A New Direction

Every so often, I get bored. Between my family, writing, taking photos, making videos, and planning my next adventure, I normally I have little time to get bored. But even in Thailand, life can get monotonous. Every so often I feel the need for a change. Long term, I do not believe I will live in Thailand for the rest of my life. I will live here part-time but at some point, I'll live back in the US and perhaps Ecuador if it pans out. 

Short term, I need to stay busier. That means less time answering silly relationship questions and more time traveling and answering more  difficult questions. In order to do some of the things I want to do, I need to make more money. I need to monetize. My YouTube channel earns a little...with little being the key word in this sentence. 

A few weeks ago a viewer who had yet to visit Thailand wrote and asked if he could move to Thailand, start a blog and a YouTube channel and "live the lifestyle" that so many westerners seem to be living in Thailand.
I have said it before and I'll say it again, if you have to ask this sort of question you haven't done your research. If you haven't done your research, your chances of failing are probable. If you do your research, your chances of succeeding are possible. However, this assumes you have something to offer. The guy had never been to Thailand and thus, I told him to find a job, learn the ropes in Thailand, and then give it a go while he has a salary. Everyone is looking for an angle, however, most people never find it. That's the truth.

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Last week an older gentleman wrote me about how he came to Thailand, found my videos extremely helpful, and he can now cross visiting Thailand off his bucket list. I love hearing these stories. Back to my second favorite subject, me. My own bucket list is long, way too long to put in a blog post, but I'll give you a couple of my favorites:

1. Take my wife and kids to the US, take Amtrak around the country and show them around while photographing America. I would really like to show my kids the house where I grew up and the park down the street where I played football and got in fights. My motives are not 100% altruistic though. I want to photograph the country, while I am still able, and produce a book - I am an American and this will happen.  

2. Go to shark alley near Dyer Island (preferably with my sons) to watch the Great White sharks breech the surface when hunting seals. Then go in a shark cage (not right next to the boat) to photograph them. This should happen. Although I want to photograph these monsters, doing so is no easy feat.

3. Visit the Masai Mara river for the great migration. You have probably seen this...massive crocodiles wait impatiently for an unsuspecting wildebeest or zebra to cross the river and then gobble them up like  hors d'oeuvre. I definitely want to photograph this. This should happen.

4. Go down The Congo River traveling from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Central African Republic. This should happen but it is a fairly dangerous journey, not to mention costly, especially since the idea is to produce a documentary about how the Muslims and Christians are coping in daily life during the conflict that takes place regularly. In addition to producing a documentary, I am also hoping to make a photography book. Anything can happen and I really need to think how the trip could unfold. All paths need to be covered, all options explored, and all plans exhausted. Preparation is key....I am the only one in my family who will make this trip.

5. Make a photography book about Thailand. Basically portraits of Thais from every region. Seeing that I have already started on this, I am very confident this will get crossed off the list. Also, in the next couple of weeks I am going to start taking a train to the different regions in Thailand, just to take photos, and over the course of a year or two I think I should be able to put a nice book together. 

All of these things on my list are possible. Some of them take more money than others. Bottom line is I am starting to monetize my videos, this blog, upgrade my equipment, and treat it as my mission in life to accomplish the items on my bucket list. Pissing away my time "helping" knuckleheads who probably won't listen anyway isn't going to get it done. So it's time for a change and time for me to get selfish. My time on this planet in finite and I'm going to enjoy the shit out of the time I have left.. 

Maybe you like my videos, my style, or like watching me go off on chowderheads. Perhaps you have the goal of moving to Thailand or elsewhere one day, or you like living vicariously through me. Whatever your reasons, you can help me continue doing what I do. Bigger, better, a little more crazy, and in higher quality...your contributions help. Think of me as an NC-17 version of PBS, Rick Steves,  or Dr. Phil. Thanks.

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