Drawing Elephants in Thailand, part two

Whoops! I totally forgot to add more photos. These photos belong in the first post.

Show & tell sketchbook time at lunch.

Jodi using elephant food as a chair as we draw.

This one will become a print :)

Drawing elephants in Thailand

 I kicked off the trip with a visit to the Elephant Nature Park. The week I spent 2 years ago volunteering was the best week of my life so the expectations were high.

I couldn't commit to the full week so instead did 4 days/3 nights. Rather than treating me like a volunteer, I participated in the visitor activities like feedings, bathings, and taking walks. By the second day, I was itching to get my hands dirty, but they already had more than enough volunteers so there was no work for me to do. I found myself a little disappointed about how the visit was going. Then I bumped into Jodi! She's an American tattoo artist who visited the park 8-9 years ago and never left. She now lives and works in the park. I connected with her during my first visit to donate a painting to the park. I reintroduced myself and hot diggity, she remembered me! She asked if I'd been drawing much, and I said not as much as I'd like, and she invited me to a drawing date with her and the elephants tomorrow morning. So, for the next couple days, I spent my time out on the field with Jodi's guidance, just us, our painting supplies and the elephants. Here are the results:

It was a great experience! One elephant even started posing for us once she realized we were drawing them. So cute. On more than a few occasions, the elephants would wander over to us in search of food. I can't describe how tremendous it felt to put my pencil down to touch the trunk of a wandering, curious elephant or move my extended legs because it was in the way of an elephant's path. After 8 hours of sketching, my sketchbook was half-full.

On to the next stop, Chiang Mai & Phrao, Thailand.

Traveling & Work

Phew! I just returned from a 3 week backpacking trip through Southeast Asia that involved everything under the sun from spending time with elephants, zip lining through the jungle, cruising along the Mekong River, biking 40+ km through temples, and attending a wedding. It was exhausting, adventure-filled, and exhilarating but honestly, I'm glad to be back and doing work again! Ha!

On the plane from Singapore to Manila, I finally had some down time and what was the first thing I did? I brainstormed ideas and a work schedule for the next two weeks. Work work work! Wandering SE Asia for 3 weeks made me realize I love traveling as much as I love working. In the same way I itched to adventure and escape when I worked, on the road, I found myself hungry for the hustle of my business. It was an unexpected realization but a valuable one. It confirmed that I still love what I do.

I've read articles warning that turning one's hobby into a business or a money-earning endeavor can spoil the joy. Don't believe them and don't let it scare you. Yes it's possible the stress of money can make it less satisfying, and probably will initially, but if you truly love it, there's a way to make it a source of happiness and your livelihood. Making it work is the hard part, but once you do, it's magic!

You can expect posts & pictures about the trip next week. I'm taking a brief internet break and visiting my grandma in the province for a few days so until then, happy adventuring!

Postcards from Abroad - March Update

I've finished the first batch of "Postcards from Abroad" (with the few exceptions I've intentionally waited to do). They were so much fun to make, drawing while battling the rocking motion of the train, using green tea as water for the watercolor, writing details about my trip, and awkwardly buying stamps at the post office. Thank you to the kind recipients for their sweet responses, photos, and blog posts about the postcards. Really made me smile.

Now, on to the next leg of my journey! Same rules apply--when ordering the postcards, please specify your preference (if any) for location.

March 1-3: Tacloban, Philippines
March 5-10: Thailand - Chiang Mai, Elephant Nature Park (illustrations from my previous visit)
March 11-18: Laos - Gibbon Experience (hopefully), boat ride along the Mekong River, Luang Prabang, Vientaine
March 18-20: Siem Reap
March 21-24: Singapore - for a wedding! :)

More silliness in Japan (mostly food)

The greatest hamburger-themed stickers Disney has ever produced.

 Delicious izakaya in Tokyo with Merrick, Leo & KB. My favorite dishes were the kimchi udon pasta & the tofu cheesecake. YUM.

 Gion Kitana, as recommended by Tara (formerly) of Sweet Breams. Make sure you get the dekitate, their fresh ice cream. So good.

 Yakisoba at Mizuno, Osaka. Their okonomiyaki is out of this world. I discovered the restaurant by following two people in Osaka who seemed to be on a mission to eat. I do that when I travel. Not creepy.

 Sushidai in Tokyo.

 

Matcha green tea paste at Ippodo Tea, recommended by Yoko of Homako.

Kaboucha fried goodness.

Thanks to the lovely friends who sent suggestions and made our trip that much more delicious and delightful. Special shout to Merrick for housing KB & me, and teaching us some key Japanese words. Good host. Arigatou gozaimasu.

Temples & Totoro in Japan

In Kyoto, Kevin took me to Kanga-an Temple, a temple with a hidden bar once the sun goes down. 

We sipped on Japanese whiskey (finally!!).

“The pace is slow here so it calms you down,” says Yamada [the bartender]. “It’s not the drinks, it’s the garden that relaxes you” (from the Japan Times).

After Kyoto, Kevin & I stayed in Eko-in Temple in Koyasan. The train ride was so pretty.

 Dinner.

Best tofu ever.

The view! It was nice to wander the halls and find random rooms and studies. The best parts were the fire ceremony in the morning, relaxing in the onsen, and the table in the room with an electric blanket as the tablecloth. Glorious. We basically lived under the table.

And then there was Totoro! I happened upon him many times before actually saying hello at the Ghibli Museum.