After decades of misadventure and a perilously close encounter with the abyss, I decided to make a radical change and start a whole new life. At 57, with no job, no pension, and no expectations, I distilled my existence down to a single backpack and walked away from it all. The trail I followed led to a stint in Japan, an unexpected carom south to Bangkok, and eventually to a rural border village in southern Isaan, that I now call home.
These pages are field notes from the other side of that decision.
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How I Got Here
The monologues continue. In this video I finally crack the nut open and share a little bit about what pushed me close enough to the abyss to make the decision to make a radical change in my life and walk away. Spoiler alert: A girl. Money. Job. Health. You’re right. What else could it be.
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Walking Away
by William Snyder Ban Kan Throm, Thailand April 23, 2026 Beyond the checkpoint, I’d settled into a seat along the wall where floor-to-ceiling windows stretched past the coffee shop before I noticed … before the weight of actually being there settled on my chest. Sunrise dancing off the tarmac. A faint smell of duty-free perfume.
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The Corner Store
Inside this small border village in southern Isaan, at the far end of the main road, is a gathering place that serves as tavern, drugstore, temple, mercantile, and healer’s shrine. It is also home to a man named Yow. From six in the morning until eight at night, every day of the year, villagers come
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