TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

  

VIEWING ALL POSTS FOR: MARCH 2006

Friday, March 31, 2006

11:24 PM
Posted by jodi rose

wild wallpaper

having a rock'n'roll moment watching the strokes light up new york on rage. one of the things I love about being back in sydney, also trashy sunday papers and cafe ella. very reassuring to have the familiar local family vibe envelope me in it's warm ambience - all the staff whooped and made animal noises the first day I walked back in there, and continued for about five minutes. hysterical.
I thought of something witty to write yesterday, but it's long forgotten now. oh well. completed the transition to semi-settled with a new temporary studio up the rd in my favourite ex-chocolate factory - warehouse, where alex happened to be walking in just as I arrived and helped lug stuff up the stairs. now that's a good art-friend!
so, camping on friend's lounge rooms continues in another country tomorrow - actually it's the multiple cousins rose family abodes - then brief residency as the inaugural anzac pacific bridge memorial fellow at nps new pacific studio in mt bruce. I love that there is a mountain called bruce. also a wildlife sanctuary - am wishing I could stay there for a year now, what was I thinking coming back so soon? oh yeah, that's right, all those other projects I have to fulfil. Someone - alex in fact - asked me the other day, are you ever going to get a real job? the usual reply - this IS my real job - which is getting more and more sustainable, fingers crossed. had an interesting week dealing with nitty gritty contract clauses and having to evaluate what I'm worth in a professional sense - quite a bit, it appears, these days. excellent. can maybe keep this show on the rd.
and on the road it is, afternoon sorting through stuff and packing while watching 'human traffic'. I love that film, it's a modern classic for the post x generation. and such a sweet love story. john simm mmmmm. shouldn't be so sexy but he is.
and yes, another friday night at home in front of the tv. so many feisty girl bands around, it's great.
what else? nothing really, regularly horrified by the newspaper, miss my slovakia bubble were I only heard news through word-of-mouth, so had a bizarre sense of the world. can't wait to go back in summer.
visits to vineyards, lakes and island festivals await.
now it's off to another island for birds, bridges and a wedding. one day your prince will come. so they say.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

12:19 AM
Posted by jodi rose

stray roosters with attitude

finally, the sun has stopped shining long enough to enjoy a misty grey morning drizzle. my favourite. now do you see why I like glasgow so much?? (apart from the mingy junkers who stole my wallet...)
here's to the solar eclipse, and make a wish on the new moon.
loving my oasis from the world - reading the papers on a regular basis is very disturbing. the aussie wheat board kickbacks to iraq scandal, nasty new industrial relations laws, 49% of a poll in favour of selling uranium to china and india, a 4 year old girl savaged by a rooster - her uncle, ben angel stated that it just went berko "it's gone off it's tits... you hear of cranky roosters but I've never heard of anyone actually attacking someone like that". great australian vernacular. the girl is recovering in hospital (the beak pierced her oesophagus. ouch)
reading interview with daniel lanois, musician and producer who says that when you listen to a song, it's not about which microphone or pedal you used, but 'the spirit of the people, and the amount of belief at the time. belief is such a big part of art.'
yes. love reading that in amongst the dire world news.
selected two of the oblique strategy cards today, they were:
take a break
and
bridges - build - burn.
nice one, brian.
anyone in scandinavia or the nordic or baltic states, go check out my favourite ever electronic arts festival. very sad to be missing it.
look out for the pixelelk!!!!!

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

2:52 PM
Posted by jodi rose

big swell washing over bronte pool

am still blurry and a little comatose in the brain, but sole is bringing me the peaches and cream weis' bar from the freezer, and promises organic hot cross buns for breakfast. today we made two sorties out into the beach subrbs looking for their new home while the gully oasis is renovated. it's fun for me, getting to play house and check out the kind of properties I could never afford, while helping my lovely friends stay positive and defuse the pre-moving displaced stress and squabbles. we started in a zhushy new apartment on the hill overlooking coogee beach (way too sterile, boxy and although new already a bit tatty) then did a drive-by or two, until we lucked on a man loading the ute for his girlfriend who was moving out of one place. Looked gorgeous, older style, homey, liveable in - until you got to the bathroom which was absolutely rank, mouldy, tiny and ugly. Drove up to Dolphin st, checked the outside of a big old house by the reserve - went back in the afternoon it was all higgeldy-piggeldy with gaffa tape on the floor and skewed doorways - 10 years ago would have been charming, but now a bit depressing. Then had a break for lunch at fideli - mmm the food in sydney is so good! - and a brief lounge in the upstairs sunroom with wireless internet and soothing surf. Afternoon spent having a serious reality check about the options, some very strange houses out there - and finally made it up to the man across the road, a friend of ben's we ran into at the cafe had suggested and turned out to have the absolutely perfect place. The same secret garden oasis feeling, big balcony, a music room, and only 200m from their current place. Vicarious thrill for me, imagining having a home, and a surprisingly fun way to hang out with friends.

The surf tonight is amazing, swell up to 15 ft, breaking over the top of the ocean baths and along the cliffs - the scale is amazing, it feels like being in a 1:5 architectural model, with the fences like matchsticks in the face of these huge waves. Turbulent, elemental forces - people mesmerised along the path beside the pool - closed for public safety - as the waves threatened to wash over us, and turned the usually calm surface of the pool into a swirling, foaming maelstrom. Earlier the surfie boys were doing their thing, hanging on to the ropes as the waves broke across them, the crowd waiting for them to be washed in and clamber out to dice with danger again.

Amazing seeing all these news reports of athletes going awol - although most of the missing from sierra leone have thrown themselves on the mercy of australian immigration procedures now, but some tanzanian and bangladeshi sportspeople are still hiding out.
Reminder of how extreme life is in some places, hearing people talk about being beaten and their brother killed, or sister dying after a botched female circumcision. It puts all those niggling worries about contracts and money and getting the next art project up in a whole other perspective.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

8:59 PM
Posted by jodi rose

sumu playing the bridge on opening night

zonked out on the couch this afternoon at ben and sole's, finally the effects of jetlag, post-residency and post-exhibition blues have caught up with me. not to mention the hangover after opening night and julaines girls night at the ice bar and summit. ah well, a few hours exhaustion is a small price to pay for so much fun, I guess. Sanity almost restored by a quiet few minutes on the beach listening to the wave this evening. And it's great to be back with such close good friends that you can just arrive and zone out and they really don't mind. we'll catch up tomorrow, swim, walk and talk.

Hard to believe it's only a week since I got back, crazy weather those late summer or is it early autumn torrential rains, possibly some follow-on effects of cyclone larry (yes, we have no bananas) and the general sydney vibe of tanned toned fashionista types and surface surface surface. All that cynicism I managed to slough off in slovakia has returned in spades. Hopefully can shed it quickly again up on Mt Bruce, wildlife sanctuary in new zealand next fortnight. The sky bridge and memorial project coming up april 9, more info soon.

Exhibition at the performance space looks and sounds great - nigel's naughty apartment, alex's sonic ghosts, and nick's bridge theremin all there for your enjoyment until april 24. The opening night had a great turn-out, festive atmosphere and nice mix of friends, family, art crowd and regular people - quite a buzz. Talks on saturday also went well, very smooth segues between the three artists, we practiced all week!
Had a few moments of sheer panic during the installation week, two nights when I got home at 10pm thinking - why am i doing this? really, what is the point - highly stressed but reminding myself, it's only art. There's no life or death stakes, sure it's a big deal in some ways, the first exhibition I've participated in for a couple of years, and the most high profile, but hey, let yourself and everyone off the hook and just do the best you can. How people respond isn't up to you. Hopefully there is enough there in the work, and enough space that the audience can find their own meanings, and ways to engage. Had a long rave with Sally at the tudor after-party about globalisation and curating and art practice that isn't just for the other 6 people in the world with a doctorate in your particular area, but engages a wider public.

Now that's done, I plan to see a film or two, hang out with friends and plan the next round of strategic bridge actitivities. Slowly building up a sustainable career practice - it's just that join-the-dots thing in between residencies, grants, exhibitions and radio programs where you free-fall with no safety net that are a little freaky; but they're getting fewer and farther in between.... let's hope it stays that way. Seem to have sacrificed my academic career (which face it was never going to be stellar) for international artstardom, but that's probably a good thing.
Now just need to get that highly paid art consultancy and massively funded world bridge foundation going and we'll be sweet. Working on the permanently networked bridge symphony with my engineers.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

6:37 PM
Posted by jodi rose

bridge instrument under construction

very chilled out first few days in sydney.
arrived friday morning, straight to cafe gyulia (abercrombie st) for the haloumi bagel I've been dreaming about the last 4 months (with avocado and grilled mushrooms), then visited nick and met the bridge instrument, played with his baby curtis while he did some soldering, and came home for a later afternoon nap. not too jetlagged, more seedy like I've been out all night. had a lovely visit to jade buddha in a Wat around the corner on the morning we left chiang mai, gave lotus flowers and chatted with the monks.
watched 'what not to wear... on holiday' on the plane - very funny, surprisingly touching and empowering, and some excellent tips about beach wear. Arrived at sydney airport to find a sad reflection of my home town's priorities in the fact that there is no longer any parking space available for normal people to pick up and drop off friends at the airport - no it's all for limousines. And the airport parking was recently found to be the most expensive in the world (heathrow came second) so the only place left was the temporarily vacant bus stop. money privilege status, that's what it's all about in sin city. Still, there's always the weather - gorgeous day, warm and sunny with a slight autumnal chill in the evening. Had dinner at the warren view with j, garry and helen - watched the rugby 7's in the commonwealth games - extremely efficient sport, you can get through 4 or 5 games in a day. Always happy to watch the All-Blacks, and Fiji were pretty fine too - the only other ameliorating factor in football is the hot men in tight shorts, groping each other. Although one player had a nasty head injury when he bouned backwards off the grass, and went into a fit - really quite disturbing.
slept with the door open and crickets humming.
tried to go on nigel's syren boat incarnation in sydney harbour this morning, but already booked out, and can't fit it in tomorrow's schedule. sounds fab though. walked along the headlands at coogee, lunch at fideli, stitch'n'bitch with helen and julaine,
did some handsewing and fixing zips, now a quiet night in with dvd, couch blending and vege sausage casserole. not such a bad return home this time.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

11:48 PM
Posted by jodi rose

blessings from the golden chedi at doi suthep

we finally made it up the mountain today. in a little red taxi (hello minibus! the drivers say - don't call me minibus laughed lisa) up out of the smoggy city along twisty switchback roads to Doi Suthep. Very glad we made the effot, completely stunning temple. Gold Chedi, more Buddha's than you can imagine in one place, and the monk who gave us blessings was very cheeky, he kept throwing water on me when I was communing with the Buddha statues, and grinning mischeivously.
Dropped Mari at the airport on the way back, had a cheap, quick and stylish haircut at the 'best waxing' place - lisa's legs cost 600 baht, and my hair was only 90 - about $3.20 and took 15 minutes max. Just as good as the Slovakian haircut last time.
This evening we wandered along the Ping River, past the flower markets - bought Lotus flowers to offer to Buddha at one of the temples - and had dinner at regina guesthouse, the most modest of many establishments along the upmarket street across the river. Joined by half a dozen white bantam chooks who entertained us by chasing moths and having an impromptu sparring match, then came to investigate our left-over pad thai and frosty drink.
One last time at the night market - found the cute elephant beer t-shirt in a colour I liked - and then suddenly the crowd stopped moving completely. Not like Sunday market 6pm, when everyone stood still and silent for the national anthem - this was the Queen of Thailand going to dinner at the Royal Princess Hotel. We hung out with a man eating crispy fried witchetty grubs (thai version) and kept being pushed back in line by an extraordinary array of thai police (region 5 with speccy red braid through one shoulder), military police and official royal guards. after about ten men fiddled with the red carpet, taping it down so the Queen wouldn't slip, they stopped all the traffic, and the cavalcade arrived - ambulances, fire enginers, military suv-type landrovers, and the white limousine. HRH looked very sweet, and was greeted by 3 formally dressed ladies offering flowers, to offset all the testosterone of the military guard. What a strange world it must be to live in, when you can't go out to dinner without that kind of fuss. Would drive me insane. Lucky I'm not likely to marry royalty ;)
After that thrill, walked along Khamphanding Rd and had strawberry daquiri at the mae ping hotel where a young would-be-funky band were massacaring norah jones and bob dylan songs. Stopped in at the 'super funky' shop on the way home, which I've been admiring for days - very sweet couple run it, chatty and really funky, selling second hand clothes from bangkok and japan customised by 'super funky
prints, with a tiny bar out front at night. Lovely.
Many hours in airports await me now, but refreshed from enforced relaxation by the pool, and spa treatment involving thai herbal steam/sauna, floating in jacuzzi filled with rose petals, orchids and slices of lime (covered myself in them when got bored), facial, oil massage and body scrub. mroe pampering in the last ten days than previous ten years.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

8:22 AM
Posted by jodi rose

it's unexpectedy stressful being 'on holiday'. yeah, I know... poor me ;)
life is so much simpler when you just have a list of things to do - all these options and choices and negotiations are exhausting, and then once you actually relax enough to feel relaxed, you have to unrelax in order to do anything else. swimming laps in the pool is good, and today we make a trip to Doi Suthep on the mountain.
the Thai government doesn't seem to have declared a state of emergency yet, although protests are continuing all over the country - some took place on silom rd early this week, and all the other parties have boycotted the election....
anyway, brain melted by the humidity and relaxation so nothing much else to comment on.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

3:10 PM
Posted by jodi rose

blue elephants

life in chiang mai so far is a blur of markets - night and sunday - swimming pool and delicious food.
I have developed fishermans pants/handicraft fatigue, so will need to find alternative amusement. apparently there is an elephant hospital which we might try and visit - not really into seeing the animals perform in the tourist camps, and have no desire to ride one through the jungle.
the last day in bangkok was quite chilled, after a slow morning wandering along silom rd to find dv tapes and a firewire cable, we caught the sunset shots of the bridge from rachid's place, and then had an early dinner at the great indian vegetarian restaurant near the hindu temple. missed the hard rock cafe experience (oh well) as none of the guys called and we didn't want to go there enough to be on our own - it was the last social event, but think everyone was a bit exhausted from the previous week. Now I know my way around bangkok a little though, can come back for the bridge opening (I hope, if I can schedule the trip on the way back north for summer) and finally made contact with the so-on people who organise experimental sound nites.
today we're moving from the empress hotel to another smaller place near the old town, which has a lovely garden cafe and pool - almost like being in a resort but with more options for entertainment. strange feeling like such a tourist suddenly, when I'm usually much more engaged with local people and life in some way - but it's ok just to relax too.
exhibition opening at performance space friday 24th march, so i have a hectic week ahead of me!

Friday, March 10, 2006

9:12 AM
Posted by jodi rose

panorama river view on the chao prahya

mari did a gps reading for me, she is out today finding elephant paths.
the exact address of the bridge is:
13'40.067N
100'32.307E
to:
13'39.735N
100'32.341E
although I don't know if it will help the taxi driver.

we are addicted to the frosty fruit drinks, at the hotel and our regular lunch place on the river next to the bridge. have sampled all the flavours now: strawberry, pineapple, coconut, lychee, orange.

back to fortune city IT mall for a few bits and pieces this morning, then to a final evening shot of the bridge from our friends apartment across the river.

Thursday, March 9, 2006

11:05 PM
Posted by jodi rose

safety first

another day on the mega-bridge.
started a bit later this morning, got some rest and had an adventure in the taxi finding our way to the rama III pylon, then taking the ferry across to the other site. got there in time for lunch, then made a few last cable tests while the last strands are tuned - I think the bridge is so much happier to be tuned than stressed :)
went out for dinner at gorgeous laos restaurant with the girls, sadam and rachid - although they almost killed me with shrimps hidden in the spicy lime fruit salad, but I managed to keep breathing and not go into shock, so maybe only had a tiny brush with them. must go get tested for that seafood allergy.

finally worked out how to record the sound into my computer - haven't done it for a while and the steps were a little rusty - but am back on track. listening to the sounds again was great, some amazing stuff there. a concert in itself, I don't need to do anything.
except maybe not talk next time.

we had a great interview with rachid, who had prepared some very fancy cad drawings of the process we are developing, and then took our last ride in the lift up the pylon. found out that anzac bridge was the first to use the single-strand stressing technique - all those years ago.

sleepy and a little sunburnt - tried to remember to keep putting sunscreen on, but am very sensitive after winter in slovaki, and have some weird stripes from the hardhat.

meanwhile, back in sydney, the bridge instrument is taking shape, with fabulous bar/speakers. can't wait to play it!!

Thursday, March 9, 2006

8:59 AM
Posted by jodi rose

digital bridge music

last night was hilarious. started at the korean bbq with very delicious tasty pickles, kimchi, spring onion pancake, noodle salad and lethal korean vodka that tasted like water but had a hidden kick. we only noticed once we got into the ice bar (upstairs at titanium) and suddenly everyone went insane, four engineers and three film/media/sound artists whooping and screaming - yeah, make some noise.
the cold was fantastic after all day on a hot dusty building site, strange flavoured finlandia vodka - licorice, strawberry - then we went back downstairs where lisa and mari started the conga line... it was that kind of night. The all-girl band in the bar were fantastic, playing cute danceable pop songs.

It's an extraordinary week, the chief cable engineer has given us access to everything, and assigned his vibration analysis specialist to look after and spend time with us - even stopping tensioning of the cables so I could record them. Pelle had a great time up there, playing along to the jimi hendrix bridge - we used his guitar amp for the c-ducers. today I will try them with some heavy metal distortion on the next cable. In the car, Lisa said 'art meets engineering' and he replied, no, engineering NEEDS art!!

Yesterday we had a breakthrough on the back cables of the gantry being used to life the 500 tonne section of roadway into place from a barge - it's the third -last section but we won't be here to see the bridge meet in th middle. I had asked to go back down for a while, as it took an hour to get the barge in place, and needed some cool air and maybe to record another stay cable in the meantime. But of course nothing happens quickly, so we just chatted in the office with Rasheed, and ended up taking him back up with us. Which was definitely a good plan, as he came to listen to the cables on the gantry and suddenly got very excited as he realised that what Pelle wants to do is actually possible. 'I was a bit septic before', he told us in his charming french accent (sceptic). Don't ask me the details, its all going in the report that I'm sure I won't understand, but as he explained it, it made sense.

This is a very very cool moment for me, because I just want to hear the bridges sing, but these people can find a way to apply that in an engineering process. Of course the art aspect is completely valid on it's own terms, but its pretty exciting to have an impact on some hard-core rational mathematical bridge building as well!!

Happy International Women's Day!
we showed our grit when Catur told us that it is 'easier for men' to go up in 'the bucket'. Oh really? Why? asked three feisty faces - then we proved them wrong as the discovery channel crew had been too scared to go up except for one of them, and we all braved it and had a great time.

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

6:24 PM
Posted by jodi rose

engineer hearing music in the bridge

fine day's work
found the vibration singing in the cables
recorded tensioning and lifting process
500 tonne roadway section
dinner at korean bbq and ice bar tonight
then back on the bridge in the morning
saw my first elephant, walking down the street.
big and grey and hairy. happy now

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

7:58 AM
Posted by jodi rose

the queen's golden cables

noticed a few intriguing items in the world new - demonstrators from the green party in Ukraine danced in protective gas masks and suits to protest the possible nuclear future if the country allows other peoples nuclear waste to be stored there; the loch ness monster may have been a rumour started by a circus impresario in scotland, who noticed his elephants bathing in the loch and thought they could pass as a monster!; and in local news street demonstrations continue both to support and call for the resignation of Thailand's prime minister, strikes are being called also, but it seems the entire system needs an overhaul, not just the individual.
Anyway, you know I'm no political commentator, so I'll stick to what I know best... bridges and related adventures.
More detail on the cables colour - the bridge was originally a birthday present from the King to the Queen, and apparently yellow (RAL 1028) is her favourite colour. Lisa wondered what it would have been if it was a present for the princess - hot pink with polka dots maybe? (I'd like that!)
Also heard stories about a bridge where a single cable caught fire and melted (nothing to do with this company, but you know how engineers talk) and a perfect bridge in Dubai that was built to claim a desert island, so no-one uses it.
Weather reports heavy snowfall in central europe - sorry I was sure it would follow me and melt in thailand. In Estonia ex-pats are playing cricket on ice. The Hindu temple across the road is to the Goddess Uma. I still haven't seen an elephant.

Tuesday, March 7, 2006

3:52 PM
Posted by jodi rose

up up and away in my beautiful... bucket?

good and bad news. the bad first - one of the bridges I hoped to make a permanent installation on is no longer being built, so that means no art can happen on a non-existent bridge. also wasn't even short-listed for a residency I really wanted - damn must be losing my touch! but, found that the swedish cable engineer already has plans to install permanent accelerometers on a number of his bridges, linked to the internet so there is a possibility that we can include the sound signal with the data. fingers crossed x

today's adventures included a ride in 'the bucket' - a small metal cage - on a crane to the very top of one of the new bridge pylons. Initially terrified, but it turned out to be much smoother and steadier than I imagined, and at the top we had a magnificent view from the pylon across bangkok. Then climbed down inside to watch the cable strands being pulled into placed and stressed - the ladders freaked me out more than the bucket in the end, and our ride back down was fun, knowing what to expect we just enjoyed the view. Once in a lifetime experience.

Then took the company ferry across to make the first recording of a cable being tensioned, mainly heard the hydraulic jack through the wire, but going to the alternative Fortune IT Mall this afternoon for more leads and accessories so hope the other c-ducer mic will be better. Also trying some low frequency 3d accelerometers when I get my hands on them. Rachid says the bridge is around .5 to 2-3 hz, and we're going to try digitizing the vibration data into sound tomorrow. Pelle told me when he had the client meeting with the consultant engineer to get permission for my recording project, the man had already heard of me, and said 'yes, of course' and signed straight away. Very nice!

Monday, March 6, 2006

4:19 PM
Posted by jodi rose

stringing the cables one by one

just had to move rooms as the rats in the wall kept me awake with their scrabbling and squeaking all night. new room is deluxe but less luxe than the old.
quick stop at the ocean net on our way to pratanum for high tech electronics consumables - mari wants to find a monopod, lisa a new battery and me - well more variety of contact mikes would be fun, although I'm not sure what to expect. maybe a di-box or preamp could come in handy too.

we had our first trip to the bridge this morning - it's the rama III on the new industrial ring road, and is extremely impressive. curving concrete roadways twined with cranes and pylons, cheerful yellow cables - which the old bridge rama IX is now copying, painting their black cables yellow - and hundreds of workers in a variety of fashions, everything from cowboy shirts to I love honolulu t-shirts and the standard blue overalls. Interestingly there are lots of women workers - our guide explained they are husband and wife teams who work together, all trained by the company for this job and probably moving on to the new airport link when it's finished.

I forgot about my slight fear of heights, climbing ricketty iron ladders and going up the side of the bridge in a bright orange lift cage brought it all back.
The middle is not quite joined, so we walked out to the edge, watched a man shaking the cable casing as each strand is pulled through - this is the latest in bridge technology, the strands are installed individually. previously done with all the multistrands grouted together and crane-lifted into place - this way takes only a 15 pound life and two workers - then the strings are tensioned individually too. can't wait to hear them - first thing in the morning we meet the chief cable engineer, who invited me here.
he asked only for an interesting musical composition to play at home and in his office, so it's a pretty good deal. VSL build bridges all over the world - coming up in australia, dubai and new delhi - and have already built them in vietnam, japan, china... I'm thinking this could be the start of a beautiful friendship :) Lisa and Mari did a little filming, but as it was a site tour we mainly just looked around and learnt about the construction. After the first pylon, it was across the river in the company ferry, and up to the other side - a clearer perspective behind the bridge without any other roadway cluttering it up, but I preferred the first with it's jungle like tangle of cables and concrete. Richard, the french vibration analyist promised to show me the software and digitizing technology of their system, and also recommended the saxophone club near the victory monument for live music. Catu showed us the vegeterian restaurant near the Hindu temple back at our hotel, and now we have the visit to Pratanum.

Saturday, March 4, 2006

4:35 PM
Posted by jodi rose

a peek into the future, on the bridge

there are days when I really love my life and career, this is one of them. a series of bizarre contrasts, from snowy restrained eastern/central europe to sultry lush thailand. loved the drive in from the airport, man chopping chillis with great precision and concentration at roadside food stall, another man cycling into the path of the bus his bicycle tray piled high with jackfruit, sign advertising 'lawyer - detective - notary public - fortune teller', and the leaping red god perched high up on the front of many buildings. the gods (and devils) have definitely not died here, all along the road, every courtyard has a small altar wreaths of yellow flowers and incense. lovely elephant temple close to my village inn! and spotted one of the space invaders mosaics on the way. hygiene with nano-technology advertised on a billboard, amongst the tropical foliage and decaying walls, from humidity and mould instead of concrete cancer in slovakia. had my first thai food in months - it was good. very very good. singha beer, fishcakes, green curry.... time for more soon. finished the evening with an hour neck/back/head massage, helped the jetlag a bit.
pelle from vsl international picks us up at the hotel on monday morning to visit the bridge, he says this is the last week they are tensioning cables, so we just made it in time. Lisa and Mari arrive on Sunday, to document and make video art respectively.

Thursday, March 2, 2006

12:23 PM
Posted by jodi rose

how much do I love vienna aiport? free wireless in the cafe, expensiive evian but have a bag filled with home-cooked goodies for lunch - cheese scones, my favourite filled puff pastries, ham/cheese/sausage rolls, home grown and baked walnuts ... live in hungarian slovakia is good!
excellent morning travel so far, 8am train to bratislava, connected with 10am to vienna, bus to airport pulled up just as I walked out of the station, and checked my baggage all the way through to bangkok without the baa attendant weighing even the checked in items. after all that work juggling books and cds and having andrea stand on the scales with each bag individually.
train ride from sturovo was beautiful, even the factory looked romantic in the morning sunlight, final snowfall yesterday evening - I promised to take winter away with me, and lose it in bangkok.
cried last night leaving gyuri and sofie's house - we had a lovely evening with sam and katah, changing of the bridge guard - they are into etching and lithography, so tommi showed the original 1600's etchings gyuri has - amazing. found myself a little jealous of all the experiences the new guards will have, their adventure is just starting.
but I've left the first nomadic pod in a friends attic, and promised everyone to come back in summer, so it is not goodbye but au revoir.

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

5:39 PM
Posted by jodi rose

the house is packed and sparkling, all my belongings except a few bags of miscellaneous stuff are at robert and andrea's - about 2/3 in their attic and the rest coming back with me to australia.
posted 4 big envelopes of papers and books and receipts home so I don't have to carry them around thailand for two weeks. getting smarter ;)
had a lovely day yesterday, andrea arrived at 10 to help me pack, she took everything down off the walls, swept and mopped. then katarina visited in the evening and took the edge off just when I was starting to get stressed. had a last drink at the green pub with mary, who stayed the night, and we just went to the vadas baths - her first, my last.
miki and malinda dropped in this afternoon with a gorgeous book of photos they had prepared from around this area, all the things they promise to show me in summer. very warm goodbye, I feel blessed.
now it's dinner with andrea, robert, and the new bridge guards sam and katah, at gyuri and sofie's house, and then early morning train.
memories of last stories, queing for two hours to buy tangerines at christmas, left-handers being made to use their right hand up until the 90's. and I am invited to several parties in the summer, going to the lake or river beach to swim, play guitar and hang out. lush.