For the third time in my life, I find myself without any permanent home. No harbor in which to anchor—I suppose.
While, at times, this can feel stressful and destabilizing, there are some unique benefits as well.
First, I find I am compelled to do more things. More of life. More of everything. There is no option to sit at home and work for months on end because no home ever lasts for months on end. I haven’t even been in the same country for more than three months over the last year. This means every routine, whether comforting or frustrating, is temporary. So, whether I like it or not—before too long—I will not be able to visit my favorite shops or drink the perfect latte at the cafe down the road. But, I also will no longer have to dodge that one uppity homeless dog that lurks outside my condo. In short order, everything changes.
However, that knowledge, that itch in the back of my mind that’s always reminding me I’ll be moving on soon, has the benefit of compelling me. It compels me not only to seek out new experiences but also to appreciate more fully the ones I already have. Not that I have perfected this; it’s an ongoing endeavor. But when traveling, I find it easier—for whatever reason.
The second benefit is that I find I am generally more productive. Moving around from place to place means I often do not have any friends in close proximity. And while this is a substantial downside to life on the road, there is a silver lining. Most of my time is my own. Once the work is done, there isn’t much else to occupy me except whatever projects or activities I choose to take on. As a result, I write more, read more, draw more, photograph more, and exercise more. That kind of thing.
And lastly, I almost always lose weight while travelling. I think in part because I leave behind the standard American diet. And in part because I don’t have a car. So I walk. Everywhere.
Traveling At Home
Anyway, with my Thailand visa expiring it was time to head back to the USA for a while. However, with no fixed location to return to, my truck is now the closest thing I have to a house. And so, my circumstances conspired to send me on a road trip across the US, driving across the American Southwest for two months.
I decided to use this opportunity to practice my video/cinematography skills a bit, as I find they are quite lacking in comparison to my photographic abilities. You would think the two mediums would be quite similar, but I don’t find that is the case.
I am proud of this video. It was the first time I committed to filming something this big and then completed it. Usually, I become too stressed and burdened with the difficulty of setting up cameras, moving them, re-shooting scenes, managing multiple terabytes of footage, etc… But, this time, I kept at it.
This is a silent film. Basically, it documents my summer. Enjoy.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been on the road for almost a month already, first to Chicago and Michigan, then to Tokyo, and now Taipei. As time does when you travel, it has both crawled and somehow flown by.
Due to the heat and humidity, the days here feel long right now. I try and find something to do first thing in the morning, a long walk through a park or to breakfast, some tourist exhibit… something like that. Then, I tend to hole up for the afternoon and work. The schedule has been kind of perfect. I get a little exercise in the morning while the clouds build up and prepare themselves to downpour. Then, while I sit on my computer in the afternoon, the sky drenches the world on the other side of the window.
However, this trip has been primarily characterized by spending time outside, at night, after most of the heat and rain have concluded. Thus, pretty much all of the photographs are after dark.
That’s turned out to be a gift, though, as both Tokyo and Taipei are particularly photogenic after the sun goes down.
Also, I’m not the only one who has developed this pattern; the locals also seem to swarm the streets after 5 p.m.
Cafe Latte - カフェラテ - 拿铁咖啡
One thing I am particularly happy about on this trip, however, is that I faced my fear of ordering things in Japanese and braved some cafes. I am proud to say that I managed it more or less, even answering some of the questions right in Japanese (emphasis on some). This also opened up a whole new world for me, work-wise, as it enabled me to get out of the AirBnB and spend time with my laptop in cafes. Make no mistake, I don’t SPEAK Japanese. But I’m really glad some of my language-learning efforts have opened the door, even just a little wider.
I tried to carry over this practice to Taiwan. But uh, let’s just say the results have been more—mixed. From Starbucks I can consistently walk away with… a latte—so that’s cool.
It might be hot, it might be cold, it might be for here or to go. Total crap-shoot. Even though I keep looking up how to say these things and order in Chinese, the language is quite challenging to pronounce. Clearly, I am not well understood. It’s pretty funny most of the time.
Fujifilm X-E3 and the 27mm F2.8
One thing I’ve really been enjoying is shooting with the little X-E3 I picked up before I left. I decided to pare things down on this trip and only travel with a small camera and one pancake lens. While I am missing some of my other lenses a bit, I always find that limiting my equipment is often freeing and enjoyable.
It’s all just for fun anyway, so there’s no need to obsess over the photographs I missed with this more limited kit.
Flying to Thailand
My feelings on arrival in Taipei were sort of mixed, so I booked a flight to Thailand only a few days into being here. I regret this decision a little, as the place has grown on me considerably. I think I need to remember that I am always a bit uncertain of a new location in the first few days of arrival. That’s ok, though; what’s done is done. I would love to come back; there is so much more to explore here.
I sat 37 floors above Bangkok, watching a storm roll in over The Bay of Thailand.
I met someone.
I said goodbye to someone.
I learned a lot about myself. About my life.
It was the kind of thing they put in books. The kind of story one doesn’t imagine ever makes its way into real life.
I will be forever grateful for my time here.
I hope you are well. Take care.
