Documentaries, sort of. Journeys, for real.
Short travel films I shot in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Hong Kong between 2008 and 2018. The project is over, but the places are still there for you.
The route
Five countries, one at a time, with the cities I filmed in each.
-
Thailand
Bangkok in overdrive, a slow train to the old capital, cooler air up north and long-tail boats on two different seas.
- Chiang Mai
- Ayutthaya
- Bangkok
- Ko Tao
- Ko Phi Phi
-
Cambodia
An hour by plane from Bangkok: Angkor at dawn, a lake that changes size, and the heavy memory of Phnom Penh.
- Siem Reap and Angkor
- Phnom Penh
-
Vietnam
Scooters by the thousand in Saigon, the train up the coast to the emperors’ city, noodles in Hà Nội and a night on the water.
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Huế
- Hà Nội
- Hạ Long Bay
-
Laos
Four years later, in the rainy season: the slowest capital I know, limestone peaks and monks at first light.
- Vientiane
- Vang Vieng
- Luang Prabang
-
Hong Kong
The last chapter: timelapses over the skyline, rainbow housing blocks and a fishing village on stilts.
- Victoria Peak and Choi Hung
- Tai O, Lantau
Pick a country
Every trip has its own page with the film, the places, the food, and a box of up-to-date tips if you are planning to go.
2013
Thailand
Bangkok in overdrive, a slow train to Ayutthaya, and long-tail boats off the islands.
Open the trip
2008
Cambodia
Sunrise over Angkor, trees eating Ta Prohm, and the harder story of Phnom Penh.
Open the trip
2013
Vietnam
From Saigon to Hà Nội by rail, scooters everywhere, and a night afloat in Hạ Long Bay.
Open the trip
2017
Laos
Rainy-season Laos: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane and a very full Mekong.
Open the trip
2017
Hong Kong
Timelapses from the Peak, rainbow housing blocks, and a fishing village on stilts.
Open the trip
from a train window,
somewhere between two stops
Why “documentaries”?
Because I liked to pretend they were. Big title cards, timelapses, dramatic pauses before the next shot. In reality it was mostly me, a backpack and, on the later trips, a Canon EOS 1300D.
The journeys, though, were real: Angkor in 2008, the big loop through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam around 2013, Laos in the wet August of 2017 and Hong Kong a few months later. Short films, sweaty and noisy like the places themselves, with maybe a bit too much slow motion.
In 2018 I stopped. I still love Asia; life just took me elsewhere. I keep the site online as an archive, hoping the films and the notes help someone plan their own route.
We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.
The 2013 trailer
Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam squeezed into one cut. This is where it all started.
The smallest tip from the old blog
Throw a spare pillowcase in your bag, closed in a plastic bag. Cheap night bus, doubtful guesthouse, unplanned stop in the middle of nowhere: you will sleep better on something you know is clean. It weighs nothing.