In fall 2011 I went to S.E. Asia on a one way ticket with my good friend Eric. That choice to leave everything behind and venture out farther than I had ever before completely changed my life. It made me realize that a comfortable job, a guaranteed paycheck, and all these other comforts were not what I wanted out of my life. At least not my 20's. I wanted adventure. True adventure. The kind that not many people seem to be familiar with anymore. The kind where you spend some nights sleeping in a limestone cave full of huge spiders, and others in a hammock in a jungle where the area is guarded by armed guards with AK-47's incase the wild elephants decide to say an unwelcome hello.

We started in Bangkok, the city that really never sleeps and went south to the Isle of Phuket. We loved it so much we decided to get apartments and enjoy the island life for a while. Over those two months, we went on countless motorbike rides up the coast to places such as Khao Sok, Phang Nga, and Krabi. I spent nearly every night at the night market finding anything from Ray Ban glasses at $3 a pop, to fried dog, to the illegal trafficking of animals. I once came across a sugar glider that if we had not been traveling onward I just might have bought.

I spent nearly every evening swimming and snorkeling in the Andaman Sea and of course watching the sunsets. Phuket sunsets have no equal.

Father and SonA father and his son fish on a small outcropping in the Andaman Sea — Father and Son
A father and his son fish on a small outcropping in the Andaman Sea

While in Phuket I worked for the Magic Show: Joe Labero selling tickets on the street. I had my booth on central Bangla Road (the night club street) in downtown Patong Beach, Phuket. In those few weeks I sold tickets I was able to save up enough money to travel all the way to north Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia as well as a visa run to Malaysia. I'll never forget this lady who would ride around in her food stall and always stop by my booth because she knew i'd buy a ton of her fresh veggie rolls.

Predator GuardianHe watched over my booth on Bangla Road. — Predator Guardian
He watched over my booth on Bangla Road.

When I went on this trip/adventure I stayed for 2 months in the south of Thailand, and for the next two months my wonderful partner Tiffany decided to join me. We traveled up to Bangkok and then Chaing Mai, and took the road of 1000 switchbacks to Pai which both relate very directly to Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona. I didn't at the time, but in Pai you can get a "Happy Pizza" which is topped with hallucinogenic mushrooms. Perhaps next time.

After our tour of Thailand, we headed for Lao, and the capital Vientiane. Lao is commonly referred to as "Laid back Lao". On their money for example are the letters PDR which any foreigner will tell you stands for "Please Don't Rush". On the streets you can find vendors selling you counter-fit money and fake diplomas for any University in the world. The Mekong River separates Laos and Thailand and makes for some great swimming and fishing. The first (long) bus ride from the capital led us to Vang Vieng. It mostly is a tourist attraction where you can pay a tuk tuk driver to drive you up river and you float down in a tube. The difference between Lao river floating and the kind you might find in central Texas are all the bars on the river side playing club music and Friends re-runs. It is incredibly fun but not without danger. At least once a month some drunk tourist can't control themselves and ends up dying. The day before we arrived someone from Australia drowned because he was too drunk to swim. Very sad way to lose your life.

A beer tree and floating down the river in Vang Vieng

The other thing you must watch out for is UXO (unexploded land mines) from the Vietnam war. All over the mountains in this panorama lie an unpleasant suprise for anyone not watching their footing.

Vang Vieng - LaoThe mountains in the background are dotted with land mines from the war. — Vang Vieng - Lao
The mountains in the background are dotted with land mines from the war.

In the northern part of Lao lies perhaps my favorite city i've ever been to, Luang Prabang. There are no clubs, no bars, nothing resembling a tourist attraction besides sleepy Guesthouses and Hostels trying to make a buck. In the nearly two weeks we spent here we went elephant riding in the jungle, temple exploring and hiking along the riverside and into adjacent villages. The night market is also perhaps the most memorable part. Imagine a street at least a mile long crammed with hundreds of local merchants selling such things as handmade blankets made by the Hmong people, Mak Tuum tea which resembles a huge orange, and paintings resembling ancient history to the region. You could buy everything listed above for less than $50.

After Lao, we decided to head to Vietnam in the north. We took a 27 hour bus ride from Luang Prabang Lao to Hanoi, Vietnam with only one stop. Only. One. Stop. On this bus ride from Hell we met two wonderful travelers from Israel. Chen and Yaniv, Tiffany and myself ended up traveling much of Vietnam together by train. I hope to someday visit them in Israel.

The 4 of us near the entrance to the biggest cave in the world. Phang Na Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam.Yes socks with sandals is cool. — The 4 of us near the entrance to the biggest cave in the world. Phang Na Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam.
Yes socks with sandals is cool.

After many good memories as well as my birthday spent in Hoi An we traveled by land to Cambodia. It was such an interesting change going from Vietnam which is like China in so many ways but absolutely devoid of in-use temples. Even on the border at the crossing of Poipet were the familiar temples that dotted the Thai landscape. I didn't realize it during my time in Vietnam, but it was a sight sorely missed. With temples on our mind we went to Siem Reap which is the city on the edge of Angkor Wat. The temples of Angkor make up the biggest temple compound in the world. Its immense scale simply cannot be described.

Orphan, Angkor Wat - CambodiaThe Bayon - Angkor Wat - CambodiaEach stone block is more than a few feet in height. — Orphan, Angkor Wat - Cambodia

The Bayon - Angkor Wat - Cambodia
Each stone block is more than a few feet in height.

After our loop of these 4 amazing countries we ended back up in Bangkok. Tiffany had to come home and I decided to come with her. I'm very glad I did as the past two years we have grown closer and our hunger for travel has grown. I began to pursue photography almost full time and had different showings of my work around town in Flagstaff, Arizona. I owe so much thanks to Kaitlyn and Greg at BTO Yogurt for helping me display my first images and supporting me in so many ways afterwards at countless Art Walks.

My first Art Show at BTO Yogurt.You should stop in, they have some great flavors and the best customer service in town.  My certificate to teach English abroad.TESL, TEFL, TESOL, ESL — My first Art Show at BTO Yogurt.
You should stop in, they have some great flavors and the best customer service in town.

My certificate to teach English abroad.
TESL, TEFL, TESOL, ESL

After that I bought a professional camera, Canon 7D and later a full frame 6D. (I am writing a separate blog post on camera basics and the difference of each type of camera which will be coming out soon)

Over the last couple years i've shot weddings and other gigs in Hawaii and Las Vegas as well as here in Arizona. I was the featured artist at three galleries in downtown Flagstaff. I also opened this website and began to sell my work online and will continue to do so for years to come.

Tiffany and I were lucky enough to visit her lovely Aunts in Anchorage, Alaska last summer and that pushed me more to hone my photographic skills and learn new things. Also last year Tiffany, Barb (my mom) and I got certified to teach English abroad. After we travel this spring/summer next fall Tiffany and I plan on finding jobs in Asia and teaching.

So for the last two years we have been planning and saving up for our adventure back to Asia and beyond. That was a very brief summary of my life but I felt this all should be said before we go on our next trip, or any future blog posts.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Abe Snider

New Beginnings - Old Memories. A Summary Of The Past 2 Years