Kaura Travels

SLIDESHOW-A Farewell...for now

2006-02-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

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Glimpses of limitless abundance...images, places, and people we will never forget...we have been touched by everywhere we have been...this journey started out as an idea and we could have never imagined what it would become in reality...we hope this blog has and will inspire you to travel, there is so much out there to experience...new ways of living and seeing the world around you. We are blessed to have had this forum to share this life changing experience with you. Thank you, Namaste.

VIDEO- And In The End...

2006-02-15T01:25:00.000-08:00

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This file is big but is well worth the wait...
It's bittersweet putting this final video up, truly the end of a beautiful journey that started last summer in Los Angeles and ends in Bay Area.
Words can't really do justice to our experience, but we have been grateful for the response we have gotten from all of you and hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have. We hope we have inspired some of you to get out there, get a backpack and set off...the adventure of a thousand miles starts with a footsep.
Thanks-Benjamin Jones and Malcolm Guess

VIDEO-Motorcycles...Pure Power!!!

2006-01-24T23:12:00.000-08:00

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You just can't tell anyone the rush you feel behind the handle bars of a Yamaha Nuevo...Anyone who has been to Asia knows that without a moto, you can't get around. Motorbikes, motorcycles, mopeds outnumber cars on the roads of Bali, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. For the traveller, it is a necessity to learn how to drive one and how to properly disembark without burning your leg on the right side exhaust which each traveller does at least once as evidenced by the red marks on the tan legs all over south east asia. Hop on board and come for a ride...

VIDEO-Calcutta Tabla Shopping

2006-01-21T23:08:00.000-08:00

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We hit Calcutta downtrodden, exhauseted emotionally and physically, we were limping to the finish line...The journey from Nepal to Bodhgaya and then on to Calcutta had been arduous to say the least. We were almost stranded in Bodhgaya and could not take a rickshaw as we were told they were too dangerous at night and we would be robbed. The area is very unsafe and full of bandits and we only made our train by paying a local a relatively exhorbitant amount of money to drive us to the train station. When we arrived to Calcutta's dingey traveller's area we were in bad shape but needed to stick it out to finish buying our instruments. We spent a hot day searching through the various music stores and came away with a very nice set of tablas.

SLIDESHOW-Monkeys

2006-01-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

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We have come across many different kinds of monkeys on our travels. Rare gibbons in Thailand, macaques in Bali, langur's in India, and the ones we have stumbled upon while walking down streets, on the beach, in the jungle, or while waiting for buses. My (Ben) mayan birth spell is the Blue Resonant Monkey and I have always felt an affinity with monkeys so I have really enjoyed our many encounters with these creatures that are our closest relatives in the animal world. Enjoy...

VIDEOS- 4 From the Vault

2006-01-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our blog!!! If you have a night to kill, we have a lot of videos from our world travels for you. We've decided to go back and pull out some of our favorites and share them with you. Just click on the video image and it will start to download or stream. Enjoy! As always you will need Quicktime to view these do we have provided you with a link on the right where you can get it free from Apple.com.

Dalai Lama: Free Tibet -------------------------From Bali to Bangkok
Laos: Jewel of the Mekong ------------------India: Finding the Beatles

VIDEO-Through a Land of Darkness to Reach the Tree of Light

2006-01-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

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It was a tough 4 days as you can read in the entry below, but we made it, even though we had doubts that we would at several times during the journey. When we arrived at this oasis, we were greeted by the sight of monks from all over the world dressed in white, safron, yellow, and red robes chanting and doing prostrations (bowing up and down many times). One cannot but help to feel the profound energy and importance that emanates from this sight, where thousands of monks have been meditating for thousands of years. Upon arrival we circled the grounds which contain many Bodhi trees, temples, and stupas, found a comfortable spot under the same tree as Buddha reached enlightenment and tried to do the same...

SLIDESHOW-Tough Times, Nepal to Bodhgaya

2006-01-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

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We left Kathmandu 4 days ago thinking it would take 2 to reach Bodhgaya, India. We could not have predicted what lay in store for us though. Our pilgrimage started out with optimistm and energy but ended with frustration and freyed nerves.
Bodhgaya is home of the Bohdi tree which Sidartha Guatama, or Buddha, reached enlightenment under. Until, we began researching our trip, I did not know that you could visit the actual tree, I thought it was just a myth or a story, but there is an actual tree.
Unfortunately, to get to Bohdgaya, we had to go through hell. The roughest part of our trip up until this point was going from India to Nepal, but from Nepal into Bihar, India was surpassed it. Never was the difference between Nepal and India so evident. Literally, after crossing the border, the vibe of our trip changed, the tone of the people changed...we were thrown back into fending away desperate people who were intent on selling us something or stealing what we had. I cannot judge these people because they are so poor, I do not know what I would do in their situation... Malcolm has been very ill with Giardia, and we have been stuck on dirty trains, horse drawn carts, auto and bicycle rickshaws who have been anything but honest.
The 2 hour bus ride from Muzamphur to Patna was by far the worst of the trip. We had to literally fight people to get a seat, and when we did sit down we were wedged in by people nad luggage. If the bus would have flipped we would have been done. The foul air, thick from chemicals from plastic waste bonfires wafted in throughh the windows and gave us headaches. In Patna, we could not find a guesthouse to sleep in, apparently because we were foreigners. We finally found a place that catered to tourists and we had to pay the most for lodging that we have so far. Upon collapsing on the bed we were excited to order food asw we had not eaten all day. Unfortunatley, the yogurt in the Lassi drink I ordered was off and I began throwing up in the toilet. The hotel staff would not give us our money back and the hot water which should be standard in a hotel of this price did not work.
We left the next morning and made the final leg of the journey to Bodhgaya by bus and by rickshaw. Bodhgaya, is located in the state of Bijar, by far the most dangerous, poor, and lawless region of India. You must watch your back at all times and unfortunately, Buddha's prophecy that the area would be forever plagued by famine, poverty, and war has been true. It is ironic that the holiest of all Buddhist sites is in the middle of such a place.
At this point we are feeling that we are enduring India rather than enjoying it. However, we have been looking forward to reaching Bodhgaya and the Bohdi tree and are looking forward to meditating under it and soaking up the ambience.

VIDEO-Swayambunath Temple, Kathmandu

2006-01-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

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Here is some video from a visit to Swayambunath temple to accompany the slideshow below. Enjoy

SLIDESHOW-Kathmadu and Buddha Eyes...

2006-01-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

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Kathmandu...located in a valley amidst the mighty Himalayas, it is crowded, polluted, and beautiful. A calm buddhist air manages to overcome this city despite the hustle and bustle. Swayambhunath Stupa is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the holy shrines in Kathmandu valley and home of the "Buddha Eyes" that adorn hemp bags and wallets of hippies throughout the world. The temple is located on the top of a hill with lush 360 views over the city. Buddhists and even Hindu's come to worship at dawn making the clockwise circumambulations of the stupa. A collection of legends about the site, the 15th century Swayambhu Purana, tells of a miraculous lotus, planted by a past Buddha, which blossomed from the lake that once covered Kathmandu valley. The lotus mysteriously radiated a brilliant light, and the name of the place came to be Swayambhu, meaning 'Self-Created or Self-Existent'.

VIDEO-Nepalese Wedding Procession

2006-01-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

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While walking the streets of Kathmandu, it is not uncommon to come across a grand New Orleans style wedding procession complete with brass and drum band. This quick video will give you a peak at one.

Happy New Year!!

2005-12-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

We both want to wish everyone a prosperous 2006, where intentions and dreams are created and fulfilled. Be...be here...be there...be that...be this...be grateful for life...be grateful to life.
We are looking forward to this year and excited to share it all with you. Thanks for all the kind words and support that you have given us during our travels. We still have so much more video and slideshows to share with you so keep checking the site. Go on over to myspace.com and be our friend, and you can listen to our music via the links on the right. Thanks
Ben and Malcolm
KAURA

VIDEO-Pokhara, Nepal

2005-12-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

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This is a short video offering a peak into some of the people we came across in Pokhara, a beautiful town in Nepal, used as a launching pad for treks into the Himalayas. With the mountains providing a backdrop, the town is set around a lake and is one of those places you want to take with you.

VIDEO-Bus Ride From Hell Part 2

2005-12-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

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If you are ever in Varanasi, India and you want to go to Nepal or vice versa, TAKE THE PLANE, the 3 day bus ride from India to Nepal were by far some of the narliest travel experiences we have had. They will break even the most seasoned traveller. I was seriously ill with a stomach virus, drifting in and out of unconsciousness at various states of the trip. Shit, it was horrible.

VIDEO-Bus Musicians

2005-12-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

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On the bus ride from Pokhara, Nepal to Kathmandu, these two young boys who coudn't have been more than 12 jumped on the bus for 5 minutes and played some very interesting Nepalese folk songs on violin-like instruments. Unfortunatley, the other people on the bus treated them like an annoyance. However, I was enchanted by there playing.

SLIDESHOW-OM around the world

2005-12-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

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The sound OM, and the symbol that represents it are omnipresent throughout India and Nepal. OM is the original and universal sound and seed from which everything is created. It is used in most chants and mantras and is a tool for meditation. You can literally not walk for 10 feet in India without seeing the 3 like symbol on a wall, a taxi, or hanging from a rear view mirror. Here are just some of the OM's we have encountered while in India.

Subscribe to our blog-RSS Feed Now Available

2005-12-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

We have added an RSS feed, which means you can now subscibe to this blog. If you have an e-mail program set up for a newsreader than you can receive our full blog to your e-mail account every time we update it. Pluck.com has a free newsreader you can download.
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VIDEO-Trekking Anapurna

2005-12-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

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Words can't really do justice to these mountains and neither do images but hopefully we can give you just a fleeting feeling of what it was like to be at 15,000 feet above the cloudline, walking among giants. Unreal...

SLIDESHOW-Hitting the Cloudline, Himalayas

2005-12-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

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We woke up at 5AM at Gurapani and made the hour long hike up to Poon Hill to catch one of the most awe-inspiring views of the Himalayas that you can get, short of being up on Anapurna itself. It was cold, the air was very thin, but we made it up there as the sun broke rose above the horizon. We were amidst the clouds but as the wind swepft the top layer off, we gasped as the peaks of 8 mountians exploded into our sight. It was one of the greatest moments of the trip so far and a feeling we will hold close to us forever. To the left is our trusty guide Lok.

SLIDESHOW-Beginning the Trek-Anapurna, Nepal

2005-12-13T22:14:00.000-08:00

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We cannot describe the feeling of hiking the Anapurna trail in Nepal, one of the most amazing high altitude treks imaginable through the majestic Himalayas. I have dreamt of the day that the Anapurna mountain range would be within my eye sight...it took 28 years but we are here, and soaking up every minute of it. Our Nepalese porter/guide, Lok, is amazing, a kind soul who takes care of us like we are his children. The scenery is undoubtedly the most beautiful I have ever encountered while backpacking and is lush and green. A huge river creates mamoth waterfalls over huge boulders and a rhodedendrum forest is waiting to bloom. Song ideas are coming fast as we are coming up with soundtracks to suit this awesome landscape.
We have not encountered the Moaist insurgents yet, who have made travel here dangerous for the foreign traveller, until a recent ceasefire was arranged with the government. If it hadn't been for that we would not be in Nepal right now. We expect to encounter them on our way up to Poon Hill, where they collect a $15 "voluntary Tourist Visa" even though it is far from voluntary.

SLIDESHOW-Nepal

2005-12-11T00:51:00.000-08:00

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We left Varanasi thinking we would have a somewhat hard 2 days of train and bus travel to Pokhara, Nepal where we would start the Anapurna trek. Unfortunately, it took 3 days and was some of the worst travel conditions yet, and I was was feeling the sickest I have felt in my life. I picked up yet another stomach bug, and when you are travelling on a rickety bus with chickens in the seat next to you, horns honking non-stop, it can make you wish you were home in a hot bath. However, you cannot, we pressed on, and we finally arrived to the glorious sight of the Anapurna range on the horizon. Unfortunatley, my iPod was stolen from me while I was passed out sick on the bus, but we are both ecstatic to be here. These photos of are our first day in Pokhara, which we love. We are headed out trekking in 2 days, which will give me a little more time to recover. Stay tuned...

VIDEO-Famous On Trains

2005-12-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

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When we travel by train in India, we seem to attract an awful lot of curious attention. If you ever wanted to know what it was like to be a monkey at the Zoo or a Rock Star then hop on board the India Express...

Musical Gods

2005-12-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

The sanskrit word for musician is bhagavatharm which means "thee who sings the praises of god." They are people who dance with spirit, who interpret the language of the gods and turn it into something that we can hear. They are thus given the respect that I feel musicians in the west are deserve, but are not given.
Music plays an imprtant role in Indian's spirituality and Hindu religion. Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, the eternal trinity, were the first musicians. Shiva, the cosmic dancer, worked out the infinite modes of rhythm in the process of universal creation, preservation and destruction. Brahma and Vishnu accentuated the beat with cymbals and mriganga's. Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom plays the mother of all string instruments, the Vina, while Krishna plays the flute, calling the human souls lost in Maya delusion, bacl to their true home...

VIDEO-Ganges at Dawn

2005-12-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

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Taking a row boat at dawn down the Ganges was a magical experience and I hope this can convey some of the energy we felt through this video.

VIDEO-Musical India

2005-12-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

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We laughed as we walked down the narrow streets here as ragas and the drone of the tambura wafted through the air, we couldn't believe our ears. We are so happy to be here as Varanasi is known as the music capital of India and offers up a smorgasboard of musical perfomances, shops, and lessons for the interested traveller. Every night we checked out a different performace, from the guitar-like sarod, to the sitar, flute, and tabla. We even managed to sneak in some lessons for ourselves in between all the yoga and meditation.

SLIDESHOW-River of Life and Death

2005-11-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

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Waking up before dawn to take a rowboat along the Ganges' bathing, burning, and ritual ghats was a surreal experience to say the least. To be around people with such devotion, and belief in ceremony and ritual was very moving as Americans in general are so far removed from these things in their daily lives. Video footage of this will be coming soon.

VIDEO-Varanasi...ceremony, ritual, and spirit

2005-11-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

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Once you step outside of your guesthouse in Varanasi, you enter a world like no other you have experienced...the cobble stone streets are stained with cow dung and shiva's footprints. Holy people, holy rituals, holy water, and holy spirits...

SLIDESHOW-Varanasi, Holy Smoke

2005-11-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

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Varanasi…the holy city of shiva, holiest in all of India, sitting along the banks of the Ganges, where life and death coexist harmoniously. It is one of the world’s oldest cities dating back to the 6th century AD. It is a “crossing place” that allow devotees to access the divine and enable Gods and Goddesses to come down to earth. A Hindu who dies here, attains instant (moksha) or escape from the cycle of life and death. Because of this, many sick and elderly come here to live our their final days.
At first arrival, Varanasi seems like a God-forsaken and even God-less city, but if you give it a chance, it will slowly seduce you and reveal its soul to you. It truly is filthy, it is nearly impossible to walk 6 steps without walking in cow shit, and red paan (after-meal tobacco chew) stains cover most of the walls. The smell of the place is quite hard on the nose and you are offered charas (hash) every 5 minutes and silk and saris every 2, not to mention the car horns that incessantly blow all the time in your face. The first couple of days were quite draining but the characters who inhabit this place and those who make the pilgrimage to bathe in the sacred Ganges, make it all worthwhile. Ironically, the Ganges is one of the dirtiest, if not the dirtiest, river in the world, plagued by chemical pollutants, dead bodies, garbage, and poo poo. It is odd that this river that the Indian people revere with such passion, gets physical respect, but that is one of the many “why do they do that” things that are abound in India. Along the 7km stretch in Varansi, where there are over 26 bathing and “burning” ghats, over 30 sewers discharge into the river. The pilgrims and locals are literally washing in their own shit. Water safe for bathing should contain less that 500 faecal coliform bacteria per 100ml (a small glass of water) of water, the Ganges contains over 1.5 million!!! However, by far the worst problem affecting the river is the chemical waste that is discharged into the river.
Yesterday, we visited the burning ghat, where bodies are cremated and then released into the river. It was one of the most intense things I have ever seen as the bodies were very visible on top of these beds of wood and you could see and smell the flesh and organs burning right in front of you. It is the most auspicious place for a a Hindu to be cremated as the fire is supposedly lit from the same fire that Shiva’s wife Parvati made. The wood is carefully measured weighed out as they know exactly how much it will take to incinerate a body. Wood such as sandalwood and mango wood is more expensive and the uppercaste are usually cremated with that in a separate area cordoned off as to be separated from the lower caste Hindi’s.
One of the most fascinating things to watch here are the morning Puja rituals and evening time Ganga Aarti rituals. At dawn, thousands of people come to the river to perform prayers and songs to the river. The mellow morning light gives the river a mystic glow as Sadhus perform elaborate rituals waist deep in the water appearing from a distance to be fantastical creatures from another world. At sunset, Ganga Aarti is performed where thousands of floating candles, flowers, and food are released into the river and young priests oversee the affair with an elaborate ceremony involving lots of fire and incense. To see people with such reverance for ceremony and ritual is truly inspiring to me even though most of the time I understand none of it. I have enjoyed just sitting and watching the parade of people and plays go by me as I try to take it all in.
Seeing that Rishikesh did not live up to our expectations, we will be doing extensive yoga and meditation classes here as well as music lessons as Varanasi is the musical capital of Northern India. Breathe with me...

To Varanasi we go...

2005-11-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

We left behind the explosions of firecrackers at midnight and had to overpay greatly to find anyone who would take us to the train station in Ajmer, 30 minutes away on this final night of Dewali. Our ears still ringing and my stomach still reeling from the horrible and debilitating stomach illness I have been in bed the past 3 days recovering from, we boarded our train for what may be the hardest and most intense time for us on this trip so far.
Varanasi, the holiest city in India, is also the most talked about among travellers' circles. Some hate the crowded and dirty streets while others are captured by the holy vibes emanating off of the river and the ceremonies performed there at dawn and at sunset. Sadhus from all over India pilgrimage to bathe in the holy waters as do thieves to prey upon the google-eyed travellers. We have been told to watch our backs andexpectations we have and let the city unfold before us...expect the unexpected, fascination abounds. be aware of the many scams that fill the city. We are trying to dissolve any preconceptions and expectations we have and let the city unfold before us...expect the unexpected, fascination abounds.

VIDEO-Indian Dreams

2005-11-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

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India...a paradox, an enigma, loving it, hating it, crying, laughing, repulsion, fascination, nowhere else in the world would I rather be than right here right now.

Pushkar, Rajastan...dust, desert, camels, saris, and M-80's.

2005-11-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

As we walk though the dusty streets, kicking up the dirt beneath our feet, we enter Pushkar, the city of Brahma. A city built around a holy lake, where many Hindus come to bathe and place flowers on the water for Puja, offerings to Brahma for good luck. We aren’t the only ones arriving in Pushkar today. Along with us there are many travelers, Indians, gypsies, beggars, street musicians, vendors and numerous others coming to this holy city for the Dewali celebration. What Dewali is the celebration of, we still don’t really know. What we gleaned after asking several people was the vague understanding that it’s a day when all of Indian people are happy, beyond that no one seemed to really know, but we absolutely found out HOW they celebrated Dewali - with explosives! In the days leading up to Dewali we noticed that there were progressively more and more M-80’s, bottle rockets, thunder bombs and other insanely loud firecrackers going off. We, at first, just figured that these Indian kids just loved to have a good time by blowing things up. Wearing earplugs when walking down the streets was mandatory for preventing the unfortunate misstep of walking passed an M-80 just after it had been lit by a little boy. If you closed your eyes it wouldn’t seem to be a stretch of the imagination to be in a war erupting around you, with machine guns, pistols and hand grenades exploding in every direction. The video might give you a slice of what it was like. But not all the excitement was celebrated with explosives. Sweet shops kept their fires and vats stoked late into the morning hours boiling up small mountains of sugary treats for all to consume during the festivities. Small clay dishes with lit oil wicks sat burning, around every corner, stoop and step. Incense wafted from every miniature shrine, while there were gatherings for prayer in every shop keeper’s store. The whole town took part in the celebrations and I even saw a cow festively stomping on a pile of bang snaps. Dewali, after all was said and done, or rather, all had been lit and exploded, turned out to be a what we were told it would be…a time when all Indian people were happy. I’m still curious to know how many little fingers were lost from that evening's display of haphazard fireworks.
Though there was a constant but erratic rhythm of explosions throughout the days we still managed to find some places away from the noise and chaos. One of those places for me was when I hiked up the small mountain just outside of town to where a temple was built at its peak. I sat on the stone-walled roof of the temple, with the distant sounds of the town below me to the East and the orange and amber glow of the setting sun to the West. I took in the peaceful stillness while I sat,inhaling the soft scent of burning incense from the temple, caught in the arid desert breeze. I used that time to reflect on where we had been for the past 3 months and why we had chosen to set out on this journey. We were on a mission to seek out and collect instruments from these various countries as well as immerse ourselves in the experience of being…being in worlds that were completely foreign to anywhere we had ever been, experiencing new things, and opening our minds to new thoughts. All of these were the pearls of life, which often times were hidden within the hard and unyielding shell of traveling. It was the steep and arduous hikes up mountains which offered us the beauty of an evening sunset, or the long and grueling bus rides which brought us to a desert oasis. The hard work and determination of opening that shell was worth every ounce of energy once our eyes reflected on the shimmer of the pearl inside. In a short while we’ll be returning to the States to pour our experiences into new instruments, new songs and a new album. So in those moments of reflection on the top of the mountain, I was able to lift my head, take another breath before immersing myself once again for the last month of our travels through India and Nepal.

VIDEO-Pakistani Rebel Attack on Film!!

2005-11-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

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We've just escaped from Pushkar, India with our lives. You may have heard about this on CNN, but this may be some of the first footage to get out there. We are just thankful to be alive and to be able to get this to you.

SLIDESHOW-Laugh Out Loud

2005-11-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

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We have come across many funny and sometimes disturbing images on our travels. Fortunately, we have had our camera cocked for some of them so we could share the laughs with you...enjoy!

SLIDESHOW-Pushkar...Colors of the Desert

2005-11-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

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What first hits you when you arrive in Pushkar, Rajastan is not the smell of the cow shit everywhere, but the vibrant colors that shoot off of the cool desert background in the form of sari's, pastel painted walls, and jewelry. For some reason, the women in Rajastan are into bright colors and it is beautiful...
Pushkar is the town of the God Brahma. It is believed that Lord Brahma set out on a quest for a tranquil spot to perfom a yagna (ceremonial sacrifice) when a lotus fell from his hand. A lake sprang forth from the ground at the spot where the lotus fell. The town is centered around this holy lake and pandas (Brahmin priests) some real, some fake coerse you into perfoming elaborate ceremonies on the edge of the lake for your family members and then demanding ridiculous amounts of money for it. It is also the home of the only Brahmin temple in the world. The town is dusty and laid back and a perfect place to chill out, drink a lassi and watch the colorful parade of people and camels stroll by. Unfortunately, I (Ben) got a very bad stomach virus and spent most of my time in bed.

VIDEO-Search for the Beatles Ashram

2005-11-15T17:59:00.000-08:00

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Ever since the 4 Beatles came to Rishikesh in the spring of 1968 to study transcendental meditation with the Mahareshi Mahesh Yogi, Rishikesh has been a mecca for westerners on the spritual path. I was fascinated to visit the ashram in which they had stayed knowing that they had written many of the songs on the White Album while there and had seen film footage of the trip. When I arrived, I was told the ashram had been closed by the Indian government years ago, due to tax reasons but I could pay a guard who was stationed there 10 rupees to get it. I spoke with some locals and made my way down the banks of the river to try and find the ashram, with sadhus pointing me in the right direction, I found it, dodged the monkeys guarding the outside, payed the guard and got inside. It was a beautiful day and I had the entire place to myself. It was completley overgrown with shrubbery and had a very mystical quality about it. Small transcendental meditation domes were abound everywhere and I managed to find the two large ones on top of the main building where John Lennon wrote "Across the Universe". Check it out...

VIDEO-Land of Enlightenment

2005-11-13T05:35:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

We had a lot of expectations for Rishikesh, the “yoga capital of the world”. Arriving early one brisk morning at dawn, we crossed the pedestrian bridge over the Ganges river as a heavy mist/smog settled on the water. There are many ashrams in Rishikesh and we were excited to try yoga and meditation classes at some and pick where we would set up camp for the next 2 weeks. This is the same place where the Beatles spent two months post Sergeant Peppers to delve into their spirituality and write songs for what would become the White Album. Since then, Rishikesh has become a mecca for foreigners. Being on the banks of the holy ganges it also attracts a large amount of sadhus, beggars, and pilgrims. The caves in the hills that overlook the town are filled with baba’s and others seeking enlightenment and make for a very interesting hike. However, upon taking our initial stroll through town, the reality of the situation dawned on us. This was not the beautifully idyllic place, where you could “sip ayurevedic tea, while taking in the good vibes” as lonely planet had put it. It was a cow shit infested concrete ghetto. The ashrams felt like prisons and were surrounded by imposing walls, the grounds inside were not conducive to calming the mind, often filled with ugly plaster statues of the Hindu deities. The rooms in San Quentin must put the rooms in these ashrams to shame, they were horribly depressing. I guess we had really envisioned an inspiring place like some places I have visited in California like Esalen, but this was not the case. We took some yoga classes and were not impressed by the teachers. We have had better yoga classes at the YMCA in Los Angeles and this is supposed to be the yoga capital of the world. It became apparent that our time here would not be as long as expected and we would have to get our yoga and meditation fix elsewhere, because staying at a place like this for 2 weeks after being in Mcleod Ganj, one of the highlights of our trip so far, was not appealing.
We mustn’t discredit the place entirely though, because we did meet some people there who were enjoying the place and the yoga, it was not for us though. The highlight of the trip for me though was getting into the defunct and derelict ashram of the Maharishi, where the Beatles stayed. You can see the video for that in its own entry that we will post soon. It all worked out well though, because it freed up time for us to head west to the colorful desert of Rajastan, in Western India, which was not on our itinerary initially as well as adding days to our trip to Nepal.

SLIDESHOW-Rishikesh

2005-11-13T03:46:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to download slideshow.

We bid a sad farewell to Mcleod Ganj and headed on an overnight 12 hour bus journey from hell, which seemed like it didn't hit a straight stretch of road for more than 20 seconds. We did not get much sleep and arrived to the fog covered Ganges river and a sleepy Rishikesh at dawn. We headed out to find an ashram where we would spend the next 10 days studying yoga and meditation...

VIDEO-Free Tibet

2005-11-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

While in Mcleod Ganj, what was once a bumper sticker on a car or a t shirt became very personal to us. For those of you who do not know about the situation in Tibet, China violently invaded Tibet in 1949 and has murdered over 1 million Tibetans since then, as well as destroying anything to do with their culture or religion. It is a serious problem and right now George Bush has the power to hold China accountable but is not. If you are interested please visit Free Tibet.org to learn about the issue.

We have spent days strolling around the town, talking with the monks and Tibetan refugees who have all, every single one of them, made the dangerous and arduous escape over the Himalayas from their Chinese occupied homeland to safety here in Northern India. One man's story particularly struck me. He is a Tibetan massage therapist named Gampo who made the journey 7 years ago. He was the only one in his family to have done so and therefore is away from his Mom and Dad and his 6 brothers. He could not stand the repression involved with living there and decided he had to leave. He has not seen his family since, but his Mom and Dad will make the journey here in February to visit him for 3 months before they return to Tibet, it will most likely be the last time he sees them…
There are thousands of stories like Gompos all over Mcleod Ganj/Dharmasala, India. Yet these people, in large part due to their faith in Buddhism and the peaceful and compassionate leadership of the Dalai Lama have remained hopeful, forgiving, and happy despite the fact that over 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese. It seems ironically appropriate that we kill off the people who have been studying the human mind and consciousness for thousands of year and have the potential to unlock so many secrets about ourselves and ways of knowing if we would only let them.

SLIDESHOW-Love from Tibet

2005-11-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to download slideshow.

Mcleod Ganj/Dharamasala... There is so much to take in...he impressive artwork and mandalas that fill many of the shops here, the Tibetan chanting and horns that wake you in the morning, the monks in their daily practices of lively debate, and the views of the Himalayas which I have been awaiting for years. We have taken several walks around the Temple Complex and home of the Dalai Lama, watching Tibetan pilgrims and monks making the clockwise Kora(religious circuit) around the temple swinging their prayer wheels. The food has been great and we have enjoyed many lunches of Momo’s, traditional Tibetan dumplings with ultra spicy red sauce. The images and deities associated with Tibetan Buddhism are enchanting and fascinating to learn about as they are so ancient in their origins. Several times a year, intricate colored sand Mandalay are painted and then ritually destroyed to practice non-attachment, a key Buddhist principle as attachment only leads to suffering. Hopefully, some of these images will transport you there for a minute.

VIDEO- A Tibetan Pilgrimage

2005-11-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

In Mcleod Ganj, there is a beautiful complex that houses a traditional Buddhist temple as well as the residence of the Dalai Lama. Pilgrims come from all over India and from Tibet to make the clockwise circuit around the complex known as a "kora". Walking this circuit with these pilgrims and monks was a very special feeling. Unfortunatley, they cannot practice these same religous rituals in Tibet due to Chinese persecution so here in India and in Nepal are the only places that they can take part in these important exercises in their faith.

Slideshow- Mcleod Ganj- Tibet in Exile

2005-11-07T06:36:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to download slideshow

We moved on from the frantic craziness of Dehli to go to Northern India, more specifically Dharamasala/Mcleod Ganj, which since 1961 has been the home of the Tibetan Government in exile, the Dalai Lama, and over a hundred thousand Tibetans who have made the dangerous trek through the Himalayas from Tibet.
We were looking forward to delve into Tibetan Buddhism, which fascinates us, as well as the music and culture of the Tibetan people who are struggling to keep their history alive as the Chinese try to exterminate it. The people are so kind here and their faces hold such a mystic quality which is enchanting. These people have truly suffered and to see their optimism and lack of attachment to suffering or anything for that matter is inspiring. The Dalai Lama is in town and we will be attending a special talk of his tommorow, we are buzzing with the excitement of this. Namaste...

VIDEO-Instrument Shopping in Delhi

2005-11-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

While in Delhi, we headed to the row of music stores near Chowndi Chawk market in Old Delhi to start our search for sitars, tablas, sirongis, and sarods. It was a fun experience as we were often given little impromptu "concerts" by the owners showing off the instruments and their skills. Now we just have to figure out how we are going to get these things home...

VIDEO-Bicycle Power!

2005-11-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

One thing that is unique to Asia but is quickly dwindeling is the use of cycle rickshaws or pedal powered taxis with a seat for 2 even though as many as 6 can be crammed on in some cases. We have taken many a ride on one with our backpacks and all and some of these guys are just animals!! Talk about strength and endurance. To see the real Delhi, you have to take one of these around on the crowded streets of Old Delhi...come along.

VIDEO- The Odyssey Begins

2005-11-02T03:09:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

It was definately an intense time for us as we made the journey from Thailand to Bangladesh to India. A feeling like you are about to get yourself into something you don't fully understand or comprehend and don't know what to expect. There are plenty more videos and photos to come, we just have to find a place to upload them as facilities here are extremely limited. Thanks again for all the supportive e-mails and comments, you guys rock and make this all worth it!!

SLIDESHOW-First Days in Delhi

2005-10-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to view slideshow.

Our first days in Delhi were an eye opening experience. Even the most seasoned traveller's find arriving in Delhi a trying experience. Nothing can truly prepare you for what you can come across. If you can imagine stepping into one of these photos then you can begin to get an idea of what it is like.

INDIA Awaits

2005-10-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

As I sit here on the cold tile floor of Bangkok’s Don Meung International Airport, waiting to board our Biman Bangladeshi Airways flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh and then on to Delhi, India, I am overcome with a sense of anticipation, anxiousness, nervousness, and excitement. India has been a mecca to myself and Malcolm. Ever since I can remember wanting to travel, I always thought of the day when I would hike the mighty Himalayas or wander down cobblestone streets filled with colours, scents, and sounds that conjure up images of saris, silks, sitars, samosa’s, and sadhu’s. India is known for its ability to inspire, frustrate, thrill, and confound all at once. It is a multi-dimensional technicolor country, with each region offering its own food, culture, religion, and geography. We have been told that the poverty is confronting and alarming and the sheer crush of humanity can turn walking down a street or entering a train station a struggle. However, the rewards are tremendous, as the culture is so rich, it’s religions among the oldest.
As we only have a limited amount of time, we decided to not try and do the entire country but rather focus on one region so we could fully appreciate what it has to offer. Our trip will see us in the north where most of India’s main spiritual sites and musical offerings are located. We begin in Delhi where we will be staying with some friends from Santa Cruz, Jessa and Mike who live there now. From there we will head up into the Himalayas and to Mcleod Ganj, where the Tibetan government and people in exile are located and where the Dalai Llama lives and teaches. I cannot think of a better place I would want to spend my birthday! We will be taking some classes in Tibetan music and volunteering our time teaching English to newly arrived Tibetan political refuges. We also hope to take in a small lecture taught by the Dalai Lama himself. From there, we will be doing some trekking in the Himalayas and then down to the yoga and spiritual epicenter’s of Hardiwar and Rishikesh. We will be doing yoga and meditation while there as well as taking some traditional Indian music classes. We then head south through Delhi again to pick up some traditional instruments and then it will be off to Varanasi, the city of Shiva, the holiest city in India where pilgrims come from all over to wash away their sins in the Ganges. From there we will either continue heading east along the north of India to Bohdigaya, home of the Bohdi tree, where the Buddha achieved enlightenment, Buddhism’s most revered sites, or we will head up to Katmandu, Nepal depending on the time and money we have left. Nepal has some instruments that we are very interested in so we are hoping to make it there. We finish our trip in Calcutta, the intellectual and cultural capital of the nation, known for its Bengali dance, music, film, and food, and unfortunately, its squalor and poverty.
. We are looking forward to sharing the many sites and sounds that we will be encountering there and know there will be no lack of photos and video. The only thing that we can hope for is that we will have access to fast internet connections to upload our images. Expect the unexpected…

VIDEO-Editing Video

2005-10-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.When we have any sort of downtime, this is how I spend it...editing video, sometimes literally for days on end, ecspeically when we are in Bangkok at Happy House, our home away from home. I can easily just get into a zone as evidenced by this video.-Ben

Kaura featured in The Music Edge

2005-10-27T00:46:00.000-07:00

KAURA featured as 'Spotlight Artist' on NAMM website The Music Edge alongside Ministry, Franz Ferdinand, and Thrice.

We were interviewed just weeks before taking off to travel by the Music Edge and you can check it out by CLICKING HERE

Thanks to Paul Coover for sticking it out in the LA traffic (-:

VIDEO-Phang Nga...God's Playground

2005-10-26T01:55:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

Phang Nga National Marine Park in Southern Thailand is truly one of the most stunning places we have ever been. We chartered a long tail boat that took us through this archipelego of islands and limestone pieces that jut out of the water like they had been dropped from the sky. You may recognize the island to the left as Scaramaga's hideout in the 1973 James Bond film 'The Man with The Golden Gun.' This video does not do justice to it but it is all we can do.

What so funny about peave love and understanding?

2005-10-26T01:36:00.000-07:00

Elvis Costello said it best.
What’s the meaning of this?…This is the one question that we’ve been asking ourselves recently. The subject of this question is pointed to the violent and destructive energy that’s been following us, and in general, seems to be erupting all over the world lately. When we arrived in Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai and Pai were just recovering from disastarous flooding which took lives and livelihoods of people living there. The next tragedy to strike was the furthest from us but closest to hit home when Hurricane Katrina decimated Louisiana. What was almost more atrocious than the damage done by the hurricane was our own countries efforts to help the people in need. Then hurricane Rita hit not more than a week later at just about the same time a typhoon ripped through the Northern Vietnam in our hemisphere. All of the global unrest seemed strangely parallel to the violent energy that was present in our immediate surroundings. Everything from witnessing a man being beaten in the street on Khoa San road to seeing two street vendors quarrel, leading up to the man beating the woman in front of her child. This was the cresendo to our own run in with the group of Thai men who attacked us. Yet it didn’t stop there. Once we left the scene of Ko Phang Ngan, we walked onto the set of yet another violent play when we arrived on the peaceful island of Ko Phi Phi, where one evening while sitting on our porch we heard a gunshot ring out, only to find out the next morning that it was the sound that took the life of a local man who was shot dead on the floor of his shop, and who we had spoken with a day earlier. When we arrived on Ko Phi Phi, the locals were just getting back on their feet after the Tsunami of last Decmber. Some of the people we met there had lost their entire family and everything they had owned, but they, themselves, were still alive, trying to find a way to live with their loss. Then after leaving the islands we heard of the bombings in Kuta, Bali where we had just been weeks before. This tremor was just the precurser to destruction of the earthquake which shook parts of Pakistan and India. So again the question was asked….What’s the meaning of all this!? Well it’s hard to say exactly what the ‘meaning’ of all this suffering is but maybe the answer to that question isn’t one that ends with a period but rather one that ends in a question. Maybe the question is really one that we should be asking ourselves…asking us to look around ourselves and at ourselves, to see the connection between the destructive energy in the world and the destructive energy within us. Maybe instead of finding an answer to our question we should find a new question…”What’s the meaning of this, and how is the energy that I put out related to this.” Am I a part of the suffering in this world or am I part of the healing of this world. Are the choices I make choices which help or choices which hurt. Maybe through the experience of suffering ourselves we might be able to identify with the suffering of other people or another country…and recognize it as the same.

SLIDESHOW-Thai Islands

2005-10-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to download slideshow.

Even though our time on the islands was cut short by circumstances beyond our control, we still managed to have some adventues and make the most of it. Enjoy

SLIDESHOW- Ko Phi Phi, Survival

2005-10-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to download slideshow.

The day after Christmas last year, Southern Thailand and India were rocked by one of the biggest Tsunami’s ever recorded. One of the hardest hit islands was the beautiful island of Ko Phi Phi. It is a very small island about 2 square miles with only half of that inhabitable. The islands population including tourists was at 8,000 at that time of the year and all live or were staying in that small area which has a beach on either side of it. The destruction was huge, over 2,000 people lost their lives, 104 children lost one or both parents, and 70% of the building were destroyed. Thai people do not use banks, so many lost all their savings that were stored in boxes or under their beds. Even though the international outpouring was huge, Thailand, a country which prides itself on its independence and its healthy distrust of western interests, refused any foreign aid. This had made things hard for the people as not one foreign relief agency such as Red Cross or Doctors with Borders ever arrived on the island. The only non-profit that has helped was one set up on the island by a foreigner called Help International Phi Phi. www.hiphiphi.com. They work they have done is incredible and they have organized the volunteer efforts that have been underway since December. We went to the island in order to volunteer and fuel the economy with our money as nearly 100% of the locals make their money through tourism. Upon arriving on the island, judging by the locals attitudes and demeanor, one would never suspect that these people had most likely lost everything, including loved ones, and that they were just getting back on their feet. This is evidence that their strong spiritual faith in Buddhism truly keeps them going. We were welcomed with smiles, and genuine gratitude from the people we met. The island is really coming along with new guesthouses, restaraunts, and other businesses opening everyday. If any of you are going to Thailand soon, I would recommend going there, even if you don’t want to volunteer, there is plenty to do with boat trips, snorkeling and scuba diving, and some great beaches that are being cleaned up everyday by people like me and you. If you would like to see some footage from the Tsunami hitting Phi Phi so you can understand the scale of the wave, you can find it at www.issuespotter.com
We had a very rewarding time on the island being there deepened my understanding of life, death, and change, the main ideas that I seem to be coming to grips with wherever we go on this journey.

An Important Note About the Videos and Slideshows

2005-10-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

The videos and slideshows on our site have music and audio accompanying them and should be listened to at a good level to get the full experience. If you are listening to them on wimpy laptop speakers, do us a favor and plug in some headphones, it will make the world a better place...
Also if any of you are having problems watching the videos or slideshows, double check to make sure you have Quicktime on your computer. If not, there is a link on the right hand side where you can download it for FREE on apple.com. If that still does not do it, please e-mail us, as we are trying to make this glitch free. You can still surf the net while downloading our videos as they open in a new window or you can always right click and save it to your hard drive to watch later. Thanks

VIDEO-Broken Notes

2005-10-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video

We tried. Twice. We wanted to bring a guitar with us so that we could work on song ideas while we were away. The first guitar was stolen…the second was used as a weapon against us and thus being destroyed as a result. What began as peaceful and inspiring morning of playing guitar and doing yoga on the top of a mountain turned into the site where we would moments later be accosted by 5 local Thai men.
As with all of our destinations for this journey, we had a specific intention for everywhere that we had chosen to go. Our final stop in Thailand before heading to India was to the Southern Thai islands. Here we were hoping to tuck ourselves away on a beach-side bungalow, to spend our days reflecting on all that we’ve seen and experienced thus far and to channel all of our thoughts and energy into writing music. Throughout our trip, everyday has been one adventure dove tailing into the next, with very little time to have absolutely nothing to do. So having days where there’s nothing to do, is to have a blank canvas, begging for us to paint it with the colors of our experiences. We figured that there was no place better to have nothing to do than on a tropical Thai island. However this idyllic setting was soon marred by an experience that neither Ben nor myself have ever encountered, and for the life of us, never hope to encounter again.
One morning after attending a yoga class high up on top of a mountainside on the island of Ko Pha Ngan, where there was a platform overlooking the entire beach cove, we decided that spot would be a great place to bring my guitar and let our creative juices flow. What better backdrop could there be for allowing us to work through all the little ideas we’d had along the way but never had the time or place to really flesh them out. So we made the hike up there and sat for a while enjoying the view and the pleasant experience of having nothing to do but be creative. While I played some guitar, Ben took advantage of the wonderful view and stared his yoga routine. I then noticed out of the corner of my eye that there was a group of Thai men coming up the path to where we were. We recognized one of the men as being the owner of the restaurant and bungalows nearby. The platform where we were was abandoned and run down like it had once been used but since forgotten. We figured that he was probably the property owner of the land so I initiated our introduction with an extended hand and a warm smile to greet him as he approached. His response to my friendly invitation was not at all what we were expecting. My handshake was not met with an open palm but instead with a closed fist wielding punches. You can imagine the state of shock and confusion we were in. Without any sort of provocation we were being attacked for what seemed to be a harmless act of trespassing. I jumped up, with my guitar now in my hand being held like a bat to use as protection. We still weren’t sure exactly what his intentions were. We didn’t know whether he was just trying to scare us to get us to leave or whether he was seriously looking to get into a fight. At that point the fight or flight mode kicked in and I had to decide what to do. I quickly took in my surroundings and noticed that there were about 4 other Thai men waiting with a look like they we’re anticipating the moment when they could jump in. In a split second, I made the decision to refrain from retaliating, knowing that if I took a swing at this man that I would soon have four other guys on me, beating me to a bloody stump. So I tried my best to avoid him while at the same time trying calm the situation by talking to him to find out why he was so furious. It soon became apparent that his intentions were not to get us to leave his property but rather to keep us trapped there so he could continue to vent his violent aggression. This was just the beginning of the dread we were already feeling. By this time one of the other guys, had picked up a long baseball bat sized log and had his arms cocked back about to take a swing. Whenever Ben stepped in to intervene he was threatened with raised fists and was outnumbered, overpowered, and frustratingly unable to do anything but try to reason with these people, who were incapable of clear thought. At that point everything became a slow motion blur. I don’t know what happened or what I did exactly but the next thing I knew I was fighting my way out of the grip of one of the guys who was trying to knee me in the face. Only the fleshy part of his thigh was making contact with my cheek, so miraculously my nose didn’t get broken and my blood stayed on the inside of my skin. Freeing myself from his grip, I was no longer worrying about knee caps kissing my chin but now saw the first guy charging at me with my own guitar in his hands and the look of determination in his eyes. This might sound completely absurd but the dilemma I was facing was how to avoid having my face broken by my guitar while at the same time trying to save my guitar from being broken. I don’t remember what my resolve was but from inspecting my wounds afterwards I put together that I had used my forearms and hip to block his swings. Unfortunately (or fortunately as the case was) after impacting my body several times, the guitar finally gave way and cracked in half. For some reason this seemed to satiate his violent temper because he threw down the broken pieces and began to walk away. With a wounded body and ego, I gathered up the remains my guitar and hurried down to our bungalow where we packed our shit and got the hell off of that island. We stopped at the police, but it is doubtful they will do anything as the police here are a joke and corrupt as all hell. We later ran into a woman we had met on that beach and she told us that one of the men who had surrounded us had beaten up her british friend, for confronting him when she had found him cheating on her.
Being that both Ben and I choose to lead a life of non-violence, this experience was without a doubt completely foreign and utterly disturbing. I believe life presents you with experiences that you can choose to learn and grow from. Whatever the actual ‘lesson’ was in this case, I think what we experienced was simply seeing the other side to the beauty and love that we have known and experienced in our lives. Embracing only the aspects of life which we find comforting, loving and beautiful isn’t truly embracing all of what life is. Life is dualistic by nature…light and dark, positive and negative, pleasure and pain, love and hate etc, etc, etc. The more one opens his/her eyes to let in the light, the more aware one becomes of the dark…the two sides of the same coin. What side the coin of life lands on seems, at times, to be no more than that of the toss of that coin. What isn’t a coin toss is how we choose to learn and reflect upon our experience of the side that’s showing.
Well, it's off to Ko Phi Phi where we hope we can rinse away this feeling we have.

Swimming in the Stars

2005-10-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Last night, we got to experience the wonderful phenomenon of phosphorescent plankton in the ocean. For those of you who do not know what phosphorescence is, when swimming through it if appears in psychedelic bursts, making it look like constellations were coming off of your fingers. To people who do not know what is going on, one would think you are dreaming it is so magnificently surreal. What they actually are is microscopic plankton, that when disturbed give off a bright greenish glow. I went to sleep that night imagining what a whale must look like swimming through a glowing trail of plankton on a moonless night. For those of you who live by the ocean, check it out if you can as it only happens during certain times of the year, but is a once in a life-time magical experience.

Island Bound

2005-10-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

After an overnight bus, two minivans, a ferry, and two trips in a Sangthaew (a pickup truck with two benches in the back, we arrived on the island of Ko Pha Ngan in Southern Thailand. An island paradise where you can relax, meditate, snorkel, hike to a number of waterfalls or dance your ass off every night to drum n bass, psychedelic trance, progressive house, or breakbeats until you drop in the sand. Most people who come here are young and the islands population swells depending on the time of the month. Pha Ngan is notorious for its full moon parties where sometimes 20,000 foreigners,(usually Brits) descend on the island for a few days as an excuse to get sloppy drunk on what are called “buckets”. These are a notorious Thai invention that consists of a bottle of Sam Song Whiskey, a can of 150 (which is the Thai version of Red Bull and actually contains Amphetamines), and Coca-Cola. It comes in a plastic bucket with straws and gives you the feeling of being drunk while the 150 gives you energy and a speedy feeling…not my cup of tea. On top of that the music at the full moon parties is cheesy (house music with diva vocals) and the beach where it takes place looks like a garbage dump afterwards as these people think it is the local Thai’s responsibility to clean up after them. Well, we didn’t want to have anything to do with that so we decided to come to the island at the very exact opposite time where there is a much cooler and mellower version called the Black Moon Party that takes place at a waterfall and has some great DJ’s. We are really using this time to record some musical ideas in this tropical setting, meditate and do yoga daily, swim in the crystalline blue waters and catch our breath before we leave for India.
After Pha Ngan we are heading off to Ko Phi Phi to volunteer there and help bring the island back to life. It suffered extensive damage and thousands of people died and lost everything they owned. Just going there helps breaths life into the economy and is a tremendous help. Many tourist offices in Chiang Mai and Bangkok tell people that you can’t go to Ko Phi Phi and that there is no where to eat and stay in order to keep people there, which is untrue. Everyday, a guesthouse, a dive operation, or a restaurant opens proving how resilient these people are. We are looking forward in doing our little part to help these people after they have been long forgotten as people’s attention turns to other disasters like Katrina.

VIDEO-Muslim Fishing Village on Stilts

2005-10-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

While we were in Southern Thailand, we chartered a boat to take us around Ao Phang Nga National Marine Park. An archipelego of islands and limestone formations, one of the most stunning places we have ever been. Amidst all these small islands is an entire community of muslims who live in a village on stilts above the water. They make their money from fishing and from people like us who stop to eat and take a look. Check it out...

VIDEO-Chinese Vegetarian Festival

2005-10-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to view.

Arriving in Phang Nga, we were happy to hear that festivities for the annual vegetarian festival were taking place there. We were able to witness some truly amazing sights and sounds, only a few of which we were able to capture on film.

Unfortunately, we can only offer these stills of the more dramatic moments:

VIDEO-One from the Vault

2005-10-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

This video didn't get uploaded while we were in Cambodia in late August so we wanted to get it up for you. The poverty is Cambodia is alarming. The annual average income is less than $1,000 a year! Because of that many children an a very young age are forced to go to work to bring in extra cash. The site of these children hawking gifts or just outright begging is heartbreaking. Give thanks for your childhood...

From the North to the South

2005-10-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Aside from taking in all the musical offerings of Chiang Mai we also took the opportunity to learn a bit of Thai cooking and take part in a vipasana meditation…well…that’s what it was supposed to be; what it actually was we’re still not quite sure. We went to a small introduction to learn about vipassana so that later that evening we could join in this weekly ritual. What we saw when we got there was nothing at all what we thought it would be. Normally you might think of meditation as a subdued process of turning inward to find a place of quiet emptiness within yourself. What we witnessed was a room full of what seemed to be hysterical people yelling, crying, speaking in tongues, shaking and spitting into bowls while gurus walked from person to person waiving their hands, yelling some gibberish and placing their hands upon the hysterical people’s heads. We believed the intention of this process was to bring the individual to a state of utter exhaustion by chanting Tamma Tamma Tamma (which means ‘Karma’ in Thai) over and over again, louder and louder until the person reaches their limit and breaks down on a physical and emotional level. Thus arriving at a place of peacefulness similar to tensing your whole body by squeezing all of your muscles and then letting go to enter a state of deep relaxation. It wasn’t quite the experience we were expecting but an experience it certainly was.
CLICK HERE to view some footage from that evening

When it came time to leave Chaing Mai it felt like we just barely managed to finish up all our loose ends and make it onto the bus which would take us 12 hours back to Bangkok. From there it would be off to the islands of southern Thailand, where we could find a beach bungalow and settle into a groove of working on all of the musical ideas we had been coming up with over the course of our trip thus far.

SLIDESHOW-Fire Dancing

2005-10-07T03:35:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to download (2mb)

Fire Dancing with staff or with chains (poi) is an ancient art that can be traced back to many countries in the AustralAsia part of the world particularly the Maori's in New Zealand. Today, it can be found all over the world and has a strong scene in San Francisco. I was really looking forward to getting to the Thai islands as I would be able to get back into doing it as it had been years since I had last lit up. I first learned 6 years ago in Australia, and have some friends who really take it to another level( check them out Here.) It was great to get back into it again as it is a truly invigorating and wonderful artform. Enjoy-Ben

SLIDESHOW-Northern Thailand

2005-10-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to download slideshow. (6.5 mb)

Northern Thailand is beuatiful with a very different atmosphere than southern Thailand. We spent time in Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city, and the small town of Pai. Both had been flooded weeks before we arrived and Pai was still recovering with many buildings and businesses destroyed. Chiang Mai has over 300 temples and it seems like you cannot go a block without passing one. This lends the city a very holy vibe and it is a great escape from busy Bangkok. Enjoy

VIDEO-Making Money While Travelling

2005-09-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

Want to know how you to can travel the world while making money at the same time??? Just watch this instructional video, follow the easy to follow steps and soon you too will be wondering why you hadn't thought of this earlier!

VIDEO-Recording Bells in Chiang Mai

2005-09-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

We had been wanting to get some good recordings of the bells that they have at the Buddhist Temples in Thailand, but you have to get there very early in the morning to do so. Wat Doi Suthep is high on a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai and we braved the rain on the motorcycle to get up there at dawn before any visitors arrived. Needless to say, we got some great samples which we hope to use soon!

VIDEO-Instrument Maker, Chiang Mai, Thailand

2005-09-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

3 years ago, Malcolm visited Chiang Mai and saw a performance of local Thai music. One of the musicians father made the instruments and she gave Malcolm his telephone number if he ever wanted to buy some instruments. Since then however, he lost the number so we had to track her down again to get his number. Luckily, we found her and managed to meet up with him after a wet and rainy motorcycle ride to the outskirts of Chiang Mai. It was worth it though because we were able to see the instruments being made, play them, and buy a traditional Thai dulcumer called a 'Kim.'

VIDEO-Laos-Nam Ou River Trip

2005-09-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to stream video.

River travel was a big part of our time in Laos. We spent 4 days on the Mekong river which connects Laos with China and on the Nam Ou river. The latter of which has one of the most spectacular river trips in all of South East Asia. This video hopefully will give you a taste of that 2 day journey between Luang Prabang and Mong Ngeau Noi. Music is courtesy of our friend Bassnectar. This is the last of our Laos posts so enjoy. Northern Thailand is up next!

We want to send out a big thanks to our bassist Joe Hauler, who is holding things down for us back in California. He is making sure our bills are getting paid, so we don't to worry, thanks Joe!!!

SLIDESHOW-Laos #2

2005-09-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to download. (5.2 mb)

Luang Prabang was our next destination where we reacquainted ourselves with the modern conveniences of a larger town. Once the capital of Loas before is was mysteriously abandoned, thus leaving behind the remains of a rich cultural center speckled with temples and permeated by Buddhism. Today there is still a very strong presence of Buddhism in Luang Prabang and with that means there were lots of monks…and where there’s monks…there’s chanting. This was great for us because we had wanted to get recordings of the monks incanting their ancient prayers. It would seem that getting a recording would be pretty easy; just find some monks and a temple and bingo! Not quite that easy. The monks pray several times throughout the morning and into the evening as a part of their daily ritual. The only problem was that during the day there were always motorbikes zipping around, kids yelling, dogs barking and the usual chaotic sounds of daytime. So our only option was to wake up at 4am to catch the first prayers of day during the silence of the early morning hours. Long story short…many mornings were spent walking around for hours from temple to temple hoping to catch the right temple at the right time. Each Wat prays at a different time so you can imagine the goose chase we were on. During one of our interactions with the monks, one of the senior monk invited us to come to his English class to help his students with their pronunciation. We thought this would be a good opportunity to broaden the vocabulary of these monks to include all the necessary English words that we use on a daily basis…check out the video for that! We had a great time hanging out with all of his students, sharing with them as much as we were being given to just by being there. Before class ended the senior monk asked if we would sing one our songs to his class. We obliged and thanked them for letting us turn their English class into our version of School of Rock.
After Luang Prabang it was boats, boats, boats…hours and hours of boat rides along the various rivers that have provided the country with its trade routes with China for centuries. We boarded one tiny boat after the other making our way up the Nam Ou river to the most remote villages reachable only by river, down the majestic Mekong and the Nam Song. These boat rides were where many times we found ourselves paralyzed by the magnitude of the sheer natural beauty we were witnessing. We both experienced a unique feeling of being so overwhelmed with what we were seeing that it seemed no emotional response was fitting for the moment….to laugh, to cry, to feel bewildered, to feel empowered…??? This again is where words seem to fail. Needless to say leaving Laos was sad…like leaving the embrace of a loved one.
The boat ride to the border, however, wasn’t missed nearly as much. The first day was a grueling 14 hours on an overly full boat, using boxes of fruit, fish and god knows what as seats because there was no where to sit. This combined with the 110 decibel growl of the tractor engine being used as the motor, pouring rain and the caustic fumes of the engine because we were sitting in the back of the boat. The second day was just a little less crowded and this time only 10 hours long! Summed up, we had 24 hours of boating fun as we inched down the Mekong river on our way back to Thailand. All traveling discomforts aside, we managed to hang out and talk with a couple of the local Laos people on the boat and met one particularly adorable 7 year old girl who loved being the focus of attention for our cameras.

VIDEO-Laos "Are you Free?"

2005-09-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE for Low Version or on the image to stream video (22.5mb)

CLICK HERE for High Version or on the image to stream video (56.5 mb).

It's really hard to encapsulate these momentous experiences within the framework of a 3.5" by 5" video or slideshow, but hopefully this video will give you just a taste of what Laos is like. Enjoy

LAOS

2005-09-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

Think of a movie you’ve seen where the shot opens up with a dramatic long pan across majestic mountain range where the clouds obscure the highest peaks and the sun casts an angelic amber glow over the valley below. Now imagine getting up out of your seat and walking into the silver screen….welcome to Laos! When we chose our course for travel, each destination was with specific intention. Bali was to seek out master craftsman of Gamelan instruments. Cambodia was for the inspiration of taking in the massive manmade works of architectural art at Angkor Wat. And Laos was for it’s sheer majestic beauty. Every creative person has their muse, for us, the staggering natural beauty of Laos was just that. Our hopes for our journey to Laos were to immerse ourselves in a landscape where just the simple opening of our eyes each morning would be the inspirational backdrop for our musical thoughts and ideas. The intention was set, the destination chosen and the results…nothing less than what we had expected and in fact quite a bit more.
Laos just opened its borders to travelers in the early 90’s so tourism is very limited and the locals in many parts of the country are still getting used to seeing foreigners. This is very exciting when coming from a place like Thailand which has been entertaining visitors for over 50 years. Starting off in the lower portion of the Northern arm of Laos, we made our way up from Ventiane, the capital, to progressively smaller and smaller towns until the towns became villages and the villages then became nothing more than a collection of a dozen bamboo huts. From the beginning of our time in Laos we were captivated by the scenic, picturesque landscape. Upon arriving in each new town we were convinced that it couldn’t get anymore amazingly beautiful than what we were seeing at that moment. Yet with each bus, boat, or tuk tuk trip to more and more rural areas, we found ourselves saying that same thing each time. To use words to describe what we saw would be a rather pathetic endeavor. Some of the video we took might give you a square inch of entire football field sized picture of what the landscape of Laos actually is. It’s hard to imagine that Laos and all its seemingly untouched natural beauty is THE most bombed country in all the world. During the Vietnam War from 1964-1973, the US spent 2.2 million dollars a day dropping the equivalent of an areoplane load of bombs every 8 minutes for 9…yes 9…9 years straight! This weighed out to be almost ONE TON of explosives for every single man, woman and child in all of Laos. Its hard to imagine that Laos, a stunningly beautiful country even after all the senseless bombings, was a place of perpetual hell for nine years straight, not to mention the civil war that wrought havoc on the country for the next two decades.
Needless to say we spent a lot of time taking advantage of the nature and all the fun things it had to offer. Because we were in Laos during the rainy season all of the water activities which were normally considered a casual, relaxing affair were transformed to a down right adventure. We spent one of our days taking a trip down the river on inner tubes, which normally takes about 4 hours but because of all the rain it was accelerated to 45 minutes! Although we didn’t go straight down…there was far too much fun to be had on the river banks where locals had built a jungle gym of various ziplines, rope swings, treetop jumps and other assorted ways for passers by to risk their lives. We managed to make it down unscathed…for the most part; aside from me falling through a missing board of a bridge and Ben forgetting to let go at the end of a zipline (check out the video for that one!) And the river was just one of adventures. Spelunking in mountain top caves, swimming in natural springs deep inside a mountain, climbing around massive, pitch black caverns and kayaking through river gorges were just some of the ways we burned off our caffeine highs from drinking the local motor oil…I mean Loas coffee. Most of these adventures were had while visiting the small backpacker town of Vang Vieng, known for it’s wealth of natural beauty and opium…no trip to Vang Vieng is complete without sampling both of the local delicacies.

Below you will find some videos and and the first of 2 slideshows from Laos. There will be more videos and photos to come.

VIDEO-Professors Guess and Jones

2005-09-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to Stream Video.
While we were in Luang Prabang, Laos, visiting a monastery to record samples of the monks chanting we were asked if we would like to teach an english class to the novice monks that night. That had been one of the things we wanted to do, so it was great to have the oppurtunity come to us. It was definately a wonderful experience and very surreal standing in front of a room full of safron robed monks teaching them "drums, kaura, hard rock..." It was fullfilling being able to give back to the country that we fell in love with.

VIDEO-Tractor Ride through Laos

2005-09-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to Stream.
Transportation in South East Asia and particularly in Laos, is not your standard bus, train, taxi as in the States. We needed to get out to some caves situated high in a limestone cave where there was a Buddha statue deep in on of the huge main caverns. The only way to navigate the roads was by a tractor pulling us. The tractor engine was controlled by long gears that this guy used masterfully. We only got stuck in the mud once. Check it out.

VIDEO-Tubing on the Nam Sou-Laos

2005-09-18T05:58:00.000-07:00

Tubing Video-Click Here or on the image to View.
Laos was literally a dream come true and its because of things like this. In Vang Vieng, Northern Laos, you can rent a tractor tube and a lifejacket and cruise down the Nam Sou river. There are bars, caves, and stop offs all along the sides of the river with rope swings, zip lines, and jumps where twenty-somethings can act like they are 11 years old. Ironically, everyone's lifejackets were made by and had emblazoned upon the back "Gro Up." Not yet...

SLIDESHOW-Laos-Jewel of the Mekong

2005-09-16T05:47:00.000-07:00

Laos Slideshow #1
Here is an introduction to the majestic country called Laos. Please be patient when waiting for it to load, it is well worth the wait. We shot a lot of footage and took a lot of photos and will be uploading them in the next week. Thanks for all the e-mails!
Click Here or on the image to watch

Some thoughts on America

2005-09-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

As we travel here in South East Asia, it becomes apparent how many freedoms and liberties we take for granted in America. We have been travelling in some communist countries like Laos and Cambodia and the people often are very restricted with what they can read, print, or proclaim. Demonstrations against the government are forbidden and can land peaceful protestors in jail for years if not the rest of their lives.
This is why we feel like the rights that we have in America need to be exeercised or the people who fought so hard for them did so in vain. We are appalled at the reports we have received from home about how George Bush and the government handled the tragedy in Louisiana. We are also concerned about the pending Supreme Court nominations which could easily take away some of the freedoms and constitutional rights we enjoy today. This is a pivotal time right now and these decisions could shape the America of tommorow. We hope that you will excercise your rights to question, dissent, and demand a better system where people are treated equally regardless of race or sex.
With the pending Supreme Court nominations, many feel a woman's right to choose could be put in jeopardy. We urge you to learn more about the issue and if you would like to protect that right for yourself, your sisters, friends, girlfriends, or wives you can visit these websites. Knowledge is power.
www.neral.org,
www.plannedparenthood.org

VIDEO-Cambodia

2005-09-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video with some of the video images that we collected while in Cambodia from Angkor Wat to the poor children of Seam Reap. CLICK HERE or on the image to watch.

**FOR PC USERS**
The video should start playing after your computer has downloaded a 1/4 of it. If your computer is taking a long time to download it just simply right click as "Save As Target" and save it to your harddrive or desktop. That way you can keep on enjoying our blog while your computer downloads it and watch it later. PC's do not come loaded with QUICKTIME as Mac's do so we have supplied a link on the right where you can download it for free. E-mail us with any questions, believe it or not we really do respond. Thanks

Cambodia-Behold the Light-Angkor Wat

2005-09-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Angkor Wat, the jewel of Cambodia, and a source of pride and inspiration for the Cambodian people was worth all the hellacious bus rides and poverty and hardship we were witness to while there. No photos can do justice to this series of temples which make up the world's largest religous monument. Cambodia was an excercise in opposites you cannot have one without the other. CLICK HERE or on the image to download the slideshow. Enjoy

Cambodia Slideshow

2005-09-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE or on the image to view (6.5 mb)
To see the people of Cambodia today is to look into the past and witness the immeasurable poverty and hardship that shows in the desperation of their eyes. Cambodia has had a hard past…a very hard past. It became a very common sight to see an outstretched limb with no hand at its end, extended, begging for spare change or food. It was an everyday experience to see a little boy, no older than 7, holding his little sister in his arms, sitting on a curb begging for food. When we would sit down for dinner we were literally swarmed upon by local children begging for what was left on our plates. This was heartbreaking alone, not to mention when some of these kids were also missing limbs due to a landmine explosion. On one occasion we had so many kids surrounding us motioning to their mouths and bellies that they were hungry that we decided to ask the restaurant owner to ask the children what they wanted to eat so we could buy dinner for them and their friends to eat. It was a small gesture on our part but it brought a big smile to their faces. Although, sadly, no matter how big their smile in that moment, it would only last until their bellies became hungry again. This was the scene around Siem Reap. If it wasn’t begging for food at the stalls it was begging for us to buy a postcard or a bottle of water…and not only from the adults. Hordes of little kids would swarm us begging for us to buy just one thing from them to try and make a little money for themselves. I don’t know what any of you were doing at age 7 but I think I was playing with toy cars or something, not trying to survive by hustling for a bit of pocket change. A different way of life….very different.
Leaving Siem Reap to head south to the capitol of Phnom Phen wasn’t leaving the darkness behind but rather walking into another world of darkness even more difficult to swallow than poverty of Siem Reap. Without getting too much into the history and politics of Cambodia I’ll just caption a period of time between 1975-1979 (just 30 years ago) when a man by the name of Pol Pot lead a Mao Communist movement known as the Khmer Rouge, wherein he conducted a mass genocide, killing over 2 million people of the countries 8 million population. The focus of this movement was to wipe out educated people and their families…men, women, children and even their babies. The even more disturbing fact of this matter was in the inhumane and tortuous nature of the killing. There’s no need to go into details but suffice it to say that these people were absolutely brutally…fuckin’ tortured and then murdered; and for no other reason than to fulfill the agenda of one man’s sick mind. The reason we’re sharing this is because from this experience we both gained a new perspective of just how fortunate and privileged we are as people. To see the depths of suffering that this country has gone through has only helped us to gain a more profound appreciation for what we often so casually take for granted. If anyone out there thinks their job sucks, their parents suck, their life is hard…come to Cambodia for a week…..and rejoice in the fact that you can leave and go back to your life, which will no longer seem to be so bad.

Cambodia-Heart of Darkness

2005-09-01T02:35:00.000-07:00

Cambodia was all about rawness...in every respect. Let me begin by sharing the journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap, wherein lies the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. We woke at 6 AM to get to the bus station where we caught our first of many buses that would take us to the border of Thailand and Cambodia. Packed with Thais, Cambodians and a speckling of Westerners, the bus ride was rather hot and cramped for the 4 hour trip to the border...but considering the means by which we would soon be traveling this was the lap of luxury. Arriving at Arranya Prathet, the border city, we hopped on a rickety tuk tuk, which speed off to take us to the actual border crossing where we spent 2 hours, sweating balls in the heat, getting through immigration. Once we got through the first tier, we then spent another hour passing through 2 more levels of immigration till we were finally packed like sardines into a little bus that took us to yet another bus station. Here we boarded what would become the most hellish 7 hour bus ride from Poi Pet to Siem Reap. This stretch of road is well known for being a completely miserable experience for most anyone who has made the journey. Twenty two people were crammed into a little mini bus the size of a VW Westfalia in addition to everyone’s luggage. It was boiling hot, the AC barely worked, and the road….the road was FUCKED! It was basically a dirt path with huge potholes, trenches, mud, pools of water, dust and few large boulder sized rocks thrown in for good measure. Now imagine this…you know the feeling of what it’s like driving on some old dirt road going up a mountainside, or that gravel driveway that twists and turns with huge ditches running through it…yeah…take that feeling and multiply it by 10 and then stretch it out for 7 hours. All of this in addition to the mental anguish of knowing that the distance being traveled could be done in 2 hours but because the bus never breaks 20 mph it takes 7. Oh yeah and because my seat was in the back in between all of the bags, It was like being in a small mosh pit where heavy-ass bags would fall on me every time we hit a bump or pothole. FUN…pure knee-slappin, guffaw havin’ good times all the way! Once we finally arrived at some absurd hour early the next morning, our worked-asses dropped like bricks on our beds. When we woke to check out and find another place we had our second miserable experience in Cambodia. Somehow between leaving Bangkok and arriving in Cambodia my guitar was stolen. In the haste and disorientation of getting from one country to another some lucky Cambodian is now rockin’ out with my cheesy 80’s hair metal travel guitar. Though it wasn’t the most attractive guitar, it still got the job done. Now having nothing, it’s going to be much more difficult to continue with the writing process like we had been able to before. So, from here on out we may have to forgo the uploading of new song tidbits for you to sample while we’re away, besides some acoustic pieces, if we can pick up an acoutsic guitar. They say you have to travel through the valley of darkness to see the light...

Kuala Lumpur Airport

2005-08-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

We will have a lot of photos and some video from Cambodia up for you very soon, but to tide you over we have a glimpse into our travel time. We spend a lot of time in airports, bus stations, and train stations and we make the most of it. This is from our stopover in Malaysia a couple of weeks ago. CLICK HERE or on the image to view. (18mb streaming)

Bob Had Bitch Tits

2005-08-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here is some footage for you that portrays the lighter side of our travels. CLICK HERE or on the image to view. (20 mb streaming) Like all the clips you need Quicktime to view it, if you don't have Quicktime there is a link on the right hand side where you can download it for free.

Suite 108 Interview

2005-08-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

We were interviewed days before we left for a radio show called Suite 108. You can find all the episodes on Apple I-Tunes as Podcasts or you can listen to our interview with Sara by CLICKING HERE. Enjoy

Bali and Bangkok Video

2005-08-24T04:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a new video for you that includes footage from our time in Bali and our last visit to Bangkok, Thailand. 20.1 mb streaming. CLICK HERE or on the image to watch.

Bangkok Slideshow

2005-08-22T03:58:00.000-07:00

Bangkok is an amazing place and we wanted to share these photos from our last brief stopover there before we headed to Cambodia. Click Here or on the image to watch. Greetings to all our Myspace friends who are visiting our blog for the first time. Thanks for stopping by. We will have a small video up with some Bali and Bangkok footage up soon for you. Size=4.8 mb

Visit to a Gamelan Maker's Shop-Video

2005-08-21T03:45:00.000-07:00

While we were in Bali, we were able to visit a local Gamelan maker's shop in a small village. We filmed some of it and wanted to share it with you. It is very rare that musicians actually get to meet the people that make their instruments and see the process first hand. Click Here or on the image to view.

One Down 4 to Go

2005-08-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

One down and 4 to go. We’ve just returned from the jungle mecca that is Bali, completing one fifth of our journey. The time spent in Bali was just 12 days but seemingly filled with months worth of experiences. Bali was a very pleasant first stop on our journey…easing us into the backpacker’s lifestyle. Every morning we were awoken by the sun shinning and the sweet smell of incense burning from the offerings that were made every single day in exchange for safety and prosperity by the Hindu Gods. Sweet tea, fresh fruit, and banana crepes were brought to us on our patios which most guesthouses in Bali have.
I’d like to say that every morning was a stress free beginning to a leisurely escapade in a tropical paradise but most days were not quite such. Often times the day began with us waking early to study the Lonely Planet guide to find a better guest house to stay at; one with better electrical outlets and lighting so that we could work more efficiently at night. It was only when we had stayed in a guesthouse for an evening that we would then find out that the electrical outlets were dodgy where sparks would fly when we’d plug in a power strip or we would start to notice an odd tingling sensation in our fingertips as we were typing on our laptops because of poor grounding. We were effectively being mildly electrocuted which didn’t make for a very productive work experience. After finding a new room and settling in it was then on to the conquest for the day, be it meeting up with a local instrument maker to learn more about gamelan instruments or navigating the narrow winding roads on a motor bike to get to one of Bali’s ancient sights. After a days adventure it was on to the less difficult of task of finding something delightful to eat and then back to our room to edit video, download the recordings and photos captured that day, sketch out a song idea in protools and finally collapse on our bed to get some rest for the next day’s adventure.
Leaving Bali was a waving goodbye to a beautiful island paradise, rich in culture, tradition and inspiration. It was impossible to walk more than 5 minutes without seeing some sort of edifice built for spiritual devotion. Bali is predominantly Hindu and from their deep devotion to their faith comes the warmth of their spirit; which was ever present in their genuine smiles and willingness to help travelers if they accidentally wandered off the beaten path (which we did plenty of times). Rarely did we ever come across a local who was too busy or uninterested in talking with us. Bali was everything good that we had thought it would be….almost. Like many of the worlds beautiful places, if it’s a place to be then that’s exactly what it will be…a place where LOTS of people want to be. Bali is a major tourist destination and with that comes the exposing of an ugliness, which peaks out from behind the seemingly perfect lush and inviting tapestry of which you see at first glance. Being of any white skinned nationality marks you as being a tourist and to the locals this means you are a walking $ sign. One thing that won’t be missed much is the barrage of hawkers trying to sell us a mountain of postcards, carvings, transport, necklaces, marijuana, hash, cocaine, women and the list goes on. On one particularly strange occasion, we politely declined the wares of a seller and saw the once smiling face turn to one of indignation, and were demanded to give up something of value…which in this case was our shirts!! Why they wanted our shirts still leaves me clueless. Partially because of situations similar to that, it was hard to want to be the smiling visitor in their country to show that not all westerners were rude and unfriendly when at times the only way to make your way through an ambush of hawkers was to look straight ahead and walk through them as though you were blind and deaf to their urging you to look at whatever they were selling. The difficulty was in knowing that this is the means that these people have to make a barely livable income to feed their family. Buying a postcard for a dollar is very little to me but could be a weeks worth of groceries to them. There was a constant push and pull between wanting to be free and giving of our attention and our Indonesian Rupee, while at the same time feeling the need to be as wary of every penny spent for fear that we were either being ripped off or that we were spending money which we needed to last us for the next 3 and a half months. So as our skin thickened, our hearts softened; as we tried to find the balance between being shrewd backpackers and generous guests in an impoverished land. Each day our eyes and minds were opened to take in the vast heights of beauty and richness, as well as the depths of squalid poverty; both of which were necessary to embrace to fully gain insight and appreciation for the amazingly rich and diverse island of Bali.

Denpesar Market-Video

2005-08-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

We wanted to share with you the experience of being at a market in Denpasar, Bali. Truly, overwhelming!!! Click Here or on the image. Enjoy and be patient with the download.
thanks
Ben and Malcolm

Bali Slideshow

2005-08-15T21:20:00.001-07:00

We wanted to give you guys a taste of what Bali is like so we have put together this slideshow for you. Just Click Here or on the image to view. We will be adding video of our trip to a local Gamelan maker's shop very soon. Take care.
Ben and Malcolm

LA to Bangkok Video

2005-08-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Greeting from the Jungle Paradise of Bali, Indonesia. We have finally been able to connect to our server and have gotten this video up for you which documents our transition from one city of angels to another. We will have some photos for you very soon as well. Enjoy
Click Here or on the image to watch.

***For PC Users****
If the video does not start playing immediately it just means that your computer is downloading it. You may want to right click and "save target as" and save it to your harddrive or desktop. That way you can watch it later, while surfing the net. For Mac users, the video should start playing relatively quickly.

Intro Video

2005-08-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone, here is our first intro video for you. You will need Quicktime to view it which you probably already have, but if not you can get it for free with the link on the right. Enjoy. Click on the Image or Here to View.

2005-07-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends
Join us, Benjamin Jones and Malcolm Guess, of the band KAURA, as we travel through Thailand, Bali, Cambodia, Laos, and India writing new songs, collecting instruments, gaining inspiration, and learning about ourselves. We will hope to upload video, audio, and photos as much as we can. Join us as we open ourselves up to the journey of a lifetime!
Ben and Malcolm