Music has always been an important factor in both my and Vicky's lives. Vicky, especially, loved to have music playing and would usually prefer that to having the TV on. Whilst I am selective (aka picky/snobbish) about what I listen to, I have an eclectic taste in music and, depending upon how the mood takes me, am as happy listening to Mozart or Madonnas, Billy Bragg or The Beatles, Ella Fitzgerald or Eric Clapton.
Unfortunately, like sex and drugs, decent music has been markedly absent throughout my journey so far. Of course, I have my trusty iPod - filled to the brim with my favourites from Abba to Weird Al and everything in between. But other than that, musical entertainment has been sadly lacking. In fact, at times, it has been more of a punishment, I'm sure.
When I boarded the TSR at Moscow, the piped music in the carriage was a Russian pop/cover compilation - Abba and the Carpenters along with some rather suspect 80's style soviet disco. At first, it wasn't too bad, but it became evident that they only had the one cd. Over the 4 days travelling between the capital and Irkutsk, I lost count of how many times I heard 'Money, money, money', 'Yesterday Once More' or 'My American toy, American joy, and now he's all mine. My American boy' (aaaagggghhhhh! 9 weeks later and those dastardly lyrics are still locked in my head!). It was no better in China. Though this time the music was Sino-pop instead.
Beijing and other Chinese cities, at night, occasionally took on a Glastonbury like feel, as impromptu dancing would take place in vacant spaces outside the big stores. Unlike Glastonbury, where people would bump and grind in random semi-rhythmic gyrations to techno/garage/house/shed/car alarm, in front of stalls selling anything from bongs to hand woven, organic sanitary towels, this was therapeutic line dancing. Like an outdoor aerobics class, up to 50 or 60 people, mainly women, would congregate to exercise to music. Also unlike Glastonbury, the music was classical Chinese.
In Vietnam, most of the music was of the region. Not to my taste, but local and authentic. Like the Chinese, the Vietnamese like their karaoke - or 'son sun bahd' as it is known. On the boat trip to Halong Bay, the evening entertainment was billed as 'English DVD, squid fishing or...Karaoke'. The host was most perturbed when his guests said 'could we just sit a chat over a beer?'
Halong Bay is a beautiful introduction to north east Vietnam. It featured in a scene of the Bond film, 'Tomorrow Never Dies', and consists of hundreds of island that rise, in sheer vertical cliffs from the water. Over the two day there, I was able to land on one island and climb to the top for a terrific view, kayak through caves to the isolated centre of another and row around a floating fishing village. In the morning mist, the islands have a ghost-like quality especially as it can be so quiet, before the tour boats start moving around.
It was on the boat that I met Steve, who has already featured in a couple of my blogs, and Barry & Tom - a father/son duo from Melbourne. Barry was a fascinating character who, it turned out, worked in television and had been on the commissioning team that launched 'Neighbours' (Lee, if you're reading, I could probably get you a signed koala from Harold!).
When Steve and I met up in Hoi An and were looking around for somewhere to eat/drink, we both agreed that a)we would not go to anywhere playing 'crap' western music and b)we would leave immediately should 'Gangnam Style' be played. It became quite clear, very quickly, that we were going to lose this particular fight. Fortunately, we then met Chloe, who thought nothing of going up to the bar and asking to plug here iPhone into the PA. She had an excellent collection, including some older French pop/rock and a certain je ne sais quoi that allowed her to boldly substitute the house music with her own and have the staff smiling to boot!
My most painful musical experience, though, has to be the bus journey from Seam Reap to Kratchi, Cambodia. Apparently, what I experienced is typical of Cambodian travel. As the bus began our 8 hour journey, a DVD of Cambodian karaoke was set playing. Frankly, I would have preferred waterboarding! A couple of people I've met since have said that, not only did they play a karaoke DVD, but the Cambodian passengers sang along too! Noooooooooo!
There have been a couple of musical oasis' on my travels. My two nights on the wonderfully tranquil island of Don Khone, in southern Laos, was one. Staying in a riverside shack on the Mekong, where nothing moves very fast, except the water cascading down the waterfall, was quite idillic. I regret only staying two night. I could easily have stayed a week, swinging in my porch hammock reading and listening to Van Morrison, Paul Weller, The Doors and just about anything else that the French owners had playing quietly in the background.
Of course, none of these tales do justice to the wonderful places that I am privileged to be visiting, or the fascinating people, both local and travelling, that I have met along the way. Of the places, well Lonely Planet, et al, do a pretty good job of describing them - probably better than I can do. Of the people, maybe i can introduce some of them in my next missive.
Until then...
No comments:
Post a Comment