Day 13

Dear whoever reads this,

At 4:30 am I woke up for sunrise at Angkor Wat with Hong. It was a hot day but early in the morning the mist and fog is so thick with the sounds of cicadas and birds chirping. 

I got to Angkor Wat and had fruit with the monks right before the sun came up and before morning prayer. It was truly magical. So spiritual. They didn't speak any English but they didn't need to. It's like I understood everything without saying a word. It's funny because Gahndi said something once like, if you can't cure silence, don't speak. And the silence solved everything. This adventure has given me so much time to reflect and learn from past mistakes, the paths I've chosen and the people I have associated with. 

I received brackets from the monks and said a prayer before walking back down the staircases to see the sun rise. 

After this, Hong took me all around to all the different temples, feeding baby monkeys on the way and learning about all the different Wats and reliefs. 

Walking through, you hear all sorts of jungle sounds and it was an amazing experience. 

After all this, Hong and I went to a local market and got chickens on a stick and ate near the Kings pool. This was a huge lake built by the second King and was truly remarkable. 

I went back to my hostel, rested for a while then was picked up to start my last night in Cambodia. Hong picked me up where we met another friend Seang and got food and drinks. We went out for a few hours talking about building a school, some NGO work in the area and how I could make a difference in this country. Bottom line is that I'm coming back.

My work isn't finished here. This was the beginning. I met so many amazing people in Thailand and Cambodia. I have made friends, some like family and everyone I met was incredible. I'm truly blessed for this adventure and journey and can't say goodbye because I'm coming back. Goodbyes are forever. I will miss this place but it isn't over. 

I will come back. I will help people. And after reflecting on my whole trip, I have really grown and have changed my balance and mental state. I thank the monks I have met with and prayed with, ECHO for giving me the opportunity to photograph for them and all the friends I made and like-family I made while abroad. 

Tomorrow I leave to New York in the morning and might have to go to a temple on more time for one more morning prayer. But who knows. 

Thanks for reading this and I'll be uploading to my website when I'm back in the states of everything I shot!

I hope this wasn't too boring. 

Over and out. 

Day 12

Dear whoever reads this,

I went to an amazing fishing village that usually floats on the river but since it's the dry season, there isn't much water meaning the houses are on stilts. 

It was amazing. I went to a school and gave out books pencils and notebooks, met with local monks, learned how the village functions and also went to a fishing village where people live 90% on boats. 

This was insane. I have never seen anything like it. The houses were built so high off the ground because of flooding and the rainy season and it took my breath away. The village runs completely on fish and fish farming. There were 4 small schools and everyone was very open to meeting foreigners. 

It killed me when I was handing out the notebooks and there weren't enough for all the kids so I gave out more. I want to help these people as much as I can. They need people who want to help. They need people willing to work to help others do something with their lives. 

After a long hot day in the villages, I was taken to a local pool hall and met some locals and dank some local beer and food. It was a long hot day which came to 99 degrees. 

Day 11

Today I started very early this morning with an inside your of local Cambodian villages. This was not a touristy tour and was private with a guide and a driver. Both from the area. Most people in the town didn't speak English but we're very happy to see an outsider. It was eye opening. Even though I felt so out of place, I felt so welcomed and safe. 

I walked around for a few hrs photographing and trying to talk to locals and learn about local life. It was amazing. 

After we were finished walking, the guide was supposed to take me to a resteraunt and eat local food but I wanted to see more village life. So he took me to his wife's village. Before going, we stopped at a local market where he bought local sticky rice, and full chickens on a stick. Literally legs claws everything and cooked on a grill. We saw cooked cockroaches, larvae, tiranchalas, grasshoppers and more. It was insane! I loved it. They treated me like a local. Not a tourist. Then we drove to the village where his wife is from and ate lunch and they gave me plenty of beer. Cambodians drink a lot while they eat I quickly learned. Then he gave me a full tour of his village and the local temple they go to. 

After lunch and touring the village, he took me to the war museum where an  ex Cambodian military soldier gave me a tour and told stories of his time at war. What an experience. 

He showed me all his wounds, fake leg and parts of bombs still in his body... I photographed him and everything else. It was amazing. This place is something I could never imagine. I will be coming back to Cambodia for the rest of my life. They need help here, the local NGOs aren't doing enough to help the people who need it. 

Tomorrow is another full day and can't wait to have another great experience. 

Thanks for reading!

Day 8,9 & 10

Dear whoever's reading this,

I have been in Bangkok too long. I have made some great connections but this city is too touristy and doesn't have what I'm looking for. 

On day 10, I left for Cambodia by bus. What a long journey. I had to pay for the bus, the visa stamp which I thought I already paid for. Then at the border I had to pay the military to get though. Some had to pay more than others. 

It was such a long journey just because we had to wait at the border for others to get their visas which they didn't get before traveling. 

The bus had nearly any AC and everyone was speaking a different language so I put my headphones on and went to sleep. 

We arrived in Siem Reap Cambodia at around 7 where they had a free tuk tuk service drive us wherever we needed to go. I finally got to my hostel where I thought I booked a room with AC, let's just say it was a look hot night... 

Tomorrow is a packed day and will tell you all about it!

Thanks for reading. 

Day 7

Dear whoever reads this,

I met Lee, my friend Davids old babysitter from when we were 9. She still remembered me and took me to lunch and all around the city. She was very helpful and we had a blast.

Lee brought me to a Hindu temple where we made an offering. It was so beautiful inside the temple and wish I could of taken photographs.. Sorry I haven't uploaded any images on to the blog, its all in Thai and I can't change the language. But, I can write and will be putting images up on my website when I'm back in the US.

After a nice day, she drove me outside the city to a tree and flower market. I have never seen such amazing plants. SO CHEAP!!!! They sold air plants for 10 Baht. Less than 50 cents for US. IT was a great long day with a lot of walking and learning about city culture.

Tomorrow I will be going to some Wats, temples and planning a trip to two local places the day after!

Thanks for reading!

Day 6

Dear whoever reads this, 

Sorry I haven't updated!!

I hopped on a plane and took a quick ride south to Bangkok.  I know this has been a spiritual journey because after the monk blessed me, I got on the plane and sat next to a yogi who was on a spiritual journey all over Asia. We talked all about balance and understanding your true purpose in life and how you need to be happy in order to live a fulfilled life. It really made me step back and look at the big picture. 

Anyway, I got to Bangkok and got ripped off my a cabby which charged me almost 2,000 Baht to get to my guesthouse... but everyone Ive talked to says it happens once and then you learn. Well I learned. 

That night I walked down to a local pub to have dinner where I met an older man from Ireland who works in Oil in Saudi Arabia. He was very helpful and told me some local places to photograph around my area when I had some free time and told me many stories about Bangkok. 

I went back to get a good night rest so I would be good to explore in the morning. 

Thanks for reading!!!

Day 5

Dear whoever reads this,

today I started my day again with a walk across the bridge for my smoothie then another workout.

Then after a good lunch, a driver picked me up and drive me to a tea plantation up in the mountains. There I learned to pick tea leaves, how to dry and process them and then, drink it!

It is such a long process and I didn't know how long it takes and how many leaves you need for one cup... I picked on the plantation for about an hr before going inside to drink tea and eat rice cakes with honey.

It was a long day out on the plantation because it was so hot!

After I came back, I showered and went to an amazing Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. Then I walked around a local market and did some photo work on the local vendors.

It was a long hot day with lots of walking and drinking tons of water!

It was my last day in Chiang Mai. Tomorrow I get up bright and early and fly to Bangkok!!!!

Thanks for reading!!

Day 4

Dear whoever reads this,

the next day I woke up at around 4:30 and went across the bridge and started my morning with a passion fruit watermelon avocado smoothie. Then I walked back to my guest house and worked out. At around 11, my driver came and picked me up for a long day of photographing.

I started by visiting five hill tribe villages learning about their culture and photographing their people.  One of the villages I visited they wore huge plugs in their ears which worked in my advantage because they noticed I had them as well. Even though mine aren't even close to the size of theirs.

While photographing, I met another photographer who was from Orlando but lives and works in Hawaii. He owns a few galleries and was here on work so we talked for a while and gave each other pointers on where to go and what we have done. He was very cool and helpful.

After the villages, we stopped at a local restaurant on the side of the road where I had the most amazing curry chicken soup with fried egg on top. It was so good I could eat it all day long. And with that, a "large" beer. I consider it a HUGE beer. It was one of the local beers so I had to try it.

Now that I was full, we made our way to play with tigers. I had to sign a few different documents saying that I am going at my own risk etc but I was so excited. I was so close to them petting them and playing for about an hr. They played in a pool and got so close the guard had to push me away so I didn't get pumbled by one of them while he was playing. They were amazing creatures. What an experience.

To end the day at Aroon my driver, he took me to a pagoda up in the mountains. The golden pagoda is so high up that you drive up the mountain, then you get out and climb a dragon stair case that took so long because it was so steep. When you get to the top, you take your shoes off and roam the temples. The temple looks over the whole city of Chiang Mai and it was amazing. It took my breath away. While I was walking, a monk came up to me with a worried look on his face. He didn't speak english too well but he told me I had a bad spirit following me. He said he needed to read my aura and pray for me. While we were walking to one of the temples, he asked if a loved one close to me just received good fortune. Whats strange is that my girlfriend just got into two amazing MFA programs that day. It was strange that he knew that. Then he was telling me about how I am as a person and the jealousy and stress that has been in my life. HE gave me a necklace and two bracelets and prayed. He told me that once the string bracelet falls off, I will be cleansed and that my balance will be restored. I didn't really think anything of it, but once he ended his prayers and walked me to my shoes, I felt changed. I usually take things like a grain of salt but so some reason, it was like an outer body high. Something I have never felt before.


I hope I'm not boring you! Im almost done for the day.

After the pagoda visit, I went back to my guest house to shower and get dinner. After eating another amazing meal, Noi messaged me on Facebook saying she was getting a few beers with two friends and asked if I wanted to join. Of course I wanted to see the Thai night life, so I met them at Beer Republic. She was with two of her friends, they were both teachers. The bar was mostly imported german beer which was great. After, her friends wanted to take me somewhere more local. We went to a hang out where they bought us beers, fried dried shrimp and a spicy salad. It was strange because little kids were trying to sell peanuts which was so sad because of the child labor, one of Noi's friends said it is getting worse. We talked about the country, the good and bad but also the education system. Noi's friends seemed like really cool people. He and his friend are both teachers at the university and were telling me all about being a government teacher, and non government teacher in Thailand and the pros and cons of both. It was very eventful.

After we were done at the bar, we started walking back to Noi's car so she could drop me off when I saw some bikers. I noticed they had hells angels colors and patches, so me being me, I went and introduced myself. I dropped a few names and clubs I knew from other countries and they were really cool. Mostly Thai, German and Swed. I said my goodbyes and Noi dropped me off.

What a long but fulfilling day!

Thanks for reading!!

Day 3

Sorry I haven't been updating! I have been so so busy trying to capture and organize all my files.

Dear whoever reads this,

After a good night of rest, I started my day at the seed bank photographing to local farmers and workers at the farm along with the landscapes and the seed bank. They taught me how to dye yarn using seeds from plants that actually turn purple! It was a technique that has been used for hundreds of years. I photographed for most of the day before Noi, a woman who works for ECHO and I took a vip van back to Chiang Mai. The countryside is so beautiful with a lot of rice fields and mountains. 

When we got back into the city, she took me to an art district where they say the "hipsters" hang out. There, a friend of hers who is a coffee farmer wanted us to join an art collective that was going on which was really cool. He was welling his coffee, his friend created a bicycle that powers a blender to make smoothies and a cartoonist painter. They were all set up in front of a cool gallery and we had a lot of fun interacting with locals, tourists and looking at art. 

After we finished, Noi took me tho my guest house where I unpacked and went our separate ways. She was so helpful and really wanted to help in any way she could. 

Thanks for reading!!

Day two update

Dear whoever reads this,

After documenting a coffee cupping training program for local NGOs and coffee farmers we embarked on a 3.5 hour drive up to ECHOs seed bank. Noi, one of the people with us from ECHO is an amazing cook who made me red ant and larva soup. It was amazing. She along with Rebecca and Patrick took me to a local market where we had deep fried sweet potato and sticky rice. The food is amazing. We got to ECHOs seed bank late in the day and had a great dinner with everyone who lives at the seed bank. They treat me as family. They told me I am not a tourist. It made me feel at home. They gave me a room in one of their houses and I can't wait to photograph again tomorrow. Today was a great day which ended with the greatest sunset I've ever seen. From the fog and the huge sun it was something nothing but your eyes could capture. iPhones and cameras just don't do justice. I can't believe I ate ant and larva soup. The food in this country is so good. Unexplainable. Truly blessed. 

Good night y'all. 

Thanks for reading!

Day 2

I woke up with a nice morning workout before my first day documenting for ECHO. Today I am documenting coffee cupping training for local NGOs & local coffee farmers. 

After we will take a 3.5 hr drive north to ECHOs seed bank for two days. It's already 70 degrees and by 4pm it's supposed to be 99! 

That's all for now! 

Thanks for reading!!

View from the air port

Hello Hong Kong!

Dear whoever reads this,

Hello Hong Kong!!!! Waiting for my flight to Chaing Mai. It's humid and hot. 

Thoughts while flying over Asia.

Dear whoever reads this,

Sleeping on and off, movie after movie, the flight just didn't end. Every time I woke up I thought I was there. Nope. We are near Hong Kong flying over Wuhan with 608 miles left. An hr and 45 min. If you think I'm almost to my final destination, you are wrong. I have a layover then a 3 hour flight to Chiang Mai Thailand. It's 11 pm in New York and it's noon in China so my body better adjusted quick because once I get there, it's time to start my work. I don't know how some of these people do this flight often. I met a man, 76 years old and flys to Hong Kong every few months. I met two business men who go from New York to Hong Kong and Shanghai every week. I am one of 6 "Americans" on the flight. Hardly anything is in English and hardly anyone speaks English. I couldn't imagine taking this flight daily because of the flight time. I just keep hearing it on repeat in my head,"just stay up all day and you'll be good Ethan." If you sleep after the long flight you won't adjust because it's mid day in Asia and the jet lag will creep up and hit you like a moving train. I did a bunch of writing while trying to watching James Bond and Black Mass. They served the best cup of noodles I think I've ever had along with my dinner which was stir fried chicken with veggies. I've never had a meal that good on a plane before (well except on the plane to Africa and Hawaii) and not complaining!! My use of chopsticks is improving quickly but everyone slurps their soup so imagine hearing a huge plane full of people slurping cups of noodles all at once. My biggest pet peeve. Good thing my headphones tune it out. That's it for now. 

Thanks for reading!! 

On the way to JFK!

Day 1

Dear whoever reads this,

Today I woke up at 5am to leave for JFK. I leave at 9 AM for Hong Kong, then take a connecting flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

It's starting to sink in that I will be on the other side of the world with a 12 hr time difference. 

I will be documenting in Thailand and Cambodia for 15 days. 

I will make sure to keep this updated and will try not to make it boring! 

Thanks for reading y'all. 

✌🏻️