Backpacking, adventure seeking, wanderlust pursuing, traveling, call it a n y t h i n g but a holiday. This is something I have learned in the many hostels of Asia.
“I am a student of the world, ya know, not all classrooms have four walls,” a notable long-bearded, meditating traveler once told me. At first, I laughed at the roundabout ways people avoided saying the “h” word. Yet here I am coming to the conclusion that he made a good point. Traveling around India and Nepal with my best friends the past couple months has been anything but a mindless beach vacation. You simply can’t help yourself from having your beliefs challenged and your ignorance exposed when backpacking halfway around the world.
I decided to keep an illustrated travel journal to remember these moments, the good and the bad. This journal has allowed me to document my personal and private experiences while at once sharing them.
Chitwan National Park in Nepal.
We played Holi in Hampi with locals of all ages throwing rainbows to celebrate the victory of good over evil.
We celebrated the Hindu festival of Shivaratri in Varanasi in honor of god Shiva.
Before leaving to trek the Himalayas I sketched the wonderful chaos of Kathmandu.
We had the incredible opportunity to witness the Madhav Narayan Festival in Changunarayan Nepal.
This is simply an illustration of me stealing all the covers and the more mundane but memorable parts of travel.
I made this drawing when my friends and I theorized why it was so cold outside. We decided the sun must have fallen in love with the moon and forgotten us.
This illustration was a portrait of the adorable man we bought fruit from everyday in Goa.
This drawing is a map of Hyderabad. The giant tea pot refers to an inside joke that perhaps the smog is simply steam from the mass amounts of chai everyone drinks here.
I didn’t want to forget the vibrant colours and adventures we had on crazy bus rides in Nepal–this is a mashup drawing of those times.
This drawing was inspired by all the gorgeous fabrics sarees are made of. ♦