What started off as an adventure on my first backpacking trip to Europe on a shoestring budget as a student with my schoolmate got me hooked on wanting to see more of the World through my eyes. I have had the good fortune to bump into the local folks; getting lost to uncover the wonders of the unpredictable moments that often turned out to be the most rewarding.
Since returning to SE Asia, I travel when I can largely in Asia.
My first explosive journey to China in1991 blew me away -- the one country that was not on top of my travel list. As I travelled through the major cities, towns and a small island, along the coastal regions, I was in for an unexpected experience of a lifetime that eventually got me into thinking about the pivotal moments of my many recce trips that follow.
Another surprise came knocking in 1996. I travelled to Tibet -- fell in love with this magical land and the people. In the 1990s, less than 100,000 foreign tourists visited. Together with my sibling, we returned a few months later and, thereafter, almost every year since then. We have travelled to other provinces where Tibetan communities live -- that brought us to continue to explore other ethnic minority regions in Sichuan, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and many more places.
Journey to the wild west of Tibet took hours on the road -- the stunning views along the way were beyond anything I could have ever imagined. The circumambulation of Mount Kailash -- the trek on the second day that took up to 10 hours, was the most awe-inspiring; the moment that completely captivated me...
The beauty is in stepping out of my own comfort zone, enjoying the unforeseeable that have made each journey most enlightening.
I have been asked often;
"What have you been up to?" or "Have you been travelling
lately?” So, this prompted me to start writing in February 2014 and, sieve through the countless photographs to choose the few, to share my unpredictable journeys
with my friends and like-minded people.
My art and travel projects, largely in Asia, give me the opportunity to experience amazing places and meet interesting people. The art of travelling is one continuous piece of colourful scroll tapestry of steep history, rich culture, diverse ethnic groups, and folk customs.
My art and travel projects, largely in Asia, give me the opportunity to experience amazing places and meet interesting people. The art of travelling is one continuous piece of colourful scroll tapestry of steep history, rich culture, diverse ethnic groups, and folk customs.
As the ancient Chinese saying goes, “Walking ten thousand miles of the World rather than reading ten thousand scrolls of books.”
- Special thanks to clZ, Jiali and, thanks to my good crazy friends for your patience and big-hearted strangers who have helped to make each recce trip memorable and fun despite the occasional challenges.
- Photos by clZ – All are original shots, no Photoshop or enhancement. In 1990s, all photos were captured using Canon EOS -- that developed into photo prints.