Welcome to the enchanting country of Laos! Of all the countries I visited in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia), Laos turned out to be my favorite destination. I think it was due to a combination of the warmth of the locals, the country’s natural beauty, the charming city of Luang Prabang, the mystique of being a communist country, Beerlao - Southeast Asia’s best beer and the many friendships I made along the traveler’s trail.
Laos is a landlocked country bordered by China, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and has a population of about 6.5 million people. If you are looking to get off the tourist trail and into more of an “authentic” experience then Laos is the place to be. I imagined Laos was probably Thailand 30 years ago before Thailand blew up to be a major tourists playground.
Since the 1990s when the communist government decided to open the country to tourists, Laos has quickly developed a cult like following among independent travelers. Traveling through Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand I would ask fellow travelers what their favorite country was in Southeast Asia. Invariably their eyes would light up and their response was all the same, “Laos!”
I took this portrait of this lovely Lao woman on my first morning in the charming city of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unbeknownst to me, the city was hosting a street parade to celebrate an award it had just received as, “The Best City in the World to Visit.” After spending a week in Luang Prabang it was easy to see why they deserved that recognition.
I have many fond memories of my time in Laos. Now all I need is a cold bottle of Beerlao!
Check back for more of my adventures in Laos!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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“As you know, I’m quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating.
Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology… The mythology is not only great, it’s unique.
Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone.
Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S” – that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us.
Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak… He’s unsure of himself… He’s a coward.
Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.”
- Bill’s Superman speech from Quentin Tarantino’s movie, “Kill Bill Volume 2”
Speaking of Superman I am going to be "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!" with my Flickr posting. I’ll be posting more frequently with perhaps a photo a day since it will take me a decade to post all the photos from my six month sojourn to Southeast Asia at the rate I am going. Please do not feel obligated to comment at all my photos, but a fave would be nice just to let me know you stopped by.
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“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again.” - Pico Iyer
I photographed this little boy on my two day cruise on the Mekong River from Chiang Khong, Thailand to Luang Prabang, Laos. We stopped along the river to visit an ethnic minority village and this was one of many photographs I took of the photogenic children. It was very hard to see the poverty, living conditions and hardship of the village.
Yes, travel will open our hearts and eyes. It is the greatest cure for ignorance.
Check back for more of my adventures in Laos!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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With candid photography you can’t be too picky with your subjects nor their respective actions.
Sometimes you have to pick and choose!
I photographed this little boy on my two day cruise on the Mekong River from Chiang Khong, Thailand to Luang Prabang, Laos. We stopped along the river to visit an ethnic minority village and this was one of many photographs I took of the photogenic children. It was very hard to see the poverty, living conditions and hardship of the village, but this comical moment lightened up my mood.
You may notice the lack of contrast in this photograph. In Northern Laos toward the end of the dry season, farmers burn their fields to prepare for the raining season which coincides with their planting season. I was in north central Laos in March and the air quality, especially around Luang Prabang, was very hazy.
As I mentioned in my previous blog post I’ll be posting more frequently with perhaps a photo a day since it will take me a decade to post all the photos from my six month sojourn to Southeast Asia at the rate I am going. Please do not feel obligated to comment at all my photos, but a fave would be nice just to let me know you stopped by.
Check back for more of my adventures in Laos!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
Facebook | Google + | Twitter | Pinterest | Photography Blog | Travel Photography Gallery
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“Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves.” - Leonora Carrington
The magical city of Luang Prabang, Laos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of those cities that you plan on spending a couple of days in and end up spending a week (like I did). Located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan River meets the Mekong River, what makes this place so enchanting is the French Indochinese architecture, the picturesque Theravada Buddhist temples and the numerous saffron-robed monks walking around town.
Every morning at 5:30 am the streets of Luang Prabang are flooded with saffron-clad monks who perform a Buddhist tradition called Tak Bat or morning alms. The monks leave their monastery and walk in a single file, oldest first, carrying their alms bowls. Locals and tourists kneel along the sidewalks offering food, namely the local Lao sticky rice. All this is done in complete silence.
I captured this novice monk running to catch up with the rest of his fellow monks. I used a slow shutter speed and panning motion to make this photograph.
Check back for more of my adventures in Laos!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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"A picture can express a universal humanism, or simply reveal a delicate and poignant truth by exposing a slice of life that might otherwise pass unnoticed." - Steve McCurry
The magical city of Luang Prabang, Laos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of those cities that you plan on spending a couple of days in and end up spending a week (like I did). Located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan River meets the Mekong River, what makes this place so enchanting is the French Indochinese architecture, the picturesque Theravada Buddhist temples and the numerous saffron-robed monks walking around town.
Every morning at 5:30 am the streets of Luang Prabang are flooded with saffron-clad monks who perform a Buddhist tradition called Tak Bat or morning alms. The monks leave their monastery and walk in a single file, oldest first, carrying their alms bowls. Locals and tourists kneel along the sidewalks offering food, namely the local Lao sticky rice. All this is done in complete silence.
I captured this novice monk running to catch up with the rest of his fellow monks. I used a slow shutter speed and panning motion to make this photograph.
Check back for more of my adventures in Laos!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
Facebook | Google + | Twitter | Pinterest | Photography Blog | Travel Photography Gallery
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