“I want to live life as fully and deeply as possible, to spare the time to appreciate the big and the small moments. Together, they make a life special.”
These are the words of a man whose wisdom, gained partly through his many journeys, would inspire anybody not only to travel, but to get more out of every experience.
His connection to Central Asia is clear: his wife is from Kyrgyzstan, and he has travelled in the region extensively, and as saqtimes.kz is a Central Asian publication, this is a big part of the story he shared with us.
Who is Kien Lam?
Before we tell it, let’s meet the man who has probably lived more in his 43 years than many people would in a hundred.
His website, Where and Wander, is a carefully compiled and beautifully put together chronicle of a life lived to the full – with plenty in store to do yet.
Kien Lam is a photographer and writer whose origin is Los Angeles, California, but whose story begins three years earlier when he was born in a refugee camp in Hong Kong. The Vietnam War displaced many, and even after hostilities ceased, boat migrations continued, which is what led his family to the former British colony.
The American Dream came later, but not easily. A childhood of struggles and the sacrifices made by his parents galvanised the young Kien Lam and left him with the kind of drive that a life of luxury often fails to instil in even the most energetic.
The educational section on his CV is probably as extensive as his website; suffice to say he did well enough to gain a scholarship to a leading Ivy League university, and even before graduating had a hatful of offers from top companies, meaning that the investment of effort, and possibly also pain, that his parents made, had paid off tenfold.
The Beginning of Where and Wander
But even the best-laid plans of the most driven mice and men are prone to waver when those feet start to itch, and Kien Lam started to understand that what he did well would give way to what he loved. (He also does that very well, too, which tipped the scales more conclusively.)
“In 2010, just before the 5-year mark, I decided I’d quit my job and take a year off to check off as many of those places on my ‘bucket list’ as I could. I’d then return and look for a job in venture capital or private equity. That was the plan.”
As I said, the best-laid plans…
Things were to change… and how they changed!
“I backpacked to 17 countries that year and had so many incredible experiences that a small wishful thought of extending my travels turned into reality, and I decided to give myself a few years as a photographer to see if I could make it into something before returning to finance.”
Kien himself said that many Asian parents would oppose the idea of their child giving up a lucrative place in society to head off out into the grand where next?, but this wasn’t the case for him.
“Not only did my parents not get angry, as most Asian parents would at the prospect of their child giving up a stable and well-paying job for uncertainty, but they supported my decision.”
It seems to have been worth it. Never again was he to take his place at a snazzy desk in the accounts department, financial planning department, budgets department (you get the message), and doubtless 85 countries and hundreds of friends will consider those companies’ loss to be their gain, as the keen photographer spread his wings and took in almost half of the whole world.
His Many Adventures
He isn’t always to be found with a rucksack over his back, though. That’s a big part of his life, but he has a base in Denver, Colorado, where he lives with his partner. She has also travelled, and he has accompanied her, taking advantage of her own globetrotting to take photos both for clients and for his own portfolio.
His website is where a lot of his experience becomes shareable, although not every thought, photo, or moment of inspiration makes it into pixel form. It’s finding a balance between living his life and sharing it, so that he has a lifetime of his own memories but also gets to inspire others through them.
Pointing 50 mp at everything all the time just isn’t his way.
“I will say that without phones and being connected all the time, I felt like travellers, myself included, were more present.
“I remember when the most valuable thing (figuratively and literally) I had in my backpack was a guidebook and whatever book I was reading at the time (where I could swap it out at a book exchange somewhere).
“I talked to more people, I asked more questions, I listened more, just because that was the best way to learn about a place and what to do. I’d go on unplanned adventures, because my itinerary only went as far as how many days I was setting aside somewhere. And then I’d learn about places from people and just go.
“For me, the world is big, as far as people, places, and experiences, but it’s also small in that most human experiences are shared and felt in similar ways regardless of where you are. For me, a big takeaway from my travels has been to see that.”
He remarks how being in one place can evoke memories of others. Morocco reminded him of Vietnam, the place of his ancestors, even though they were so far apart, and reading his story reminded me of a fascinating (true) story written by another traveller, Tiziano Terzani, who made not dissimilar observations in a book called A Fortune Teller Told Me.
Central Asia Becomes a Special Place
So, Central Asia, world-renowned for its hospitality and breathtaking scenery. What led him here, and did it live up to expectations?
“I first came to Central Asia in 2018, as part of a project where I wanted to travel very lightly in a region where I had very little familiarity, especially with language, and with no assistance from modern technology. I chose Kyrgyzstan, and I arrived with a small day pack, a change of clothes, a 35mm camera with one lens, and 30 rolls of film.
“At the last minute, I also decided I couldn’t really go without music, so I bought a used cassette player on eBay and spent two weeks making mix-tapes of my favourite music.
“The plan was to arrive and ask a guesthouse or hotel to hold onto my phone for me, while I travelled the old-fashioned way like I did when I first started – by talking to people.”
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan both had their unique appeal, especially the preserved architecture in Samarkand and the modernity of Tashkent, but surely it’s inevitable that his heart feels a strong connection to Kyrgyzstan, and not only because it’s where he met his wife. He also reports that the connection he felt with local people and the insights he was able to get into their lives were unparalleled by anywhere else he has been, so far at least.
“Kyrgyzstan has been getting popular on social media, but there are still so many hidden gems that haven’t blown up in popularity online. I like that in Central Asia, you can still experience a type of travel that allows you to disconnect and reset.”
Perhaps the World Nomad Games is part of the reason for the viral interest in the Central Asian state, a place I personally lived in before anybody had even heard of it and probably before it got the hang of being a must-visit for many Western people.
Kien Lam actually covered the 2018 WNG as a representative of the media but did so as much a tourist as a journalist, and he travelled to the location light, enjoying it so much that he vows to return.
“The World Nomad Games is taking place in Tatarstan in 2 years, so it would be a great opportunity for me to visit Russia for the first time, and experience the Trans-Siberian Railway and places like Lake Baikal that have long been on my bucket list.“
The Future for Where and Wander
These days, he is more settled and not only Kien himself, but his wife, and his travel plans are arguably less intrepid, at least as some may define it, and he’d probably agree.
“Some of the spontaneity I experienced in my younger years of travelling is gone, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It’s a part of adapting to the times as well.”
This shouldn’t be taken to mean that his trips are limited to the nearest national park or shopping mall. He still has big plans, including taking his wife to see where his family first came from, Vietnam.
Other places on the famous bucket list are Greenland, Japan, Central America, and the Caribbean. He admits that the way he travels has evolved with him, and the wider world, but will never fully let go of the spirit with which he first set out:
“My adventures and misadventures, both plentiful, came from being comfortable with being out of my comfort zone. And then letting things just happen. And if I happened to miss something the first time around, that was just another reason to return.”
So, is Kazakhstan on his bucket list, and why hasn’t he already been here?
Of course, he certainly wanted to come, but the limitations of his previous trips have meant that a few days would have been the most he would have got. This is just not in his DNA, nor the DNA of the Where and Wander website, which clearly doesn’t do things in half measures.
“Kazakhstan is huge. There’s a perfectionist side of me that always wants to visit a country properly when I can and give the proper time it deserves.
“I think for that reason, I need a whole separate trip just to visit Kazakhstan, especially to get out to spots like Boszhira and Charyn Canyon.
“I’m sure there are many more places you can recommend, and I’d love to be able to cover it properly on Where and Wander.”
Very much so, and we look forward to it whenever you are ready!
