after everything, it's nice to be back. we took a train from changsha the night after the gig at the freedom house, which was a very relaxed (read: exhausted, with sickness and sleep deprivation both doing their parts) gig to a small crowd downstairs at the freedom house. the freedom house is a really cool bar, with three levels of intimate little seating areas, and across the lane is the gig venue. unfortunately this hadn't finished being refurbished when we got there, so we were playing next to the bar downstairs. people clapped and smiled, and that was about all we [View Full Entry]

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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, [View Full Entry]

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i like chengdu, despite its dull grey polluted skies (which actually had a tinge of blue to them these last couple of days; you couldn't even look directly at the sun!), the grimy city feel and the millions of people bustling quickly past. actually, maybe i like it because of those last two things. it's got a pleasantly seedy, busy vibe to it. that said, we've been a bit removed from the city on this particular trip. being variously strapped for cash or unwilling to part with more than we have to, we've been avoiding hostels so far on the tour. [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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the first stage of our tour of china as a laowai band..... well, it has certainly been a very long time between blogs. what have i done with that time? the answer is, not a lot, spot. i've been mostly staying in kunming, in the flat of the quebec redneck bluegrass project boys, most of whom are currently on tour in india. we've been eating good food, smoking, drinking, and watching shitty dvds. getting new tattoos, piercings, playing music, partying. experiencing all kinds of strange weather - beautiful and sunny one day, half a foot of snow on the ground the [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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i am so fucking glad to be back in china, it's unbelievable. i nearly kissed the ground after i walked through immigration at the border of vietnam (but refrained, for obvious hygiene reasons). the last few days in vietnam were somewhat of an ordeal, but now i am safely delivered to the fatherland! china, home of youtiao (fried bread sticks) and hot doujiang (soymilk) for breakfast. familiar, and yet strange. it's so comforting to be back. unfortunately, it is not the land of card readers, so i still have no photos for you. this is rather disgraceful, and i intend to [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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ok, ok. the big temples entry. when i left you, i was riding away from some crazy 18-year-old on the back of a moto. i caught the bus to siem reap and settled down for the ride. it seemed like a lot longer than it really was (about 6 and a half hours), but i made it in the end. siem reap was dark and full of people and lights when i got there. i got off the bus and was instantly mobbed by a surging throng of moto and tuk-tuk drivers, all competing for my business. i yelled "just let [View Full Entry]

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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. [View Full Entry]

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