East Infection: Kolkata to Mandalay

THE CULT OF HORN detailed my second go-round with the subcontinent and confirmed that India's chaotic urban centres, in an advanced and permanent state of rush hour, rendered most of the planet's cities stunted, somnolent mining towns, their silver veins long tapped out. EAST INFECTION picks up where CULT left off, tracing a run through the teeming humanity of Calcutta and Dhaka, then Bangkok, Yangon and the road to Mandalay. Due to civic ructions, I left Bangladesh prematurely, despite a welcoming people who aided me at every fork and turn. Bangkok, seventeen years after my first visit, was seemingly reborn and along with Myanmar reaffirmed an affinity for Southeast Asia, due not only to the charms and fascinations of the region but my appreciation for a people who tended to mind their business while respecting mine. As the new book title suggests, internal as well as external forces were at play throughout the journey but I hope (once again) that the photographs serve as a tonic to any surly eruptions on my part.