The jaded expat locals call this place 'Snookyville' as if they couldn't be bothered to actually pronounce the real name of Sihanoukville, and I've been guilty of it myself... Whatever, here I am... it was a long and patience-challenging bus ride, especially the first part which was the daily traffic jam of Phnom Penh... it took us most of two hours in stop and stop traffic to get out of town... then another 4 hours to the beach. I was stuck in a lousy seat in the back, next to a nice old Khmer lady, (half of her teeth were still in her head) who talked to me fairly frequently, not seeming to notice my shoulders-up 'I don't understand' expression. It was fine. There was a little girl maybe 7 sitting across from us with her mom, and the mom was in some kind of distress or pain. At one point she asked the old lady to do something with her scalp... and the woman responded by taking little tufts of hair and giving them a sharp tug... as if to stimulate some kind of acupressure points or something related. Then the mom asked the woman behind us if she'd rub some tiger balm on her back and this was done also. Meanwhile the young girl is upset... I figured she was worried about her mom and she started crying and sobbing... People were turning around to see what was up. I didn't quite understand it, but the drama was on.
Arrived at the bus station, happily retrieved my guitar and backpack from underneath the bus... I was a little paranoid that since I was stuck in the back of the bus, someone might just grab my gear before I could get off. But a few people left the bus early, so I was able to move up. No problem. Grabbed my stuff, got on the back of a motorbike who offered me a $3 ride to Serendipity Beach, big tipper me gave him $4. It was worth it. Walked down the beach to find my friend Simon at Cafe Noir, and there he is in the flesh. Happy reunion, we start talking music. Tells me he has a girlfriend who sings, African American woman who grew up in Palm Springs. She showed up shortly after, and wow, what a lady. Beautiful, nice, talented and in love with my buddy... Right away we started singing, I wanted to learn the stuff that was in their repertoire, and I wanted Simon to hear some of my new stuff so he could back me on bass. Hung out, drank coffee, made music and coincidentally enough, there was an open mic that night at our old haunt the Led Zephyr. (best club in town, we played there a bunch last year).
There are the old friends, (some of whom like me, some not so much), and I took my place in line... sang 3 songs, 2 of which were new ones... Got a nice response and it's good to be back. After me was this real good musician named Pat Savage who makes his living playing 'Biker Music' he's done a bunch of recordings, has a 'record deal' is working on a TV pilot.... a marketer... (talked about himself maybe a bit much, but the dude can play... Good singer, great guitarist, great on the bass, and even on the drums as he backed up another act. So at the end of the night, Simon and Tiffany (and me) went up to close out the night, and we asked Pat to sit in on drums... Mad Mike, my buddy from Chiang Mai came up to blow some harmonica and off we went. It was OFF THE HOOK! We blew the doors off the room. And why? Because everyone can play well, listen, make it happen, and when that kind of band is behind a great singer, it just lifted the whole room up. Tiffany is a huge talent, the kind the just keeps getting higher and higher as the song develops. Pat, the drummer said he had goosebumps the whole time. I was swaying and dancing with the bass. Andy is the owner of the club and he rolled some video which he says he will post. Hope so.
Hey not bad for my first day in town... What a great entree. And this Tiffany had stayed in a guest house on the beach for a few months when she came to town, and she hooked me up with the owners, yes there is a room available, it's perfect, the right location and vibe... only $220 for the month, about $7/day. My plan is to just immerse in music... get into a teaching thing, I really want to help my friends get better and they're into learning... it's part of the process. And I'll make some money here, not sure where yet, but there are gigs ahead... Happy to be in my second Asian home away from home...
Sweetness and then the road...
Well
last night couldn't have been much better... Super vibe both at the
restaurant and at the club... many friends, much kindness and good
feeling, I definitely belong here (in the winter). And I'm packed and
ready, traveling super light, I'm gonna try and not check any bags, as I
just have a 3/4 size backpack and a guitar... It would be so cool to
just walk on. Last night a 15 year old Chinese
girl came up to tell me that she played guitar. Of course I invited
her to play a song. 'Oh no, too shy' But then 5 minutes later, up she
comes at the urging of her older sister and she sang and played
something nice. (I think it was in english... a little hard to tell,
but of course everyone paid attention, and many recording devices were
engaged). (and Chinese tips were forthcoming, if one cares about that
stuff... (one does:-) Mostly it was nice to have that cross cultural
connection and appreciation. I spread a bunch of money around to the
folks who work at the guest house, some solid tips for their kindness
over the two months and a bunch of tips and kindness came back to me... I
guess that's what they call the 'flow'. It's flowing big time and I
continue to be one of the luckiest characters that you may know... Off
to Cambodia this morning, a night in Phnom Penh, then a bus to
Sihanoukville where I have some good friends and good musical
opportunities... Thank you Chiang Mai, you are a dream!
Packed up this morning, had a final cappuccino (on the house since it was my farewell coffee) and was given a gift by Linda who is the sister of La, the cafe owner. It was an herbal spray that she made from some kind of plant, to be used for muscle ache. (she took a course and shared the result with me). Grabbed a tuktuk to the airport, everything went smoothly into BKK and then into Phnom Penh. Had to 'gate check' the guitar, but it came through unscathed, so we're still on a roll.
Made it to Phnom Penh... the $7 tuktuk ride from the airport into town was totally worth it from an adventure standpoint... Basically every intersection is a game of chicken and the folks who can make it across the busy streets are to be commended... (I don't think they know the word 'Huevon' here, but that's what it takes to get through some of the busy spots) (it's 'balls' in Spanish) The driver took me to the place where he'd make his little commission, but it was kinda creepy, the guy working there quoted a high price, quickly came down when I refused, then said he'd throw in a free condom (wink wink) Uh no, dude. I directed the driver to the place I had stayed last year, couldn't remember the name, but wonder of wonders I honed in on it without a wrong turn. (is it the savvy traveler, or merely the creature of habit?)... whatever, here I am at the Okay Guesthouse, the price is right, got a bus ticket to Sihanoukville in the morning and it feels like nap time. Good timing in that I'll get there two days before Chinese New Year when the place goes nuts for 3 days and rooms are hard to come by. But my man Simon has arranged for me to have a room by the beach... and it all looks promising... (We're not in Chiang Mai anymore, Toto)
So now I'm very tired, not enough sleep last night, but I'm only a 5 or so hour bus ride to Sihanoukville, and we'll just see how it feels there this time around. I loved it last time, but you never know...Gonna lay down at 7pm and try to sleep a bunch... I have zero desire to go out and about in Phnom Penh... maybe if I come ack through... I'd rather hang out with a book and fall asleep..So I will....zzzz
Packed up this morning, had a final cappuccino (on the house since it was my farewell coffee) and was given a gift by Linda who is the sister of La, the cafe owner. It was an herbal spray that she made from some kind of plant, to be used for muscle ache. (she took a course and shared the result with me). Grabbed a tuktuk to the airport, everything went smoothly into BKK and then into Phnom Penh. Had to 'gate check' the guitar, but it came through unscathed, so we're still on a roll.
Made it to Phnom Penh... the $7 tuktuk ride from the airport into town was totally worth it from an adventure standpoint... Basically every intersection is a game of chicken and the folks who can make it across the busy streets are to be commended... (I don't think they know the word 'Huevon' here, but that's what it takes to get through some of the busy spots) (it's 'balls' in Spanish) The driver took me to the place where he'd make his little commission, but it was kinda creepy, the guy working there quoted a high price, quickly came down when I refused, then said he'd throw in a free condom (wink wink) Uh no, dude. I directed the driver to the place I had stayed last year, couldn't remember the name, but wonder of wonders I honed in on it without a wrong turn. (is it the savvy traveler, or merely the creature of habit?)... whatever, here I am at the Okay Guesthouse, the price is right, got a bus ticket to Sihanoukville in the morning and it feels like nap time. Good timing in that I'll get there two days before Chinese New Year when the place goes nuts for 3 days and rooms are hard to come by. But my man Simon has arranged for me to have a room by the beach... and it all looks promising... (We're not in Chiang Mai anymore, Toto)
So now I'm very tired, not enough sleep last night, but I'm only a 5 or so hour bus ride to Sihanoukville, and we'll just see how it feels there this time around. I loved it last time, but you never know...Gonna lay down at 7pm and try to sleep a bunch... I have zero desire to go out and about in Phnom Penh... maybe if I come ack through... I'd rather hang out with a book and fall asleep..So I will....zzzz
Wistful thinking
Had just a great night playing in the restaurant yesterday. I was totally on my musical game, voice good, playing well, great response. At one point these two little Dutch boys came up with their mom and started break dancing to my music. The kids were like 5 and 2 years old. I let them do it for a couple of songs but eventually asked them to stop because they were blocking the way of the wait staff who were busily trying to bring food to the diners. But it was pretty cute.
Had some fans in the audience which meant I got to deliver some originals to an appreciative audience. Once again Noi said, 'We're really gonna miss you, Rich' The feeling is mutual. Three more nights at the restaurant, one more night jamming with Apple at CU Corner (tonight), then it's on the road next Tuesday morning to Phnom Penh...
Spread it around...
I feel like I've come through a period of being super focused on money, how much I have, how much I made, how much will I have by next week etc. Something about the ability to make money here, pay my way on this retreat has been very compelling and I'd go back to my room after a gig and count it up, enjoy knowing right where I stand... OK enough of that... because the down side is that I was feeling kind of selfish about it all... and compulsive.
So yesterday I took a toke with my buddy and got a different perspective... wanted to just spread it around, share with the women who clean my room, with the folks who work the front desk at the guest house, with the waitress at CU Corner who needs the money. They all need the money, they work hard and long and for not too much... So today is a day to spread it around, balance the ledger, share the wealth, as it were. Feels right.
Along those lines I took JF out for breakfast today and he rolled some video of my latest tune. The bossa nova. It was a really good performance, but the wind wrecked it... too bad, we'll have to redo... Darn, but no bid deal, I've got the song in my voice and fingers so it's just a question of rolling video... But wow, we shot it at a chedi and it looked really nice... oh well.. next time..
So yesterday I took a toke with my buddy and got a different perspective... wanted to just spread it around, share with the women who clean my room, with the folks who work the front desk at the guest house, with the waitress at CU Corner who needs the money. They all need the money, they work hard and long and for not too much... So today is a day to spread it around, balance the ledger, share the wealth, as it were. Feels right.
Along those lines I took JF out for breakfast today and he rolled some video of my latest tune. The bossa nova. It was a really good performance, but the wind wrecked it... too bad, we'll have to redo... Darn, but no bid deal, I've got the song in my voice and fingers so it's just a question of rolling video... But wow, we shot it at a chedi and it looked really nice... oh well.. next time..
Just like life
Twelve thirty on a Tuesday afternoon... did my walk across town for yoga, this time I met up with Irish John who's been doing a practice for years and I followed along on his routine. Nice, challenging and worth the visit. Back through town for a bowl of food from the lady at the halfway point. In other words, just another day in paradise. And I'm starting to feel the stirrings that it's time to go. Haven't had much of a response in the restaurant the last couple of nights, so that thrill is wearing off a bit, but hey, it's been a hell of a run. 4 more gigs there and that's it.
I'll arrive in Sihanoukville exactly two days before the Chinese New Year hordes show up and I'm slightly concerned about finding lodging, but I'll work it out. I wrote Jelly asking if he'd be willing to rent me a room at the guest house he's staying at, and I should hear back before too long. It's no big deal, something will turn up, I might have to be up on the hill for that first week, but I'm hoping for the convenience of being on the beach. When I'm on the beach, I can leave my stuff locked up in the room, do the beach thing without having to keep an eagle eye on stuff. it's better that way.
I'm thick with Thai baht at the moment and I'm going to change them to dollars today or tomorrow... (They use dollars in Cambodia as opposed to the local currency) With the troubles in Bangkok, the baht has been dropping, so maybe now's the time. I spent about $500 in the first couple of weeks here but since then I'm actually about $200 ahead of my expenses and that will be up to about $300 by the time the week is over. Kind of nuts to make money on the road, rather than spend it... Pretty lucky, no doubt about it... It's been a majorly happy part of the experience here... feeling like I've got the best gig in town. (I had the same feeling in Cambodia last winter)
Now's the time to say farewells, make some final appearances, give thanks for a great couple of months. Noi has been an outstanding friend here, she's the boss and the decision maker and the grande dame, so I think she appreciates the fact that I will tease her some and just be normal, rather than subservient. She's a smart, opinionated woman, very giving and a good friend. Without her support, this would have been a very different couple of months. And I know that she gets a lot out of the friendship as well. Last night she was saying, 'I'm really gonna miss having you here'.
And that's part of the story in Chiang Mai, people coming and going, farewells and welcome backs all the time. Something sad about it, but so it goes. We meet, we connect, we say farewell.... just like life.
And what remains? The same things that get us through any day... breath, thoughts, something to eat, a place to sleep, music, friends and appreciation of the gifts...
I'll arrive in Sihanoukville exactly two days before the Chinese New Year hordes show up and I'm slightly concerned about finding lodging, but I'll work it out. I wrote Jelly asking if he'd be willing to rent me a room at the guest house he's staying at, and I should hear back before too long. It's no big deal, something will turn up, I might have to be up on the hill for that first week, but I'm hoping for the convenience of being on the beach. When I'm on the beach, I can leave my stuff locked up in the room, do the beach thing without having to keep an eagle eye on stuff. it's better that way.
I'm thick with Thai baht at the moment and I'm going to change them to dollars today or tomorrow... (They use dollars in Cambodia as opposed to the local currency) With the troubles in Bangkok, the baht has been dropping, so maybe now's the time. I spent about $500 in the first couple of weeks here but since then I'm actually about $200 ahead of my expenses and that will be up to about $300 by the time the week is over. Kind of nuts to make money on the road, rather than spend it... Pretty lucky, no doubt about it... It's been a majorly happy part of the experience here... feeling like I've got the best gig in town. (I had the same feeling in Cambodia last winter)
Now's the time to say farewells, make some final appearances, give thanks for a great couple of months. Noi has been an outstanding friend here, she's the boss and the decision maker and the grande dame, so I think she appreciates the fact that I will tease her some and just be normal, rather than subservient. She's a smart, opinionated woman, very giving and a good friend. Without her support, this would have been a very different couple of months. And I know that she gets a lot out of the friendship as well. Last night she was saying, 'I'm really gonna miss having you here'.
And that's part of the story in Chiang Mai, people coming and going, farewells and welcome backs all the time. Something sad about it, but so it goes. We meet, we connect, we say farewell.... just like life.
And what remains? The same things that get us through any day... breath, thoughts, something to eat, a place to sleep, music, friends and appreciation of the gifts...
Everybody's Got Someone But Me (bossa nova)
Well you can't hear the chords, but it's a jazzy Jobim style bossa nova. Gonna record it ASAP
Stayed until the very end
Walking home alone again
Everybody's got someone but me
See them walking arm in arm
Eyes alive, bodies warm
Everybody's got someone but me
All my love was in the past
Only sadness seems to last and last....
If I could find another chance
To have that kind of true romance
What a different man I'd be
Or is that idle fantasy?
Everybody's got someone but me
Instrumental....
When I thought the die was cast
Sweetness came into my life at last
Thank God I got another chance
To take a turn in the lovers' dance
Our romantic rhapsody
Oh what a blessing it would be
If everybody had someone like me
All my love was in the past
Only sadness seems to last and last....
If I could find another chance
To have that kind of true romance
What a different man I'd be
Or is that idle fantasy?
Everybody's got someone but me
Instrumental....
When I thought the die was cast
Sweetness came into my life at last
Thank God I got another chance
To take a turn in the lovers' dance
Our romantic rhapsody
Oh what a blessing it would be
If everybody had someone like me
Ten or so days to go here...
Still chugging along in Chiang Mai, feeling quite peaceful (for me), maintaining the rhythm of yoga in the morning, music at night. The music continues to nourish my soul, as I am blessed to connect with lots of different people, audience members and fellow musicians. I'm just so at home in front of a microphone, waving to the kids, finding the right song to play for the adults, getting some laughs, earning some tips. Feels like the best gig in town as I average about $50 each time I play at the restaurant... plus the great dinner and drinks if I want them. (maybe one drink per show). It's better than I could have imagined...
I bought a ticket to Phnom Penh for January 28, which is the last day of my visa, and that feels like the right choice. (have I written this before... can't remember). But I'll just scoot out of here and start the next chapter without a lot of travel in between. Quick and surgical and on to the next.
The people that you meet... I was having a great night, having played a three hour gig, then hanging outside of CU Corner with friends, popping inside occasionally to sing a harmony with Apple. There were plenty of musicians playing so I didn't need to sit in... just sing a bit. A couple walk by on their way someplace else and they were going slow, looking into the bar, slightly intrigued at the good vibe scene going on there, but they were on their way. I said, 'This is a really cool place...it's like an expat hangout, folks have been coming here for years, lots of old friends, you're welcome to come in and check it out' or words to that effect. They seemed nice and they were. Markus and Barbara from Austria, they had just come in from a month traveling around Myanmar and were kind of shell shocked to be back in the 'west' again after a very eastern month on the road.
They came in, ordered a couple of beers and we got talking. Turns out they are theater professionals in Salzburg, Austria who offer drama workshops with different populations, prisoners, migrants, students etc. They get them playing theater games, they break down inhibitions and help the groups create works of drama. Their work is based on Stanislavski, Brecht, Grotowski (sp?) etc, and I found myself extremely interested. We had a great conversation and ended up making a coffee date for tomorrow 11am and I'm going to learn a few of their techniques, a few of the games. I just got the feeling that they are high level teachers, we had an instant rapport and it was one of those not-so-chance encounters that one can have in Chiang Mai. I have a real good feeling about coffee tomorrow...
PS they didn't make it to coffee.. likely couldn't find the place because they were pretty turned around last night... No matter, it's still a great interaction... And now it's Friday evening, a night off from the restaurant, but I'll show up at CU with a guitar and who knows what happens? Apple will be there and we'll be making some joyful noise...
I bought a ticket to Phnom Penh for January 28, which is the last day of my visa, and that feels like the right choice. (have I written this before... can't remember). But I'll just scoot out of here and start the next chapter without a lot of travel in between. Quick and surgical and on to the next.
The people that you meet... I was having a great night, having played a three hour gig, then hanging outside of CU Corner with friends, popping inside occasionally to sing a harmony with Apple. There were plenty of musicians playing so I didn't need to sit in... just sing a bit. A couple walk by on their way someplace else and they were going slow, looking into the bar, slightly intrigued at the good vibe scene going on there, but they were on their way. I said, 'This is a really cool place...it's like an expat hangout, folks have been coming here for years, lots of old friends, you're welcome to come in and check it out' or words to that effect. They seemed nice and they were. Markus and Barbara from Austria, they had just come in from a month traveling around Myanmar and were kind of shell shocked to be back in the 'west' again after a very eastern month on the road.
They came in, ordered a couple of beers and we got talking. Turns out they are theater professionals in Salzburg, Austria who offer drama workshops with different populations, prisoners, migrants, students etc. They get them playing theater games, they break down inhibitions and help the groups create works of drama. Their work is based on Stanislavski, Brecht, Grotowski (sp?) etc, and I found myself extremely interested. We had a great conversation and ended up making a coffee date for tomorrow 11am and I'm going to learn a few of their techniques, a few of the games. I just got the feeling that they are high level teachers, we had an instant rapport and it was one of those not-so-chance encounters that one can have in Chiang Mai. I have a real good feeling about coffee tomorrow...
PS they didn't make it to coffee.. likely couldn't find the place because they were pretty turned around last night... No matter, it's still a great interaction... And now it's Friday evening, a night off from the restaurant, but I'll show up at CU with a guitar and who knows what happens? Apple will be there and we'll be making some joyful noise...
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