There's no place like...home?

Two Reasons not to visit Pakbara

Hello loyal patrons of this humble site - apologies for the long stretch of silence, but most of you have hugged, held and harrumphed with us in the flesh these past 6 weeks, as we (or I specifically, Ryan being the shining example of Japanese diligence) have gallavanted across the world, spreading music and cheer.

Now I wanted to begin this blog with a clear pictorial warning about why nobody should ever spend the night in Pakbara, Satun Province, Thailand. I am not saying these people are evil or dangerous, but couple them with a complete lack of beer at any eating joint in town, and you begin to see why I need to offer such a stern and direct warning.

That said, even if you are forced to spend the night in the purgatorial vistas of Pakbara, the next day you are rewarded with this:



Koh Lipe. A slice of heaven surrounded by azure waters filled with abundant sea creatures, while on shore many Swedish gods await you, accompanying the divine sunsets with displays of volleyball prowess, while the Gypsy Kings' 'Bamboleo' rings out every night at 5pm.


A beautiful view

Though the island sits in the Andaman sea, right between the tsunami hit zones of Krabi and Langkawi, incredibly this little place was completely untouched by the devastation. I spent 4 blissful days there in the company of long-lost friends and it was a joyful start to my journey.



Something is coming over me - I don't know how to explain it, but every time I see a cute kid I get this insatiable urge to starting taking pictures, in between going "eeek - sooo cute...ahh kawaii". I am just not sure - Is it the Anne Geddes syndrome? Or am I just getting ridiculously clucky? Either way here are a few samples of my 'kid-pics' from the start of the trip.







It was hard to leave, so, so hard. The only things that made it possible to leave was the prospect of seeing the beautiful Ry-Ry and heading back home for a stretch...

That's a funny thing - this concept of home. I got back to Melbourne and I felt like I was home, but only because it was familiar and all my mates were there awaiting me with open arms. I felt connected to the place, but I didn't feel like it was a home-coming neccessarily. Now, when I visit Canberra, I feel the same thing only 10-fold. I have many memories there and dear friends too, but I can't say in any way that it is home to me.

Now here I am, back in Japan. When I got here, well Ryan was waiting for me and he bought me back to our house and I thought 'Wow - I'm home!' So, is it that having a place where you walk in and shut the door and it's your space...is that home? Or is it having a connection in some deep way, say to another person, so that whenever you are there with them, in whatever place, it is like being home? I like the sound of that, because it means we can make our home where-ever we wander! ( A bad Paul Young song from '86 is coming to mind here...)

I have a lot of stories to tell about my travels...about making joyous music with the Melbourne rogues, about the way your heart leaps in circles when you see wonderful friends again....about how spiritual and sublime it is to watch two friends commit their lives to each other under a gorgeous February sky and how your whole spirit moves to hear the stories of old men.

Then there are the stories of Thailand. Of smashed buildings, ruined beaches and hearty resilience. Of having money to give and finding so much corruption and guile that I felt sick...the burden of money, even when it was raised with love...Of learning and being blessed with teachers.

I have a couple of free weeks and so I am going to share these snippets with you, little by little. It's late now and a cold snap has come over Osaka, alongside a ferocious wind. My clay sake jug is empty and my lover is curled in bed, with another early start, so I leave you with some more images and a promise to tell another tale tomorrow.

Kimba xxx



I love a viking in the morning!


This is my awesome bro -
can you see the resemblence? We are all dressed up to go see the Doors...and hey! They were pretty bloody good and any fool who says they are like a cover band is forgetting about Ray...Yeah, so sexy Jim is dead and he was the pull of the group, but Ray Manzarek wrote all those amazing organ bits...so cut em some slack! We had a ball.


I just look at this and think - Sydoneee mateee!