“Drawing the world really makes life a richer experience.”
– Nina Johansson
They find me nearly the minute I start sketching above Bangkok’s Sansab Canal – two bright-eyed local children, possibly the cutest kids I could ever hope to meet in this city of nine million people.
Their names are Masalee and Asamawee, and it isn’t long before we’re all drawing on the bridge together, our pages filling up with scenes of life along the river. For a moment, I forget about my own sketch as I marvel at how deftly they wield first a pen, and then a paintbrush. If I didn’t believe it after my encounter with Nam in Laos, I believe it now: Art truly is innate in each of us.
It’s my last weekend in the city, and my last weekend before this sketching trip comes to its inevitable end, but this isn’t my first time at the canal. Some three and a half years earlier, I’d visited it on my first trip to Thailand, the same boats plying the narrow channel of water while the same ice cream sellers passed on the sidewalk below, their bells jingling in the air.
Upon returning to the canal today, this time to sketch it, I had expected to feel a sense of connection with this place, having stood here once before. But the connection that moves me the most this afternoon isn’t with the place itself, but with these two kids I’ve been fortunate enough to meet – who leave their sketch on a chair at the bottom of the bridge.
I take it with me when I leave some time after them – as a reminder of our serendipitous sketching session, and as a token of gratitude that something as simple as a sketch could open the door to our encounter.
Here in Southeast Asia, as on every trip, it’s the people who have made each place.
And now…thank you!
As I wrote two months ago, this trip began as the tiniest seed of an idea – “What if I sketched my way around Southeast Asia?” Now that it’s over, I can assure you it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of friends and a few travel companies…and, of course, you:
- Thank you to Orient Express, for the chance to stay in two of their beautiful properties: La Résidence Phou Vao in Luang Prabang, Laos, and La Résidence d’Angkor, in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
- To HostelBookers, for making my accommodation in both Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, possible.
- To everyone who opened their home to me as I passed through their city – Bridget and Manisha in Singapore; my dear Uncle Mike in Yokosuka, Japan; and to Carter in Bangkok.
- And most importantly, to you, my friends and fellow adventurers, for joining me on this journey! The real purpose of this trip was to invite you behind the scenes of my sketchbook. Rather than wait until the trip was over, I wanted to share sketches and stories as they unfolded – and I really hope you enjoyed following along.
What’s next?
After nine months total in Asia, I’m now catching up with friends and family back on US soil for a bit – specifically at home in Virginia for the next seven weeks, and then it’s out to the west coast for a little exploring around Seattle, Portland and San Francisco (where I’ll also be attending the Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference for a second time… I. can’t. wait.)
My two main goals for the summer are to finish my travel memoir, and to put together a book of 20-25 sketches I completed while in Southeast Asia and Japan. I aim to have it finished by the end of June and absolutely can’t wait to share that with you, too. In the mean time, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite stories from these last few weeks here on the blog.
Thanks so much again for following along, and I look forward to setting out on a new sketching adventure with you soon.
I just set this as my desktop background to give me some motivation to keep working toward our goals. I think it’s easy to start getting a little lazy during this last push because it feels so close!
When will you be in Portland? I hope if you’re here soon, you’ll let me know! I’d love to take you out for a drink and meet you in person!
Ah, I’m so glad to hear that, Carmel! I love knowing this sketch may be that little extra motivation you needed 🙂 I’m still working things out for this summer, but I think I should be swinging through Portland around the fourth week of July…will you and Shawn still be around then? It would be so lovely to meet you and catch up before your adventure begins!
Yes we will! I’ll shoot you an email with my phone number and hopefully we can connect.
Aha! I will take a sketch book with me on my 1 week journey up the East Coast from Georgia to the Outer Banks in July. Your sketches inspired me to to pick up the pencil(which I have not done since my jaunt in Europe in 1994). Love it, thanks Candace.
I’m so happy to hear that, Dawn. There are some truly beautiful spots along the East Coast, so that sounds like the perfect place to dive back into sketching – and I’d even love to see some of them once you guys are back in town!
Candace
A chance encounter, a link, a connection with someone else’s journey, which multiplied by three into a Rickshaw Run, the low down and experiences from India (Goa in particular) … and that was just as an amazed onlooker.
All made me want to get out and see it for myself. India made it to my ‘I will do it’ list because of you, and I have never been more thankful for what turned into a great journey.
Thanks for the inspiration – every set of words, every drawing brings a life-layer told in your own special way. Your own encounters touching what we ourselves want to get from traveling.
Enjoy a bit of familiarity and routine, a return to base – to catch up with things back home so they become the basis on which you again head off somewhere.
Just a simple thanks.
Gerald
Gerald, I can’t thank you enough for your kind words. They truly mean so much, and I especially love what you said about “life-layers.” You’ve really given me the encouragement to soak up this time at home base, for you’re exactly right – I know I’ll be journeying out again in no time at all, and this time with family and friends will give me the strength to do so. Thank you again for following along, and I’m really looking forward to sharing more stories, sketches and life-layers with you soon!
I think this last sketch may be my very favorite of the ones you have featured on this trip thus far; what a great capper to an amazing project & journey!
Our summer plans are always in flux, but we’ll definitely be spending part of it in Indonesia (hopefully doing lots of diving). Probably we’ll kick it off in Laos, but you never know, Thailand might prove too difficult to resist!
Thanks so much, Steph! I was definitely in love with the canal and all the fun colors swirling around it 🙂 That’s awesome to hear you’ll be spending time in some of my favorite countries! Laos’ natural beauty really blew me away, and Indonesia is such a fascinating place to explore. Wherever you end up in that region, I am sure you will love it! PS – I just found out that another wonderful travel blogger, Naomi from http://www.anywhere-but-home.com, will be in Luang Prabang all summer, so you should definitely get in touch with her when you’re there.
I have followed your journey in Asia and sketches there of, I liked all of them as they were so real and authentic.
Best of luck for your rest in US with family and then to the conference. Will wait for your next sketches.
till then enjoy and keep well.
Deepak
Thank you, Deepak – I really appreciate you taking the time to follow along the journey, and I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed the sketches. I definitely loved working on them 🙂 Thanks again for your comment, and have a wonderful summer!
It has been such a delight to follow your sketching adventure – and my desktop has certainly been a lot prettier because of it! I seriously can’t wait for the book – put my order in right now my dear friend. Congratulations on a beautiful trip, beautifully expressed. Miss you and hope to see you again soon xxx
Hannah, I can’t thank you enough for following along my little sketching journey – I can still remember when the idea came to me in Goa and talking it through with you, Kim and Jenny! I will always remember that time as a kind of creative incubation period, and now that we’re all out in the world again, doing our thing, it means so much to connect with you throughout the journey. I can’t wait to share the book with you soon, and I definitely can’t wait to see you again! Do you know where you’re heading after Cambodia yet? xxx
Lovely as always Candace. I want to read the next draft of that book of yours!
Thank you, Kim! And we can definitely make that happen – would you be up for reading the first part of the book? I’d love to hear your thoughts 🙂
(And that goes vice versa, too – I’d love to read any parts of yours as well!)
I love the little connections that you’ve made throughout your travels – you’re right, it is not the places that touch us, it is the people! Once again, I’m impressed by the talent of these little souls, just lovely.
Enjoy your trip back to the States and good luck with your book and sketch collection.
We have a couple of travels coming up – we’re going to Cornwall next week and then to Italy in September. But mostly I’m looking forward to a little bit of good weather in London and catching up with what’s going on in the city. I was either working, studying or travelling for most of this year and want to reconnect with real life!
Hello, Mandy! So sorry to just get back to this, but it was wonderful as always to hear from you. Italy sounds lovely! Whereabouts are you headed? And I love that you’ll get some good time this summer just to enjoy London itself – I always found that was the thing about living there…that flights to other countries are so affordable, that you forget to explore the city you’re actually living in 🙂 And thanks so much for reading this post, I’m so glad you enjoyed the connections and encounters that sketching opened up. I actually kept this little sketch and can’t wait to frame it in my house one day. Hope you have a great weekend!
Beautiful accounts of your journey Candace. It’s really nice to know that there are still people around who can enjoy and make the most out of small things in life.
All the best and safe travels.
Thanks so much for that, Jeremy – I appreciate you reading. Travel (especially through India) really has taught me to find joy in the little things, and I love passing that on here. Thanks again, and take care!
That little boy and his drawing are just too cute!!! Have fun in the States, wish you were passing through NC!
Thanks so much, Andi! And yes, isn’t he just adorable? I had so much fun sketching with him and his sister in Bangkok 🙂 NC isn’t on this summer’s itinerary at the moment, but you never know…if I’m headed that way, I’ll be sure to let you know!
What beautiful sketches and what a great experience. Many people would be annoyed by the children coming to watch. I love that you embraced their presence.
Thanks so much, Jon. I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but I guess it could annoy some people! By the end of the trip, though, sketching with local kids had become something of a theme – I just loved the way they felt free to wander up and see what I was doing. PS – It was such a shame it didn’t work out to meet up in Siem Reap, but hopefully our paths will cross again sometime in the future 🙂
Love it. Tell those little kiddies that I like sketching buildings too!
Aw, I absolutely will! I love little connections like that 🙂