On a Tuesday morning in Laos, my friend Carter and I descend from the hills of Luang Prabang into the country’s slightly less temperate capital, Vientiane.
For days we have been moving the puzzle pieces of our trip back to Bangkok around – should we depart Luang Prabang on Monday afternoon or evening? Should we catch the early morning train back to Bangkok, or wait for the afternoon bus? What about the night train?
But when the shifting finally stops and the itinerary of our return has been set, we find ourselves with some nine or ten extra hours in Vientiane – and with just one question left to answer: how the heck are we going to fill them?
Naturally, I decide to do a sketch. And because it seems an obvious choice, I decide to sketch the iconic Patuxai Gate – a war monument that was built between 1957 and 1968 in honor of those who fought for independence from the French.
I find a spot on the sidewalk beneath a tree, spread out my scarf, and sit down to sketch, and am immediately feeling the heat, the hard concrete beneath me, and the exhaustion resulting from our all-night journey from Luang Prabang.
The only thing it seems I’m not feeling in Vientiane is inspiration.
Not long after I start sketching, a boy of about 10 or 11 years cycles past and stops to watch. At first, he stands with one leg on either side of his red-and-green-colored bike, his arms resting on the handlebars. A few minutes later, however, I hear a click. He’s popped the kickstand out and sits on his haunches next to me, elbows now resting on his knees.
Another half hour goes by before it occurs to me to offer him a sheet of paper and a pen. When spending a week with the Moken sea gypsies in Thailand last December, that was the way I’d finally connected with the Moken children, dismantling and distributing a small sketchbook among ten or so kids and watching them bring underwater scenes to life.
It’s no different here in Vientiane. Nam and I speak exactly three words of the same language, and yet a sense of connection grows anyhow, as improbable as a weed pushing its way through cracks in a sidewalk. We munch on fried sweet potatoes from a nearby stall and sketch with our flip-flops kicked off, passing locals casting bemused glances our way.
It may have taken a while for the ever-shifting puzzle of our day to come together, but here on a Vientiane sidewalk, I’m glad it left room to meet Nam.
This is a re-mark*able moment in time. Sharing your gift with someone else. What good is a gift if you don’t share it, right? Love this post on so many levels. Keep sketching…..you are almost done!
Thank you, Mother dearest! What you said about gifts is so true – and ever since this little encounter in Laos, I’ve had a few other moments of sketching with children – and of course, the students in Vietnam! So it’s cool to look back now at the end of my trip and see how this changed my perspective, opening me up to a new way of connecting with people. Can’t believe I see you in just four hours!! xo
What a special moment! That is something he will most likely remember for the rest of his life, as I’m sure you will 🙂
Thank you, lovely! You are so, so right – I can definitely say this was one of my favorite moments from the entire trip. So sad to just miss you in Bangkok last weekend – how long are you guys there for?
Absolutely brilliant. Loved the writing and the encounter!
Thanks so much, Rachel! That really means a lot.
Love this!! Thanks for leaving out the part about the fact that I was super grumpy all day from my lack of sleep and complaining about the heat!! HAH they say when you travel with someone you find out ALL about them:) Can’t wait to spend this weekend with you in Bangkok, Candace!
Plllllease – that was definitely a funny little day, passing the hot, hot hours in Vietiane before our train! Wish we could go back and sip coconut shakes along the Mekong right now 🙂 Hope you’re loving Hong Kong!
Wow! This post is incredible! What a gifted little boy – he has a natural talent. I’m curious, did you keep his sketch or did he? I love moments like this, where inspiration comes from the most unexpected places.
Thank you, Mandy!! And thanks so much for asking about his sketch – it’s a funny story, actually, and one I almost included at the end of the post – but I didn’t want the post to get too long. Basically, as we were walking away, I turned around to wave goodbye one last time and saw him riding off on his bicycle, sketch in his hand. It then flew away and I thought he might stop to pick it up – instead, he just kept going and one of the streetsweepers put it in a bin. When I think about it now, I wish I’d gone back to get his sketch – but ultimately I hope that was just his way of saying it was the experience that meant something to him, and not the actual sketch itself? Who knows 🙂 Hope all is well with you in London!
What a lovely moment! The curiosity of children always leads to some of the nicest interactions in a new place…
I draw a little myself and am inspired to do more the next time I am away!
Thanks so much, Jade! And you’re so right about the curiosity of children – I always love connecting with them, and I’m grateful they seem to enjoy it, too 🙂 That’s great to hear you also sketch and draw! I absolutely love doing it while I travel now – between helping me really absorb a place and opening up connections with people, I can’t recommend it enough.
your blog is great! my roommate here in Cambodia and I are heading off on a last send off SE Asia trip and your blog is great inspiration:)
Thanks so much, Danielle! That’s so fun to hear you and your friend are off on a final trip around the region…I certainly loved my own time there, and hope all kinds of adventures await you both 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I look forward to reading about your travel adventures with great interest . Love the colors in your sketches . Hope you don’t mind if I sometimes borrow one for a desktop background.
Hello John! Thanks so much for following along and for your kind words about my sketches – I really appreciate it. And I definitely don’t mind you “borrowing” one for your desktop 🙂 I’m not sure if you’ve seen them, but I recently started posting a sketch of the month that’s big enough to use for your desktop background, so be sure to check those out!
I adore his sketch and the time you spent with him. How old was he?
ps I still can’t get notifications when you’ve replied to a commment 🙁
Thanks so much, lovely! I would venture to say he’s around 10 or 11 years old? Aside from two college students I met in Saigon and then sketched with, Nam was my absolute favorite encounter on the entire trip. He had such a beautiful smile and was a truly special little guy.
PS – And I’m so sorry about the lack of notifications! I have officially added that to my blog’s technical to-do list.