WORLDROMPER

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller

Monthly Archives: February 2009


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Montparnasse: Paris’ Mountain of the Muses

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To many of it’s artist habitues, the Parisian neighborhood of Montparnasse was known simply as ‘The Quarter’. Here the cancan and the polka were introduced to the city, new philosophies were born at shaky sidewalk tables, and crazy poets walked pet lobsters on leashes. In Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, written in part at the café La Closerie des Lilas (see restaurant list below), the character Jake explains that one doesn’t have to live in the neighborhood to belong to it : “Perfectly good Quarterites live outside the actual boundaries of Montparnasse. They can live anywhere, as long as they come to the Quarter to think.” Continue reading →


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What Is Adventure?

Punakaiki, New Zealand

Punakaiki, New Zealand

What is adventure?

~ This is where most writers quote Webster’s idea, and then go off on their particular version of the word. Verb. Noun. Adjective.

I don’t care what Webster says, because I know what adventure is to me. Adventure is the desire to live as many new experiences as possible all over the world in this wonderful blink of a gift we call life.

Adventure is running through a grassy field with a dog. Adventure is a bean sandwich for breakfast. Adventure is climbing first up an underground waterfall. Adventure is selling everything you own and moving into a 129 square foot apartment in Paris. Adventure is doing what really scares you, whether that is bungee jumping or wearing pink go-go boots or telling the truth. Adventure is finding out what lies inside of you. Adventure is going to the beach by yourself. Adventure is eating something that you have absolutely no idea what it is, and liking it. Adventure is walking around the streets of a big city in the middle of the night. Adventure is taking the subway with a group of kindergartners. Adventure is fumbling over your words in a new language. Adventure is kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park on the South Island of New Zealand. Adventure is China. Adventure is love. Adventure is death. Adventure is saying ‘screw it’ and putting that ticket on a credit card. Adventure is found in the Himalayas. Adventure is painting. Adventure is putting on a harness and jumping. Adventure is saying hello. Adventure is risky. Adventure is dangerous. Adventure is a walk. Adventure is doing something you have never done and no one you know has ever done. Adventure is imminent. Adventure is a game. Adventure is laughing when you are scared sh*tless. Adventure is a meeting of the eyes. Adventure is the wrong boy. Adventure is exhausting. Adventure is dancing like a fool. Adventure is making up your mind between Bali, Thailand, or India. Adventure is taking all your clothes off and jumping in. Adventure is the middle of nowhere. Adventure is right around the corner. Adventure is tonight! Adventure is a search that never ever ends. Adventure is getting lost and not caring. Adventure is airline food. Adventure is a new friend.

See you in the great swirling circle!

Worldromper

AKA Shilo Urban


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Thailand Revisited: $5 Massage, $1 Beer, Free Sunshine

Written in October 2008. Apparently I took no pictures this day.

Yesterday I hopped a train heading north from Thailand towards Sukhothai, where I am writing you from now.. The five hour train ride was hot but not too bad (remember I like shit like this) and all along the way out the windows beyond the farmland, beyond the long-eared white cows, past the swampy land and over the colorful villages you see Buddhas popping up on the countryside, overlooking the surrounding area. My favorite was huge and shiny gold- it must have been 50 meters high.

The ride was relaxing and I read over half of ‘The Beach’, did some writing, listened to a lot of Modeselektor and ate the train-provided meal, a spicy lemongrass-chicken fishball and rice affair.

From the train I jumped on an open-air truck-thing called a Songtaew cruised in the very hot air to new Sukhothai. Every little village you pass has a giant temple inlaid with intricate pieces of gold, red and pink that just dominates the town. Everything is so colorful here- the food, the dress, the people, and the land itself. The hour long ride in the air was nice- got off the truck soaking wet, sopping, after ripping my legs off the vinyl seats.

I checked in to my sweet guesthouse and hit the pool. It is absolutely amazing how quickly 5% Singthai beer goes down in the insane heat. The pool reminded me of Texas- almost too hot to swim, like bathwater. It was fantastic. Dress here is modest so even in the heat I am wearing sleeved shirts and below-the-knee pants or skirts.

After two hours in the pool I got a traditional Thai massage, where they do not use oil, just pull you and stretch you out, for an hour and a half. It was the best massage of my life, and I have been massaged beachside in Fiji. I feel so fantastic and happy.The massgae took place in this barn-type building with geckos all over the ceiling, pretty cool to look at when I wasn’t drifting out of consciousness. The Thai massage’s focus on limbs did wonders for this girl who dances and writes- I want to get one every day. Twice. It cost $5.

Food continues to be excellent, usually spicy which I love, with rice, fresh veggies, and a lot of seafood. It is HOT AS here as they say and I revert to travel Shilo who cares nothing about her appearance and wears one item of clothing only. It is such a refreshing break, although the lack of makeup means I look about 12 yeras old. I am a Pisces with many facets of personality, but this is the truest one, and I try not to walk around with a big shit-eating smile on my face. I will live in the tropics one day.

This morning I am heading to Old Sukhothai which was the capital of Siam in the 13th century and whose ancient ruins span over a 45 km area- a lot! I am going to rent a bike, ride around, sweat my face off, have a picnic lunch, and then will grab a bus further north tonight.

Much love everyone! Sorry I cannot respond to every message individually (even my Mom’s). I am off to breakfast and another quick dip in the pool.

Thailand rocks!


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Sightsounding: New Music Adventures

Adventure is new music.

When you travel around the globe you come across all kinds of music; people tend to associate vacation with the visual sense, sightseeing, but sightsounding is just as enriching if not more so. Fresh music exposes your ears to new aural vistas just as your eyes take in the new mountain scene or rolling landscape. Whether you stumble upon a local jam band ragin’ it in a tiny French village or beat drums on the Masai Mara in Africa, musical adventures will ring in your ears long after your return flight.

Golden Bay, South Island

Golden Bay, South Island

When I arrived in New Zealand I had absolutely no idea what an insane reggae scene is going off on those islands. It makes perfect sense though; reggae is island music for chillin’ out and New Zealand is made up of two beautiful islands scattered with the very laid back Kiwi people. The heart of the reggae world in New Zealand is the Waikato region and the city of Wellington, the cultural capital of the nation. An awesome reggae industry means a killer dub and dubstep scene as well, and all over New Zealand people are dancing and jamming to amazing music that 99.9% of most Americans have not heard of. I am about to induct you into the .01%. Get ready to bounce.

Rangitoto from Waitemata Harbor in Auckland

Rangitoto from Waitemata Harbor in Auckland

Fat Freddy’s Drop is the most well-known of all New Zealand music artists and skanks it right with a totally unique reggae and dub sound. They lay down thick swervy bass beats with an easy, ambulatory nature that creeps along purposefully under the smooth vocals of lead singer Dallas. His voice is like a bell, open and with an all-encompassing tone that pulls you in, and they have one of the best female rappers around. This Wellington band dropped big time in 2005 with stellar album “Based On A True Story.” Fat Freddy’s song Cay’s Crays is named after a crayfish (NZ lobster) stand on the South Island that you will most certainly drive by if you are road tripping around the country (such is the beauty of New Zealand’s many one-road towns).

Lake Matheson, South Island

Lake Matheson, South Island

Katchafire is a smokey-sweet reggae band named in tribute to a Bob Marley song with a leader singer whose voice will make you swear you are listening to Legend. On Revival they exhort you to bounce, skank, giddy up and get away. Katchafire’s edition of Redemption Song is a hopeful, uplifting recording and their song Collie Herb Man has been mixed and remixed by just about every DJ in New Zealand, and you can find a version of the song under whatever electronic music style you like, from house to drum and bass to dubstep.

Punakaiki "Pancake Rocks," South Island

Punakaiki "Pancake Rocks," South Island

Salmonella Dub throws dance beats down from Cape Reinga to Bluff. A sassy mix of electronica, jazz influences, and shaky reggae stomps combines with uplifting lyrics to post Samonella Dub at the top of the list for Kiwi music. Dancehall Girl is an ode to the shakers on the islands and Slide just makes you want to sit back down, breath deep and savor the kickin’ mountain scenery of New Zealand for another hour or two.

Moeraki Boulders aka NEW ZEALAND ROCKS

Moeraki Boulders aka: NEW ZEALAND ROCKS

Other New Zealand reggae and dub bands to check out include Kora, Pitch Black, The Black Seeds, Trinity Roots, Shapeshifter, Herbs, and Cornerstone Roots. Go on a new music adventure and experience the inspirational qualities of New Zealand’s finest artists. I will see you on the dance floor.


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Thailand Revisited: There is a Party called Khao San Road

…and I am writing you from it!

I arrived in Bangkok about three hours ago and jumped a cab to my hotel which is just one street removed from Khao San Road, one of the most popular backpacker streets in the world. I am in Thailand but the whole area around feels like backpacker country- it is a seething, simmering, boiling broth of young people from all over the world, mixing and dancing and sweating and loving Southeast Asia.

Hungry? Deep fried insects

Hungry? Deep fried insects

All down the street restaurants, bars, and dance clubs compete with each other to boom their bass in your face, from Eminem to Guns and Roses to JT. Cocktails are sold in bucket form, and a vodka red bull bucket will set you back a whole $4. Food vendors line the street, hawking phud thai, eggrolls, deep-fried insects, fresh pineapple juices, hot falafels, popsicles- all super cheap. The only thing less expensive than the food are the clothes- realizing I might like an extra sleeved shirt, I bought two sweet printed shirts for $6. MC Hammer pants are big here as well as gaudy bead-covered tank tops, and you can buy shiny gold bangle bracelets to go up your entire arm.

Riding in a tuk-tuk

Riding in a tuk-tuk

Tuk-tuks (3 wheeled car/truck things) cruise around like taxis, there are tons of motorcycles screaming everywhere and people just sit down in the road to eat their midnight snack. It is around 12:30AM here and I have no idea what time it is in the US though I do believe it is yesterday. Well, I am in tomorrow- and it ROCKS, yall.

I wish I could transport a big group of you here to experience this with me: life, carnival-style.

Street Vendor

Street Vendor

Swirling madness to be lapped up, bright colors to breath in, laughing strangers to meet eyes with and walk away, spare policemen chuckling at fat chicks, Burger King, the Ooze bar, wandering stray dogs, cats, elephants- this place is pure madness and you all would LOVE it!

I am only in Bangkok overnight; my train leaves at 7:30 in the morning to Sukhothai, the ancient capitol of the country. I return in about a week though and am already looking forward to it. I enjoy the crazy bustle of cities. and yes, the shopping. Good night my friends. Buy a plane ticket. Travel. This is your world, and you should really check it out, because it is beautiful and it is calling your name. There are six billion strangers waiting to be your friend. There are hot peppers that will make you cry, random yogurt drinks to cool you off, and a blond girl who skips along with a song in her heart.

MUCH LOVE SEATTLE!

df5k, alive and well on the other side of the planet


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Thailand Revisited: A Soul in Seoul says HELLO

Written in October 2008

Hello my friends from Seoul, South Korea! I am only here one day and taking advantage of the swanky hotel with heated toilet seat and free internet access where the airline put me up.

Before I wrote up events and artists for the electronic music community, I wrote travel- and geez yall might lose me soon to the world because I absolutely love it. I love to travel wherever, whenever.

I love twelve hour flights– does this make me the biggest freak in the world? Seriously- twelve hours to be alone with myself and my thoughts, shit movies like Get Smart and Speed Racer on TV, I read 4 magazines and 2 newspapers plus half of Lonely Planet Thailand. I love to travel and I don’t just mean getting places- I like waiting in airports, being lost in train stations, wondering around streets I don’t know sticking out like a sore sore thumb with my blondiness. I love being a fool, not knowing anything, sounding stupid trying to learn the right way to say “good morning.” GOD I LOVE IT.

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So I am here in Seoul because the airline changed my flight to Bangkok, giving me a forced overnight here in South Korea complete with sweet hotel stay, breakfast/lunch/dinner and airport transfers. The ride into Seoul from Incheon, the airport, was about an hour right around sunset time, and the pink/orange haze that fell over everything pulled my eyes in all directions as I tried to make things out of shapes in the distance over the water: cargo ships, giant bridges seemingly suspended in the mist, industrial ports, fishing boats, and tiny farms dotted alongside the interstate.

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Seoul itself is what you imagine of a big Asian city- huge clusters of impossibly tall buildings that must house thousands of homes and families way up in the sky, big fountains shooting waterjets at happy kids, narrow shopping corridors as bright as noon at 10PM because of all the neon, shoppers looking and buying everything from makeup to a million plaid skirts to deep fried SOMETHING to ballet shoes to SpongeBob socks. It is loud and bustling; lots of karaoke bars (GOD HELP ME), an abnormal level of shitty house music, and in general a joyous, busy, city atmosphere. I have also discovered what it feels like to be of normal height in the world- here I am not a shorty but rather of standard height or even tall-ish: effing sweet for a girl who has been made fun of for being short her whole life.

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I am a city girl and I do love getting lost in strange cities- not hard to do at all in Seoul. There are Starbucks everywhere- I have seen at least 8 or 9 in the small shopping area around my hotel, The Royal, which is uber nice- heated toilet seat with multi-function bidet- yeah just ponder that one for a minute! My bed was as hard as a ROCK but I slept like a baby- a delirious, jetlagged baby. Actually I have little jet lag- my very bizarre sleeping schedule during Decibel actually really prepared me quite well for this trip.

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The food here has been fantastic- fresh and dried seafood that I don’t even know what it is (even after I put it in my mouth), lots of fruits and salad, tons of pickled vegetables, rice, and for breakfast a giant bowl of roasted garlic. MMMMM. I love to eat and am so glad I got the gene where I try food fearlessly- so what if every once in a while you eat the eyeball of a random creature? It is SO worth it.

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Of course there is a big military presence here in South Korea, but overall not tons of English speakers walking around, which is nice. All I know how to say in Korean is hello, goodbye, thank you, and please- but you would be surprised how far this will get you, wherever you are in the world.

I have until 4PM today to wonder around the city and plan on checking out a market and a couple of Buddhist temples. South Korea is not as cheap as Thailand will be so I am trying not to spend much money. I am very excited to get to Bangkok and sort through the madness there; I arrive about 10PM and will probably hop a cab into the city: Friday night, baby!

pa020049Much love to everyone. I am carrying Seattle postcards to give to friends I make along the way so they can see the beautiful city that I call home right now.

I will leave you now with some feedback I got from an artist who performed at Decibel:

“I feel very much inspired by the enthusiasm in seattle – i feel its contagious and spreading fast as well. cant wait to see it grow”

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HELL YEAH. Catch you on the flip-flop.


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Thailand Revisited

Last October I spent three weeks in Thailand and the trip to Southeast Asia opened my brain up and thrilled me to the soul as never before!

I kept a blog on Myspace but have since created Worldrompr, my travel blog, and I am going to be reposting my pieces there, adding photos and doing a bit of editing as well- after all, when I was writing them to you originally, I was probably covered in sweat with a Chang or two in me, racing the clock at the internet cafe.

If you read my blog the first time, please excuse the double post, or you can always click through to see the photos!

pa130130


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King Louis XIV in Paris: The Short Tale of a Long Dog

Cafe near the Centre Pompidou

Cafe near the Centre Pompidou

One by one the Parisians slowly come to a stop, pausing on their way to home to tiny apartments to watch as a slinky black wiener dog leans into the splashing fountain at Place Monge and rescues a floating leaf from the swirling jets of water. After a furious shake of the wide yellow leaf, he gently lays it down on the surrounding pavement and returns to the fountain’s ledge to save its brothers. Applause. The women smile, the children squeal in laughter, and the men chuckle to themselves. The citizens of Paris love King Louis XIV- not the illustrious Sun King, le Roi Soleil, who ascended the throne at age five, built the magnificent chateau Versailles, and ruled as France’s greatest king ever. No, this is le Chien Soleil, a powerfully cute miniature dachshund with silky black fur and soft tan markings, whose prancing spirit captivated the hearts of the French as no king ever could.

Louis at the Jardins des Plantes, before getting kicked out

Louis at the Jardins des Plantes, before getting kicked out

I knew the Parisians had a love affair with those of the canine persuasion from previous visits to the city where I had witnessed dogs of every shape and size dining tableside at sidewalk cafes and poking their heads out of designer handbags on the Metro. When I transplanted my life to Paris, however, I found that I had greatly underestimated the puissance of a small sausage-shaped dog to help me acculturate to life in the City of Lights. After a few short weeks King Louis XIV became something of a celebrity in my Left Bank neighborhood. Greek sandwich craftsmen would hand him long strips of gyro meat, and in return the King would gladly tidy up the shop floor of any stray frites. Restauranteurs handed him whole meatballs to gobble up, and my Turkish friend Vulcan would set out a heaping plate of raw steak meat every time I passed by his brother’s store. On a tight budget and a diet of fried eggs and tuna fish, I glared in envy at my wiener dog as he chowed down the chunks of grade-A beef, then once again drew applause as he ripped apart a paper table napkin in delight for dessert. I went home to my omelet, wistfully awaiting “meat Sunday”.

Cardboard Box & British Airways Blanket

Louis’ Haute-Couture Bed: Cardboard Box & British Airways Blanket

King Louis XIV went everywhere I did, in converted duffle bag with netting at one end that I dubbed the “What dog?” bag. Paris was his playground. He stared wide-eyed at the crouching lions of the Museum of Evolution, he strutted and preened down the Champs-Elysees like a teenager on Friday night, he perched on a stool at the famous Café de Flore, charming patrons and waitstaff alike. Louis loved Paris and Paris loved Louis. True, I did get kicked out of several gardens and parks (I assumed the “No Dogs Even On A Leash” sign was just a suggestion)- but the guards who gently reprimanded me always had a soft look in their eyes and a “quel joli chien” on their tongues. Nothing could stop Louis from romping Paris and winning hearts at the same time, running circles in parks and fetching tennis balls out of the cold waters of the Seine from the Ile de la Cite. His most cherished pastime, however, remained the aforementioned leaf-rescue operation which he performed in almost every splashing fountain in Paris, from Saint-Sulpice to the Gardens of the Palais-Royal, and always to a group of smiling Parisians.

During the deadly heat wave, Summer 2003

During the deadly heat wave, Summer 2003

This image of happy, laughing Parisians may come as a shock to you if you have heard and bought the stereotype that Parisians are rude, cold-hearted snobs, but my experience with King Louis XIV proves that indeed they are actually TOO nice. They would fall over themselves to stop and chat about Louis, his age, his breeding prospects, the theatre, politics, the mirabelle plums at the market, and after a few months’ time I could hardly walk down my small street in less than an hour due to the many conversations that ensued each and every day. Michel de Montaigne, the famous French philosopher, exhorted his fellow humans to live like the dog, to “break the bone, and suck out the marrow of life”- to be passionate about every new day. This celebration of the enjoyment of life is on display all over Paris, from the abundance of lingerie shops to the national pastime of strolling to the three hour lunches of haute cuisine. In this way dogs and Parisians have much more in common than anyone might think, and just maybe we can all learn something from King Louis XIV and his beloved city, and take pleasure in the simple actions of life- to shake the leaf furiously, and go back for more.

THE END

THE END


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Qu’est-ce que c’est La Belle Epoque? What is the Belle Epoque?

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On your travels in Paris you will no doubt hear the term Belle Epoque (pronounced BELL EH-POKE) used to describe various forms of art and architecture.  La Belle Epoque means ‘Beautiful Era’ in English and should bring to mind decadence, prosperity, and pleasure: imagine artists drawing can-can girls, inventors constructing grand palaces, and writers with wine in hand attempting to capture the liberal, bohemian spirit that infused Paris and captivated the world. Continue reading →