Much like doing the Instagram Stories reminds me of my luck (as does this little project), so did lying in bed for nearly two weeks—sick with whatever new and improved virus is going around—do for me looking back at the last time I was home... and what’s gone on since then.
So indulge an older fella as he reminisces about the year that was.
(The lover of photography here feels the need to point out that these are hardly award-winning shots. More biographical. Nothing edited. Etc.)
January 01 — It started from where I write you now, in my hometown of Tulsa, OK, with much merriment and many Mexican meals.
January 10 — Headed back to Berlin for work, as I was the-then Creative Director of BRLO (longest job/career I’ve ever had).
January 13 — After shooting in Israel for 10 days in December, I continue my little side project—One More Go At The (Holy) Grail—heading to Poland with a ground of pals to check out an old Templar Church.
January 20 — My best mate Ollie came to visit me for a long weekend in Berlin.
Jan 22 — My then-girlfriend Dasha and I flew to Portugal for sunshine, and for me to film another chapter of the Grail series down the dreamy-yet-disturbing Initiation Well in Sintra.
Jan 27 — We then fly to Barcelona for much cava, many pintxos and some Gaudí.
Jan 29 — And then to Valencia to film what is, perhaps, the actual Holy Grail.
Feb 01 — Back to Berlin.
Feb 09 — Excitedly (as always) return to that old apartment (formerly the 1893 French Consulate) in Istanbul.
And oh! How I love Istanbul.
Feb 20 — To Nepal.
Mar 10 — Summit Everest Base Camp, the unexpected highlight being the Snickers for Sherpas project that came out of it—and one we’ll soon be trying to turn into a documentary.
Mar 15 — Back to Kathmandu.
Mar 25 — Then to Pokhara because I really don’t like Kathmandu.
Apr 01 — Rent an old Royal Enfield motorcycle, attempt to drive to the lost kingdom of Mustang. Get close. Still obsessed.
Apr 12 — Back to Pokhara. Found a fantastic apartment up on a hill, with a huge patio + hammock. I launch my little ‘zine, ON GOING (hey!), in hopes of it being able to make enough money for me to keep this up.
Apr 27 — Back to Kathmandu.
Apr 29 — Record the first series of Dr. Kegel.
May 14 — Arrive in Sri Lanka, finally fulfilling a dream of more than 20 years to get there, rent a tuk-tuk, spend a month exploring the island, obsessing over Geoffrey Bawa, breaking priceless art, filming the stick fisherman (that movement around him climbing is my favorite scene I’ve ever captured).
June 12 — Back to Bangkok and reunited with the bike after 3 years.
June 16 – Film second series of Dr. Kegel.
June 22 — Spend a day with my favorite street food lady, La, and her family.
July 2 — Hop in a car with my friend Nadda and travel through the rarely-seen region of Issan. Eat a lot of stinky, putrid, terrible but wonderful Som Tam.
July 10 — Grab Miles (the bike), cross the border/river into Vientiane, Laos. Start cycling north.
Aug 02 — Ring in my 47th birthday in the only-accessible-by-boat and frozen-in-time village of Long Khiaw.
Aug 05 — Cycle up (really up) over the border into Vietnam.
Aug 10 — Arrive (by bus; monsoon season kept me from cycling) in Hanoi. Fall truly, madly, deeply, head over heels in love with the city—quickly becoming one of my top 10 of all time. (Much, much more on Hanoi soon, as we'll be headed back there in the summer.)
Aug 29 — Arrive in South Korea.
Sept 01 — Resign from my Creative Director role.
Sep 03-24 — Cycle the Rivers Route from Seoul to Busan, where Joe’s family put me up in the nicest room in their hotel and wouldn’t take a dime.
Sept 26 — Hope a ferry Jeju Island, meet up with my friend Naan, I cycle the circumference, occasionally meeting up with her, and coming face to face with my first Tadao Ando.
Oct 09—Have a nightmare of a time getting out of South Korea.
Oct 10 — Fly to Sapporo, Japan, fufulling another HUGE dream of mine. My first meal was an incredible ramen + Sapporo in the coziest little joint you can imagine. Still sticks out as one of my all-time highlights.
Oct 10-Dec 16 — Cycle Sapporo to Osaka. Train to Tokyo. The sum of which resulting in me being a very, very big fan of Japan… and no longer scared of Tokyo.
Dec 16 — We fly back to The States after nearly a year away.
Dec 17 — Reunited with my gorgeous family.
Dec 22 — Intended to publish Issue 08 of ON GOING, but get busy with niece and nephews, Mexican food and then get hit with whatever bug this was. I never get sick. If I do, it’s a 24 hour thing. This being nearly two weeks was worrying, to say the least.
Jan 02 — Use some Christmas money to enroll in some online classes in hopes of a new career, as I’m tired of raising money every month.
Jan 07 — I write this.
… Bananas, right? Even as I sit here, at a table in a cafe in Downtown Tulsa, scrolling through my photos for reminders, and even I have to admit it’s bananas.
So here’s to more bananas.
