Our Asian adventure, part 1
Hi there! My plan was when we left the Netherlands 45 days ago, to keep you updated about our trip and the places we have visited. But while I was writing that blogpost, it sounded more like a travelblog. So instead of sharing every step of our journey, I would love to share my sketchbook with you, some wonderful views we’ve seen and inspirational things we’ve experienced.
Our adventure began in the Maldives, Dave was asked to help and share his thoughts for a recycling project at the island Laamu. Plastic is a huge problem everywhere and in the Maldives it’s such a big contrast with the wonderful beaches. We found plastic bottles in the sea (do we really need them?), but also tiny microplastics that looked like colorful confetti on the beach. We even found microplastic in a fish. You can watch the short movie Dave made *here*. After 11 days of snorkeling, teaching kids, giving presentations and enjoying the Maldives, we traveled to Mumbai India.
Beside all the chaos, dirt and smells, I loved the markets and was impressed how much vegetarian options there were available everywhere. I made sketches of a marketman where we bought sweet mango’s from, a temple we crossed by while riding on a scooter and some people we met in Goa. Three weeks ago we stayed at Chinnies cozy house in Hampi. Every morning and night she cooked real Indian food for us and learned me how to make chapati and eggplant curry. Hampi itself was incredibly beautiful and hot (43º). We visited the 500 year old temples and swam in the river with waterfalls, surrounded by so many monkeys.
I think the most inspiring place we stayed this last month was at Karuna farm. It’s a community one hour drive from Kodaikanal, in the mountains of south India. We slept in a little mudhouse between the bananatrees, monkeys and buffaloes, did yoga every morning and we saw a earthship for the first time.
Everything is so colorful and decorated with lost of details in India, and I love details. Our next stop is Nepal, tomorrow morning we will arrive in Kathmandu.
