it has definitely been a weird few days. when i wrote the last entry, we'd just played our gigs in chengdu and were headed to changsha the next day. alas, that was not to be, cos we missed the train due to an unusual amount of traffic on the roads. luckily, there was a ticket-lady who spoke english and let us change the tickets to the next day, free of charge. as we drove to the train station, the city was overrun with people carrying placards. at first i thought they were protesters, but they turned out to be advertisers (again, i had to remind myself that i was in china, and not at home - protesters aren't looked upon quite so kindly here). they were everywhere, and with their all-pervasive presence, you almost didn't notice ... read more

well, we left kunming. it was a sad day for everyone - big hugs abounded and there was much sentiment from the girls and camaraderie and pretending-not-to-care from the boys. or maybe genuinely not caring - those quebec boys know about travelling, and know that maybe they'll see us again somewhere, and if not, well, it was fantastic while it lasted. i'm really going to miss the place and the people. the crazy nights of drinking, and embarrassing drunken incidents (which i do not need to elaborate on), the food and cooking (oh, the days of banana masala pancakes and vegan pies), and smoking and dvds and waking too early to the sound of the construction site that obscured our view of the city from the window of the flat. ahhhh, kunming. city of eternal spring. ... read more

so i'm back in kunming. let me quickly get you up to date........ i got to dali and breathed a huge sigh of relief. it was so nice to be somewhere familiar, and to know that i'd be seeing mickey and other familiar faces really really soon. i checked into a hostel and hit the streets. chris had gone to find somewhere with a single room, but i'd decided i wanted to travel a bit more on the cheap than that. it was getting dark, and i was hungry. walking down the cobblestones of huguo lu, i was greeted with lots of familiar sights. old bai ladies coming up to me and trying to sell me weed. bright-coloured embroidery and indigo batik hanging up everywhere. tarnished silver jewellry, japanese tourists, the lazy book cafe. it was ... read more

this was the last statement lane (the buddhist vegan we met in pakse) made in his email to me about vietnam. when i received it, i'd been there about 15 hours, and i was inclined to agree. hordes of traffic bustling down narrow streets, people constantly trying to yell at me and sell me stuff, and looming crumbling concrete and grey skies. babylon indeed. i confess, it's been a while since my last blog, and i also have to regretfully say that you're unlikely to see any photos any time soon. hanoi is draining all my energy, and uploading photos is not a task that my severely depleted reserves of patience are really up to. so i'll try to explain as well as i can in words, and you can have a look at some photos ... read more

well, actually i'm in siem reap, but i only just got here, so....... i have been prompted to write another entry. told to get back to the task and all that. unfortunately there's no card reader here, so no photos for you just yet. that'll have to wait a couple of days. anyway. so, i left phnom penh at long last, with my ipod newly loaded up with music (sublime, nofx, nirvana, ani di franco, ozomatli and various others i'd been missing), and a piece of paper in my hand with the names of some guesthouses and restaurants to check out. i was headed to kampot, the town nestled in the province of the same name, in the south of cambodia. the bus ride was one of the nicest i've had in a while. the bus ... read more