SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour

dicembre 2023 - marzo 2024

Destination: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and then wherever the road takes us.
Goal: To celebrate the gifts of love and life through music.
Trading Currency: Smiles generated through rock n roll. Leggi altro

33impronte
7paesi
90giorni
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14video
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Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
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- 29 dic 2023, 18:35
- ⛅ 29 °C
- Altitudine: 7 m
- Cambogia Kampot Traeuy Kaoh Boeng Ta Pream 10.575148, 104.1815410°34’31” N 104°10’54” E
Giorno 10–13
Fish Island Art Community Center
29 dicembre 2023, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
What an honour and a privilege to be guests at this inspiring community project. Julien (musician from Oz) and his local partner Kek Soon have built this home from the salt flats. They opened their doors to the local community and a variety of kids now have their safe space to learn and be free. Smiles all round, all day. The little ones made trash fashion and put on a catwalk show as part of the ongoing festival. They practiced for hours in high heels that don't even fit. The whole project is inspiring. Little ones without parents who know how to forage in the night.
I'm putting the hours in to sit in for the bass player of the Cambodian Space Project while he's doing army service, what a responsibility. Cambodian rock is funky and fun, let's go!Leggi altro
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5 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
- Mostra viaggio
- Aggiungi alla lista dei desideriRimuovi dalla lista dei desideri
- Condividi
- 30 dic 2023
- ☁️ 32 °C
- Altitudine: 6 m
- Cambogia Kampot Traeuy Kaoh Boeng Ta Pream 10.575181, 104.18147210°34’31” N 104°10’53” E
Giorno 11
Smiles and music
30 dicembre 2023, Cambogia ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
It's pure joy connecting with diverse souls through smiles and music.
A blind octogenarian playing an instrument that predates Buddha's enlightenment.
Generations of hill tribe indigenous people jamming with us
Little girls teaching me to write our names in their script.
What a way to bring in the new year! We are so blessed.Leggi altro
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7 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
- Mostra viaggio
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- 1 gen 2024
- ☁️ 30 °C
- Altitudine: 21 m
- Cambogia Kep Phumĭ Ŏng Char Phnum Kêb 10.490889, 104.29229310°29’27” N 104°17’32” E
1
Giorno 13
Hello 2024 Cambodian Space Project Style
1 gennaio, Cambogia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
What a way to bring in 2024! Such an honour to play with the legendary Julien and BongSac of the Cambodian Space Project. How exhilarating to rock out with the showman Joe Mac and how humbling to jam with the hill tribe musicians. I feel lucky in so many ways. I promised to keep Paul's spirit alive through music, look where it's taken me. We even got Rockagnised twice in Kampot Town on new years day!
The abandoned children at FICAC were so inspiring in their positive spirit and joyful attitudes. Bring it on 2024!Leggi altro
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Viaggiatore Two beauties
08/01/24RispostaTradurre
7 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
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- 2 gen 2024
- ⛅ 32 °C
- Altitudine: 7 m
- Cambogia Kep Phumĭ Ŏng Char Chroŭy Kêb 10.488183, 104.28903610°29’17” N 104°17’21” E
Giorno 14–16
Kep
2 gennaio, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
On 1st sight, Kep just appeared to be a wasted bus ride. Just a dirty beach and a busy crab market, a graveyard of plastic containers and bags. Fortunately, our back packs are light and we could take a long walk and feel the vibe. The locals were chilled out, congregating on wooden platforms lazing in hammocks and sharing crab picnics. The kids splashing in the sea and the occasional adult joining them, the ladies fully clothed! Of course, all the children flashed their big, open, honest smiles and waved hello.... sucksoobye. How could we resist?
We found a perfect wooden cabin for the night at 'birds of paradise guesthouse' and sucked up the expensive 22$ a night pricetag.
The national park hike and the crab market were the worthwhile prize. Ginger fried fish, garlic and lemongrass grilled fish, crab amok, coconut pancakes, mango smoothies, sugarcane juice. All a wow. One of the restaurant owners proudly showed off his impressive English, as did his 2 little kids who loved their wild flowers stickers.
The Cambodians are so genuinely delighted to receive foreigners. Their war torn history is difficult to fathom. Never a cross word, never a raised voice, all peace and forgiveness. Perhaps that's their secret. Never holding a grudge.
The US Dollar is king here but don't try to spend one with the slightest rip or marking on it. It's a mystery what happens to those notes. We saved ours up and spent it in Chinese run Sihanoukville. It's also a mystery how the locals afford to live. Cambodia is much more expensive than Thailand. On a par with Portugal at a guess.
Now off for some island time....Leggi altro
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5 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
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- 4 gen 2024
- ⛅ 29 °C
- Altitudine: 16 m
- Cambogia Koh Kong Kaôh Kon 10.617556, 103.30405810°37’3” N 103°18’15” E
Giorno 16–18
Island Paradise, Koh Rong Sanloem
4 gennaio, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
If you're feeling cold and miserable, look away now or live vicariously and imagine you're on a tropical island.
Koh Rong Sanloem is a sleepy, backpackers Paradise. Crystal clear turquiose water, white sand, no seaweed or jellyfish, no resorts or fancy restaurants just street food and hostels. We glamped in a yurt and acted like beach bums for a couple of days. I nearly burst with excitement night swimming in the phosphorescent sea. A dream come true.
The inhabitants are a mixture of simple locals and artsy expats seeking the simple life. Several people were raving about the local music scene.... particularly in Kampot. Jaws dropped when we casually mentioned that we'd played with the Cambodian Space Project. Thank goodness I didn't know that they were rock royalty before agreeing to play the gig, I never would have had the guts to do it. It's mind blowing, literally like sitting in with the Rolling Stones!
Time to head back to Thailand ready for Jess.Leggi altro
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5 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
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- 6 gen 2024, 19:21
- 🌙 28 °C
- Altitudine: 17 m
- Tailandia Trat 12.242419, 102.51023112°14’33” N 102°30’37” E
Giorno 18
Back in Thailand
6 gennaio, Tailandia ⋅ 🌙 28 °C
After an epic 12 hour travel day we made it back into Thailand. Boat, bus, border crossing, bus, sweaty walk. We were lucky and stumbled across a cheap hotel on a street that had been turned into a food and vintage clothes market for the night. Perfect.
Another random bus journey today to Chanthaburi. On 1st sight it seemed like a dirty forlorn town but we kept trudging around looking for somewhere to stay. Yet again we stumbled into a fabulous area on the river front of Chanthaburi. There is even a cathedral for a Sunday visit.
Thailand is cleaner, cheaper, tastier and brighter than Cambodia but the music is much more cheesy!
By the way if you were jealous of the island paradise you'll be pleased to hear that I got bitten all over by either sand flies or bed bugs. ... not paradise after all!Leggi altro
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Viaggiatore So fun! Hope those bites heal and the bed bugs (hoping not) stay out of your bag! What an adventure- I predict you’ll be rock royalty by the time you leave! The country is certainly welcoming you to stay, seems like you stumble across the right place at the right time! ❤️❤️.
08/01/24RispostaTradurre
Viaggiatore Paul is pulling the strings from beyond and enjoying the ride!
08/01/24RispostaTradurre
Viaggiatore The bed bugs are no match for alcohol gel, a gift from covid days!
08/01/24RispostaTradurre
4 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
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- 8 gen 2024, 11:14
- ☀️ 33 °C
- Altitudine: 10 m
- Tailandia Chanthaburi 12.609967, 102.10901412°36’36” N 102°6’32” E
1
Giorno 20–22
Meandering back to Bangkok
8 gennaio, Tailandia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Calm before the rock n roll storm! A couple of days of wandering the streets absorbing Thai life.
Tantalising sights and smells at the market. Delicious, fresh street food.
Joe celebrated 1 month tobacco free with a trip to the barber. A meticulous job including a karate chop to the forehead for 100 Baht (2.50$). A good price for a total transformation from beach bum to rock star, although he does look more ready to go back to school!
Back to Bangkok we go today to reunite the Wild Flowers!Leggi altro
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Viaggiatore Well done Joe
10/01/24RispostaTradurre
Viaggiatore They both look yummy 😊
12/01/24RispostaTradurre
6 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
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- 10 gen 2024
- ⛅ 34 °C
- Altitudine: 9 m
- Tailandia Bangkok Wat Pho Khlong Wat Arun 13.743775, 100.48907813°44’38” N 100°29’21” E
1
Giorno 22
Wild Flowers Reunited
10 gennaio, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C
Another couple of torturous bus rides and we made it to Bangkok just before Jess. Now the tour feels real and the excitement is building.
We started the day dealing with the usual TukTuk opportunist. He was going to take us to the reclining Buddha and then drop us to the floating market....30Baht was the agreed price. He then took us straight to his Auntie who was selling boat trips. She quoted 4000Baht for something we never asked for. That would cover 1 weeks accommodation for us all.... we weren't going to float that much money down the river. He took us to a cheaper agent but we managed to jump out and walk away. He showed his disgust by roaring away rather like a petulant teenager on a moped! Just as well there's the river bus and the metro and even more reliable our feet, no more Tuk Tuks in Bangkok.
Wat Arun presented itself like a picture postcard in front of us on the river bus, so we jumped off. What a great decision. The pride and joy of Thailand representing their royal family and Buddhist tradition was a spectacular experience. I don't think that Buddha would mind that I had a conversation with Jesus in that peaceful, inspiring space. I'm sure that they're buddies, if not even one and the same. Aren't we all?
We then rather appropriately found the flower market and finally the reclining Buddha. However, by that stage, we were over stimulated and too cheap to pay to enter, so we just got a peek at the enormous gold feet.
We recouped in our boarding school style room with a shower in the bedroom?! and then enjoyed the tastes of Bangkok, ending up in a craft beer weed bar with a hidden back sofa room. Perfect.
On the search for our stage outfits today and then we're ready to rock Bangkok tomorrow!Leggi altro
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Viaggiatore LOVE you guys!
12/01/24RispostaTradurre
7 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
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- 15 gen 2024, 00:05
- 🌙 27 °C
- Altitudine: 8 m
- Tailandia Bangkok Wang Thonglang Khlong Lam Phangphuai 13.793203, 100.62740613°47’36” N 100°37’39” E
Giorno 27
Tour has kicked off!
15 gennaio, Tailandia ⋅ 🌙 27 °C
Our motivation for bringing the raw, joyful abandon of the Wild Flowers on stage to SE Asia was to inspire others to see rock n roll as therapy. To let go of all inhibition and feel the healing power of the music. Mission accomplished after just the 2 Bangkok shows. I was so lost in the moment that I have no photos or videos to share. I'm sure there are plenty on social media somewhere.
The 1st show was at Fatty's Bar, a Wisconsin style dive bar. No frills but such a genuine welcome from Thais and ex-Pats alike. We couldn't gauge the reaction while we played but we warmed into it and of course ended up climbing on furniture. The Joe Mac style was unexpected but applauded. Notably by a 15 year old boy who has started to play and compose songs in the last 2 years. He talked about the freedom of playing music on stage.
The 2nd gig was at a 4 month old venue 'Noisehouse', the brainchild of the inspiring Pok. He put together a 5 band show of diverse original acts all featuring women upfront. The 1st up was Nixsa. An improvisational 3 piece, keys, lap guitar, occasional wooden flute, violin and haunting siren like vocals. Mesmerising to listen to and watch. The audience were sitting cross-legged on the floor and so receptive yet respectfully quiet. Soulfeed were next led by the unassuming Earng on keys and vocals. The vibe upped a little next with a duo from Wisconsin called Viped. Fun songs reminiscent of 'The Vaselines'. They got Jess and me bopping to 'Bananas'. We all mellowed out again to the Lennon style Dylan and John. Dylan had the most beautiful, warm voice and cleverly had the audience singing names of fruit to her tuning up between songs. Watching John play the bass was like watching a swan glide.
Then it was our turn. I had felt like an imposter in this afternoon of cool hipsters. Who was I kidding calling myself a musician let alone an international touring one? During the sets we had talked about toning down and playing to the established vibe but I in particular was itching to rock. It was time to let go of all restraint and have some unashamed fun. What a joy to feel the energy shift and to see smiles, and joyful dancing. The aforementioned Earng was blown away to see her band mates dancing for the 1st time. Pok's wife Fern used the word inspired multiple times. Inspired to see old people having more fun than her young crowd; inspired to see women playing guitars. Mission accomplished. Bring on the next show! Koh Phangan Rock Festival where we've been given a moshibility rating of 38%!Leggi altro
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4 mi piace
Viaggiatore SE Asia Wild Flowers Tour
- Mostra viaggio
- Aggiungi alla lista dei desideriRimuovi dalla lista dei desideri
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- 17 gen 2024
- ⛅ 33 °C
- Altitudine: 7 m
- Tailandia Changwat Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Ban Wat Lot Chong Wat Phra Si Sanphet 14.355072, 100.55977214°21’18” N 100°33’35” E
1
Giorno 29
Ayutthaya
17 gennaio, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
A rare day of culture. The Khymer ruins in Ayutthaya. Around 15th century and overwhelmingly beautiful. However, we struggle to understand how idolatry and wealth fit into the buddhist ideals of simplicity and non-attachment to wants or desires. If nothing else, the temples trigger us to think about our spirituality and praise whichever God we believe in.
The most beautiful of all the sites was the Buddha head that fell and then was naturally absorbed into the roots of a tree. Mesmerising.Leggi altro
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Viaggiatore Buddies and Buddhas
19/01/24RispostaTradurre
4 mi piace