Travels

Growing up as an artsy teenager in the 90's, I became enchanted with Japan through the dark animated OVA's like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Ninja Scroll, among many others.

Some years later, after moving to new York City and graduating from Parsons School of Design, I collected my saved money and headed to Japan for two weeks to explore Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto, and Osaka. I had very dreamy, high expectations and the country exceeded all my hopes! A few years later I returned to Japan to live and work in Kobe for 3 years as an English teacher. I relished in all the history- basking in temples, medieval castles, art museums, and of course, as much Japanese food as I could cram in my face! Indeed, Japanese aesthetics and Ukiyo-e woodblock prints have had a massive impact on my art style.

*In this photo in Kyoto, Japan, I do some impromptu misogi (waterfall meditation) along the hike up to the Zen Buddhist temple at the top of Mount Kurama.

In Kyoto I visited a kendo dojo and they let me do ink brush gesture drawings of the fencers while they practiced. I remember the guttural roars the men and women made as they clashed wooden blades being really intense! A highlight for sure.

I popped into a little bohemian rock bar and ended up making friends with the whole local crew. A very warm welcome for this green Gaijin!

Diggin deep into some bangin' karaage fried chicken in Kobe when my brother, Robbie came to visit me.

My first major travel experiences began in my mid 20's. After graduating from Parsons School of Design in New York City, and after seven years living there, I was ready for a new chapter in life. After seeing a Mongolian film called "The Weeping Camel," I became fascinated with this mysterious country. I had money saved up so I planned to backpack there for a couple weeks before taking the Tran Siberian railway onto China, but I ended up staying in Mongolia for six weeks. We drove over vast distances (and countless hours!) in jeeps and vans, slept in tents and family Gers, rode horses and camels, bathed in rivers, and drank airag (fermented mare milk), milk teas (camel, goat, ox), and Russian vodka around campfires. One of the best six weeks of my life!

3 day horse trek to reach the northern "Tsaatan" tribe, nomadic tribes with domesticated reindeer.

They warmly welcomed me in, and even invited me to a wedding in the countryside. Needless to say I was the only foreigner there!

You think this Southern boy could make a good "Tsaatan?"

Nomadic families live in "Gers" and can pack up their homes and belongings in half a day and migrate to other regions based on seasons.

Lovely Mongolian gals eating reindeer and combing hair inside the Ger. Beyond typical meat, we ate different parts of reindeer, liver, heart, and even bone marrow! These people are very tough. You have to be to survive the harsh winters.

After riding camels I have my Lawrence of Arabia moment here in the Ghobi desert of Mongolia.

Growing up in Texas, I was exposed to Mexican culture and Spanish language, but it wasn't until I traveled in the country that I truly fell in love with the people and culture. I spent around two years in Mexico, living in cities like the coastal Playa Del Carmen, the quaint Merida, historic Guanajuato, and my favorites: colonial Oaxaca and the artsy, bohemian Condesa and Roma neighborhoods of Mexico City.

My favorite thing about living in Yucatan Peninsula, aside from the dreamy beaches, was the cenotes, (cave swimming holes) and the amazing Mayan ruins.

This is Ik-Kil cenote, an amazing swimming spot not too far from the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. A great place to cool off on a hot day after trekking around the Mayan ruins.

My dad and I standing before the central pyramid of the Mayan city of Chichen Itza.

Some of the charming architecture near the center of town in Merida.

My favorite Mayan ruins in Mexico are outside Merida at a site called Uxmal. The details of the carvings are really well preserved here. My dad is in the foreground, lost in an anthropology daydream.

Experiencing Día de los Muertos or the "day of the dead" in Mexico is an incredible experience. There is something so powerful about the way that the culture honors the memories of dead family and friends by putting out their photos in shrine like displays in both private and communal settings.

My mom visited me in Mexico city, and we took an art field trip to the world class art museum: Palacio de Bellas Artes. Just look at that stunning architecture!

The true reason one travels to Mexico. TACOS.

My mom and I at Frida Kahlo's house and art studio. Visiting the museums around Mexico City and seeing her paintings in person and learning about her fascinating life story was a true highlight!

Not far from Mexico city are the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan. Here's the view from the top of the temple of the sun!

In Centro, (city center), is the massive and intricate Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral built in the 1600-1700s. Mexico has such rich history- from the ancient to the medieval-it's all waiting for you.

One of the many jaw dropping painted wall murals by powerhouse artist Diego Rivera at the National Palace in Centro. He was married to Frida Kahlo, and his art can be viewed in many museums around Mexico City as well.

A colorful wedding procession through the center of the utterly charming Oaxaca city, a colonial town in southern Mexico, famous for its cheese, chocolate, mezcal, and Mole'.

The majestic view from the top of the pyramid ruin site of Monte Alban, an ancient capital of the Zapotec culture.

The lovely landscape of Hierve El Agua. The "waterfall" in the background is actually petrified calcium.

We had some reservations about visiting Bali because of the large amounts of tourists. The beaches are quite nice, but we are not big fans of touristy/resort style environments so we didn't last too long staying around the beaches. We headed inland to the town of Ubud for more cultural offerings.

Ubud is a really cool town. lots of temples and history to explore. Driving out to the water temples on weekends was a huge highlight. We did get "Bali belly" (food poisining) at one point. Sort of the Southeast Asia version of Montezuma's revenge? My favorite part of staying in Bali was getting out of town and exploring the countryside and smaller towns to see how the locals lived. The people were really kind.

The beaches are quite nice, but im not a big fan of touristy/resort style environments so we didn't last too long staying around the beach. We headed inland to the town of Ubud for more cultural offerings.

Here is a traditional Temple right in the heart of Ubud. The ornate carvings on thetemple details are incredible.

On weekends we would drive the motorbike out of Ubud to visit water temples and small towns and villages. AS you can see the terraced rice paddies are gorgeous.

At Bali’s sacred water temples like Tirta Empul, worshippers perform the Melukat purification ritual, bathing under a series of holy spring spouts to cleanse body, mind, and spirit of negative energy.

Posing with a lovely Indonesian family at the water temple. Super sweet people. And sharp dressers too!

At another historical site we were lucky to catch a holiday festival in action as the women, wearing traditional dresses, balanced baskets atop their heads.

My dad and I lived in Athens for two months, and what a pleasure it was! We are both really into history so we were in heaven with all the museums and ruins around the city. On top of that, the Greek people really amazed us with their patience, hospitality and warmth, which i didn't expect in such a crowded, urban environment. I'll go back to Greece anytime. Love this place!

This photo was taken of me at the top of Lycabettus hill after a healthy hike. You can see Athens city stretching off to the coast in the background.

A side street in the city center area. It's a lot of fun to explore this part of town with its labyrinthian alleys full of shops, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Here I am in ancient landscape heaven, soaking up the warmth of golden hour light, as the Athenian acropolis glows majestically in the background. What a view!

This was the local coffee shop near my AIRbnb where I would work in evenings as I began to formulate and outline what my Greek Gods and Heroes book would entail.

Here is a view of the ancient Agora, once the heart of Athenian life where citizens gathered for commerce, politics, and philosophical exchange. Figures like Socrates often engaged the public here. Rising in the background is the Acropolis, crowned by the Parthenon, the great Temple of Athena where major religious ceremonies were held

Pop is chomping at the bit to get into the National Archeological Museum. Some stunning sculptures in here. Don't miss this museum if you visit Athens!

On the way up to the Acropolis, you pass the famed Theatre of Dionysus, the birthplace of Greek drama. Standing in that ancient arena was a true highlight for me, knowing that legendary playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides once saw their tragedies and comedies performed here before the roaring Athenian crowds.

Here we are dwarfed before the massive columns of the temple of Olympian Zeus; a short walk from the city center. Construction started in the 6ht century BC and wasn't completed for another 600 years. Hard not to be impressed with the scale of this one!

Another highlight was visting the Temple of Apollo at Delphi historical site. Obviously it was amazing to walk amongst the temple ruins and to visit the on-site museum to see more preserved artifacts, but the lush mountain side, blossoming spring flowers, and epic view down the coast was like a dream on this sunny day. One of my favorite travel days of my life!

I lived in Shanghai, China for one year when I went to work for American Mcgee's Spicyhorse studio as a concept artist on the video game "Alice: Madness Returns." Some years later, I brought my dad back and we stayed in Beijing for two weeks, and about six weeks in westernYunnan,(cities of Kunming and Dali), which were really charming with traditional temples and amazing food! I still plan to go back to China and visit the city of Chengdu and see the clay warriors in Xi-an.

The Great wall. We were there in the fall, so it was a bit chilly, but it was an amazing day of travel. I was proud that we got there with public bus transportation as opposed to hiring a driver. On the wall we met people from all over the world; from Israel, India, Colorado, and more. A sublime day of walking and admiring the nature and the epic scale of the wall. A highlight for sure!

The White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan) in Beijing is one of the oldest and largest Taoist temples in China, founded in 739 AD during the Tang Dynasty. We were lucky to see a ceremony led by Taoist monks. Taoism is such a fascinating philosophy and religion, and when combined with Indian Buddhism, it becomes Zen in Japan.

The Lama Temple is the city's most famous Tibetan Buddhist temple, and is a must-see if you visit Beijing. Originally built in 1694 as a royal residence for Emperor Yongzheng, it became a lamasery for Tibetan Buddhist monks in 1744 and is one of the most important and well-preserved Tibetan monasteries outside of Tibet.

A common side street in Dali. This town oozes charm and traditional Chinese character in its architecture and streets. Dali is a very popular place for domestic Chinese tourists for its laid back pace, crafts, and restaurants.

Making fast friends on a friday night. My father and I were one of the few foreigners in the entire city, so lots of people were curious about us and wanted to know where we were from and why we came to Dali. The friendly vibes were immaculate every time.

This is the kung fu monastery "Wu Wei Si Temple" in Dali. After a good hike to the top we met monks training visitors living at the temple to experience the lifestyle of traditional Chinese martial arts.

A lush little garden patio at the back of a tea house on the street where we stayed.

Yu’er Park is a small garden in Dali Old Town, Yunnan Province, featuring a tranquil pond and architecture inspired by the local Bai ethnic tradition.

We met a lovely grandmother and her grandson on the bus out to visit a temple. We couldnt communicate with language, but we didnt need it. Smiles all around. It doesn't get much more charming than this pair!

With its close proximity to Thailand, Laos has always provided a convenient country to visit for a visa run from Thailand. But Laos is absolutely worth visiting on its own, especially if you like nature. The waterfalls outside of the town of Luang Prabang are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen, and the hiking and caves in Vang Vieng are remarkable.

In Vang Vieng I must have explored around 7-8 caves on my own with a headlamp (no guide), and it was such a sublime and profound experience. This inspired my sci-fi fiction project Lost Echoes, currently in early development.

A cool photo opportunity at the top of one of the many mountain hike peaks in Vang vieng.

this is one of a handful of "blue lagoons" in Vang vieng. A perfect place to cool off after hiking and cave exploring.

Out for a cruise on the Nam Song river in Vang Vieng

One of my first trips to Laos, I took the slow boat up the Mekong River for two days, and then, once in town, me and a couple other travelers rented bicycles to get out to the waterfalls.

This is "Kuang si falls." My version of paradise.

The kids in the countryside are so cute. Sometimes when i was biking along the road they would hold out their hands and I would give them drive by high fives.

Views like this make Vang Vieng an easy recommendation for nature lovers.

Saffron Coffee shop deck overlooking the Mekong River; one of my favorite spots to start the day in Luang Prabang.