Donkey Lovers – Cartagena, Colombia
“I’m pretty amazed so many people still use donkeys here” I comment. Dione chuckles. “Some men in Cartagena have a special relationship with their donkeys” he says…
Songkran Peace Fight – Chiang Mai, Thailand
People party for days, get drunk, run around in the streets chasing each other with water guns, but it’s all good humored. There’s no sense of malice. People are respectful of each other…
Hot Nights, Cool Jazz – Chiang Mai, Thailand
…I don’t know what happened, OK? I got up, and took the mic, and after about a dozen notes I realised I was… just a tad… off-key. Maybe I was too sober..? There is nothing quite as traumatic as being given a pitying glance by good musicians when you are a tad off-key… In one…
Playing with Cannabis – Krabi, Thailand
Joe picks me up on his scooter and we head out to the band’s share house in Krabi’s outer suburbs. The guys all live in two small rooms, and the third room is set up as a make-shift studio. Joe’s little brother is the producer and operates the computer. We sit on the tiled floor, playing and singing. It is just too much fun…
Cave Men, Pirates & Giants – Krabi, Thailand
…I climb up and sit on the throne. Looking down on the cave floor below, I can imagine the people who lived here a hundred thousand years ago. Jessy clambers up and sits beside me. ‘Your highness’ she greets me, with a sardonic smile. ‘Doctor.’ We kiss on the throne. It is intensely erotic… I…
Gypsy Music to be Evicted – Krabi, Thailand
“…we will fight to save this place. The army came during the curfew time and wanted us to close. We told them no way…” The Joy Bar, the last of Krabi’s once numerous live folk bars, is going to be forced to close it’s doors, on the 16th of this month, June 2014. This day…
Saddle Sore – Angkor Wat, Cambodia
…There is a vertiginous weight about the structures. Passing through the gates into the temple enclosure, struggling up the endless steep stairways, I am acutely aware of the intention of Angkor’s architects: impress the bollocks off people – make them feel very small… Me and J-man get on the slow train out of Bangkok. Actually,…
What the… SNAP! – Broken Hill, Australia
A bunch of photos from the dusty 6000 km I have just hitchhiked across southern Australia. Damn, that was fun. Think I`ll go again. ;) (Top: the proprietor of this roadhouse, west of Broken Hill, has a really Aussie sense of humour. (High speed encounters with Aussie wildlife can be hazardous to your health.) …
Dangerous Mind Games – Cocklebiddy, Australia
…Nick rolls his eyes with delight. Madam, he purrs, you are making me quite excited with your aggressive behaviour. But let me tell you what your problem is. You are a woman who thinks like a man. You are… He never finishes his sentence. Tara is out of her seat and clamps her hand around…
Where’s Wallaby? – Gawler Ranges, Australia
…As we climbed higher, the way got narrower and narrower, and the walls steeper and rockier. In the narrow passes there was moisture in the soil, and plenty of grass. It was a perfect wallaby habitat. As we came around a rocky outcrop, into the head of the canyon, we stopped dead in our tracks. …
The Horse Healer – Heywood, Australia
…He seems pretty drunk, I say doubtfully, do you think he’ll be OK? Oh yeah, says Jody, he’s fine. He’s drunk pretty much all the time. Except when he’s working, Karen corrects her. Yeah, says Jody, he never drinks before a job. What does he do? I ask her. He’s a chiropractor, she replies… The…
Start on a High – Bundeena, Australia
…I log into the Facebook event page. Top of the wall I see a message from the organiser: don’t come to the party! “The police have come and thrown everyone out of the forest. I have been hit with a big fine. I spent last night in jail. Sorry everyone, party’s off…” I rock up…