Five brief episodes of compiled undeleted scenes from my travels through Southeast Asia. These videos give a glimpse into eight weeks of travel living out of a backpack. Trains, planes and automobiles took me through Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. Footage taken from 2013-2014. On this trip, I also spent short amounts of time in Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
from Andrew Kyle Riley on Vimeo.
This is a post containing reflections and photos concerning the six months I spent in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. I’m planning on also posting something about my work with the Rohingya refugees after I feel that I have acquired sufficient words to share their story. DISCLAIMER: This post has some potentially disturbing photos of a cow being sacrificed for Eid.
I lived in the far South of Bangladesh in a “seaside tourist destination” called Cox’s Bazar. The term “seaside tourist destination” is perhaps deceiving. Please suppress the images of tourists strolling down white sand beaches in their swimsuits relaxing and enjoying a carefree vacation. Although for Bengali nationals this image is near accurate, for anyone not possessing the complexion of a South Asian, it is far from the truth. For myself and others of a similar complexion, “strolling” on a beach in Bangladesh entails 30 Bengali locals following you, taking pictures of you/with you, asking what your country is, how much money you make, what your religion is, if you are married, and what your father’s name is, Oh yes and would you also like to buy a boiled egg? Continue reading
40 Double “W”: 40 West Wesley. Watch this if you are ready for a wave of recent nostalgia (depending on when you’re watching it) and approximately a “meellion” inside jokes. This is life among an eclectic group of friends in Denver Colorado: Featuring a dog, a student, a couple of young professionals, and a couple of young unprofessionals. The film contains some cussing so if you get offended by swearing you should probably still watch it and feel guilty later.
You guys really fill life to the brim. I love you all.
Selected photos and journal entries from my summer internship with Voice of Children (VOC) in Katmandu, Nepal. The internship consisted of working with street children in the Welcome Center (WC/Drop Center) of VOC, and exploring Nepal with Matt Mcguire (Kathmandudes) and the national staff . Matt worked in the Preparation Center (PC/Rehabilitation Center) at VOC. We lived in a VOC office building along with a family who took care of us. Their son Bibash became our primary cultural ambassador (despite the fact that he consistently referred to us as “baby” [e.g. Bibash: “Why you not add me on that one facebook Baby?” Me: “Bibash, I added you on your first facebook; why do you need 3 facebook profiles?” Bibash: “I know allllllll Baby”]).
Note: In an attempt at recording the full spectrum of my experience, I included some of the darker/culture-shocking journal entries towards the end of this post. I believe that these entries reflect how I felt at the time but not what I believe. I do want to say that, overall, this was a very positive experienced. After I adjusted to the highs and lows of the context, I experienced a sense of peace in Nepal that I have yet to experience anywhere else in world.
4,000ft
08-07-12
“I woke up at 3:30 A.M.”
“The flight was indescribable. . . my words cannot give you the scale and majesty of these mountains. It wasn’t a real place until just now. Waterfalls were falling into the clouds; rivers Continue reading
Himal is a first person Himalayan film. The trek was mostly solo, and lasted 18 days. My experiences included getting lost in the mountains, falling in a glacial river, avoiding fighting yaks, ice climbing the Khumbu icefall, summiting large mountains, and failing to summit large mountains. I hope that this film can communicate a piece of my experience in the Himalaya. “The highs were higher; the periods of despair were deeper and darker.”
The Undeleted Scenes is a nonsensical rapid-fire collection of clips. This video exemplifies life among a group of college friends/bachelors in and around Denvah, Colorado. We all went to school together at Harding, and eight months after graduating, several of us moved to Colorado. From the most ridiculous happenings in The Washington, to good times in Clear Creek Canyon, this video memorializes some of the weirdest and most enjoyable times. With little responsibility and lots of energy, this is how we spent our time in Colorado.
Love you guys, and I’ll miss you over the summer.
A History of Andrew Riley vs. Long’s Peak
– 2004 –
I was 15 years old. My family was spending a week in Rocky Mountain National Park, and an Uncle and I decided to climb the tallest mountain in the park. We got three-fourths of the way up Long’s, past the boulder field and through the keyhole. We were beaten by the mountain on a small ledge. Where, cold, tired, hungry, and without the proper gear, we turned back.
– 2011 – Continue reading
This is a photo project that I shot on Feb 24th. It is a collection of 4,946 consecutive shots from 6 A.M. to 6 P.M. The purpose of this project was to give an idea of everyday life in Colorado, especially for family and friends who want to see what life is like out here.
I used my Nikon D3000 for this, with a 24mm prime lens. I was shooting in manual settings as well as manually adjusting the focus, which definitely provided some multitasking challenges. Also, I had to time the shots specifically so I wouldn’t overwhelm my camera’s processor; so I literally pressed the shutter release 4,946 times during the day.
A Day in the Life
pilgrimage: a very long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a shrine of importance to a person’s beliefs and faith.
Before Jordan and I left for India, he told me about a crazy idea he had to do a long distance bike ride and raise money for an organization called Living Water International (https://www.water.cc/). Dreaming of an idea like this is exhilarating. The reality of cycling is fun and sometimes painful. But the planning involved in connecting the dream with the reality is the worst. We spent a lot of hours organizing and coordinating the details of this ride (publicizing our ride, collecting cyclists, and borrowing and fixing bikes). Finally, it’s time to just cycle.
DAY 1. Pine Bluff. 93 Miles.
3/12/11
“1st day of this ride. . . We started at Uncle Bud at Continue reading