It doesn’t matter what continent you are on: there is something about mountain air that sharpens the senses. Colours are brighter, the air is cleaner, sounds are clearer… I know my spirits rise.
Add to that: sunshine, a crisp Australian sparkling white wine, and some spirited jazz musicians, and you have an unbeatable experience. Last weekend we were in Thredbo, high in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, for the annual Jazz Festival: Thredbo’s 25th and our first.
Although I was introduced to Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk at an early age, “pure” jazz is not my favourite musical form. But, I’m always happy for an excuse (as though one is needed!) to head into Kosciuszko National Park, and we enjoyed the Blues Festival there greatly in January, so we decided to try it out. I’m not about to wade into the debate over what constitures the boundaries of “jazz”: suffice it to say, we were pleased (and a little relieved) to find great music in a variety of styles within the broader definitions.
Whatever you want to call it, it was pure fun and great entertainment.
The challenge for me, in tight corners and badly-lit venues, was to stop foot-tapping long enough to take a few pictures I’d could edit to the point where I’d be happy enough to share them – when I’d rather be dancing!
 Bright daylight outside, as we sit in a dimly lit bar, listening to the smooth voice of James Valentine. Our first stop was the Lounge Bar for the James Valentine Quartet. Now, as a “mum”, I know James’ voice from watching afternoon television with my children, some twenty-five years ago. Other people know him as the lead voice and tenor saxophone for the The James Valentine Quartet, a role he performs with effortless style.
 Gary Daley on accordion, with James Valentine  Smoky bar atmosphere ... without the smoke! We would have stayed for more, but we had dinner reservations with Sarah McKenzie, her keyboard and her band.
 Sarah McKenzie; what can I say, except that her bio doesn't exaggerate! We went home with an excellent CD. Sarah McKenzie at the Cascades Restaurant Drummer with the Sarah McKenzie Quartet. Pick a beer - any beer. Cascade's Restaurant, Thredbo Alpine Hotel. After a morning run around the over-full Lake Jindabyne (we’ve had a LOT of rain here), we headed back up the hill the next afternoon to stake out a good position in the Schuss Bar.
The Schuss Bar is ready and waiting... ... for the Hot Potato Band ... ... with its big, brassy sound. Big vocals. Rocking the saxophone. Blue jeans and sax. Bernie Lagana, playing the audience. With a smile on our faces, we danced off to another venue, dinner, and a completely different (but equally enjoyable) take on “jazz” from the flamboyant Jeff Duff, with Glenn Rhodes on keyboard and ex-Icehouse drummer Paul Wheeler.
Jeff Duff chatting to a fan. One of the advantages of impossibly small venues is that one is privy to all the "back-stage" joys and dramas that go on behind any performance. Paul Rhodes and his keyboard. We started our next day poolside, with pizza, that sunshine and white wine I mentioned earlier, and two lively groups of horns. The first, Shirazz from Melbourne, are self-described as a “trad jazz and dixieland band specialising in classic hot jazz of the 20s and 30s”. We bought a CD and have bopped around the living room all week.
Matt Dixon, leader of the six-piece Shirazz, on trombone. Shirazz with "Midnight in Moscow". (Mike di Cecco on drums and Alistair Robertson on double bass.) Michael Hanley on banjo... ... Davis Woods on trumpet. Swing dancers take advantage of the sun and sounds. Poolside, Thredbo Alpine Hotel. Simon Ghali and Mitchell Brandman herald the arrival of the Hot Potato Band. Andrew Grant, with his trumpet, on the roof of the Thredbo Alpine Hotel. Bernie Lagana playing the crowd - again! We headed back indoors for three more, very different definitions of “jazz”: The Date Brothers with their gypsy jazz guitars and Dan Barnett with his crooning swing, both in the Schuss Bar, before closing out our weekend with the hot jazz-boogie of The Shuffle Club in the Lounge Bar.
The Date Brothers and their "Gypsy Jazz Guitar" sounds. Since 2002, Ian Date has been based in Ireland, where he has clearly been gifted with the blarney. Dan Barnett with his band. As the lights come on outside, The Shuffle Club heat up the room.  If that is all jazz, I like it!
‘Till next time – keep smiling!
Posted in Australia,Music,PortraitsTags: Australia,blog,music,musicians,people,portraits,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
“The mosquitos are our friends.”
These were the words of Beatrix, our pranayama (breathing exercise) teacher as we sat in a small, hot, darkening room in Nong Khai, Northern Thailand. Her voice embodied calm, as only a yogini’s can, as it floated through the buzzing, humming, mosquito-filled evening.
These words spun around my head as I sat in an open wooden boat, motoring up the Mekong River some four or five days later, wrapped tightly in my arms and my pashmina shawl, trying to contain the violent shivers wracking my body. Mosquitos may be our friends, but they are also friends with malaria, dengue, and other hemorrhagic fevers… and it was looking increasingly as if I had contracted one of these. But, who knew when I might have another chance to visit the wilds of Laos and I had already paid for my day trip! So, I popped another aspirin against the pounding headache (in retrospect, the worst thing you can do in the tropics) and desperately tried to stay out of the wind.
This was two years ago: March 2010. I had been looking forward to visiting Laos after a week at the Nong Khai Yoga Retreat. My husband was meant to meet me in Luang Prabang, but got called to China at the last minute. I love travelling and I don’t mind travelling on my own, but it makes getting sick (or other hassles) harder to deal with. On this occasion, I managed to stay semi-upright long enough to finish the tour, taking a number of photographs along the way, before collapsing in the room of my guesthouse for two days, only surfacing to catch my plane to Bangkok and go back to bed for another week.
This is the first chance I’ve had to revisit that trip, and see what I can remember of it.
The day started on a traditional wooden Mekong river boat, heading up stream... Our first stop was Ban Xhang Hai (or Ban Sang Hai, or Xanghai, depending on the transliteration system used), a small village north of Luang Prabang on the banks of the Mekong, known for making rice wine: with or without snakes and/or scorpions in it.
Rice-wine seller, Ban Xhang Hai ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scorpions in rice wine: sealed for your protection. People still pan for gold on the Mekong River; I don't think they find much. Gold Panners ~ Mekong River Twenty-five kilometres up-stream, at the confluence of the Mekong and Ou Rivers, we stopped at the Pak Ou Caves, which sit high above us, nestled into the limestone cliffs.
The long climb up from the Mekong River boats... . . . . . to the dark entry way into Pak Ou Caves. From time immemorial, these caves have been considered sacred. They were used for the worship of the river spirits until the arrival of Buddhism. For at least 600 years, the caves have been a site of Buddhist pilgrimage and worship for kings and commoners alike.
The upper cave, Tham Phum, is in complete darkness until someone shines a flashlight. Kids hang around while their carers sell incense and offerings. Over the years, the caves have been filled with Buddha images of all types and styles, some more than 300 years old. There are estimated to be more than 4000 in Tham Ting – the lower cave – alone. More open to the light and only 15 meters above the river, this smaller cave is more accessible.
Tham Ting is the lower and smaller of the two caves at Pak Ou Tham Ting is estimated to contain more than 4000 Buddha images, of all types and ages. Our next stop was the Khmu minority village of Ban Thapaene for a simple rice-noodle lunch and a browse through the markets. The Khmu were the original indigenous inhabitants of northern Laos, but now number about 500,000 around the world. Most of these are still in villages in Northern Lao, but there has been a significant community in California since the Vietnam war.
Carved water-buffalo in the market stalls of Ban Thapaene. Following lunch, a short jungle walk led us past the Asiatic Black Bear Sanctuary which is home to more than 20 Asiatic black bears who have been rescued from the bile-harvesting trade. A joint project of the Australian and Lao governments, the sanctuary is funded by donations on site and through the Australian-based not-for-profit Free the Bears organisation. (I’m sure they’d love your support!)
Play-Space: Asiatic Black Bear Sanctuary, Laos "You with the sad face..." ... a rescued Asiatic black bear. Then onward, through more jungle, to the beautiful tiered waterfalls of Khuang Xi (or Kuang Si – that pesky transliteration again!).
A monk on the pathway... . . . . . . . . to Khuang Xi Waterfalls A low wooden bridge is part of the well-groomed pathway along side the river. Travertine falls amid lush jungle. The limestone ground gives the water a glorious colour... ... and provide multiple little falls, up the whole length of Khouang Xi Waterfall. Although the waters are quite cold, many people took the opportunity to cool off from the jungle heat. Last stop before home: another village.  Clearly a full and varied day out. Perhaps one day I’ll get back there – when I’m actually well enough to enjoy it!
Photos: 26 March 2010
Posted in Culture,Every Day Life,Laos,Nature,Religious Practice,TravelTags: blog,boats,buddhism,children,Laos,National Park,nature,people,Photo Blog,religion,sculpture,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall,worship
Boats in Snug Cove Breakfast on the Wharf (iPhone) It is off-season here in Eden.
The days are very quiet, and the evenings are even quieter. The kids are back at school and the humpback whales are feeding in Antarctica. The local caravan parks are almost empty of visitors and it’s easy to get a parking space on main street or an outside table at the cafes near the wharf.
We’ve just had several months’ supply of rain in little over a week, so the waves crashing on the beaches are yellowed and the usually clear-blue waters of the Sapphire Coast are muddy-looking from the silt washed down from the hills.
Last Sunday we decided to take advantage of the first sunny day in what seemed like ages. We rode our bicycles to the Eden’s wharf on Snug Cove and indulged in brunch before joining a scenic cruise on Twofold Bay.
I had been told to check in at ten o’clock, in case the Twofold Bay Discovery Cruise wasn’t going out, so I wandered down to the water’s edge while my breakfast was cooking to have a look.
Fishing boats at rest ~ Snug Cove, Eden Buoy in the quiet waters of Snug Cove Cat Balou ~ a 16 metre catamaran designed for sight-seeing cruises. Rosalind and Gordon, owner-operators of Cat Balou Cruises, make their boat ship-shape in readiness. The sun was shining and the water was calmer than it had been for several weeks: clearly the perfect weather to go out on the bay.
Twofold Bay, named for its two bights by George Bass, who passed this way in 1797/98 on his way to Bass Strait, is one of the deepest natural harbours in the world. Historically home to whaling stations, the area still pays tribute to the killer whales that used to assist in the hunt for humpbacks. Today, when the humpbacks make their annual migration, between September and November, they are tracked at a respectful distance by the sight-seeing boats.
This time of year we’d be lucky to spot some Australian fur seals, or possibly penguins or dolphins.
A perfect day for taking pictures, as we leave Snug Cove. Rocks, mussel farm and sailboats: truly a multi-functional space! Cattle Bay, Eden Quarantine Bay, so named because a sailing ship with a smallpox epidemic on board took refuge here in the 1800s, is now home to the Amateur Fishing Club and the local yacht club. Heading home from Boydtown Beach... Seahorse Inn, started in 1843, was the centrepiece of Ben Boyd's eponymous Boydtown. A Japanese-owned woodchip mill has operated at the south end of Eden's Twofold Bay since 1967. Rocks at the mouth of Kiah Inlet. A family-owned whaling station here operated until 1930. Edrom Lodge was built in 1910 for John Logan. The 28-room manor was modelled on his Scottish home. It later became a guest house, and then a prison farm. Now, it is managed by the Forestry Commission and operates as a group function facility, accommodating up to 70 people. The vivid colours of Kiah Inlet. A sea eagle circles over Kiah Inlet looking for fish. The Naval munitions wharf at Kiah Inlet is used as a general loading dock... ... and a fishing platform ... Most months two ships sail to Japan, Taiwan or China, with 43,000 tonnes of wood chips each, to be turned into high quality paper products. Boyd's Tower, the 19 1/2 meter sandstone tower built in 1846, can just be seen over the tumbled rocks of Red Point (South Head). Ben Boyd built the tower to light the way for his whaling and merchant ships. The government said that if he lit it for his boats, he must light it for all boats - which he refused. So, it never operated as a lighthouse. Some say the jagged red rocks of Red Point look like the face of a North American Indian. Recreational boaters, sporting white zinc to protect from the sun, race through the waters of Red Point. After a delightful two hours, we head home. Rosalind and Gordon, the owner-operators of Cat Balou Cruises, looked after us well and did their best to point out the one seal who was hiding under the dock. Aside from the seaeagle, and the usual cormorants and seagulls, we had no luck with the wildlife at all. We were, essentially, watching water.
But what views! We’d seen some of this coastline from the air, and it is just as magnificent from the water.
 Can you imagine what it will be like in the good season?
I can hardly wait!
Posted in Architecture,Australia,Nature,TravelTags: architecture,beach,blog,boats,fishing,fishing boats,National Park,nature,people,Photo Blog,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall
Shopfront Abstract: "Buddha Dreams", Luang Prabang I received a postcard from friends this week: a picture of women in Laos on their knees giving alms to the monks.
It reminded me how much I love Laos: the songs, dances and smiles of the people, the brilliant hand-woven fabrics, the colourful markets, the ethnic villages, the beautiful countryside… I’m less fond of the border markets like those I talked about last week, with their cheap Chinese electricals, clothing, and leather-goods, and their bears in cages, but I guess that is all part of the whole.
The postcard made me nostalgic for my visit to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed town of Luang Prabang, back in March of 2010.
Described by UNESCO as “an outstanding example of the fusion of traditional architecture and Lao urban structures with those built by the European colonial authorities in the 19th and 20th centuries”, Luang Prabang is a charming town where the gentle rhythms of a religion that is lived daily are in evidence everywhere.
Stone Buddhas ~ Luang Prabang Lamps on the Mekong Late sun in the palms, Luang Prabang Not-withstanding the smoke in the air from the usual spring burning when I was there, and a fever I was running from a bout of illness I had picked up elsewhere, the city wove it’s magic over me.
Wat Nong Sikhounmuang, Luang Prabang Temple Still-Life: Long Boat, Wat Nong Sikhounmuang (I Think) Golden Buddha: Wat Nong Sikhounmuang Young Lao Woman Offerings and Prayers ~ at the Feet of the Buddha, Wat Nong Sikhounmuang Graceful lines and curves: Wat Nong Sikhounmuang Spider at the Back Door - Wat Pak Khan Crocs on the Step Seller of Offerings: Wat Xieng Thong Lay your offerings here. Wat Xieng Thong The epitome of traditional Lao temple architecture, Wat Xieng Thong, built in 1560. Apsaras and Deer Ancient Wooden Buddha: Wat Xieng Thong Window with a mosaic depicting everyday life ~ Wat Xieng Thong Wat Xieng Thong's famous "Tree of Life" mosaic was crafted in 1960. Stupa ~ Wat Xieng Thong "Little Nen" ~ Novice ~ Wat Xieng Thong Lines and Curves ~ a "dok so fa" on the roof of Wat Xieng Thong Luang Prabang got its well-deserved reputation and its World Heritage listing as a “Cultural Site”, not just from its architecturally beautiful temples, but from the way these are still integrated into the daily life of the whole community. Every morning at six am, the people of Luang Prabang come out to the main street to give offerings of food to the monks of those temples as they make their way, barefoot and single file on their morning alms rounds.
Morning on the streets of Luang Prabang, in front of Wat Nong Sikhounmuang. Waiting to give alms in the morning Monks on their morning rounds Making Merit Begging Bowl Women waiting to give alms, Luang Prabang After the rounds: morning chores. This morning routine of giving food to the monks so that they are able look after of the spiritual needs of of the community frames the day: setting the rhythm and the pace of life in this charming town.
I’d love to go back, as my friends knew when they sent me the postcard. With that, my photos and my memories, I can at least revisit in spirit.
Wishing you happy travels.
Photos: 24-28 March, 2010
Posted in Architecture,Laos,Religious Practice,TravelTags: architecture,blog,Laos,Luang Prabang,people,Photo Blog,religion,sculpture,temple,travel,Travel Blog,Ursula Wall,World Heritage,worship
Water gateway to the two rivers and the three countries: Golden Triangle “By the way, you DO have your passports with you, don’t you?” our guide asked (in Thai) after the van we were in had pulled away from our hotel. At least, that is what I finally figured out she had said – by which time we were already five or ten minutes down the highway. Negotiating meaning in another language is always a tricky business!
And, no – we didn’t have our passports. While I had read our itinerary, including the market stop in Mae Sai in the afternoon (…14.00 น. ตลาดท่าขี้เหล็กที่อ.แม่สาย…. ), I had missed the part (… ประเทศพม่า… ) where it mentioned Myanmar.
It was day two of our three day stay at De River Boutique Resort in the Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai. I was warned, when I bought our package deal at a travel expo in Bangkok, that they had only Thai-speaking guides. Our guide did, in fact, speak some English, and my Thai keeps us fed; most of the time we manage. But this exchange about the passports almost tripped us up completely: before setting off on our day’s tour, we had to return to our room to dig out our credentials.
The first markets we visited that day were local ones. After “making merit” with the horse-riding monks early in the morning and visiting the Royal Mae Fah Luang Gardens at Doi Tung, we stopped to browse the wares made and sold by the Akha hilltribe people. One of the larger ethnic groups in the region, the Akha are known for their crafts. They are also known for their slash-and-burn farming methods and for their cultivation and (traditionally) ritual use of opium. Consequently, there are numerous programs funded by local (Thai) royal projects and NGOs, as well as international NGOs, developed to foster the manufacture and sale of indigenous crafts, and to encourage more environmentally-friendly farming practices and replacement cash crops (especially coffee).
I’m always happy to do my bit by gift shopping for fabrics in these small markets. I do, however, draw the line at tiger teeth and snake whiskey!
Woman at work ~ Akha Market ~ Doi Tung, Thailand Bags in the Sunshine ~ Akha Market Doi Tung Woman at work ~ Akha Market ~ Doi Tung Silver bracelets ~ Akha Market ~ Doi Tung Tiger Teeth ~ Akha Market ~ Doi Tung Thais love shopping.
The large street market in Tachileik, Myanmar, just across the Mae Sai River from Mae Sai, the northern-most point of Thailand, is particularly popular. Here Thais can get semi-illicit alcohol and cigarettes at prices far below those at home. Traditionally part of the opium trade routes, this area is still known for its distribution of “yaa baa” (methamphetamine) pills. We must have looked too conservative: we were offered no more than some pot and the usual cigarettes, pirate DVDs and “dirty” pictures.
This spot is also popular for non-Thais who need to exit the country temporarily for a “Visa Run” to extend their stay in Thailand. For us, the adventure was in the border crossing itself: the process of queuing, photocopying documents, queuing and paying, and queuing some more, took about an hour. Only then were we able to join the foot-, tuk-tuk-, car-, and bus-traffic across the river through no-man’s-land to the Burmese checkpoints and into the crowded markets below.
Crossing the Burmese border from Mae Sai to Tachileik. Street Market, Tachileik , Myanmar Burmese Buddhas for sale, Tachileik. Tachileik Temple Buddha From Money to Offerings: Buddhist Temple, Tachileik Drink Seller: Tachileik Market (Notice the thanaka paste on her face.) Thanaka wood for grinding into the paste or cream commonly worn in Myanmar and parts of Thailand. Tees for Sale: Tachileik Market, Myanmar Tuk-tuks head back to Thailand with as much as they can carry! The next morning we were met at the boat landing behind our hotel for a trip up and down the Mekong and a stop at another local market – this time in Laos.
The market was quiet: Thailand and Laos were (and still are) giving each other the diplomatic cold-shoulder over the killing, a week or two before, of 13 Chinese sailors. The sailors were on two cargo boats laden with drugs, travelling the short distance from China down the Mekong between Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. The Shan State, over the river from Thailand in Myanmar, with its drug-financed ethnic warlords and heavy Chinese influence, continues to trade in opium, people, rubies, teak and firearms, and the whole area – traditionally known for the production and distribution of opium – still has a well-deserved reputation for lawlessness. According to one report, the Chinese sailors were killed before the boats reached Thai waters: a heavily-armed pirate in Burmese waters was held responsible for their execution. The story we saw when we were there was that nine men, members of the Thai military but acting “unofficially”, had been arrested for the murders. According to a recent Reuters report (January 27, 2012), no arrests were ever made and the situation remains muddy.
Either way, the Chinese were very unhappy with the Thais. Laos, which is politically and financially affiliated with China – to the extent of having Chinese casinos and a Chinese economic free-trade zone in the immediate area – was suffering from the Thai boycott of market trade. We had the Donsao market to ourselves. The packed-dirt ground and the threat of rain added to the feel of quiet desolation.
Welcome to Donsao, Laos Bone Pipes and Pots The happy pipe seller: punctuate that any way you like! Scorpion and cobra whiskey: for medicinal purposes... I'm not sure what ailments warrant this "cure". Cobra taste-testing? Buddha heads and banyan trees for sale. Souvenir Laos Dolls A captive sun bear sits in a small cage behind the markets. Boats on the muddy Mekong Markets are always a pleasure to visit, and provide an interesting insight into people’s priorities and lives. I love the noise and colours and textures.
I’m less fond of finding bears in cages…
I trust you stay well – lest we have to treat you with snake whiskey. Cheers! Pictures: October 30-31, 2011
Posted in Every Day Life,Laos,Myanmar,Religious Practice,Thailand,Travel,WorkTags: arts and crafts,blog,buddhism,market,people,Photo Blog,religion,rural,sculpture,temple,textiles,Ursula Wall,weaving,work,worship
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Beautifully written and a great weekend
We missed you guys at the relay and enjoyed the same beautiful weather. I love jazz in all its forms so am seriously jealous, although we rocked the night away with Jimmy Barnes brother Alan who outsings his brother big time…
will have to remember the weekend in case we’re free next year, sounds like a whole lottafun…thanks for sharing
Ich liebe Jazz und was für eine Sfeer drücken Deine Bilder aus. Einfach wunderbar Ursula. Grüsse, Dietmut
Thanks Signe, Schönen Dank Dietmut, Спасибо .. to all my Russian spammers.
The spare room is still free for next year: first come first serve!
😀
[…] make great excuses to get into Kosciuszko National Park. I’ve said it before: (Summer Blues; All that Jazz; Blues in Colour) I love music in the […]