It was my first international trip, a year and a month ago, to be precise. I was excited and nervous. Everybody has their own worry during travel to a foreign land. But all I worried about was having stomach problem. I just prayed not to have a stomach trouble during the trip. :P I was surprised at my confidence on traveling alone, living in a hotel alone, being in a foreign land where people do not speak a language you can understand. And the trip was wonderfully rewarding ... I managed to grab my notebook and sketch these two sketches during the week-long trip that kind of passed in fast-forward manner.
A sketch at the airport
The above one was at Hyderabad airport. Sitting right next to the terminal gate, waiting for the announcement to board the flight. Hmm... I am on time. Check. I have all my stuff with me. Check. I got the calling card. Check. Now what to do? Open the sketchbook! As I sketched this semi-bald man sitting in front of me, I was totally scared... What if he gets up and puts a punch on my face? And I was also conscious of people sitting behind me watching me ... ehh.. I don't like that guilty feeling. Anyway, I managed to pass my time. Later on, a passenger while I was traveling on train, saw this and made a comment, "It lacks depth. Everything seems to be on one plane." Totally agree. and working on it!
The night at the hotel
This one is very close to my heart. I returned back from the conference venue soon enough. It was my presentation day. Things were fine. But as soon as I came out onto the street, everything was silent, not many people on the road, train was empty, it was getting dark quickly, the atmosphere was foggy, as if some one put a dark curtain ( I have experienced fog before ... but this was different) ... Everything was gloomy and depressing. I had to prepare for the next day. But I could not. It was an awful feeling, I wish no one ever experiences. I could not go out at night too, since it was getting late and cold, plus Japan being a morning country, people went to bed early. So I sat down and sketched my room. And thankfully, I felt relaxed and could afford a good night's sleep after sketching it.
While I was booking hotel room, I read from many internet sources that Japanese rooms are really small. But I did not expect them to be this small! It was hi-tech, but small. Even smaller than my IIIT-hostel room. The room was pretty much what is in the scene. Behind the wall, there was this tiny bathroom, with a tiny hi-tech basin, a tiny tub and a tiny hi-tech toilet. To the left, there was a small TV and a narrow desk attached to the wall. The room ended with the bed. :) My small cozy home for the week :)
Anyway, the next morning, fog lifted, like someone lifted up a curtain from stage. And the rest of the days (and nights) were just fine :)
