In January 2023, I decide to return to my almost-native continent: Asia.
The purpose of this trip being mostly to stop and think about what I want from my life, from my 20s. Along with photography, writing a screenplay, journaling, and rediscovering new cultures.
| 5 months in ASIA series |
|---|
| THAILAND |
| LAOS |
| VIETNAM |
| SOUTH KOREA |
A CHANGE OF PACE
Laos, my favorite country of all South-East Asia. A country of only 7 million, ranked 130th in GDP. I was looking forward to the change of pace from Thailand. My photography reflected how slow-paced the lifestyle in Laos remained: where much of the country still relies on oxen to plough the land!
I found it fascinating to see how the country was changing. I had childhood memories of Luang Prabang in 2007, when it seemed like history had stopped in Laos. Upon my return however, I realised how modernity was being propelled by the Chinese construction projects for the Belt and Road initiative.
But while these large projects allowed for the very first railway in Laos and electricity for all, they also allowed for the Mekong river to dry out due to the dozens of Dams built, and for mass addiction to TikTok. I remember a guide telling me how the children in his village trudged more than an hour through the jungle everyday, to reach the summit of a 1600m mountain, where there was cell service!
. . .
Bonus: Cambodia Express
Some quick bonus snaps of Cambodia: Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh, and on the road.
