06/09/09 - Griffith, NSW, Australia  (!)

Back in Oz and it feels great! Just to fill in the gaps between my last post and this one, we received the final master of one of our CDs at 10.30 pm the night before we flew out of Costa Rica (taxi pick up 4am!) so that was 11th hour...we had picked up what was meant to be the final, finished job three days before, but there was an error in the volume level on one of them, so there was a last minute scurry.

We don't know how often it happens, but we ended up with our bags lighter and less full than when we left Australia - gave quite a few things away, and tossed a few things out, and it was quite a surprise to see how much room there was once we finished packing.

While the trip was loooooong (42 hours in transit and 5 planes - mainly because we went with the cheapest ticket we could get) - we had a very easy, cruisy, seamless trip. Everything flowed beautifully, barely any turbulence, no delays, quite relaxed really. We also had a spontaneous jam in Auckland airport when we chanced across some other musos (from Uraguay) - great way to fill an hour. We ended up with four instruments happening, some spontaneuos dancers and a bit of an audience. Not a bad effort for 6am on a random Thurssday morning!  

The jet lag takes a while to wear off, but it's well and truly over now. Part of the challenge of recovering from jet lag was that some friends of the family arrived to stay at my brother's place for a couple of days, on the same day we did (we are staying with my brother as well, while visiting family), so we were in social mode from the moment we got back. We really enjoyed it but it was quite exhausting! Keith had a concert on the following day, which we attended - my head was swimming but I managed to stay upright! (Keith was one of 'The Seekers' - very famous band back in the 60's).

Soon after we returned Gary (my brother) and his Thai wife Nil had some friends around for lunch. The Thai's often prefer to sit on the floor, so they spread a big plastic tablecloth on the lounge room floor and had lunch there. I got a photo for the blog because it struck me as funny...we started our year of travel in Thailand, and it seemed we concluded our travels in 'Thailand' as well!

So, the family are all in reasonably good shape. Dad was on the brink a couple of months back, but seems to be in much better shape now, though he doesn't appear to think so. Mum's pretty worn out, so she's the one who probably needs the most help.

We've had a performance already (yesterday) which went down well and had people lining up at the end to advance purchase our CDs, which was a nice feeling. We have another performance next week, before we fly back to the Sunshine Coast (where we will have another performance just four days after we get back!) 

It is quite a relief to be back in an English speaking country, and great to have independence with a loan of a family car. It's also fantastic to be able to pop into shops and easily find things that I need, like spelt flour (great for crepes!) and spelt bread, wonderful organic personal care products, and blow up cushions (the two I started our travels with wennt by the wayside - one got a leak, the other I left behind accidentally) - which my back is very relieved about! So simple, so compact, so comfortable, and soooooo hard to find overseas (many, many attempts in different countries) - fortunately cheap and accessible here so all is right with the world again! (Anyone with a bad back would understand why this features so highly in my blog!) I've been getting into the vegemite as well...

So, while we were sad to leave Costa Rica and so many people there who have become very dear to us, I'm feeling very happy to be back, and looking forward to the unfolding of the next adventure (we have no idea what we'll be doing next...other than I am going to buy a harp!)

And just to round off, it's my birthday today ('soul's day'), coinciding with Father's Day here in Australia, so quite a day for the family!

29/07/09 - San Jose

Extraordinary continues to be the order of the day...we thought we were finished recording in the studio for our CDs, and indeed we were there today for the first phase of post production - but we will be back in the studio again on Saturday on the invitation of Edin - the guitarist from Editus (the Grammy Award winning band that Tapado is part of) who has invited us to come and have a sponteneous recording session "just to see what happens." We had a spontaneous jam with him at the music academy a week ago and he loved it - said he he loves our music ("and where it comes from") and could play all day with us. Are you kidding? WE could play all day with HIM! He is a fabulous guitarist - as you would expect. Of course we are feeling very blessed and in awe of all this magic. We are already very happy wih our CDs, so if we get to add something  from Saturday's session, it's a bonus!

We asked if Marianela and Juan Pablo can come as well, and Edin is happy for that to happen, so that adds another special element. If anything magic comes out of it (and that is a good chance) we will share the copyright and something could end up on our CD! ...on top of that, there's a professional film maker who is keen to film us and he has asked to come along and get some footage of the recording session. All examples of the effortless flow we are in. All of this is coming to us without us making any plans or any effort whatsoever. Like I said...extraordinary!

I have more observations I would like to share about Costa Rica in general, but will have to save it for next time, as it has been - and continues to be - a very full day!

24/07/09 - San Jose

As you can see, the synchronicity and flow as shared about in the last blog entry has continued in the same vein and we have a wonderful concert happening! If you'd like to check it out more, click on the image to go to the samjjana site, and from there click on the '17 August button.

It has fallen to me to organize it so it's fairly hectic - but all good. We have also swapped back to Sadhananda's place (from Tamara's, as her son needed his room). This should be the last residence jiggle we do in Costa Rica (there will be at least two more in Oz!).

We are also trying to finish up the recording and post production of our CDs - time is starting to put a squeeze on us! Let's see how we go...only a quick share today - busy, busy, busy!

20/06/09 - San Jose

How to make God laugh? Plan your day (week, year, life!) Our Panama trip was abandoned due to my catching a bad lurgy (only a week after I got over the last one...what's the deal?). I was in no fit state for the effort required to get to Panama and back, let alone spend three days there, so we booked the door to door shuttle service (godsend!) and headed back to San Jose. A bit tricky, as leaving the country for 72 hours is necessary and our visas expire June 23. So in amongst relocating from one place to another (in the same suburb) upon our return and my downtime with said lurgy, we've been exploring our options. I will report in on that at a later time as our investigations are incomplete.

So, to share a bit more about the trip...the shuttle service was a premium price, but well worth it - based on comfort, flexibility to stop when you want to, plus tour-style additions like pointing out things of interest, and the trip there also taking a longer route because it was more scenic for us (well intentioned but it included a very, very looooong stretch of unsealed road in very poor condition, and some 45 minutes to an hour of that had my back spitting the dummy.)

The eco lodge where we stayed, 'Cascada Verde' is a small, rustic place in the rainforest, about 2 kms inland from the nearest village (via a rough, unsealed road). It was a lot further from the beach and village than we had the impression it was and very definitely an inconvenient distance without transport (especially when my throat was burning up and there were no throat lozenges or honey for a hot drink within coo-ee!) We were isolated in more ways than one, as the dial up internet was problematic and it was very difficult to access email, let alone anything else - just goes to show how much we rely on it! The place had a real feeling of limbo, as the owner has been trying to sell it for a few years and is struggling to stay motivated. As a consequence it is not functioning particularly well, and the few 'staff' (work exchange) there are also finding it challenging.

On a brighter note, our room had lovely elevated views of the ocean - the best views in the whole place - all very open and tropical, all in timber and bamboo. We were there on work exchange, but the work was pretty cruisy really (Sahayak enjoyed the chance to get his hands onto some power tools to build timber shelves in the office). It's a vegetarian place, with the owner a big proponent of vegan, raw diet and a bit of a specialist with edible plants - of which he has an abundance growing on the property. This was one of the highlights of being there - and we found ourselves thoroughly enjoying the taste and freshness and nourishment of the flowers and leaves of cranberry hibiscus, sweet hibiscus and Jamaican hibiscus (also known as rosella hibiscus), pochote, June plum, asinasin (also known as katuk) and aibika. He also recommended red and green Malibar spinach, which he didn't have there. We'd definitely recommend growing these plants if they are available in your area - we certainly intend to. The nearby waterfalls were also a lovely treat, including its waterholes for swimming.

Victor was in charge of the cooking and cooked up some great dishes. Quite a character he was - there's a photo of him in our pics section. You would also never imagine that a vegan dish could taste like it had cheese in it - I swear it did. Apparently it was coconut and lemon juice done in a special way.

On the Saturday night we had a performance there. A couple of days beforehand, local didgeridoo player, Uli, asked to come and jam with us. Of course we said 'absolutely' and he turned up with a few didges and a video camera (to add something to YouTube). All cool with us! We had a good jam and invited him to play a couple of pieces with us in the performance with the D didge - a perfect accompaniment for our D hang and D drone flute :o)

He invited us the next day to come to his place where a few of his friends were gathering for a jam. Once again we said 'absolutely' - only to discover that it wasn't really our scene. Each to their own, but it doesn't really work for us to hang around when there is drinking and smoking (of various types) happening. It's common with musicians (hell, with the broader population actually!), and we respect the choices they make for themselves, but their choices unfortunately affected us, and energetically it is just not what works for us generally or musically, so we have realised from hereon we need to ask a few questions before saying yes to future invitations.

All that aside, the performance went beautifully and was very well received - including by a guy who had chosen it as his event of choice to celebrate his 50th birthday, and also some young Canadian tourists who didn't realise what type of event it was as they hadn't seen the poster. They probably wouldn't have come if they'd known! One commented to me afterwards it was like nothing he had ever experienced and it had opened up a whole new awareness for him. It really touched him. (We love what we do!) There were about 28 of us in total, in the lovely, open rainforest setting, complete with the accompaniment of the rainforest's various creatures - the gentler sounding ones at least...the howler monkeys were thankfully quiet (what a din they make! ...5am thanks very much!)

Uli recorded some of the event as well, and said he'd get some of the best pickings from the two recordings onto YouTube over the next few weeks. We will keep you posted if they are worth seeing!

On the night of the performance my throat was starting to get sore. By the next day it kicked in big time. I felt  off for a couple of days and was thinking it didn't seem to be too bad...and then the whole shebang really kicked in! By that stage we had swapped to a cabina (rustic cabin) very near the beach to get a much needed dose of the ocean (which was bliss) - so there I was, lying around in the cabina like death warmed up. It seemed pretty pointless to be there really - or attempt to be anywhere else. So that loops the story back around to the beginning of this blog...we bailed on the rest of the trip and high tailed it back to San Jose, where I am in 'slowly recovering' mode.

We're staying in another apartment for a couple of weeks...the gypsy lifestyle is wearing a bit thin by this stage of our travels (not forgetting I was living out of a suitcase for 8 months before we headed off on this trip 10 months ago!)

Meanwhile there are a few extra events we have been invited to perform at, and they are coming up quickly. The details will be on the samjjana website very soon. We are already starting to book some dates for later in the year in Oz. It all keeps rolling along! We have a wonderful addition to our instrument collection for these coming events (and our CD recording) that arrived yesterday. It's called a Sansula. You can do a search for it on YouTube if you are curious. We'll try to get something on our YouTube channel as soon as we can.

Happy winter solstice (today) and I am happy to be able to say happy summer solstice to us :o) Not at all sad about missing winter there, especially as we went from Oz winter into European winter!

24/06/09 - San Jose

Quick addition while at the internet cafe...not recovered from the lurgy yet but life rolls on...we will be performing at Casalamat Yoga Center this Saturday night, then in a concert at Expo Yoga the following week, with most of the musicians we performed with at our Music Alchemy concert - all keeps flowing beautifully. I just received an invitation today from Oz for a school reunion (30 years!) I won't be going as it's too far away and not good timing, but it feels weird to realise it's 30 years! How different my life is and I'm sure none of my old classmates would recognise me! 

02/07/09 - San Jose

Well, now we have found ourselves back at Tamara's place, after she offered us a room for two weeks. It's a lovely place and of course lovely people so we accepted the invitation. Back to a comfy bed, internet access, TV and stereo and Ester's (the maid's) great cooking! We'll go back to Sadhananda's mid-July.

Our performance at Yoga Lamat, with Marianela and Juan Pablo, went mostly quite well (mostly meaning with very little rehearsal time some things didn't quite gel, but they were brief and soon forgotten!) As always, people were very touched by the instruments (it was the first official outing of the sansula). One guy who is some sort of film maker (I think documentaries) told us he felt inspired to film us in nature...more flow and we exchanged contact details.

We also went along to Elixir Radio Holistica the other night - along with an assortment of other people participating in Expo Yoga - and spent two hours there, playing our music on and off as part of the promotion of the concert. We met some lovely people there. (Is Costa Rica full of lovely people, or does it have a standard quota but we just happen to be meeting them all...?!)

There is next to no sacred music performers in Costa Rica so our music has been so embraced and appreciated. We felt that being in Costa Rica has provided us with many wonderful gifts, but we are beginning to realise just how much of a gift our presence here has been. It is very humbling.

We go back into the recording studio on Monday, this time with the sansula as well. This will probably be the second of three half-day sessions in the studio, though Juan Pablo and Marianela have a friend with a studio who has suggested we all get together in his studio and record something. We of course said we'd love to, and if it happens and it produces something nice, we will probably add it to our CD! ...more effortless flow!

Back to more mundane things...now it is time for me to go cut my own hair again - doing a pretty primative job and not really appropriate for all the performing, but it is saving heaps and it is very convenient. I have to get Sahayak to do the back though...lucky for him I can't see it! All-in-all a hairdresser's nightmare! lol ;o)

05/07/09 - San Jose

We were supposed to be in the recording studio Monday but the guy is sick so we need to reschedule. All good!

Last night was our 'Music for the Soul' concert at Expo Yoga. It went very well and once again it was a joy for those of us onstage and for the audience, and as is pretty standard it provided more contacts and connections. As always though, there are things to reflect on and evolve, so there were some good learnings as well. Marianela did well to sing given she had a sore throat and was struggling to speak. If she hadn't said anything, nobody would have known.

Tapado was once again very happy to be performing with us (and also with Juan Pablo and Marianela) because he is finally getting to perform in a way that is dear to his heart. He has not had the opportunity or scope within the conventional music scene to express his more spiritual side and be able to focus on music more as sound healing and sacred sound. So it has been a mutual honour and joy and unfolding. He had to leave during the interval to go to another gig, and he was very reluctant to go! I am not surprised - my heart was so full of bliss during the concert that it was just about bursting at the seams.

The concert was videoed so we will have the opportunity to keep a DVD of it and look forward to adding some of it to YouTube. Speaking of which, I had been planning to wear the same outfit as the previous concert but realised there are several YouTube videos of me wearing it (and there are likely to be YouTube videos of the Cascada Verde performance, in which I was also wearing it!) so Tamara lent me a top to save me having to buy another one. I also borrowed a head scarf, which was a blessing as I had only just cut my hair and it also needed a good dose of dye so it was looking like a bit of a disaster zone! Sahayak likes it, but then again, he isn't very fussy...and to be fair, it's more of a girl thing :o) We had quite harsh, white light on us during the concert, which would not have been very forgiving so it was a blessing.

And while I am not into accummulating stuff, I could not walk past a purchase at Expo Yoga - an amazing pair of trousers unlike anything I've seen anywhere, that I know I will get lots of wear out of (and will likely wear at our next events!) It's something I saw someone wearing a few months ago and made a big effort to track down where to get them. The couple who make them are about to move to Argentina so I found them just in time!

I am looking forward to the video - particularly the piece where Sahayak and I played flute and hang though this time with Marianela improv singing with us, and also the piece where Tapado and I played the hang together.

We can feel the synchronicity and flow ever-increasing and we sense that this is all going to get bigger still before we head home...as if it wasn't big enough already! The music is taking up so much of our head space that there is very little else to report!

11/07/09 - San Jose

I forgot to share that at Expo Yoga what really struck me was how many people we know. We kept bumping into friends and acquaintances, hellos and hugs. I had an awareness at the time that it is a bit like at home, yet we have  only been here six months. This experience was backed up by a comment made by one of the members of the Sat Yoga Institute..."you guys sure have made a lot of contacts in the short time you've been here." Well, it is our home away from home after all!

I also want to share how fantastic the cooking of beans is here. It's a national staple and they have lots of great recipes. I have asked for a couple of them and look forward to bringing them home. I have learned a lot about how good they can taste - especially I never would have thought to cook red beans with coriander!

The other day we went to an orphanage for severely brain damaged children. (Sad of course, but all the more so when you know that they were born normal but were physically abused by their parents - often homeless drug addicts.) We played the instruments there and although we were warned not to expect any reaction from the children (as they have very limited capacity to respond) quite a few of them did respond. We were glad to be able to bring them some joy. We connected with the orphanage through Amma's devotees, who volunteer there regularly. They also volunteer at an orphanage for young girls (also who have been abused) and we are going to go and play there in a couple of weeks.

The voluntary projects we have been working on are progressing, though won't all be completed before we leave. The good folks here will be able to roll with the remaining tasks. Time is ticking away and it is only six weeks now until we leave. As much as I am happy to be here and there is still plenty to do, my thoughts are turning more and more to home, and it is coming up more often in our conversations!

I'm starting to think more and more of all the things I am looking forward to (aside from catching up with everyone, of course!)...NOT living out of a suitcase (which I have been doing since January 7, 2008!) and having access to my full wardrobe (especially for performances!) I said to Sahayak these clothes will probably get tucked into a corner for at least a year! Then there's being able to speak the language (...we've only spent half a day in an English speaking country in the whole time we've been away). Then there's footpaths, pedestrian crossings and walk indicators at traffic lights (all will feel like a novelty after we have been playing chicken with the traffic here!) Then there's my 51 CD stacker stereo and 200-300 CDs (I'm going to go crazy trying to figure out what to listen to first!), and my 21 inch computer screen and mega comfy office chair (after an eternity of standard seating of varying degrees of discomfort!) Then there's my food processor and mezza luna (double handled curved knife) after endless hand chopping of vegies for cooking. Speaking of cooking - all the food I miss...kamut and spelt pasta noodles, spelt flour pancakes with coconut oil, flaxseed oil, lemon and agave (YUM!), black mustard seeds, a plethora of organic fruits and vegies and assorted yummies at my favourite organic mega store. And I will be hanging out for the culinary highlight of my year - red seedless flame organic grapes with Meredith goat yoghurt...season kicks off late January and it will have been almost two years since my last serving! This list could go on, but I need to get ready for going to a housewarming tonight. I'll just go through the rest in my head!

14/07/09 - San Jose

I can't believe I forgot to mention that 29 June was one year since we first met at the side of the stage at the Mind Body Spirit Festival (!) We enjoyed reflecting on it all, and how many miracles have been crammed into such a short time. We went out for dinner but the restaurant closed before we could arrange dessert, so we popped into the nearby Shell service station to buy a chocolate bar (me) and ice cream (Sahayak) - how romantic is that! 

Anyway, speaking of miracles, when we were at the Editus Music Academy for a rehearsal some 10 days ago (for the 'Music for the Soul' concert) interestingly, and synchronistically, Manuel Obregon just 'happened' to be there while we just 'happened' to be there, and he 'happened to see the concert poster with us and Tapado on it and 'happened' to bump into Tapado and asked who we were. Tapado was speaking with him outside our rehearsal room and so brought him in to meet us. Just to fill in some gaps, Manuel is a very famous, popular and well respected musician (pianist and more recently harpist) in Central America. In the Sat Yoga community there are two people who were very keen for us to connect with him some months back, but it didn't flow. So we just left it be and said to them, "if we are meant to connect, it will flow without any pushing from us." ...and there you have it.

So we asked him if he would like to participate in the 'celebration of harmony' concert we are planning for August, and he said he would like to but he has to check his diary for availability (very full schedule!) We rang him yesterday to follow up, and he has confirmed his availability. He hasn't even heard us play - he's just going on the fact that Tapado (who he performs with often) is happy. This is a big deal! For the squillionth time on this trip, we are in awe. I'm just sitting back with a smile on my face and loving the experience of how everything is unfolding so effortlessly and hugely. I am sure there are plenty of musicians in Costa Rica who would love to perform with the likes of Tapado and Manuel. This is not ego speaking - it's wonderment and awe at the elegance, beauty, divinity and miraculousness of synchronicity and flow...especially when you are on the right path - in your 'sweet spot'. Having said that, the preferred venue is unavailable and the next best is unavailable, so the hunt is on for a gathering place and time is tightening up. I actually suspect that is divine intervention though, as the preferred venue may not have sufficient seating if the concert is well attended. Let's see what happens...

One of the other members (Eddie) of 'Editus' (the famous, Grammy award winning band Tapado is in)  has also spoken with us and said he plans to come to the next concert, plus he would like to play with us, and he has said anytime we need anything, just get in touch. Just add it to the list of amazing things happening.  

Funny how we left Australia just 10 months ago as a hang player and a flute player, and when we return in August it will be as samjjana - seasoned performers with many successful events under our belts and holding our own beside some of Costa Rica's best musicians! Costa Rica has been magical for us in that regard. We will have a truckload of incredible memories! ...yet to be added to by the plenty more miracles to be crammed into these last six weeks...watch this space!

It's getting busier and for sure the next six weeks will be a whirlwind. We were back in the recording studio yesterday, and have another session booked for next Monday...we are ramping it up in order to finish our CD project. I wouldn't be dead for quids!

30/07/09 - San Jose

Forgot to mention that Tapado and Manuel Obregon are also in another popular band here called Malpais. There's a YouTube link on their site to a track called 'Butterfly Effect' that I enjoyed...

06/08/09 - San Jose

It's less than three weeks now till we leave Costa Rica - time feels like it is speeding up! Lots happening, feels like a bit of a cram to finish off with. There's the final three performances here, plus organising some events back in Oz that are also coming up quickly, plus getting our CDs finished (including all the graphics, which I am doing), plus some media interviews for the concert, plus honouring some commitments we made that haven't happened before now. There are also a couple of extra potential sessions of recording and filming that others are keen to see happen that may come together - not to mention all the packing and good byes.

I have been meaning to share a few more stories about Costa Rica, so I figured perhaps now would be a good time!

First one is the taxis. There is clearly no minimum standard for the condition of taxis, and you never quite know what you are going to get. Sometimes (less often) you get good condition taxis that would be equivalent to those in Oz. More often though, you get dodgy old vehicles without functional seatbelts, inner lining falling off, doors that can't open from the inside, holes and dents everywhere, shot shock absorbers, strange or unhealthy sounds coming from the engines, petrol smells like it is coming inside the vehicle...and there have been times the vehicle is so suss I have wondered if we were going to make it to wherever we were intending to go. A lot of the public buses are like old chaff cutters as well!

Speaking of buses - spruikers are fairly common. They often spend their day going from bus ride to bus ride, standing up front, displaying their wares accompanied by the relevant sales pitch. It can be food, electronics, kids' books - anything small and portable. Occasionally you get people preaching the God message - usually loudly and not to the delight of passengers!

Another common thing in the city center is sellers and performers taking advantage of the captive audience at traffic lights - from selling papers, fresh produce and gadgets to juggling.

Then there are (usually dishevelled looking) folk who help you - even sometimes when you don't want it - and then ask for a tip...whether it be to hail a taxi, direct you to the right bus (or in our experience, the wrong bus!) or to help our driving friends reverse into a tight parking spot. A couple of young guys went to a lot of effort to retrieve our friend Tamara's mobile phone after she dropped it down a gutter grate, and they were ecstatic with her generous tip.

Another common thing here is where people hang around parked cars to guard them (usually where there are a lot of cars, say, for an event that is on, or at a restaurant or a gymnasium), which the locals are happy to tip for as security is a big issue in San Jose and it gives them piece of mind when they park on the street. If you are organising a significant event or running a business it is often wise to arrange a (paid) guard for the duration - otherwise people might think twice before they come a second time! It's a very cheap thing to do and a smart one. 

Then there are the holes - I have shared about these and included photos. The big hole that one of our friends had to be towed out of a couple of months back is not only still there; it's much bigger (probably about two metres deep and wide) due to the wet season water flow. We've been told there are work teams responsible for ensuring the water flows, and if they have to dig to get blockages cleared then they dig - but they are not responsible for fixing the holes! If the water is flowing, their job is done. So you can begin to understand why there are so many holes around the place. 

Next share is that there is a volcano here in Costa Rica that has been inactive for a looooooooooooong time an it has very recently started emiting dangerous/noxious gases - so much so that they have had to close the National Park. They are very worried about it. The main active volcano in Costa Rica is Arenal - maybe it's about to be relegated to second place?

Last mention this blog is that the Sat Yoga Institute - the community where we have been spending a lot of time - has finally found (after a long search) and just purchased 70 hectares of pristine land for the development of their vision of an Ashram and eco village. We have seen the photos and it looks fantastic. They have much work to do from hereon! It is a very exciting time for them and there is a flurry of action. Part of me would like to stay for it, and part of me (a bigger part!) is content not to be actively involved in the early stages as it is a huge amount of work. Obviously we aren't meant to be here for it...flights booked and paid for is a sure sign we are not meant to stay :o)  We would like to come back at some stage, but for now, the focus is on getting home and getting settled again - hopefully for a while!

In the recording studio with Edin - from one of Costa Rica's most successful bands; Editus. 

11/08/09 - San Jose

We played our instruments today at the funeral of the father of Prema, who is in the community we have been connected with here in Costa Rica. We also played for him when he was first diagnosed with lung cancer so it has come the full circle.

It was a privilege to be able to support his transition. It is the second time our music has helped someone pass away - both times in Costa Rica!  

We've got media interviews tomorrow and Friday, and rehearsals Saturday and Sunday, and plenty  more to do before the concert Monday...best I get on with it!

19/08/09 - San Jose

We are getting  to the pointy end now! ...and it is all speeding up. Not enough time or energy to share all that I would like to here, but at least I can offer a quick snapshot.

The concert last Monday night was AMAZING. We got a standing ovation (our first, though I'm sure not a first for Manuel or Tapado!) There were three professional cameras recording it so we should have some great footage later.

We have been invited to participate in a music tour that sounds fantastic, and we have suggested it might be a good thingg to bring to Australia, so we are having a meeting on Sunday morning to explore what the possibilities are...watch this space!

We've been back in the recording studio finalising the CDs' post production, taking longer than expected but they are going to be something really special! Steep learning curve as I have put a 'producer' hat on for the first time (there was nobody else!)

Another perfomance (our last) coming up Saturday night, lots else to cram in between now and when we fly out very early Tuesday morning. I would be surprised if I can get to another blog entry before we leave, but you never know!

We'll be 42 hours in transit (lots of layover time!) so I'm already looking forward to being on the other side of that. Back in Oz 27 August, down south until returning to Sunshine Coast 14 September - performances already lined up for both.

Loving this life! One hellava ride!

In the absence of any photos of the concert, here's one from rehearsal (Sahayak and Tapado missing). Harp with the hang was amazing, as was harp with flute. Gonna get me a harp when we get back! 

24/08/09 - San Jose (for the last time!)

Great concert and farewell Saturday night and now "we're leaving, on a jet plane, don't know when we'll be back again, oh man, we hate to go..." but looking forward to getting home! Up 3am tomorrow for the big fly. Will add to the blog from Oz until we get back to Queensland...bon voyage Maia and Sahayak!

A jam cranks up in Auckland airport. (The violin, the dancers and the gathering audience came later!)

Yay! Yummy, healthy spelt bread with lashings of organic butter and a smearing of vegemite.

Left to right: sister-in-law, Nil; 11 month old nephew Jye; family friend Keith; brother Gary; Moi, Keith's wife Nicola holding their 'baby' Milou.

Nil and Jye (far right) with a gathering of Thai friends for a typical lunch on the floor.

21/09/09 - Sunshine Coast, Qld Australia

Finally returned to my beloved Sunshine Coast 15 September. Enjoying staying temporarily in a lovely community while we settle ourselves back in. So, or travels are complete (for now!) and we are already on a roll here (had a concert last Friday night, which was lovely), so this is my final blog until our next overseas adventure. I trust you have enjoyed it and that it has been inspiring.

Signing off...
Blessings,
Maia