pura vida!!

after the incredible week i spent in nicaragua, it was time to move on again back to costa rica but this time we stopped for more than just a few hours. costa rica has everything, tropical rainforests, live volcanoes and stunning beaches. this part of the trip was alot more relaxing and so i got more time to sit and think and finally got to do some proper drawing and sketches, and doing it whilst sitting on a beautiful caribbean beach made it even more enjoyable.

in a setting like this it was hard not to enjoy drawing!

i have been playing with the layout of my design and working out where is best to put things to allow seamless movement around my site. this is proving to be challenging as there is so much to think about and consider, so i am having to do lots of quick sketches to try and visualise my ideas. to save space and save me having to repeat facilities for both sides of the track i want to try and find a way for guests to be able to move between the two seating areas. i was thinking of maybe have some form of bridge that could join the two but im not sure how would be best to get people up to the right height to cross so thats something i need to think about. 

in between sketching and thinking through my idea i have managed to fit in doing some other pretty cool stuff including swinging through the rainforest on zip wires, relaxing in volcanic natural springs, seeing a  live erupting volcano, experiencing the rastafarian lifestyle on the caribbean coast, and rafting a grade 5 river through the rainforest. have experienced some unbelievable things and was such an amazing way to see the natural beauty of the country and to absorb the culture of the country. 

costa ricans or 'ticos' as they call themselves, are very friendly and welcoming people and so it was a pleasure to be there. they have a saying which they use on a regular basis which is 'pura vida' which basically means pure life or good life and having spent a week experiencing there lifestyle i would agree and say they do have a pretty good way of life!! 

chilling with the locals in Nicaragua!

in the market.

The local highstreet!

Looking over the town.

i have spent the last week in Nicaragua, in small village about 45 minutes from the capital. nicaragua is the poorest country in central america and it was definitely very different to panama and costa rica. the small community was in a remote location, down a dirt track and so many people had barely left the surrounding area. cut off from the world with limited electricity and very basic running water, i wasnt sure how much i would enjoy the week but surprising i learnt to loved and really enjoyed living such a simple existence. i even learnt to love eating rice and beans! but being served them 3 times a day i didnt really have much choice. 

The amazing kids!

The only way around town was by motor taxi! a very interesting experience!

this has been the most amazing week but incredibly tiring. we have spent the time working with the local community and doing outreach. i loved teaching the kids and getting to do crafts and games with them and just being able to show them a good time. this week has been a bit busy to really sit down and think and draw about my project so im hoping that now we are heading back to costa rica, i will find more time to make some progress....well thats the plan!! 

start of a long journey!

i have left panama city and driven to the north of the country where we will stay for one night before getting on a stupid amount of buses until we reach Nicaragua. we will be setting off for san jose in costa early in the morning and it will be 3 buses to even get there where we will the get on yet another bus to cross the border into nicaragua! so all in all it will be about 2 days spent on hot local buses! fun! but hopefully this will give me a good opportunity to start to think about my project and begin drawing out some of my ideas into my sketchbook to start to develop them. i am really struggling with the amount of facilities i have to include and how i am going to find the space to include everything. i also need to think about the logistics of the show and how people and models will move in and around the space so all this definitely gives me something to fill the journey time.

exploring the city

struggling already to find time to keep up with the blog but here are a few pictures of the things i have been up to and seen whilst in panama so far. really loving the city and the charm it has although feeling a little lost and overwhelmed by the never ending tower blocks, but it is a truely amazing skyline and the most beautiful setting for a city. LOVE IT!!!!

Exploring beautiful streets in the old part of the city

skyline of the city in the background, showing the incredible location of the city!!

a blog with a difference!

as you cans see from some of my posts already i am no longer in london or even england. i am currently in central america and more specifically Panama. this is the start of a 3 week trip in which i will travel from panama to nicaragua and back again stopping in costa rica. this means i will be away from my drawing board and so i am having to try and progress with my work the best i can and hopefully the things i see and do will influence my work in a positive way. obviously it is going to be very difficult to be keeping up with a blog talking about my work so i am going to make it more of a travel journal documenting my journey and how my design is developing and changing throughout my time away.

house on the pacific coast.

whilst driving along the pacific coastline of panama we stopped to take a break on one of the secluded beaches and up a slight cliff was this amazing house which i loved. i thought it was very well put together and the location was stunning. it wasnt the typical style of house i had been seeing in panama but i was amazing and really worked in the surroundings. doesnt directly relate to my project but i just loved it.

Panama Canal

I am currently in panama, just outside panama city where the famous panama canal is situated. I visited this today and was overwhelmed by the scale of it and the engineering it must have taken to make such a thing work. It was an amazing thing to see and to watch as huge cargo ships were effortless lifted up three levels.

Whilst there I noticed these screens which were used as decoration/cladding on the walls inside the main museum building. I like the way they are randomly placed and yet look organized but also the way a simple but effective image have been etched onto the metallic surface. The overall effect was very impressive and it is definitely a technique I could think about adapting for my work.