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UPDATE: Only TWO spots left!!!!!!

Second UPDATE: After announcing it just YESTERDAY on the blog, RPTE 2013 is officially SOLD OUT!!! CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!

There’s always a million reasons why not to travel. And there always will be…

The time has come for this year’s Raddest Photo Trip Ever — January 6th through the 19th, 2013. I am soooo extremely excited to jump on a plane with another awesome group!!! Most importantly, I can’t wait to show those who come along why Thailand and Cambodia are two of my favorite places on the globe. The ruins of Cambodia. The islands of Thailand. Washing elephants in the rivers of Kanchanaburi. Playing with wild monkeys. The most beautiful waterfalls on earth. Deelish Thai food. Incredible local people. And, obviously, an unreal photographic experience! Thailand and Cambodia are such incredibly unique places — and I can’t wait to show another group of people the trip of a lifetime!!!

Here’s the most recent blog posts from the 2011 trip and here are the blog posts from our 2010 trip and our 2009 trip. And, even more importantly, in my opinion, here’s the teaser video of the trip — shot all on the 5D Mark II with the Steadicam Merlin at parts — totally worth the watch ;)

I’ll be accepting retainers TODAY! The retainer will be $1000, then $1000 due in mid summer, and the remaining balance due at the end of November (a month before we leave).

There are a maximum of 12 spots — handed out on a first come/first serve basis. The trip is Jan 6th through the 19th ;)

• Cost is $3300 per person. Airfare is not included.
• Like any guided tour, you can do this cheaper on your own. But no one out there knows this region like I do. Some people make a mean chicken marsala — well I make a mean Thailand/Cambodia :)
• What’s included? All travel inside Thailand/Cambodia, visa fees to Cambodia (if you’re American — if not, you might have additional requirements for entering either country), tickets to everything we do, costs of anything on the itinerary, and lodging are inlcuded. Food, souvenirs, and whatever you do during free time is not included. Food is VERY cheap, by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever spent more than 4 or 5 bucks at a restaurant. Average meal for me is like 3 bucks.
• Discount for couples! You don’t have to be a married couple — just two friends/dating/married couple signing up together. The discount is $300 per person (so $600 altogether) — so get your friend, loved one, sibling, and come to Thailand and Cambodia with us!
• Tax deductible! Be sure to discuss with your accountant, as tax deductions vary from state to state ;)
• Is it a workshop or a holiday? I’m often asked if this is a photography workshop or if it’s a photo tour. It totally depends on you :) Some of the people that come are legit pros who couldn’t care less to learn a thing from me. Some are part time pros/ams who want to learn about business. Some are people who literally own a little point and shoot and are starting from scratch! Because of this, there’s no sit down workshop time, or anything. The trip is just an open Q&A time. Nothing is off the table. You’ll find out VERY quickly on the trip that I love talking and answering any questions (whether technical photography/post-processing stuff, business related, philosophy/worldview talk, jiu-jitsu techniques, just about anything). So if you’re game to ask, I’m game to help :)
• You do not have to be a professional photographer! Some of the people who’ve come on this trip only had a point and shoot and still had the best time ever :)
• To grab your spot, email me with the subjet “RPTE 2013!” letting me know you want to come and I’ll get back to you with all the relevant info :)

Alright, that’s it for now! If you’re dying to come, definitely grab the bull by the horns. And remember, there’s always a million reasons not to do something like this. Nearly every reason that you have not to go this year will be there next year. Believe me. It will. I believe so strongly in how this trip changes and inspires people. Bringing people to this region is my greatest passion — more than photography itself. I genuinely can’t wait to meet all of you that take the plunge!

One of my favorite past RPTE attendants, and now dear friend, Katie Lewis, had this to say about her first RPTE experience and her nerves about signing up. She then went on to do another RPTE with us to China… Miss you Katie!

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions and I can’t wait to meet who’s coming with us!!!

I’ll leave with some of my favorite images and video from our past trips to Thailand and Cambodia…

Kanchanaburi, Thailand from Bobby Earle.

Hank and his monkeys from Bobby Earle.

Hilarious tuk tuk driver at Tonle Sap, Cambodia from Bobby Earle.

Can’t wait to meet those of you who are coming along!!!

Bobby

Contact Bobby / View Wedding Portfolio / Travel the Globe with Bobby

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I’ll be taking retainers for next year’s RPTE to Thailand and Cambodia very soon. Email me at info@bobbyearle with the subject “RPTE 2012 SIGNUP” and you’ll be on the list of first people to be able to jump on before it’s announced on the blog.

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Today was the last full day. And we went out with a bang. We went to the lake village, took a boat out to the Tonle Sap, swam, and rode in canoes through the village and into the mangrove forests. Putting this day into words is nearly impossible. This is one of the absolute highlights of the trip for me. It’s so calm and peaceful.

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This is Mr. Don…

…and the above images sum him up as good as any series of words ever could. One of the reasons I love the one and only Don so much :)

Off to school.

This little buddy steered our canoe from the back :)

I smoke cigarrettes for my UC and my hair curls something terrible because of the humidity. Those are my excuses. Ali, on the other hand, looks creepy like that for no excusable reason ;)

These are some instagram shots — those shrimp were DEELISH!!!

Not a bad place to be reading A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis ;)

Hank and I enjoy a good game of volleyball. Fortunately, Cambodians also love a good game of volleyball. Unfortunately, they love it so much that they wouldn’t let us squeeze in at this VERY serious court in downtown Siem Reap. This place was SERIOUS. I felt like I was starring in White Men Can’t Jump 2! It took us a good 15-20 minutes to finally make a game happen. These courts are no joke. They play for money and they are very into winning. It was just the two of us, so all I have is some video of us showing up. Such a cool experience…

We ended up winning our first game and BARELY losing our second game. Made a dollar and then lost a dollar. Good times :)

The next morning we woke up early and headed to the Bangkok airport to catch our flights home :(

Saying goodbye to my dear, dear friends in Cambodia is never easy. But it’s always nice to know that I’ll be seeing them in a year. Who else is coming with me??? I’ll be taking retainers for next year’s RPTE to Thailand and Cambodia very soon. Email me at info@bobbyearle with the subject “RPTE 2012 SIGNUP” and you’ll be on the list of first people to be able to jump on before it’s announced on the blog.

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To the group that I feel so honored to have led around the world… I miss you all so much. I couldn’t have been happier with each of you being there. Like I told you all at our last dinner, when we got hit with that monsoon after like 30 hours of travel during our first outing to the beach and you all ended up having a blast through it?! I knew I had a special crew of people. Collectively, I feel you took away more from this trip than any other group I’ve taken — and that’s saying a lot as I LOVE my other groups (I’m going to get some flack from past RPTE peeps for that one :P).

With all sincerity, thank you so much for coming along with me. Love you all ;)

Bobby

Contact Bobby / View Wedding Portfolio / Travel the Globe with Bobby

Follow me on Twitter / Be my friend on Facebook

I’ll be taking retainers for next year’s RPTE to Thailand and Cambodia very soon. Email me at info@bobbyearle with the subject “RPTE 2012 SIGNUP” and you’ll be on the list of first people to be able to jump on before it’s announced on the blog.

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Today was incredible. We do two things that are out of this world. Watch the sunrise over Angkor and we go to Beng Melea. The sunrise over Angkor is, in my opinion, one of those bucket list type things people need to do before they die. It feels like this natural phenomenon (the sunrise) blending perfectly with this man-made phenomenon (Angkor Wat). It’s a special sight to see.

Beng Melea is out of this world. It takes a couple hours to get to by tuk tuk — and that is half of what makes it so amazing. The temple itself is out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a jungle temple. Completely overgrown and has yet to be severely excavated — it gives you the feeling of what it would have been like to hike through the jungles of Cambodia a hundred years ago and come up on one of these temples before any tourism existed. It’s absolutely insane.

My favorite part of the day, however, is the two hour ride back home. We leave around sunset — and this gives you incredible glimpses of Cambodian country-side lifestyle. Houses are open so you see everyone making dinner, building fires, and just gathering together for the evening. All with the sunset. It’s incredible. This part of the trip tends to be a major highlight for everyone on the trip :)

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Bobby

Contact Bobby / View Wedding Portfolio / Travel the Globe with Bobby

Follow me on Twitter / Be my friend on Facebook

I’ll be taking retainers for next year’s RPTE to Thailand and Cambodia very soon. Email me at info@bobbyearle with the subject “RPTE 2012 SIGNUP” and you’ll be on the list of first people to be able to jump on before it’s announced on the blog.

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So this is a little continuation of day 9. Monkeys are so amazing that they deserve their own post entirely, imo. This year’s group was the most comfortable and brave with the monkeys over any other I’ve ever been to Cambodia with. Every person, at one point or another, had a wild monkey hanging off of and climbing all over them :)

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That monkey (right) actually ended up getting Ali’s earring off of her! And Ali actually ended up snatching it away from the monkey when he wasn’t looking :)

Hank is a straight up monkey charmer. Here’s some video of him with his new children…

Interacting with wild monkeys is one of the funnest things on this planet. It still shocks me that it’s a fairly normal part of my life :)

Bobby

Contact Bobby / View Wedding Portfolio / Travel the Globe with Bobby

Follow me on Twitter / Be my friend on Facebook

I’ll be taking retainers for next year’s RPTE to Thailand and Cambodia very soon. Email me at info@bobbyearle with the subject “RPTE 2012 SIGNUP” and you’ll be on the list of first people to be able to jump on before it’s announced on the blog.

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These next two days… Sigh, Cambodia. I just cannot get enough of this country. I feel so fortunate to be able to return again and again to this wonderland of content living. These two days consisted of temples and interaction with the people of Cambodia. We also played with some monkeys, but I’ll post about that on it’s own tomorrow :)

Cambodia is where the photography side of the trip really takes a crazy turn. Thailand is beautiful for shooting — but walking around Cambodia just feels like you’re passing photographic masterpiece after photographic masterpiece. It’s all there to be shot — you just have to shoot it.

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This guy invited us into his home during lunch time. He was with his three daughters and several grandchildren. This was his youngest grandchild :) They insisted we eat with them and hang out even longer than we were able. I love Cambodians…

Mr Sola on the left and Mr Sith on the right.

This is “Ghost Gate”. It wasn’t until last year that I was able to see this place. Cambodians are severely superstitious — and Ghost Gate is strongly believed to be haunted by the locals. Mr. Sola, for example, has only been to Ghost Gate two times. Once last year with me and then once more this year. He only goes there because he knows I love it so much. I’m told that people can commit all kinds of awful crimes at night here because under no circumstances will police come to Ghost Gate at night. The belief is that all of those that died under Pol Pot pass through here at night.

I asked Mr Sola how much money I would have to pay him to stay the night here and his response was an abrupt “no money…” :)

This little guy. Ugh. I could have taken him home in a heartbeat. He told me I was handsome and that Ali was pretty — and when we told him that we thought he was the handsome one, his face lit up like crazy. He’s one of those kids that you instantly know has an incredibly sweet heart.

Bobby

Contact Bobby / View Wedding Portfolio / Travel the Globe with Bobby