Introduction to Photos

The posts to follow represent a collection of my favorite photos from my journey. These are just a few of the wonderful faces and places I encountered during this year away. I've narrowed it down from literally thousands to this particular group of images. I feel the pictures here best exemplify my experience, recalling the tone and the memory of being in these very moments. I've followed each image with just a bit about the photo and where it was taken.

Alternatively, here's a link to them in a slide show form. You can find the full screen button on the bottom right.
Slideshow!

And should you be a true glutton for vacation picture torment, here's a link to MANY more photos of my trip.
Shitload more photos!

I hope you enjoy them!

Riding Back From School

Riding Back From School, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

My friends and I were riding motorbikes back from an afternoon outing. Along our way, we came across what must have been hundreds of Vietnamese students riding bicycles home from school. This boy turned around to ride alongside us and say hello. I was lucky to snap this great shot with my camera propped on the handlebars of my moving motorbike. -Hoi An, Vietnam

Hanoi Traffic

Hanoi Traffic, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Although not quite in focus, I love this image of a man and his boy whizzing through the city traffic. It never ceased to fascinate me, watching the multitude of bikes heading off in all directions. -Hanoi, Vietnam

Holy Feet

Holy Feet, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A monk performs his afternoon prayers. -Hue, Vietnam

Fun With Bike Tires

Fun With Bike Tires, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

The children throughout Laos had such character built into every one of their expressions. One boy carries his baby brother on his back, while the other holds an old bike tire as a toy. -Muang Sing, Laos

Shot in the Dark

Shot in the Dark, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This child lived in a small Lao village I spent a night in. Initially all of the children were hesitant to approach, but under the cover of darkness, they grew a bit bolder. Eventually they were delighting in both my camera and my flashlight! The children had me take dozens of photos of each of them and they just loved when I would show them their images. -Muang Sing, Laos

Walking on Water

Walking on Water, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A young monk walks through town. -Muang Sing, Laos

Portrait at Abu Simbel

Portrait at Abu Simbel, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This gentleman sat outside the temples at Abu Simbel and was happy to let me take his photo. It made for one of my favorite portraits. -Abu Simbel, Egypt

Losing His Pants

Losing His Pants, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This little boy jumped up on the post for me to take his portrait, nearly losing his pants in the process! -Muang Sing, Laos

Over-sized Bike

Over-sized Bike, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

I found these kids and their over-sized bicycle after taking a detour out of the temples one afternoon. -Angkor, Cambodia

Scott and Amanda

Scott and Amanda, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Scott and Amanda were among my first Couchsurfing hosts on my road trip across the United States. They were also among the kindest and most comfortable hosts I've come to find anywhere. I enjoyed their company so much, I dropped back in for a second visit on my return trip home! -Flagstaff, Arizona USA

CS Kirin

CS Kirin, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Kirin was good enough to host me in Auckland and he saw to it that I kicked off this trip right. When I passed back through town, he hosted me again. Knowledgeable and well versed in travel and in life, Kirin is one of the true gentlemen of the world! -Auckland, New Zealand

Swiss Dudes

Swiss Dudes, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This was something of a reunion for us. I originally met the Swiss dudes, Glen and Michael diving off of the island of Koh Tao. Little did I know then, I'd run into these guys weeks later, on the streets of Bangkok. Many months after that, Glen and his girlfriend would host me in their home in Switzerland! -Bangkok, Thailand

Couch Surfer Carsten

Couch Surfer Carsten, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

One of The Great Hosts, Carsten welcomed me into his home in Milan. I had such a wonderful experience, I returned weeks later with my mother to share some of Italy with her! -Milan, Italy

Two Arabs

Two Arabs, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A portrait of two Egyptians on my trip up the Nile. -North of Aswan, Egypt

Kevin and Balloons

Kevin and Balloons, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

My housemate from back in Portland, Kevin joined me for the road trip home. Here we are in Albuquerque enjoying the International Balloon Fiesta. -Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Mount Sinai Sunrise

Mount Sinai Sunrise, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A portrait of a man atop Mount Sinai during sunrise. -Mount Sinai, Egypt

Midnight Monk

Midnight Monk, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A monk stands at a midnight Buddhist celebration. We happened upon the festivities, which led to our participating in a singing circle with the locals until well past bedtime! -Nong Khiaw, Laos

DEFENSE

DEFENSE, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

One of the truer cultural experiences I had crossing the U.S. was attending a Friday Night Football game between two of the local high schools. I like this shot for its shadows, composition, and the discarded DEFENSE sign that labels it. -San Antonio, Texas USA

Old Man and Child

Old Man and Child, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A local man carries a young boy on his back. I encountered these two in the small village I was hiking through. We spent one night here, where they fed us and gave us a bungalow in which to stay. -Muang Sing, Laos

Portrait of Costello

Portrait of Costello, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A portrait of Costello, as we affectionately referred to him. Abbott and Costello were our felucca captains on a trip up the Nile. Neither spoke a word of English. -North of Aswan, Egypt

Man and His Donkey

Man and His Donkey, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This man came riding by on donkey as we were docked on the side of the river. He stood and rested against his mule for sometime before heading on his way. -Nile River, Egypt

Monkey Waits

Monkey Waits, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Monkey waits patiently for me to catch up on our hike through the woods. -Flagstaff, Arizona USA

Chilly October Waters

Chilly October Waters, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Monk and I take advantage of the beautiful day with a dip in chilly, October waters. -Sedona, Arizona USA

Tranquil on the Road

Tranquil on the Road, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

One of many tranquil rests on our way across country. -Eastern California USA

Boys Walk Buffalo

Boys Walk Buffalo, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

These boys were walking a buffalo down the road. I like how the buffalo tries to elude the frame. -Muang Sing, Laos

Floating Market

Floating Market, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

It was a perfectly somber day on the Mekong River. We rented a boat to visit the floating market. -Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Portrait at Villa Sentosa

Portrait at Villa Sentosa, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Portrait of the man at Villa Sentosa. Generations of his family have lived in this lovely 1920's traditional Malay home. -Melaka, Malaysia

My Malaysian Family

My Malaysian Family, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Here I am enjoying a meal with my new Malaysian family. Cris would become my travel buddy and good friend over the weeks to come, Chin Yap would welcome me again and again into his life and his many cities, proving to be both great friend and fine connoisseur of Southeast Asian cuisine, while Jo and daughter Joeanna would generously invite me into their home in Kuala Lumpur. -Melaka, Malaysia

Dario and John

Dario and John, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Dario and John were two Americans I befriended on a felucca ride through Egypt. We shared enlightening conversation and once-in-a-lifetime experiences together. This photo was taken the night before we all parted ways. -Luxor, Egypt

Lao Wedding Talk

Lao Wedding Talk, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Here Richard and Laura, two British I met, enjoy a conversation with one of my favorite Lao characters! This was taken at the amazing wedding we were all invited to attend. -Muang Sing, Laos

Ja-Wa Listens

Ja-Wa Listens, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

One of the greatest kids I've had the privilege of meeting! Ja-Wa lived in a small village with his grandfather. Both of his parents had died sometime ago. He'd picked up a surprising amount of English from the tourists he'd encountered and he loved listening to our I-pods! -Outside of Pai, Thailand

Mark the Canadian Vagabond

Mark the Canadian Vagabond, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Mark, Canadian vagabond and fellow Couchsurfer lounges in the sun of a perfect day. He'll soon accompany me on my drive from Flagstaff to Albuquerque. -Sedona, Arizona USA

Joeanna Stands Tall

Joeanna Stands Tall, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

I befriended Joeanna and her mother, Jo in Melaka. We all celebrated a wonderful Chinese New Year together and they later hosted me at their home in Kuala Lumpur. -Melaka, Malaysia

Herwig Versus the Wind

Herwig Versus the Wind, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Herwig stands against the wind. -Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

Awaiting the Show

Awaiting the Show, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Children await the show. -Singapore Zoo, Singapore

Pork-On-Wheels

Pork-On-Wheels, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

I caught this shot out the window of a moving van. I had to get the picture when we realized this man was transporting multiple, live pigs in the basket on the back of his bike. -Hanoi, Vietnam

Baskets For Sale

Baskets For Sale, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A man sells baskets off of his bicycle. -Hanoi, Vietnam

Chinese Lanterns

Chinese Lanterns, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This was taken in a Buddhist temple outside of town. I loved the Chinese lanterns. -Penang, Malaysia

Man, Cigarette, Bicycle

Man, Cigarette, Bicycle, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This was a random capture of a guy as he passed me on his bike. I just love this character, with his cigarette hanging from his mouth. -Hoi An, Vietnam

Deep Undercover

Deep Undercover, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A classic shot! Though I suspect this man was not really FBI. He didn't even know what the FBI was. Unless of course he was just deep undercover... -Muang Sing, Laos

Bedouin and His Camel

Bedouin and His Camel, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A portrait of a Bedouin and his camel. -Giza, Egypt

Waiting on His Boat

Waiting on His Boat, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

A man stands on his boat waiting. -Hoi An, Vietnam

Camel Procession

Camel Procession, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

I really came to appreciate the camels in Egypt. They're truly majestic looking animals. -Sinai, Egypt

Portrait in Pajamas

Portrait in Pajamas, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Portrait of a man in his pajamas. -Hanoi, Vietnam

Fresh Bread

Fresh Bread, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

I really like this shot of a woman selling delicious bread right from her bicycle. -Hanoi, Vietnam

Girl and Red Balloon

Girl and Red Balloon, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

Portrait of a little girl and her red balloon. -Hanoi, Vietnam

Wide Smile, No Teeth

Wide Smile, No Teeth, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This precious old woman stood and posed for me to take her photo. -Hoi An, Vietnam

So Proud of His Bird

So Proud of His Bird, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This man invited us into his home and showed us his birds. Through a misunderstanding we thought we were visiting a cafe! Nevertheless, the gentleman was so proud of these birds that he requested we take pictures. He also spoke no Englsh. -Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Monk, Mark, and I

Monk, Mark, and I, originally uploaded by mhamberger.

This is a shot of Couchsurfer Mark, Monkey, and I before heading off for New Mexico. -Flagstaff, Arizona USA