“Dwell in possibility.”
– Emily Dickinson
It started as the tiniest seed of an idea:
What if I went to Japan?
My mother’s brother has been based in Yokohama since 2010 and since the day he moved there, I’ve been dying to go and visit.
Then, just about a month ago, the seed took root and a few connecting ideas started to shoot off from it:
What if I flew from Osaka to Bangkok?
What if my friend Carter and I went to Laos?
What if I took a bus to Cambodia, and then another one to Vietnam?
What if I…?
I wrote here a couple of weeks ago about how thrilling it can be to ask yourself those three words, to project all these thousands of possibilities for yourself – but if you’re anything like me, it’s equally thrilling and terrifying. And like my friend Hannah recently wrote, an abundance of choice is not always fun – it can leave you mired in indecision.
But once you start making some decisions and nailing down a few plans, you start realizing just how much is possible, that there really are an infinite number of directions you could go in. And that’s kind of awesome. The only thing holding you back is your own imagination. Well, and money too – but I’d like to think of that as a secondary concern (my dad would say otherwise).
The final ‘what if I’ that I asked myself was this:
What if I sketched my way around Southeast Asia?
As soon as the thought came to me, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do. Because as excited as I am to explore seven countries in six weeks (five of which I’ve never been to before, so I mean it; I’m really, really excited), I also wanted to give this trip shape: a purpose that would ground me in the midst of so much moving around.
And that’s exactly what I’d like to introduce you to today:
Sketching Southeast Asia – Six weeks. Seven countries. One adventure with a sketchbook.
Here are a few things I’m especially excited to create travel sketches of (in the order of my trip):
Singapore: Catching up with former Rickshaw Runners and taking a boat out on Saturday afternoon to go wakeboarding on the waters between Singapore and Malaysia.
Malaysia: Heading an hour outside Kuala Lumpur and exploring the little island of Pulau Ketam, where I’ve read you can rent a bike and visit old Chinese fishing villages.
Japan: Catching up with my uncle who lives in Yokohama and walking the 160-kilometer-long 88 Temple Circuit pilgrimage on Shodoshima Island, located in the Seto Inland Sea.
Laos: Wandering the colonial streets and temples of Luang Prabang with my dear friend Carter and staying at Orient Express’ beautiful hotel, La Residence Phou Vau.
Cambodia: Staying at another Orient Express property called La Residence d’Angkor, just steps from Angkor Wat, and taking a 6-hour boat journey down the Mekong River.
Vietnam: Getting to know Ho Chi Minh City and working on my first words-and-sketches magazine feature, all about sketching Saigon!
Thailand: Spending one last weekend in Bangkok before heading home and hopefully drinking my weight in the super-sweet Thai iced tea known as chai-yen.
And here’s how you can follow along:
Throughout the six weeks of my trip (starting on April 1st), I will be posting sketches three times a week here on the blog. If you’d like to subscribe for free updates as soon as each post goes live, you can sign up here.
After the trip ends, I’ll be compiling all the sketches and sketch stories I’ve shared here (as well as a few extra) into my very first eBook, which will be available to you either as a free download or, if your coffee table happens to be feeling lonely, to purchase as a real, live hard copy through Lulu.com.
You can also catch photos and updates from along the way on The Great Affair’s Facebook page, and if you’re on Twitter, I’ll be tagging posts with the hashtag #SketchSEAsia, so keep an eye out for it in the Twitterverse.
So even while there are still a few posts to come from India, I’d also like to invite you on this journey of travel sketches through Southeast Asia – and as the first post will be up in just two weeks’ time, I really hope you’ll come along.
Hello Candace, You are seriously talented (sketching part in particular). Really like the detailing of Tuk-tuk for Thailand in the sketch.
If dads start agreeing to the things we do – they won’t remain dads anymore. So yes, you are in good space and you are not alone :-). I have my own “dad” tales …but I will save that for some other day.
Your reference to Japan – this is perhaps the first time in my life I have seen an American write down ‘kilometer’ explicitly. Great stuff!
Singapore – See if you can walk by the Fullerton Bay Area and sketch the Singapore skyline. I hope you have a field day with that one
All the best! Vinayakan
Hey Vin! Thanks so much for saying hello here 🙂 And thank you for your kind words! I love sharing my sketches here, so it’s great to hear you enjoy them. What you said about me being American and using kilometers made me laugh 🙂 I walked part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain last year, which was also measured in kilometers, so I think I’m just used to it now! Thanks for your Singapore recommendation, by the way – I will definitely add Fullerton Bay to my list of places to visit that weekend. Hope you’re still enjoying your epic USA trip (but I have no doubt you are 🙂
I recently saw a documentary on the 88 temple pilgrimage on Japan’s NHKtv which is broadcast here in the states. It was fabulously inviting! Btw, I think the island is Shikoku. Hope to see more of Japan on my nest trip!
Hello Robert! It’s great to hear from you here. That’s awesome you saw a documentary about the Shikoku pilgrimage – I would love to do that one day! I’m actually doing a miniature version of the 88-temple circuit on Shodoshima Island…while the Shikoku one is about 1,100km (I believe), the Shodoshima version is only 160km – so it should take one week, as opposed to six or seven (which I unfortunately don’t have right now…). Here’s the most informative site I’ve been able to find about the Shodoshima circuit – http://jenniwain.livejournal.com – maybe you’ll have a chance to walk it yourself when you get to Japan!
Yesss!!! I cannot wait to see your beautiful sketches! I’m sure they will get me excited to go see SE Asia for myself. XO
Thanks so much, my friend!! I really can’t wait for you and Brian to head to Southeast Asia…you will LOVE it. And that’s a promise 🙂 xo
That’s so exciting, Candace! I’ve enjoyed seeing your sketches sprinkled through posts here and there. Maybe I’ll bump into you somewhere along the way. 😉 Enjoy your travels!
Thank you, Audrey! And yes, I definitely agree – it would be great to finally meet up 🙂 What are your travel plans looking like for the next couple of months?
Just finishing up a month in Malaysia, and then it’s onwards to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos…who knows?! 🙂
That sounds epic, Audrey! Those are all on my itinerary for the next six weeks as well, so we’ll have to see if and when our paths cross 🙂 Happy adventuring!
Reading this made me so happy – I seriously can’t wait to follow your sketching adventure and have my inbox enriched by your beautiful work three times a week. And, though I don’t have a coffee table, I already know that I will be purchasing a hard copy of that book!
Thank you so much, lovely – I’m equally happy to know you will be coming along…I seriously can’t wait to start sharing sketches with you here! (I just wish I had enough time to meet up with you in Thailand. At this point it’s looking like I’ll really only have a weekend in Bangkok – but I’ll love knowing we’re at least in the same country at the same time 🙂
Hey Candace! I have been traveling around SE Asia for a few months now and I am loving it. Let me know when you are in Siem Reap!
Hello Jonathan! Thanks for saying hello again, and that’s awesome to hear you’re loving Southeast Asia – I’m really looking forward to getting there on Friday 🙂 What have been some of your favorite spots?
Your sketches totally blow me away! I love them!!!
Thanks so much, Andi!! That really means a lot. I can’t wait to start this trip on Friday 🙂
I’ve been to most of the countries you’re going to. Everything is worth sketching, you’ll end up with carpal tunnel syndrome! I can’t wait to see what you’ll be sketching 🙂
That’s awesome to hear, Angela! I’ve definitely found Singapore and Malaysia to be full of sketching inspiration so far – now I can’t wait to head to Japan tomorrow 🙂
I really like the sketching idea would actually like to do it myself, if I had even the slightest hint of artistic ability. Anything I draw looks like something your average four year old might produce on a bad day, ie the one that DOESN’T make it on the fridge.
As a map lover, I do have to point out that Japan is not part of southeast Asia….sorry, I just couldn’t help myself…
Hey Daniel, thanks for your comment! You never know, you may have more artistic abilities up your sleeve than you realize – give it a shot some time 🙂 And thanks so much for pointing that out about Japan – I was indeed aware of it, but thought I would try to get away with it for brevity’s sake (“Sketching Southeast Asia and Japan” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue the same way). I hear you on loving maps, though!
Hey Candace! If you hapent o drop by Singapore, even for a day or two, we can meet!
Hey there, Lela! Thanks so much for saying hello here 🙂 I’m so sad that I was actually just in Singapore last weekend and won’t be returning on this current trip – but I will definitely let you know the next time I’m passing through!
I love the idea of traveling through Asia with a sketchbook. I haven’t seen much of that part of the world – only Korea and Vietnam – but I imagine you’ll look at it with very different eyes than I did.
Thanks so much, JoAnna! It has definitely been fun so far – although I’m finding it’s not always easy to carve out a couple of hours to sketch on location as I like to. I’m heading to Vietnam myself in about a month – where were you? Any recommendations? PS – You’ll have to pack a sketchbook the next time you’re Asia-bound 🙂
What a wonderful idea, Candace! And such a timely & inspiring post – I’m going through that very same thing right now: What if I went to….and then..:) I’m waiting on the purpose part to hit me! Haha. Have a great time and congrats on all your accomplishments!!
Thanks so much, Lily! It’s wonderful to hear from you here 🙂 So is the Belize guide officially done? What is next?? I think I need an update pretty soon!
I think that your favourite part of travelling is planning the next phase of your adventure. I can justi imagine your eyes lighting up as the ideas form before you.
You know me all too well, my friend 🙂 I am indeed a massive fan of travel planning – a lot of people have even said I should be a travel agent, but I think what I enjoy the most about it is just the possibilities! It’s amazing how many start to unfold once you start researching a trip.