses make me nervous. I feel completely unsafe when I travel on a bus. Having remembered this overturned tractor trailer from earlier, I now thought I might die on a bus in Cambodia.

Trek to Cambodia

2009-03-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

Random Day in Bangkok Feb. 2, 2009

2009-02-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

Grand Beginnings

2009-02-23T18:50:00.001-08:00

It seems strange to start someplace other than Korea. But cameras are cheaper in Thailand, and since mine was stolen from my office at Temple University the day after the Phillies won the World Series (!), I had to save enough money to buy a new Sony on vacation. This is the Grand Palace, and that is a newly purchased t shirt. Clean clothes were becoming scarce. If you ever travel to Bangkok, you can have your clothes washed and dryed by the kilo in a back alley off Koh San road, I discovered this much later. So here I am, the first image some have seen of me in over two months. Probably looking like I lost weight (because i have), but just as squeamish as always. I asked a young lady with her mother to take this photo. She had a little brother, too. Then after some reticent hesitation so typical in indo-china, she agreed. Shockingly, in return, she handed her camera to her mother so she could take a photo of us both. I wanted to reciprocate with another photo of the two of us, but thought that might be weird, and then how would I explain it to everyone at home?