One of my favorite towns- Hoi An!

After a 20 hour bus ride, I’ve arrived in the most darling little town of only 88,000 people, Hoi An located in central Vietnam.

Here's a snapshot from around the city center here in Hoi An.


Though I could have flown into a nearby city, I always prefer a train or bus to get a glimpse of countryside. You can laugh, it’s okay! To be able to drive through small towns and villages untouched by tourism is life most only read about in books or watch on the big screen. This little town makes me want to pinch myself wondering if I’m walking through a movie set.

Cars are not allowed down the narrow streets of the town, so most rent a bike or just walk, which makes the city even more enjoyable because it lacks the noisy constantly honking cars and motorbikes!


This tiny town is full of some really great tailors and they’ll make anything and everything for you. There are many charming people here, but there are two in particular I really adore. Lan is a kind women in her mid 30’s who owns a clothing shop, and has a 9 month old baby boy. She's a very busy woman! Quynh works with Lan and at 24 she’s already "retired" from teaching (English)in Vietnam. She told me "she was ready for something new!" Being the same age we had a good laugh about how we were both retired English teachers though it was a great job! She loves working with Lan and I enjoyed working with both of them! I was able to design some really cute and comfortable linen pants with them which I’m very excited about! I’m especially proud I was able to work with such a great team and able to support a local family in one of the sweetest towns. I’m looking very forward to bringing these great pants to the store! Here's a peak below!


With that, I’m headed off to say goodbye to my new friends and book my bus to the capital city, Hanoi! Until then, here are a few more pictures...




Just classic shot of the scene here- bike, straw hats, and yellow painted buildings...


The local market- videos to come!

Here is an example of some of the carvings they do here!
One of men behind it all!

Ho Chi Minh City-Saigon-The City of Uncle Ho

Goodbye Indonesia and Malaysia… GOODMORNING VIETNAM!

Finally, I’ve landed in one of my favorite countries in Southeast Asia- beautiful Vietnam. I flew into the craziest busiest most bustling city in the south, Ho Chi Minh City. This city is busting at the seams with art, history, and motorbikes!

Be very careful when crossing streets!

Contrary to most may think, it is highly unlikely that you will experience any resentment as an American coming here because of the Vietnam War (or American War as it is referred to by Vietnam and most of the world). Rather, most won’t think twice about it and quite grateful you've come to visit. They are also very welcoming to American tourists as we are few and far between in Nam. When you do visit, Vietnam make sure to get as much culture as possible. Learn about their unique art by stopping into a art factory to see people making lacquerware and paintings,
take a walking tour and enjoy the beautiful French infused architecture,

take a cyclo ride in any city to see life from every angle and alleyway,

and stop by the War Remnants Museum for a truly eye-opening history lesson.

Tanks and planes from the war.


As soon as you land here there’s one thing that will grab your eye and that’s the beautiful lacquer ware everywhere! And that’s exactly why I’m here! The Vietnamese have perfected this art in the form of wall paintings and various pieces of home décor. You simply cannot leave Vietnam without it- I surely won’t and I look forward to sharing it with you! The process is remarkable and it doesn’t happen overnight. Here’s a brief on this unique material:

"Lacquer ware (nghề sơn mài) is a mean of decorating objects introduced by China during the first century CE. Lacquer is actually the resin of a tree which is mixed with colored pigments and solvents and applied in many layers to the object's surface, producing a shiny and durable finish. Eggshell and gold leaf, may be applied to the surface before the lacquer is applied, in which case the finished product is sanded down to reveal the decoration beneath. The high quality of resin from Vietnamese lacquer trees, notably those of Phú Thọ in the north, was a crucial factor in the rapid development of this art form, which became very popular at the court of Đại Việt during the feudal period. Decorated lacquer statues, panels, boxes and trays, some dating back to the Lê era (1428-1527), may still be seen at many temples and pagodas throughout the country."

I was able to pick up some great lacquer wine holders. I love them, I know many people who love them and they have always made great gifts as well! They come in various colors, styles and mixed mediums. A few of each will be in store! (pics to come)

Also, an absolute addiction are these handmade silk wallets.

Made from the most beautiful silk with hand stitched embroidery each wallet is truly unique as being hand made no two are exactly the same. I get a new one nearly every year and of course so do my friends! The hardest part is deciding which color! Needless to say, I’m stocking up for the store!



I’ll stay here for a bit maybe take a cyclo ride around the city, enjoy more art and fantastic handmade accessories, as well as baguettes and Pho (see the pic below)!


Pho- a must have in Vietnam. Until you can fly over here I highly recommend picking up a bowl of this eastern style chicken noodle soup at your local Vietnamese Restaurant! (I also recommend adding chili sauce in the form of a smiley for a little kick!)

Hidden Talents of Ubud, Bali!

Ubud was a fantastic time! I met a handful of very talented Balinese people whose art and craft I absolutely love and I think you will too! To support these artists and designers is so exciting for a couple of reasons. First, you can count on their work not being mass produced. Thus, any piece you own will be unique and hard (if not impossible) to find an exact replica. Second, the hard work and care put into the quality and design of their work is unmatched. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the financial investment made when purchasing their products goes directly to them and their families to support their great work and encourage them to continue to pursue each of their talents. Look good, feel good- that’s what it’s all about! With that said, here’s a little introduction to my new friends in Ubud whose works of art I hope continually have in store- for you!



Meet Pulu! She’s only 26 years old and has been running the show at her silk batik boutique now for 4 years! She started her business during college to help pay for school- can you imagine her work load! Every single stitch sewn in her boutique was sewn buy Pulu! Using silk batik as her medium she creates elegant dresses and playful skirts and tops. She also has many beautiful silk batik scarves which I had the opportunity to play dress up in, hand-picking the greatest colors to bring to the Elefante Imports online store. They are the perfect accessory that works around the neck, works as a belt, or works in you hair! I’m cannot wait to wear mine!
Below is another picture of Pulu and her boyfriend who helps her run the store when she is busy cutting and sewing. His name is Goes’d. They are two incredibly sweet people with incredibly beautiful creations!


Here’s a peak at some of her sophisticated yet fun Balinese silk batik scarves! Later I’ll post all the great ways to wear them!

Here's a little edu on the exotic: Batik is a textile dying process in which they use wax resistant dye to create the designs. By first putting the wax onto the textile to form various designs, then by adding the dye which takes to the exposed material(unwaxed). The end product- rich colors and remarkable designs!

Next on the list of talents is Arka. Arka and his daughter make some of best masks I’ve ever seen in Bali! I stumbled upon them by accident(they are not in the most prime spot for selling their great art), but I'm so glad I found them! I couldn’t leave without picking up some of their pieces of art. For two reasons, though my hands were very full I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to find him again (as it seems most people were not). Also, to watch him paint and to see the detail put into each mask was really amazing. I really hope to come back next time and pick up even more of their art to bring back for everyone to see and have a chance to add a bit of exotic to their home!



He’s works so hard and moves so fast(apologies for the blur)! There is a peak of Arka and one of his very cool primitive masks. I had never seen anything quite like this (and apparently neither had the Germans staying in the next bungalow who nearly tried to buy them off me)! The style was different than most and really grabbed your eye which is what I’m always looking for! Here’s another peak!


And last, but certainly not least was the sweet Ieu. She make the most beautiful cushion covers. Trust me, I’ve seen quite a few nice cushion covers, but these ones I couldn’t leave Bali without! Even other Balinese people oowed and ahhhed over these gems! They are hand made patchwork pillow cases made from recycle pieces of the prettiest fabric used in South East Asia! Made with love, good for the earth, and great for your home! What’s not to love about that! I’m really excited about having these accent cushion covers available online at elefanteimports.com of course!


and now... back to the surf side where I'll sell seashells by the seashore... "Cheers mate!"

The Heart of Bali, Ubud!

Ahhh Ubud! The countryside! The heart of Bali! The best smelly city I've ever been to! (They constantly burn incense to show sacrifice and loyalty to their many Hindu gods.) Here is an interesting fact- Indonesia is comprised of 90% Muslims and 10% Hindu. Whereas, Bali, on small Indo island is 90% Hindu and 10% Muslim. Thus, nearly all the Hindus in Bali live here which makes is smell great! Java on the other hand didn't smell of incense, but many people do smoke cloves there, which also gave that island a very distinct smell! Moving on, I was able to take a few snapshots of this beautiful city and wanted to share some of the beautiful dance which you can hear and see all throughout Ubud! If you ever make it to Bali, don't forget to stop by Ubud!

The way to my homestay!

A favorite side road with the most character- from the sky to the street!

The sweetest Balinese girls taking time out to pose during after-school dance class!

More to come with more music and dance!

Bali = Heaven!?!?

I love Bali. The people, the culture, the beaches, the jungles, the volcanoes, the music, the art, the dance, the food, the everything, I love it. The people are so incredibly friendly and full of smiles! I've only been here about a day and have much resisted the urge to go surfing! Instead I spent yesterday on the prowl for the greatest designers of jewelry and decor. It's been really really great!

The highlight so far- finding IKAT!!! Upon searching high and low for this very unique textile, finally, I found the ikat king!!! This textile is so beautiful. I have some at home, which become a bag or skirt (I previously wore it here as a traditional sarong for a ceremony). Ikat is a great exotic textile created by hand (and loom).
Here's a little blurb on how it's made from our friends at Wikipedia "Ikats created by dyeing the warp are the easiest to make. Before the warp strings are attached to the loom they are arranged into bundles. Each bundle is tied and dyed separately, so that a pattern will emerge when the loom is set up. This takes a good deal of skill. The tightly bound bundles are sometimes covered with wax or some other material that will keep the dyes from penetrating. The process is repeated several times for additional colors.

Some patterns have many strands in the cloth that are all dyed the same way which creates a blocky design. In some weaving traditions each strand of the cloth may be dyed differently from the ones next to it. To make these elaborate patterns the weaver will still bundle and dye several threads together, but when the loom is prepared, a single thread will be used from each bundle for each section of the pattern. Elaborate ikat patterns like this are often handed down from generation to generation in the same family.

After the threads are dyed the loom is set up. The pattern is visible to the weaver when the dyed threads are used as warp. Threads can be adjusted so that they line up correctly with each other.

Dying the weft makes it much more difficult to make ikats with precise patterns. The weft is one continuous strand that is woven back and forth, so any errors in how the string is tied and dyed are cumulative. Because of this, weft ikats are usually used when the precision of the pattern is not the main concern. Some patterns become transformed by the weaving process into irregular and erratic designs.

Double ikats are the most difficult to produce. In the finest examples from India and Indonesia, the warp and the weft are precisely tied and dyed so that the patterns interlock and reinforce each other when the fabric is woven."

Here are a few pictures of the great ikat I found(just a peek!) and some other snapshots of bali!

Ikat (just an example) Ikat in store will be more vibrant!

Portrait of Kuta, where Bali is alive 24/7. The art, the music, the dance, the Balinese, the surfers and backpackers, the craziness. This is a perfect snapshot of Bali.

Great surf & and great surfing culture in the south!! Many Aussies actually relocated here to go surfing! It's hard to find a room if you don't book in advance because "so many Aussies live here to surf". Travel Advice: Book a room in advance or you'll be sleeping on the beach!

Though parts are extremely developed here.. They are still old school with bottles of Petrol on the side of the road. Absolut Petrol. I found that entertaining!

and now.. off to Ubud, the city richest in Balinese culture! more to come- stay tuned!

The incredible Borobudur

Borobudur Temple!


I went to the famous Borobudur Buddhist Temple which was built back in the 9th century- simply ancient. Borobudur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which means it's something sort of wonderful and it certainly was! It was quite amazing. The monument was conceived as a Buddhist vision of the cosmos in stone, starting in the everyday world and spiralling up to nirvana, the Buddhist heaven. While I could go on, my words would never do this temple justice. So... here are some snapshots from the day!


Though this buddha is uncovered, surrounding it are many lattice stupas which actually hold buddhas similar to the one shown above.


Every wall of the temple features stories sketched into the stone. Here are monkeys under a mango tree.



There are 4 entrances into the temple each of very ornate design.
P.s. Sneak peak! That dress is one of the amazingly comfortable and very pretty dresses dresses which will be in store this fall!!! (I had to keep one for myself!)

Borobudur was fabulous and definitely worth a visit if you are headed to South East Asia!

X marks the spot of the hidden treasure!!!

Becak!

Jogjakarta is the city of soul on this island! With less people than Jakarta, it has a more smiles and more culture! Last night I was able to check out a very famous dance which had the most tranquilizing music. If it were not for the cool costumes and majestic dancing, I could have fallen asleep just listening to the soundtrack! Here are a few pictures ...

Today, however, was not about performance, but about art and design. I just got back from quite the treasure hunt and I found the most amazing jewels! After wondering off the beaten path through a few villages, we came to a village where I found a very kind local man, Shondiq, who I cannot wait to buy more jewelry from in the future!

The silver jewelry here is like no other! The quality, the luster, the design is all perfect! I was even able to catch some of the local artisans in action! Everyone in this little village were the sweetest people! It felt so amazing to travel to this little village, meet local people, see the jewelry being made and know that every piece bought there was money directly to the local economy. The most beautiful silver is what they’re known for, what they know best, and what they absolutely thrive in. I was so incredibly happy to support it! It’s jewelry that you’ll feel good about buying, which makes it look even better on!
Here are a few pics of the villages.

From a bridge over a river that runs through the town.

And the incredibly colorful street art which you’ll find painted all over the walls here! I love it! It’s the one subculture that is universal- no matter where you are in the world!

We all stopped for some street food when it started to pour! Here we are enjoying some chicken sate (prounounced “satay”) waiting to the rain to go away! If you haven’t had chicken sate, try it! It’s delish!!

Cup of Java!

Jakarta- from the back seat of my cab!

There is not only a lot of coffee here, but a lot of mosquitoes as well. They've had a Thanksgiving feast on my legs the last two nights. Travel advice in SE Asia- only book a bed where they have mosquito nets!

This isn't my first time to Indonesia. It is, however, my first time to this island- Java. Which so far is very different from my experience in Bali, Indonesia. Jakarta, the capital city, is crazy busy. Cab rides feel like a video game. Imagine riding passenger in car in Mario Kart, it's nuts! Motorcycles flood the streets and are the bravest souls I've ever seen on two wheels as they constantly weaving in and around traffic. There are also a million "taxsis" (taxis), quite a few buses, and pedestrians in motion. Yup pedestrians. There are few designated crosswalks, so the last few days I've been perfecting my Indonesian jaywalking, it's scary! There are also a plethora of Banjaj (pronounced 'Banjai') which I find fascinating in a rustic sort way.






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Jakarta has been a cool place to stop in and see a few things and I did meet some really nice people, but I what I'm really looking forward to is the much talked about city 'Yogyakarta' which I'm headed to tonight in a mini van "with air con". Total travel time: 12 hours.

(Here are some friends I met along the way: Rivero from Jakarta, and Marie from Toronto!)

Yogya(Yogyakarta's nickname) is known for beautiful silver in all forms- jewelry, wall art, etc! I'm really excited to learn and watch these great artisans at work!

After I will go on a little adventure to Borobudur which described in my guide book at "Like Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Myanmar, Java's Boroburur makes the rest of Southeast Asia's spectacular sites seem almost incidental. Looming out of a patchwork of bottle-green paddies and swaying palm tops, this colossal Buddhist relic is one of SE Asia's marvels, surviving Gunung Merapi's ash flows, terrorist bombs, and the wear and tear of million pairs of tourist flip-flops to remain as enigmatic and beautiful as it must have been 1200 years ago." !!!! I'm going to be sooo camera happy!

That's all to report for now! Off the the land (or city!) of SILVER and breath-taking views!!!

It started off with too much fruit.

Today is my last day in Thailand and it went as any 'last day' would go. It was a little bonkers/a littler over the top. After breakfast I managed to eat a plate of fruit the size of my head- in one sitting. Anyone that knows me, well they know I have a big head, literally, physically big. I doesn't look big until I put a hat on medium size hat on and realize I have a 'large' size head... Okay.. Anyways, I digress. Lots of fruit. It was amazing until I felt a little whoozy from eating tooo much fruit, which I didn't even think was possible! So my intake of fruit was a little over the top.

Moving on... I bought some really great dresses yesterday!!! They are quite possibly my favorite thing ever, I could (and basically do) live in them! So yesterday, I bought mmm these dresses in maybe 2 different styles in about 5 different colors (I use maybe and about because it's all a little blurry after todays events). After sleeping on decisions of how many more dresses to buy, styles and colors, I decided to visit my Thai friend Kuhn Lisa (Kuhn means Mr. or Mrs./Ms./Miss in Thai) and pick up "a few more". Well that few, turned into A LOT, I had such a field day hand picking every color and style dress Kuhn Lisa was nearly finished reading her entire Harper's Bazaar and my friend Kuhn Bundit who drove me there had fallen asleep. It was a lot of fun, and I'm so so so very excited about them! Get ready for some really great colors of cute & comfy dresses in flattering styles!

After that I made a trip to Khao San rd, which in Bangkok is the ever famous notorious backpacker strip. They've cleaned it up quite a bit! It's a great place to people watch. I love to check out the different styles of people from all over the world with one definite common interest- travel! It's also a great place to get fun sunglasses! My hunger took over while looking at what crazy color wayfarers I would buy, so I bought some Pad Thai (instead)! I always seem to get a little frazzled my last day in Thailand. Whether it's the fruit because there's a plethora of delicious fruit, or the dresses because they are so pretty and I LOVE THEM, or the spice because no place is as spicey as Thailand, I go overboard. It's as if this is LAST time EVER I'm going to be able to enjoy it. So what did I do, I put so much crushed red pepper (a staple spice for Pad Thai) you couldn't even see the Pad Thai. Sooo much red pepper, I had to drink two bottles of water and my lips were still tingling an hour later! Today was a little bonkers, but I enjoyed everything about it! I guess Thailand kind of rubs off on you like that! My Thai roomie used to always remind me "Why not, you're in Bangkok!?" and I guess that was my unintended mantra for today. "Why only buy 27 dresses (though it was a cute movie)? Why not buy a million, you're in Bangkok! and frankly I've never been able to find them anywhere else!"I wish I had pictures of the dresses, I will soon! However, today just moved to fast much like the traffic, which I do have pictures of... (update... I lack the proper equipment to upload photos apparently. I'll try again from another internet cafe!)


T-minus 12 hours till Indonesia! (Update, I'm currently in Indonesia. Jakarta (Java) to be exact and I'm editing this just before I take off to check out some really beautiful Indonesian jewelry, art, and crafts!

Hope all is well back home! I send my love from Java!

Elefante Imports in the far East- Day 2!?

It's already Day 2! I practically slept through Day 1. Jet Lag clearly won yesterday! I couldn't exactly tell you what time I went to bed because my eyes were only half open by 8p. I decided to quit fighting with my eyelids around 11p, as I was basically sleeping anyway, and did the bedtime drill(brush the pearlies, wash the face, etc) then went to bed. Not surprisingly, I woke up around 4a.m. and I was ready to roll. Then I realized, it's not just dark in my room, it's still dark outside and I have another 6 hours before the markets open, thinking '(sigh)back to bed I go'. I couldn't sleep not only because my biological clock is backwards, but I was too excited to wake up run all over the markets! After a few more hour's of zzzzzzzz's,I woke up to this handsome man and was ready to go!















Name: Bender
Breed: Golden
Loves: long walks on the beach(in Thailand!)


The day started off just had most Saturday, three years ago, when I lived in here in the fall! I was able to visit some of my favorite Thai jewelry shops, only this time was different, in a good way. I wasn't buying for myself, I was buying all the other girls out there that have a thirst for culture and fashion and can't seem to get enough!

It was great to go back and be able to buy more than a few pieces for my friends and I. The feeling of picking out handfuls of the coolest jewelry knowing exactly who's art I'm supporting as I'm watching, from across the room, the woman string beads on to a beautiful necklace was a great feeling! I was even more excited to see that the people I have been going to for three years now are still doing well in business and still have great jewels! Here's a sneak peak of just a few of the fun finds:

LOOK at these great colors!!! These necklaces are really neat. They are made out of coconut and died various vibrant colors! How could I possibly choose just a few!? Any grab your eye!?


Next up are a collection of hand painted wooden bangles. If my arms were long and skinny enough I'd probably try to wear them all! I'd start a new Hill Tribe called the long arms! (Not to be confused with the more authentic Long Necks Hill Tribe!) I'm a bit fan of mix-matching the "minis" bangles(see middle) with the "chunkies bangles"(left and right sides)! Which do you prefer!?

I'm obsessed with these bags. They are Hill Tribe inspired designs and hand made down to the very stitch! The design of each back is incredible. The stitching is flawless and fun on each one! These bags POP! It's hit whether you're dressing up or down! I'm on the prowl for these bags! Only what colors, what shape, what design?! It's so hard to choose! These pics certainly don't do the bags justice.

That's it for now... This time zone is starting to catch up to me! I have a ton more of great stuff, hand made, hand painted, and made with love from Thailand. I promise share more of it with you after I get some beauty sleep!

Goodnight Bangkok, Goodnight World, Goodnight California! <3