Because I'm still here
Autobiography
Book 1: A loving academic childhood in the UK
Book 2: A 28yr fairytale of true love, motherhood, science and music in the UK, US & Portugal.
Book 3: A widow following a path of music & smiles led by Jesus, earth angels & rock n roll
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🇵🇹Óbidos
    • Killing time after soundcheck at The New Cross Inn
      Blustery BedfordThe Glitch at The PhoenixA wonderful barrel aged stoutBluebell contemplationGallons of curry!A rocking Dow weddingNanaTasha in Grandbaby heavenBack in Portugal

      UK, the last stop

      11–30 apr., Engeland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      The UK, what a glorious time of year to visit the green green land of home bursting with spring flowers...is it my home? Not since 2001!
      First was some family time in Sussex, Bedfordshire and Nottinghamshire and then a 4 date mini-tour for the Chakra Shakers. It was a struggle to find 4 venues willing to host original music but the effort was worth it. We met some smashing, welcoming musicians at 45 Live, The Phoenix, New Cross Inn and with 'Punks 4 the homeless' in Boston. It was wonderful to finally made good connections in the underground UK music scene. Sadly, 45 Live is closing its doors this month but not for financial reasons. Hopefully, another passionate person will takeover from Mark and keep up the good work.
      I spent a frantic week cooking gallons of curry, making dozens of patties and learning half a dozen 80's rock bass lines for Paul's eldest sons wedding. I was a mess in floods of tears but what a beautiful celebration of love and family. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
      So, the world tour is complete, as are my family visits. I return to Portugal after 5 months, 50+ gigs, 7 countries, 3 continents with the same backpack but a lifetime's worth of memories, and a bursting heart from hundreds of hugs and a million smiles. Inspiration for more songs and even more wonder at the majesty of God's creation.
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    • A personal dock on Marathon Key
      Mr Machamer himselfKey West, pastel paint, turquoise seas and white sandThe most southern point in the USA. We didn't queue to take a photo!Crystal clear warm water

      Florida Keys, last stop before Europe

      8 april, Verenigde Staten ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

      Coming to the USA had been a last minute decision but it was only right to see that as an omen and to visit Joe's Dad. We flew into Miami and then took the long, long, relentless, single road down through the Keys. It feels a little claustrophobic, one way in and one way out. It must be terrifying fleeing a tropical storm. It's disturbing to see that the US1 is basically at sea level. Doesn't that make it likely to flood?
      It's a geographic delight to see the Atlantic Ocean on one side of the road and the Gulf of Mexico on the other (I refuse to call it the Gulf of America)!
      The Keys are quaint and pastel and calming. The town of Key West is a 24 hour Jimmy Buffet music video. We enjoyed some cuban food and gulped down George Mac's lime margaritas. Time to complete the global circumnavigation and head back to Europe. Three final gigs await us in the UK with our final drummer and then it's back to Portugal to write some new songs and book the next tour!
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    • California- back in the West

      19 maart, Verenigde Staten ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      We left Tokyo at 4pm on Wednesday and arrived in San José at 9am on Wednesday, so effectively before we left! We have gained some hours of life. Zipair was incredible for a budget airline, don't hesitate to use them. On this occasion what seemed too good to be true was actually true, Tokyo to California for less than $250.
      We had got used to comprehensive and efficient rail travel in Japan and assumed that it would be easy to jump on an Amtrak to San Louis Obispo; the shock of the comparison of public toilets was more disappointing. We ordered an Uber which we managed to negotiate without cell phone service but when the driver dropped us at the Amtrak station it was clearly just a local train line. We scrambled, more in hope than expectation, to find the Amtrak station in time for the only train of the day. The 1st saviour was the Uber driver who circled around until he found us because he had discovered the actual Amtrak station. He very sweetly drove us there..... but there was no ticket office nor ticket machine on the platform. More confusion and more willing strangers trying to help, this time in a language that we could understand, well one of us could! A train miraculously arrived and we boarded without a ticket. We brazenly asked the conductors about the destination, in the UK I'm sure that we would have been charged a fine for travelling without a ticket but these guys couldn't have been sweeter. They told us to get off at San José main station and transfer for a bus... and to pay for our 2 station rail fare at the same time. The ticket agent at the station again surprised me with his friendliness and great service, he was the 1st of many to ask our ages in case we qualified for a seniors discount, (over 65, eek!).
      The view from the bus was delightful, rolling green hills, the occasional glimpse of the ocean and wild flowers. Truly magnificent Steinbeck vistas. Over and over, during our stay, I reflected on the similarity of central coast California to silver coast Portugal. A laidback lifestyle, stunning cliffs and beaches, warm days and cold nights, over-salted food, IPA craft beer (only), down to earth, large people in casual clothes. The biggest difference is the cost of living. The cost of every single item shocked me. At least 4 times what I expected, sometimes 10. It's very rare to find anything on a supermarket shelf for less than $4... that includes a loaf of bread, a pint of milk, a pack of cookies, an icecream, a bag of carrots. As for cafes, bars and restaurants, well they seem to have added a 1 in front of their prices for fun. A milkshake is $12, a beer $10, a slice of pizza $10, a salad $18, a bowl of soup $13. The only affordable option are tacos but only in Mexican districts on Tuesdays. Of course we sampled many tacos. I admit to being disappointed not to be smacked around the mouth with the flavour such as with Thai food. A far better option than a burger or fries but unless the salsa topping is generously spiced I found them rather bland.... and annoyingly messy to eat. I did discover that the best way to eat them is to take the extra tortilla from underneath, push half of the topping on, smother them both with salsa and use a knife and fork. I know, embarrassing Brit!
      Our time in the 5 cities was a mixture of family time and exploring the quaint towns, the beaches, the thrift stores and of course playing a gig. We were welcomed with warm hugs and such generosity from friends old and new; free coffee, cookies, pizza, beer, bread and even milkshakes. Maybe the common enemy of Mr Trump has united the everyday people. Driven them to share love and acceptance and hope. We rarely heard his name mentioned, what a relief!! Even on 'hands off' protest day there were smiles and a joyful spirit around as well as handmade signs in the hands of all the generations. We found out about the protests from a cool librarian when we were using the Arroyo Grande library WiFi. She connected with us because we were wearing badges on our jackets. Her alternative daughter came to our show and bonded with our ethos. It led me to reflect on the multitude of random, joyful and meaningful connections that we have made through these last 4 months, possibly over 100. It just strives to remind me that people are just trying to find purpose and share goodness and love in every culture and every country. What a privilege to be able to use music as our magnet to attract like-minded souls.
      We took a 5 hour bus ride down to San Francisco for just $16. I was delighted with the price but it appears that the offer is simply to ensure that any homeless people leave the area and head to the city. Devious. However, I had been expecting San Francisco to show obvious distress from the fentanyl crisis and the homeless problem. Not so, at least not where we explored, it was a delightfully clean, picturesque, quirky city. We stayed in a perfect 'home exchange' in El Cerrito del Norte, just a 5 minute walk from the BART station. A calm oasis with a gorgeous patio. We enjoyed the freedom of the BART transport system and the perfect walking weather.... although 6 hours of continuous walking was perhaps over ambitious at our 'senior discount' age! Joe was a charming and informative walking guide. We walked from Montgomery up through Haight Ashbury where the 'summer of love' hippies had their heyday. Stunning, multicoloured victorian mansions with blooming gardens on the steep streets giving way to shops full of tie dye, incense burners, vinyls, Hendrix memorabilia and all things hippie. I felt like I was strolling through so many iconic movie sets. We then crossed through the glorious Golden Gate Park into the pre- hippie underground theatre zone and on to Presidio Park. At this point, I was ready for a rest but we didn't pass any cafés. However, the pavement pounding was more than rewarded with a dreamlike panorama of the beach, the Bay and the golden gate bridge. We staggered to the golden gate cafe which was closed but the gift shop had water as sweet as the finest wine and a welcome packet of dried mango.... chewy, expensive but like mana in the desert. Another welcome vision was a bus stop providing us with a ride around the shore to Columbus. We then walked into the literary centre (or center!) of North Beach, the Beatnik area where the authors and poets hung out and the magnetic pull of bookstores. The final stretch was skirting around China town... phew that was a full on walking tour of a delightful city.
      The walk from the Ashby BART to Barkley Beach for our gig the next day was almost equally epic. All was going well until we reached the complicated spiral of the intersecting freeways. We followed the footpath under a bridge that had become a sad hovel shelter for several folk... nobody was home just a lot of debris. After this path we were presented with a more treacherous scramble over a ramshakle shelter. Fortunately, nobody was sleeping and we avoided stepping in anything hazardous. A dash across the road and we found a lake to walk around but in order to cross the freeway we had to walk past our destination, cross the bridge and walk all the way back. It was worth it though to meet Lee and his gang of music makers and music lovers at his solar panel gig. 'Elegant Trash', 'Hardvaark' and 2 other accomplished bands put on great shows. We fumbled through a fun set with yet another stand-in drummer. Those of you in Portugal look out for 'Elegant Trash' at the end of May when they will be touring through.
      A catch up with family that I hadn't seen since 1988 completed our bay area visit.
      One thing to mention were the driverless cars throughout San Francisco. It was so spooky to see them maneuvering around with our without passengers. A terrible shame for Uber drivers and surely not safe. My phone frequently freezes for no reason, imagine that happening in the middle of an intersection!
      It was a joy to spend time in California. I can see why inhabitants never leave....as long as their salaries or savings allow them to stay.
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    • One of the many temples
      Shibuya Scramble - certainly scrambled my brain trying to navigateSo many people, so much shiny black hairThe weather shrineThere are shops selling the plastic plates of food for restaurants to displayAnother great girl pop band at Ruby RoomsA successful gig!A Brazilian singer at GamusoLast gig of tour. Joe with Hiro, Hozumi and BearRickshaws are still plentiful in AsaguyaScary knife shopBbbrrr, chilly at Senso-ji.Guitar street, shop after shop with floor after floor of guitarsFinally, something delicious!And the sweet chefFarewell Hajimi and Bear, maybe see you in OctoberA Chakra Shakers signpost for sure!

      Tokyo, glorious rockin' Tokyo

      12 maart, Japan ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

      Back to Tokyo where we were generously welcomed into Hajimi and Bear's home. Another shrine to rock'n'roll, only a single wall of vinyl this time. The train network in Tokyo linking all of the towns is simply fabulous. So easy and cheap to get around....as long as it's before midnight, oh and as long as you avoid Shibuya. Navigating the Shibuya Scramble is more challenging than deciphering station names in Kanji. It is especially haunting when the pelican crossing turns to green and all of the people cross the road like ants.
      Despite there being such a great train network, we spent our last day walking 15km from East to West Tokyo. It was such a pleasant way to spend the day, popping into the anime district, the guitar district, the used book district, rushing through Shibuya and ending up at legendary Fifi from 'Teengenerates' record bar, 'Poor Cow' to say farewell to Mule Team. I finally found a dish that I enjoyed eating, a soba noodle dish with lovely crunchy onion, raw garlic, raw egg yolk and spices.
      Our Tokyo gigs were nothing short of incredible, we certainly shook some Chakras in Tokyo. The clubs are typically small and full of energy. Hiro selected wonderful bands to play with us. The gigs that we booked ourselves were more hit and miss with the support bands but still amazing. We have made wonderful connections here in Japan. Many tears of joy were shed in the audience during our last gig. We even had the honour of being invited back to play at DaddyO's prestigious Halloween ball.
      I'm going to miss the delightfully polite, loving and gentle Japanese people. The incredibly clean streets. Interesting quirky shops and sites around every corner. Teeny tiny welcoming restaurants and bars with only Japanese menus. The clean, heated toilet seats. I'll even miss 7i food!
      California here we come.
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    • Shuzenji, Mishima and Imperial Palace

      11 maart, Japan ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

      After our rockin' weekend, we had a couple of nights catching up with Hozumi, Joe and Vivienne's friend from High School. Hozumi explained that at 15 years old she wanted to go to school in America after watching American TV shows. She wanted to go to a prom and to meet a particular actor, who's name escapes me. She bravely signed up to an exchange program and arrived at the High School with very limited English. The friendship that she formed with Joe was clearly pivotal for both of them. It's obvious that Joe's friendship saved Hozumi in the foreign land....but it's Hozumi who sparkedJoe's interest in Japanese music, which no doubt cemented his friendship with Hiro in Memphis which led to this incredible tour taking place. Tentacles of love spanning time and space.
      Hozumi generously treated us to a lavish night in a Ryokan, a traditional hotel encorporating an onsen or natural hot spring bath. The Ryokan was in the charming mountain town of Shuzenji, a spectacular train ride away from Mishima. We even caught a glimpse of Mt Fuji like a perfectly symmetrical, conical Christmas pudding. The Ryokan was everything that you imagine a Japanese home to be. Sliding doors with paper panelling, cushions surrounding a low table with a tea set and tatami mat flooring. We were each provided with a traditional yukata, a light cotton kimono, jacket and slippers to wear when in the hotel, including for the gourmet dinner.
      There is a strict etiquette to follow when using the natural hot spring baths. Fortunately, there was a detailed instruction sheet and Hozumi talked us through too. Absolutely no swimwear allowed, strictly completely naked, single sex bathing only, wash on a small stool with no splashing before entering the bath and no visible tattoos. The no tattoo rule was a surprise but it is because of the association with Japanese mafia. Hozumi had sweetly brought stickers to cover any tattoos.... but she didn't bring 17 so Joe was excluded! Vivienne was also excluded as a transitioning female. So, I sent them out to explore the town and bravely headed to the female baths. I spotted no slippers outside and was relieved to see that I had the baths to myself. I probably broke all sorts of rules but nobody was there to offend. It was a very relaxing, pleasurable experience.
      Dinner was served with exquisite Japanese ceremony. The starters were waiting for us and the flames lit under our individual abalone dishes. The abalone quivered and died in front of our eyes which was hard to take. It felt rather like an upscale 'I'm a celebrity' challenge. While I was blown away by the presentation and attention to detail, I admit that I was holding my breath and swallowing my food while suppressing the gag reflex. I now know for sure that Japanese food is not for me.
      We enjoyed exploring the mountain town the next day before heading back to Mishima. Mishima is also a quaint town with a beautiful temple. What a pleasure to meet Hozumi's mother and neice. Back to Tokyo for some exploring of The Imperial Palace before returning to rock'n'roll.
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    • Hiro's flat feels like a rock'n'roll museum with Joe's bands proudly displayed
      I finally got some kitchen time to make an apple, cabbage, peanut and wasabi salad.Buddies from Memphis!Hiro's band, 'Mule Team' at The RatholeBackstage at The Rathole'Strange Moon' brought the energy.Representatives of 'Strange Moon', 'The Stompin Riff Raffs' and 'Mule Team'Even the service station toilets have warmed seats with modesty music.Plum blossom, we're just a little too early for the cherry blossomMy 1st Zen garden, it must be terrible restraining your children from messing up the rakingEsquisita 68 with 'Junk Wray'Stomp in OsakaThe quest for Pizza Toast finally completeKeller Davis Group with great stage style'Bait Ones' with a gold suit and a killer female rhythm sectionBestiesCelebration of a great show

      Japan yes, really, Japan!!

      10 maart, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      The Chakra Shakers tour should have finished in Chiang Mai but a couple of messages to Joe's old friend Hiro resulted in a 10 show extension in Japan. A surreal, wasabi flavoured icing on the mango cake of our Asian tour. The delicious sour plum on top of the cake was that Vivienne (Joe's oldest band mate from High School) joined us as our drummer..... and the sweet tamarind ice cream was that Hiro orchestrated the entire tour. If that wasn't enough, the accompanying plum wine was meeting Joe and Vivienne's High School Exchange student friend, Hozumi for a Japanese immersion on our days off.
      Hiro and Vivi met us at the airport and we discovered Hiro's foible, his inability to remember his car is parked. We are still travelling with the small bags that we packed at the beginning of December for sunny climates so we felt like we were in a walk in freezer as we circledthe car park. We went from 40°C to 0°C in a blink.
      Dinner was the 1st of many from 7 eleven or 7i as it's known in Japan. There are many fascinating ready meals, noodle pots and packets of crazy things. Hiro lives in Kanagawa, a sweet town with a US naval base. He organised a 2 hour slot in a studio in a music shop which was our first introduction to the genuine, welcome extended to foreigners from older generations speaking incredibly polite English. So many things in Japan are tiny, cute and sweetly perfect. The people, the cafe's, the music venues, the meals, the snacks, the gardens. Imagine a carefully crafted model miniature kingdom blown up to not quite life-size. As an aside, travelling with 2 Americans brought up a subtle problem. 'Quite' in American English means very, while in English English it means a little... quite the opposite, oops, found an exception!
      We had our 1st taste of Japanese food at a cheap sushi restaurant at the shopping mall. Having only previously had sushi at a Chinese buffet, I was impressed. I was delighted by the bright jingly sounds of ordering on the tablet at the table and the alert of the dishes arriving at our booth. In fact, Japan is an audible treat, it's like being at the Aldi check-out all the time. If you hadn't noticed why shopping at Aldi makes you smile, I guarantee you that it's the noise of the barcode scanner at the checkout.
      Hiro welcomed us into his tiny apartment, barely big enough for 1 person. Yet he managed to find room to put down 2 futon mattresses for the 3 of us and then slept at his office or in his car. What a generous host. His apartment could be a rock'n'roll museum. A huge wall of vinyls. Handmade posters displayed on all the walls, including a Joe Mac 'Vegas Thunder' poster. It was a lesson in underground DIY rock'n'roll music for me. We spent a couple of delightful evenings huddled around the gas burner eating soba noodles, dried squid (smelt like old knickers on the heater), rice crackers, and wasabi, cabbage and apple salad (my contribution). We even made some s'mores. An indoor camping experience.
      Our 1st show was at 'Rathole'. Wow, what an introduction to the Tokyo music scene. Our 1st lesson was that if soundcheck is at 4, then unless you arrive at 3, you are late! There is so much hanging around and kick off time for gigs is early, around 7pm. A 4 band bill means that it doesn't finish until 11pm. That explains why we've eaten so many 7i meals!
      Hiro's band, 'Mule Team' kicked off the show. He brings the Americana energy and his female rhythm section of Nadcha and Etsko are so, so good, tight and adorable. Hajimi completes the line-up on lead guitar. These guys have become our besties, after we spent the weekend touring and rooming together. I'm singing along to their songs but confess that I don't understand the Japanese accented English lyrics.
      The next band was 'Strange Moon' with some Japanese legends playing in a fun line-up. I thought that they rocked the joint but they were followed by 'Stompin' Riffraffs'. Wow, they were incredible. A male guitarist frontman, with female drummer, bass player and keyboard/theremin players wearing red flapper dresses and fishnets. The keyboard player was so alive, playing with her heels and elbows. What an uplifting experience watching those guys. It helped us turn up to 11!
      We all piled into a van the next morning and Hiro drove us to Shizouka for the next show at 'Esquisitas'. Junk Wray shared the van with us and was a sweet, demure young man.... until he hit the stage like Elvis on his Come Back tour. We walked around the lake after soundcheck and found a beautiful zen temple. Very peaceful but not a welcoming spot to meditate or pray.
      Our last stop of the weekend was at Osaka. A lovely metropolis with a small town feel. My favourite spot was a clothes shop called 'why are you here'.... perhaps they translated something like 'destiny'?
      Our 1st quest was for pizza toast, the sort of thing that the older Japanese thought of as western food. We found a diner that fit the bill and were underwhelmed by pizza toast. Literally toast with ketchup, egg, bacon and cheese.
      It was another incredible show featuring yet more female bass and drum players and unbeatable stage style. 'Bait Ones' even had their frontman in a gold suit.
      We popped into a couple of teeny tiny restaurants after the show and ate some fried rice and some Japanese skewers. The spaces are so small that you leave smelling like a frying pan. That explains why all of the hotels have a bottle of febreeze in the room.
      Japan is fascinating. I'll leave this entry here but there's so much more to tell you!
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    • Back to the White Temple in Chiang Rai - this photo is from last year!
      Earthly temptation and sufferingInside the cave. It was more enjoyable this time absorbing instead of taking a videoThe white haired rockers at the white templeStunning temples at every turn in Chiang MaiA slide for Buddha?!These models of the Buddhisatvas are so realistic that they always make me look twice.Beautiful gold stencillingFixing my dress for 50 centsMidnight banana roti reward after a high energy gig.The orange robes of the monks is so cheerfulBack to Siem Reap where we met the owner of the bike riding around with a Wild Flowers sticker on.Back to crazy Phnom PenhNow it's time for the Far East! Let's go Japan!!

      Chiang Rai, Mai and back to Cambodia

      17 februari, Thailand ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

      A couple of days between gigs in Bangkok and Chiang Mai gave us the opportunity to be Stephen's Thai tour guides. The white temple in Chiang Rai was an obvious choice to me but it involved more traveling. I described it on last year's Find Penguins so I won't bore you with my enthusiasm again.
      When we first arrived at the roadside beside the temple I was rather underwhelmed and worried that the detour wasn't worthwhile. My fears were short lived, the temple took my breath away again. In fact, the whole experience was even more memorable this time because there was no need to take photos. It was startling to realise how much deeper the experience was without being distracted by the camera. Perhaps as a consequence, I have few photographs from the next 2 weeks and this update is very late.
      There was a clear message to me from reflecting in the temples. The futility of worrying about the man-made evil on earth and the deep freedom of focusing instead on the love here and now, love that I will see in its complete beauty after being released from this mortal body. The message came from the stunning, intricate paintings that so graphically depict the evils and horrors of the human condition here on earth contrasting with the content, knowing smile on the face of Buddha.... which for me translates into the loving, accepting smile on the face of the risen Jesus.
      A bus journey later and we were back in our favourite city, Chiang Mai. It felt like home from home. The music scene had morphed slightly since last year after the end of nightly music at one venue, but there were still plenty of musicians of all styles gigging everyday. We were soon bumping into familiar faces. It seemed crazy that we would ever want to leave perfect Chiang Mai... and then....the music scene changed dramatically almost overnight. There was a police raid at the Pai Jazz House and 4 foreign musicians playing there regularly were arrested and deported. The fear trickled down through the small music community and one by one venues cancelled gigs and stopped hiring bands with foreign members. Fortunately, 2 out of our 4 gigs still went ahead and were perhaps even more special as we were among the last foreign bands for the foreseeable future. It seems that the reasoning is actually a problem specific to Pai but nonetheless it's likely that there will be police raids throughout Thailand for the next couple of months. The Pai trouble has been wittingly nicknamed 'Pai..lestine'. The small idyllic mountain village of Pai became a safe haven for young Israeli's after their military service or as a way to dodge it. The youth are troubled and have caused unrest up there. The last straw was when the local hospital was treating Israeli moped accident victims and their friends vandalised inside the hospital. It's leading to anti-semitic feelings throughout Thailand which is very sad. If only the kids had respected the peaceful buddhist way, or better yet, they had never needed to serve or dodge a vicious military.
      For our part, we met folk from China, Israel, Russia, Australia, the UK and Thailand who made a point of telling us how touched they were by our music. Inbetween gigs, I often feel like an old fraud, the musical equivalent of 'mutton dressed as lamb', but music smashes through preconceptions and judgement. I can feel the sharing of non-verbal connections with audience members while we play which are confirmed when we get to talk afterwards; when they repeat our lyrics and explain why they resonated with them. How blessed I am to be used as a conduit for acceptance and joy.
      We spent just a couple more days moseying around Chiang Mai and the mountain streams and temples before heading back to Cambodia to boost our band funds before the next big leap to the Far East.
      Arriving in Cambodia from Thailand is always an assault to the senses. The chaos, honking, shouting, vehicles driving at you, hawkers, beggars and the dust and dirt.... but then I start to be infected by the smiles again. The food isn't as tasty, the buildings aren't as beautiful, the streets aren't as calm but the smiles are dazzling and genuine. We made the mistake of saving a few dollars by taking a tuk tuk from the airport into Siem Reap, it went on and on and on... in fact it took longer than the flight from Chiang Mai.
      Our gig back at Laundry was another legendary one until the bass guitar that I was borrowing stopped making any sound at all. I tried to make up for it with no holds barred vocal performances and we still had a great reception despite my pantomime! An insight into the supportive music scene in Phnom Penh is that there was another bass made available to me the next night at Oscars and yet another for the following 2 nights. We met friends old and new at the 3 PP gigs. The honour of playing our versions of Cambodian songs in Cambodia still gives me 'Goosebumps on my brain'. It's especially lovely to see the bar staff and children look up and sway to the familiar melodies.
      We bade farewell to our stand-in drummer brothers, friends and home from homes in Bangkok, Koh Phangnan, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. We wondered whether we would come to call Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Hua Hin, Bandung, Kediri, Solo and Mangelang home from home in future winters.... and now I sit on a flight to Tokyo wondering what this Japanese adventure will lead to.
      Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were resounding successes. I feel like my patience is greater (perhaps from travelling without a SIM card) I don't squirm at cats, rats and cockroaches, and I realised last night that I hadn't had a moment of desperate sadness of missing Paul for the whole day. I'm starting to believe that this new life is indeed real.
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    • River bus view of Wat Arun at sunset
      Wat ArunView from the Sky ParkCrossing the road at rush hour is a full on experience'Riot in school' from China tearing up the pavement at ImmortalThe tuk tuk life!Sunset at Hua Hin beachWoodstock bar in Hua Hin

      Hua Hin and Bangkok

      12 februari, Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 35 °C

      During our travels we had heard that Hua Hin was the next Chiang Mai, a popular spot for longer term stays in Thailand. It was a convenient spot to break the long bus ride up to Bangkok. I looked up bars with jam sessions in Hua Hin and found a couple. That's the 1st clue that they have a backline and might be interested in hosting a touring band. Woodstock is one such bar and their mission statement is 'peace, love, live music'....too perfect for the Chakra Shakers 'peace, love and rock'n'roll' tour. A couple of WhatsApp messages later and Ped Bluesman generously offered us a 2 set, paying gig. What a beautiful soul. He booked us hotel rooms, gave us a meal and drinks, paid us and collected tips for us.... and rocked some Hendrix with us; what a way to cover the transport up to Bangkok. I was still feeling terrible from the after effects of the allergic reaction but managed to rally for the sets. Yet again proving how healing playing music is.
      As for Hia Hin itself, I can see why digital nomads would enjoy staying there but it was rather too modern and soulless for me. It had an American feel with modern malls, apartment blocks and hotels. It does have a lovely long beach but a busy road runs parallel to it.
      We arrived back at our cat sitting home exchange in Bangkok and it felt like home from home. The cats are allowed outside now so they are much calmer, no more launching themselves at the windows! However, they enjoy taunting the yappy dog next door and the neighbours get exasperated so we had to limit their time outside.
      We gave Stephen a day tour of our favourite Bangkok hangouts. The golden mount, a brief walk through Khao San Road, a chill at Phra Sumen Fort park and a hop on the river bus past Wat Arun to the sky park at sunset finishing with a stroll through the waterways to China town. The public transport system is wonderful and makes Bangkok so easy to navigate.
      The 3 Bangkok gigs were so different from each other yet each so incredible. First was valentine's day at Fatty's, a piece of Wisconsin in Bangkok and our home dive bar. We had put together a love song set with more cover songs than usual but the audience soon let us know that they wanted original songs. Joyful. The next gig was at Immortal outside. This is a 'pavement venue'! A back alley behind the busy Khao San Road. We could hear the cover bands launch into 'Sweet Caroline', 'Valerie', and of course CCR. What a contrast then for us to rock out our originals. It was a pleasure to see like-minded folk stumble across this alternative scene and feel a magnetic attraction to their tribe. We pulled a small but enthusiastic audience and sold all but 1 of our remaining t-shirts despite there only being XXL's left. Surely that's a sign of a successful tour, running out of 3 print runs of t-shirts before the end.... A band on tour from China closed our show. 'Riot in School' were the sweetest 22 year olds begging us to tour China.
      Our final gig in Bangkok was at the incredible 'Noisehouse' run by the inspirational Pok. He decided to put on a mini-festival in our honour....2 original music stages and a DJ station for 4 hours. The front room is set up like a living room and there were jazzy, improv acoustic acts playing in the afternoon. Then there is the soundproofed, air-conditioned internal stage for the rock/punk bands and an outside patio for the BBQ and DJs. I naturally assumed that we would be on the rock/punk stage but Pok had us set-up in the front room. It seemed curious but of course he knew what he was doing and gave us the sweet spot. That whole room was rockin' with us. A magical moment. There was competition for that final t-shirt and we walked away shocked at the fabulous reception. The final band after us was spectacular. Young lads called 'Kosum Boys', do check them out.
      As always, the stand out memories from each of these gigs are the people who connect with us through the show, who are inspired to dance and loose their inhibitions, to chant back 'Peace, Love and Rock'n'Roll' and 'Different is Beautiful'. What an honour to touch their souls. A couple of girls even followed us up to Chiang Mai to catch some more of our gigs.
      Thank you for such an exhilarating experience Bangkok.
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    • Island Vibes, Koh Samui, Tao & Phangnan

      1 februari, Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      3 islands, 5 gigs, celebrating 54 years of life in paradise.
      The 1st island was Koh Samui. We were beyond thrilled to meet Stephen at the airport and complete the genuine Chakra Shakers line up. We were staying at a hostel because Koh Samui is very pricey. The other guests were mostly gap year students. Judging by the state of the communal toilets and showers they are still living at home where they are cleaned up after. The hostel was on a busy street running parallel to the beach... the best time to walk around was late at night after our gigs when there was no traffic. Bandages became a common sight on all 3 islands the inevitable result of a dangerous mix of inexperienced moped riders, alcohol, weed and youthful exuberance. Koa Tao may mean Turtle Island but the locals call it Death Island due to traffic accidents and murder....cue the Death in Paradise intro music dadadedadaadaa.
      Once off the main drag, the beaches are idyllic. We were cutting through resorts to get to the beach but nobody challenged us. The upmarket resorts varied between calm and full on. The 79 resort was horrific; strange rabbit sculptures coupled with constant electronic music and bright lights. Hopefully the guests knew that when they booked.
      The sand stretch may not be very wide but the sea is clear, shallow and bath temperature and you can walk out on the sugary sand or float in the salty sea until prunification is complete. Heavenly.
      Watching the sunset was a prolonged daily ritual, the depth of colours never failing to surprise me. Climbing the steps to the big Buddha at sunset was a magical experience. I tried and mostly succeeded to let go of my dismay at Instagrammers shooing people away from prayer or meditation so that they could get their perfect photo. Perhaps that was their purpose; to help me work on myself.
      We had decided on Koh Samui as a stopover after I had connected with Nathan from Vibration Bar. He is a live music lover but not a musician from Mid West America. He created Vibration Bar as a spot for musical collaboration and runs an open stage almost daily, what a gem. He generously offered us a paid 1 hour slot on 2 consecutive nights before opening the stage up to jam. The 1st night we played a rockin' set to a decent sized audience of mostly curious expat musicians. They showed off their impressive skills after our set. A few musicians commented to us that they were simply too good to enjoy playing anymore, victims of being regarded as a progigy. What a shame to no longer find abandon and freedom on a stage with other musicians.
      It was a joy to return the next night with a more rootsy, country blues set. This time there were fewer musicians but those who were there were game to join us in some legendary jams. There was not that insecure smell of the night before. What a way to bring in my birthday which continued to be a great day. A haircut, a foot massage, Mass in an open air church, a pina colada watching the sunset at the beach, green Thai curry and a spiderman style net to throw myself into...and perfect company.
      Next we were off to Koh Tao, the aforementioned Death Island. We arrived 2 nights before the gig that we had arranged to play to find that the island was full. I hadn't booked any accommodation and it was starting to look like we'd have to sleep on the beach.... but then rock'n'roll saved the day. We were booked to play at George Street, a music venue above a boisterous sports bar. The owner is a wonderful Australian musician Simon. He has settled down on the island, after years on the the road as a touring musician, with his wife Hannah and adorable little boy Tao. Simon found out that we were looking for somewhere to stay and generously offered us his villa that was in the hands of builders. I was expecting a floor mat in the rubble but there were 2 bedrooms complete with beds and clean sheets.... but yes, builders arriving at 8am!
      The bar had an open jam that night so we secured our stay and some fans for the gig by playing a few songs. Koh Tao is famous for it's diving so we took a boat taxi to a reef and had a joyful hour snorkeling. It's so totally mesmerising watching the fantastical underwater world. It was also mesmerising to watch the anaphylactic rash spread over my entire body after being stung on the beach afterwards. The human body is so full of surprises and we have so little control over our own bodies! Such a reaction to a small amount of venom. Fortunately human brains have developed medicines and we can push our bodies in the right direction, antihistamines in my handbag on standby!
      The gig at George Street was fabulous. Great energy and sweet island party vibes.
      Our final island was Koh Phangan where the Wild Flowers tour had started last year. It was so so sweet to return to the same villa, recognise the same lovely faces, be recognised by several more and to hear all the musical adventures of the year. What a delight to see so many young women on the stage including Sophia, our hostess from last year. Again, we were pulled into deep encouraging conversations with musicians who are overthinking their time on stage and losing the fulfilment and joy. One who throws himself into endlessly learning about music so much so that he can't bear to hear a bad note. Another who expects perfection from his handpicked band that he employs, causing a hierarchy, losing the freedom of singing his own songs. It makes me feel ever grateful for the raw, passionate abandon of Chakra Shakers. I hope that we gave them permission to take themselves less seriously.
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    • Ipoh, cave temples everywhere.
      A beautiful sculpture islandA Chinese temple in the mountainMore dragonsThe smallest buddha of all was clearly the one talking to JoeGeorgetown or Penang Island?The temple view from our home exchange. Difficult to keep our heads below buddha's!Unbelievably finding a compilation album featuring Joe's Suckerpunch from the 1990'sMind over matter.So peaceful.Mirrored tiles create such a wonderful bright visionThere was always a beautiful view when sheltering from the rain in Georgetown.More rain!!And yet more rain...A talented 75 year old henna painted my hand. Sadly it was washed off before the next show.Sound check at Ruas RecordsAlways such a great audience in Malaysia.Ibnu Rizzla and Chakra ShakersOur home exchange host got into the spiritPost show meal at 1am with all the bands in Ipoh

      Ipoh, Penang and back to Ipoh

      21 januari, Maleisië ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      It takes a while to adjust to free days. Time to be a tourist. We decided to spend a couple of nights in Ipoh so that we could check out the famous cave temples. Several were closed because of the recent floods but the ones that we saw were spectacular. Three temples side by side. One of them went right through the mountain leading to a tortoise enclosure.
      Next was a bus and a boat to Penang Island, also known as Georgetown. A very colonial feel and an obvious mix of cultures....curiously each culture seemed to stay pure, it was unusual to see mixed race families... Indian Malay, Chinese Malay, Buddhist Malay, British, Dutch and multinational expats. The specific areas of 'Little India', 'Chinatown', the British grand buildings and a Burmese buddhist area right across the street from a Thai buddhist area. The latter were right below our home exchange apartment and provided some restful moments of calm reflection amidst the rock'n'roll storm.
      We enjoyed walking the streets in the intermittant torrential rain storms. The joy was that every spot where we sought shelter, revealed something glorious to look at. Georgetown is somewhere that would continue to delight for a long visit.
      One shelter spot was the Hindu temple but I quickly fled. I found it dark, with demonic, spooky statues and a sickly smell of incense. The cheapest and tastiest food was in little India and roti or chapati plates became a Malaysian staple for us. A very small dish of curry gravy served with the thinnest, freshest Indian bread. The challenge was making sure that there was no dahl in the gravy for me and no chicken stock for Troy!
      Our Australian home exchange hosts were home and wonderfully welcoming. A wealth of information about the area and home exchange stories spanning 20 years. They even came out to our show at the infamous 'Ruas Records'. I was more thrilled than Joe when he stumbled across an Ebullition Records compilation from the 90's featuring his band, 'Suckerpunch'. The owner and organiser was delighted to have a bona fide DIY legend playing at his club.
      It was another night with talented, varied bands and a spectacular reception for us. I'll never forget the youngsters rushing the stage for every solo, giving Joe well deserved respect for his tones and touch. They were singing along to many of our songs, crowd surfing and even tried to pick me up to surf the crowd when I popped down to join in the moshing. I was horrified to hit somebody around the head with my headstock but they loved being in the melee.
      We ended our Malaysian experience with a show in Ipoh. An almost Indonesian warm welcome from our host, Raja. Collecting us from the bus station, only 2 hours late, and housing us in a lovely empty home of one of the collective members parents along with another band. The show was another spectacular occasion with 4 other bands including fun Ibnu Rizla and groovy Capt'n Tripps & the Kid (well worth checking out). It was, for me, a perfect way to honour my darling Paul on the 3rd anniversary of his passing out of this world of suffering. Rockin' that stage was my way of saying thank you to him for his boundless love, for opening the doors for me to play in a band. I wish with all of my heart that I could see him again, share a joke, feel the warmth of his smile. One day; I'm ready.
      After the show all of the bands and organisers shared a meal on the street at 1am... of course drinking ice tea, not beer! After telling us the horror stories of imprisonment for possession of weed, the organisers proceeded to roll up in the living room. Raja had let slip that he was descended from royalty, it was evidently a 'who you know' culture. The other musicians confirmed that there is no pay for playing music, in fact it's common to pay to play, like in England. The silver lining is that music is played from the heart, an experience, not a means to fame or fortune....beautiful.
      Thailand, here we come!
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