[The Insta Life] #ThaiBALLSia

Do you ever feel like it's difficult to live in the moment? We can put down the technology, embrace the now, try to activate all five senses, and still... it's a little hard to be 100% present. That's okay. You're not supposed to see ancient ruins from hundreds of years ago and really experience the moment all at once. That's why I'm a big advocate of proper photography. I don't mean taking your camera and snapping at everything willy-nilly and then posting all of them to Facebook, even when there's ten of the same picture. I mean, taking your DSLR, point-and-shoot, phone, Go-Pro, or whatever, and finding your own perspective. I saw the Angkor Wat in a different way than the girls I was with and even the people standing next to me with their cameras. Anyhow, that's my little "Why It's Actually Good to Take Pictures Places" moment. Everyone processes life differently, and I think mine comes in two parts--the actual moment and the ability to relive and reflect on that moment later, whether in pictures, thoughts, or writing. While I dragged my DSLR around for most of my picture taking, I did snap a few shots with my phone for Instagram. 

In case you're wondering, #ThaiBALLSia is the nickname for our little trip because BALLS is our initials. Get your mind out of the gutter.

•  Chatuchak Market- The very first thing we did in Bangkok on our very first day was do a little exploring in the Chatuchak Market. It's a ginormous place filled with all sorts of clothes and accessories and even animals. There's a very unfortunate section of endangered species that should really be illegal, so hopefully someday Chatuchak sees an end to that.
• Thai Pants- How amazing are these printed pants? I have a feeling they're 100% tourist pants, but at some point I didn't care. They are loose, comfortable, and cheap. Be careful, though, cheap material is still cheap, and they could potentially rip on you.
• Crocodile Chillin'- One of the things we did in Siem Reap is visit a Floating Village, and in that floating village was a crocodile farm. This guy was hanging out, unaware of his future as someone's accessories.
• Angkor Wat at Sunrise- I love getting a shot just right. There's a million and ten pictures of Angkor Wat floating out there, and as I was trying to get the right angle, I finally realized that the reflection in the water is what gives an Angkor Wat picture much more significance. It gives it a sort of majestic feeling. Of course, this Instagram shot is pre-sunrise, I'll save the nice images for my Angkor Wat post!
• Our Chiang Mai Hostel- I have yet to stay in a bad hostel/guesthouse, and Thailand and Cambodia have been added to that list. This was our Chiang Mai hostel, and it was quite the welcome sight after a hellish border crossing and a much better overnight train.
• Exploring Wiang Kum Kam- One of the girls and I were very eager to see this rediscovered lost city, and we were not disappointed by our little excursion in Chiang Mai to see them. It's in a residential area, and it's still being excavated. 
• Tigers in Chiang Mai- After reading that Tiger Kingdom was a very legitimate place, and that the tigers were well kept (and not drugged!), our last day was spent hanging out with these guys. 
• Krabi- We ended our trip in Krabi, specifically Ao Nang, and it was the perfect ending. This is from our island hopping adventure, which I tired to vlog. Get ready for that Oscar-worthy short!
• Smoothie Love- Fresh smoothies #everydamnday. Plus, how's that for a view outside your hostel? What I'd do for a mango smoothie right now...