THE SPONTANEITY OF CLAY ENOS

STORY BY Angela Jed Silvestre

PHOTOS C/O Clay Enos

We take a visual trip cross-continent with photographer Clay Enos, whose work not only spans continents but cultures—including pop, with his work on an array of superhero and action movies we’re sure you’ve heard of. An exploration of more than 50 countries—most recently The Democratic Republic of Congo and Iceland—has provided Clay with a multitude of photographic material with subjects that range from vast, awe-inspiring landscapes to spontaneous portraits of humanity.

Some (among many others) of Clay’s most exciting travels have seen him riding just his Vespa across North America to document the state of food production and the power of local economies as well as through South America, learning and photographing his way through the coffee co-ops there.

“I had never been on two motorized wheels before proposing the trip,” Clay remembers. “I got my motorcycle license and the next day, took off. The start, along the densely populated East Coast, was the hardest place to avoid highways but I got the hang of it and by the time I reached Chicago, I felt really good about my skills and was excited about the landscapes of the West. I would absolutely do it again. I think about riding down to Mexico all the time. Timing is everything.”

And it is in timing that Clay believes, particularly in spontaneity.

“I think that I am at my best when I recognize that photography has been and is just a catalyst for adventure. I [recently photographed] coffee farmers in East Africa, waking up each day with only the slightest sketch of a schedule given to me each day. I couldn’t predict who I was going to meet or where I was going to be and it all worked out. I love that.”

Of his many travels, there is a multitude of things that Clay has learned but he tells us of the most significant.

“In 1993 I hitch-hiked from Bogota to Brooklyn. I learned Spanish but I also learned that people—all people—share three traits: curiosity, generosity, and kindness. That belief has guided me over many thousands of miles without incident. I am reluctant to prescribe any real significance or argue those notions but I’ve made peace with it and so far, so good. In a place many consider the poorest place on Earth, I witnessed a man’s wallet slip from his pocket while riding the side of a dump truck. My taxi driver—without missing a beat—swerved, picked up the wallet, and sped up to return his wallet. Was that my luck to have that happen in front of me or is that happening all the time, all over the world? What am I going to focus on, good or bad? Easy. Good.”

See more work by Clay Enos at www.clayenos.com.

THIS STORY WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CLAVEL MAGAZINE “THE GREAT OUTDOORS” ISSUE (2017)

“This is nothing,” says one of the bartenders (who just happens to be one of the many Filipinos working on-board) as he stood there, calmly cleaning glasses, at the Oceana outdoor bar aboard the ship—whose bar we were pretty much clinging to with one hand, and our wine glasses in the other. #priorities

So yes, you’ll be sailing with the best of the best. The best staff, the best crew…after all, Star Cruises is the leading cruise line in Asia-Pacific.

But let me skip the tedious niceties and tell you in exactly three reasons why cruises are awesome and why you should be booking yours for the summer.

Second, the value for your money is top-notch.

Cruises are a godsend for travelers who want to explore the world on a good budget to visit quality places. Our Keelung-to-Okinawa experience consisted of places away from the mainstream, overcrowded hype.

From walking around Taipei to boarding at Keelung in Taiwan, we then headed straight to southern Miyakojima Island in Okinawa, Japan where we visited the quaint cultural spots of the island—my favorite of which was Maehama Beach, one of the best beaches in Japan.

From there, we made our way to Naha, Okinawa where we visited the Underwater Observatory, Manzamou cliff-side, had sweets at the Okashigoten Confectionery, and lunch at this really good yakiniku buffet downtown before the part I was looking forward to the most—shopping at Naha-Shi where I went broke at the Stüssy and Undefeated Okinawa stores. No regrets.

And cruise lines like StarCruises offer a lot more places to tick off your list: Hong Kong, Guangzhou in China, Da Nang and Halong Bay in Vietnam, Singapore, Penang, Port Klang and Malacca in Malaysia, and even Phuket and Krabi in Thailand.