This year I thought I have to go and take one of those typical photos of Europeans in bikini and santa hats and sunnys on a beach! :D
That's what St. Nikolaus put in my shoe...
Kitty is still sweet
And in Woodford! The Fencing crew I am in and that is by far the grooviest crew and family... hard work brings us together, all right
The "Game" castle
And look what Paddy and Eva, my lovely German friends, did for me!
Freezing their pretty bums off <3
IIIIII'm going back to Woodfordia now where there's hardly Internet (or rather time for internet...)
I'm going to have a ball, and you?
See you next year!
Big old Ponyhugs and Whiskerkisses and lots of Love for you all
Tomorrow me and Laurie the car move to Woodfordia, our festival home for the rest of the year where we will undoubtedly have the most bombastic time eveeeeeeerrr.....
!!!!
Ian McKee, Ela from Canada with whom I went to see Bon Jovi in Melbourne last December, Maryline and Anthony, Dom and his son Jarome, and sooooo many more friends will be there too!
And, of course, all these musicians and artists... Nahko!!!
Just in case you really still don't know from all my praising what the Woodford Folk Festival is like:
Before I go on about Woodford, I have to write about something I wanted to write about since Bali and never got around to it. I was told about some crazy sounding traditional medicine in Bali and Asian culture -
- Gendarussa - a plant that grows in West Papua and has been used by the local population since centuries as a reversible male contraception that works! For about 3 months it disables enzymes on the sperm cells so they are not able to penetrate the ovules anymore http://www.newmalecontraception.org/indonesian-pill-gandarusa/
- tuak - a slightly alcoholic drink made of fermented palm tree sap that it not only popular because of the alcohol and the taste, but about which is also said that it "cures diabetes" or probably rather keeps the blood sugar balanced. Unfortunately I could not find a good website about this in English, there seems to be a lot about this subject written in Bahasa Indonesia though...
So I can only repeat what my friend Tin told me, a young German-Indonesian man who studied renewable energies in Australia and is interested in the ancient local household remedies.
Can it really be completely nonsense? More likely there is quite a bit of truth in it and it only takes some years of research until it becomes public to the non Asian part of the population.
Well I rolled on the floor when I discovered this. Kate Miller-Heidke, the Queen of Woodford with the opera voice and the kooky way of being, covered a song from "The Beards"!
Even the Beards- leadsinger Johann Beardraven joined her for this gig. And even the tambourine's got a beard!
This is the way bearded people and beardless people can unite <3
This won't happen this year at Woodford, unfortunately -Europe, you're having the Beards over there right now!
The Mae Trio - sweet!
Sue-Anne Stewart, a local surfergirl with funky music which I really like.
After I played her CD for the 10th time on the living room stereo, Dom said: "Is that Sue-Anne Stewart? Ahhh I asked her for a date once but she said No. " :D :D
Too late now as you see she's happy with hubby and daughter now, good on her!
And there! She's my new music addiction, Mama Kin is her name and the more I listen to her, the more I love what she's doing and how it sounds!
She happens to be John Butler's wife
(come on you know John Butler hopefully everyone?! It's this badass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdYJf_ybyVo)
But their music is quite different. Not as guitar-y but I don't know, she's got something about her...
And, she's really a Mama, this is so charming :D
I will watch these kids of two amazing talents grow up and listen to every bit of music that they will (hopefully, almost no doubt) produce one day.
On our last day in Bali, we just strolled around Kuta and met up with Asonk (remember? The groovy Couchsurfing guy!) the the beach.
Dom got himself a special birthday present that day. Growing up on the East Coast of Australia, had never ever seen a sunset over the ocean in his life. Sounds pretty crazy, hm? But if you think about it, it's logical...
So on his 50. birthday he saw the sun set on Kuta beach, with a cold beer in his hand. Could be worse!
In a mix of shock and delight, we discovered a couple of orphan monkey babies tied to a cage standing on the sand. They belonged to a man who got them from tourists who had saved them from ending up as satay. We couldn't believe it, they were so scared and cute and just like frightened little babies... As soon as Dom got on his knees beside the cage, they leaped onto his lap and snuggled up tightly, looking for warmth and protection.
It was great to see Asonk again, he even organized us a cheap taxi to the airport.. a helpful friend until the last minute ;)
We had an almost sleepless night on the plane to Brisbane (Dom had an upset stomach :/ )
Shuffled out of the airport sleep deprived, and got welcomed Maryline and LAURIE! I was so happy to see them again.
I know, he's just a car, but .... He's that one steady thing that I got in this country, my home, my artwork and my ticket to freedom.
We dropped Maryline off and made our way south direction Byron Bay.
And then...
The Nahko and Medicine for the People concert!!!
Uuuuuhhh I was sooooo excited
Dustin Thomas, the bands' bassist and super talented singer songwriter (and beatboxer) himself, did the opening of the show - WOW! Check him out, think I might become a fan ;)
Nahko Bear. :)
"Dooooom! It's Nahko!! It's NAAAHKOOO!!"
Chase Makai, frickin' AWESOME lead guitarist shredding the 12 string
Justin Chittams
Dustin "Little Buffalo" Thomas with the fuzzy head and the big smile
Unforntunately, Hope Medford, the amazing lady on the cajon was not part of the crew. Being a bit older than the other band members, I bet she took a break from all this crazy jet setting and driving and travelling around the globe, from town to town and gig to gig. But for me she's a part and highlight of the band and I hope, I will see Hope in Woodford! :)
That chick! Is the most WICKED dancer EVER!
Nahko said her name but I can't remember, I searched the Internet for ages to find out her name and start feeling like a real stalker, but I can't find out who she is :(
Anyway, she came on stange during "Warrior People" and started dancing like I have never seen anyone dancing before, it was mindblowing. I even stopped looking at Nahko singing because I looked at her with an open mouth, she was dancing so stunningly. No idea how you would call that sorta dance, she stomped and waved and wiggled and bent and flowed, then she was like a robot, then she was like a hip hopper, then like someone on drugs jumping around, but very gracefully...
During "Wash it away", which is partly about Australia and its aboriginal culture, a traditionally dressed Aborinigal danced...
Photos by Kurt Petersen from www.thedwarf.com.au
Of course Nahko and his friends are also determined enemies of the fracking that's going on in this beautiful country with the irresponsible money grabbing government. To learn more, Lock the Gate!
www.lockthegate.org.au
We danced the ghost dance in two seperate countries To this old song, so familiar to memory The road will teach you how to love and let go it can be lonely but it's the only way that we've ever known Our mommas told us, Let go of jealousy and for vagabonds and vagrants that won't come so easy we've come from nothing, nothing I traveled halfway across the country and back Only to find love defined and I'm ok with that 'cause I'm gonna be a guardian be a man among men or be a woman among women be a guardian, be my friend Teach me to love you in a different way same cuts, same guts, same crazy It'll wash away Lift 'em up.
On the following day, we found a beautiful empty, white and bright and VERY windswept beach to chill out and catch up on some sleep, before we made our way inland to a place near Lismore - Bodhi Tree Forest Monastery. www.buddhanet.net/bodhi-tree/schedule.html
This place was not only well worth a visit because of its remoteness, spiritual peacefulness and undisturbed beautiful nature - it is also the home of Mal, an old mate of Dom's. They've been close friends and work mates for years, until they both ended up stuck in places/lives/committments/circumstances or whatever - they hadn't seen each other for 10 years!
At my age, I can't even imagine how it would be like to reunite with a close friend from such a long time ago, but it must have been awesome and very happy for them.
Mal is cook and gardener and caretaker for the Monastery, and visiting him was the reason why I bought tickets for the Nahko concert in Byron and not at home on the Sunny Coast (where they also played). So Dom would finally have a good reason to travel all the way down to Lismore and catch up with him.
They talked and laughed talked and played guitar and showed photos and reminisced and talked... :D
Happy Birthday Dooooom!
In the meantime I enjoyed the beautiful place, tried to meditate, and got a terrible hay fever attack -_-
I don't wanna complain, but I'm so fed up with the hay fever and all the snotting and sniffing and snorting, the itch, the tissue party, the gasps for air while eating, throbbing head, the sleepless nights and the general feeling like a big ugly piece of crap. I had it before Bali, it took me 3 weeks in Bali to recover, and now I have it again, aaaaarrr!!!
All you pitiful-amused readers, be happy if you don't have such a messed up immune system, hey.
Sunday. Next stop was the Gold Coast where we visited Dom's oldest daughter Honi who provided us with a delicious lunch...
Afterwards Dom picked up his car parked in Brisbane and went home, because he had work the next day.
I steered Laurie on familiar roads and went to catch up with Ian in Mt. Mee :)
Again, I was provided with a tasty meal, and a bunch of happy kids, fresh mountain air, a place to park and sleep in the clear night, and a splendid conversational companion :)
The next day, I visited Wendy's horse valley to see how my racehorses were going and how much the babies had grown! That felt like coming home already ... of course the foals have grown a lot, some horses I knew are gone, some new ones came and some familiar ones even seemed to recognize me :3 Tango and Diva and Pixie and Ember and Star and ....
After that, it was finally time to return to Buddina and see if my Kitty would still remember me...
She grew up! Kitty is no kitten anymore... as big as Mow Mow, the older cat now. Beating her up over the food and becoming fat herself!
And not as sweet and cuddly anymore... rather a bit bity-clawy-cranky.... maybe she is sulking :D
It's Christmas time!!!
I love Christmas, did I mention?
And I get almost a bit homesick this time of the year...
Compared to all those Aussies who don't even know how a real traditional Christmas is like...
And I desperately try to explain who St. Nikolaus is and what an "Adventskranz" is and why I want one... and that I want an Advents calendar! And candles! And I'll bake Christmas cookies and play "Weihnachten mit Boney M" and "Rolf Zuckowski"....
And maybe I will, for heaven's sake, stop mocking that plastic thing they have as a Christmas tree...
Can be quite fun, I "stick together" my tree, this year!
At least I have a tree this year, and a Christmassy home, not like last year, when we were on the road and didn't even really have time to get into a Christmassy mood.
And, come on, decorating a Christmas tree in shorts and bikini - that's pretty good!
Woohoo people, I write to you quick what happened in this week since my last post, because it was so much, and so exciting, and the upcoming week is gonna be even more so, that I better write it down now before it all overlaps and messes up and disappears under and around each other...
So last Tuesday morning, after saying See ya to Ubud...
Off on my own I was with my little scooter on those roads taking me right in the middle of the traffic chaos surrounding Denpasar, Kuta... and the airport. Right there I had to get - alive, without damage, and preferably in time to catch my Aussie friend Dom hopping off the plane.
All the time he secretly had been planning to travel to Bali and join me for my last week, but I never really believed he would seriously do it. Well.... he DID, because he hadn't left Australia for the last 10 years, because his big birthday is coming up and he deserves a present and a holiday and because had never been to Bali (while pretty much every Aussie has at some point!) and because he felt the strong need to just get out of his armchair.
... and so I decided to just take him with me on my scooter trip to Amed.
Amed on the north east side of Bali is known for its amazing diving and snorkeling sites.
That Bali traffic is just insaaane - but I know you don't wanna hear another whinge about polluted air and no road rules and danger and more polluted air.
Having learned how to appreciate my own health SO MUCH, I was super duper extremely keen not to get involved in an accident - wide open eyes rushing from road to mirror ro road to left to right to road to mirror, ready to slam the brakes any second, and paying like 150% of my attention for more than 2 hours....
Imagine how tired and relieved I was when I let myself fall down on my bottom on the airport foyer's floor.
BUT: The only damage I had was sunburnt arms! If that's not a success for someone who learned how to drive a scooter in Bali some two weeks ago, yay.
A while later, I got up on my feet again to give Dom a Hello hug, and with him in tow went to do the same thing backwards - get out of Kuta/Denpasar alive and then along the coast, direction Amed.
Dom sitting behind me was as excited and happy as a little boy on a school trip, wobbeling the little scooter around with his long arms and legs and giving me a hard time to keep the balance :D
After getting lost in the middle of Denpasar we made it out of the madhouse main traffic area and with the sun in our back, we whizzed to Padang Bai, a tiny fisher village about halfway to Amed.
Next day, after a bit more of getting lost, we reached our destination and spent a great time watching the stunning unterwater life in the reefs... You cross the pebbly black volcanic sand beach and wade into the bay and just right there is a wonderful coral reef with loads and loads of stunningly colourful fish cavorting around. Like in "Finding Nemo" or "The little Mermaid" :))))
Once more, dammit I have no GoPro or another kind of waterproof camera to capture all this for you!
And bummer that we missed out on snorkeling the shipwrecks there, but we were eager to get on our scooty again and feel the wind whistling in our ears.
But we could not have been further away from complaint.
The way home convinced us that we bought the full adventure package by going on this trip.
First thing, that "nice road" up to Mount Batur was the most horrible mountain goat track that has ever been called a road.
There was hardly any straight asphalt, mostly is was rocky, potholy dirt path with occasional patches of asphalt. Washed out by the rain and so steep that Dom had to help pushing up the mountain with his legs and I had to get off the scooter and walk several times because the poor littly scooty was struggling and straining like a chain smoker hiking the Himalaya. But it kept chugging along like a champion!
If it would have broke down on that steep remote mountainside track, we would've been slightly screwed :D
On the way down from the mountains on the other side then, we rushed straight into a police control. Thanks to the heavens that I was driving and not Dom, because I have an international driver's license and he doesn't. And the Balinese policemen are known for taking all the money they can get off you if they catch you driving without and international license. In our case, there was nothing he could make a fuss about, so we scootered off in relief.
About 11 km out of our destination Ubud, we hit another bump in the road. Balinese roads can be quite good but still your scooter takes a flogging about 10000 times on a roadtrip from countless bumps and deep edgy potholes.
So this particular pothole was the straw that broke our scooty's back - or put in a more realistic way, pinched it a flat tyre.
So we pushed our faithful flat steed to the next mechanic!
Back in Ubud, I was happy to be in the splendid company of the 9warung people again... last but not least because of the food!
Clearly to see, Dom loves it too
Angel!
And Joy, the puppy. (Puppyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!)
Seeing Angel and Joy playfully wrestling around made me feel like painting this
Traditional stone ornaments on the temples.
Ancient forms of good and evil personified in stone....
The four little native pigs, inhabiting the pig tractor I wrote about in the last post
And the fluffy ducklings! How much they've grown! They'rejust about double the size now.... but still sweet.
