Something In The Air

This morning I passed an excellent couple of hours doing yoga on the beach, then swimming in the ocean. I find it kind of ironic that most yoga classes in cramped damp studios in rainy grey cities play recorded beach sounds to help you find your happy place, and here on the beach, the yoga class plays music over the natural crashing of waves and chirping of birds.

But that said, there's something about yoga under the sun, with a breeze off the sea, and the ocean right nearby. It is one the most relaxing settings to have a stretch and contemplate life for a while, and I was doubly delighted to stretch out to this song:



I recently posted Simon and Garfunkel's "America", surely one of the most iconic songs about this country. This song also features on the Almost Famous soundtrack, one of my all-time favourite, quintessentially American movies, which I watched recently as I flew across the country to this perfect little spot. My happy place indeed.

Baby steps

I'm not normally a huge fan of the little-tale-as-facebook-status thing, but a friend posted this little story the other day which really resonated. 

"A father who was a coalminer took his son down the shaft into the underground pit where he worked. He said, ‘Wait here in this lit space, as I need to go along this tunnel.’ While the son was wating for his father to come back, the light in the mine failed. He was in pitch darkness and screamed out for his father. 

Down the tunnel, he heard his father’s voice command him to start walking towards hi

m. They boy cried out that he could not see anything. His father said, ‘Is the light on your helmet on?’ The boy replied that yes it was, but it only threw light for one step ahead, and it was deep black beyond that. His father said, ‘Well, take that step.’ Of course, the boy did, and cried that he could not see any further. His father said, ‘How much light can you see now?’ The boy replied, ‘Only about a step.’ Back came the instruction, ‘Well, take that step.’ There was enough light just for one step at a time and, of course, by following the soothing advice, one step after the other, he finally reached the safety of his father’s strong arms.

We would all prefer to see much further ahead. We want the road map and to know the short cuts. But usually we only have enough light for the next step. To get anywhere we must take that. Are you doing what you need to do in this moment – maximising the light that is within you or are you trying to look too far ahead?"

~Tim Costello (from Hope: Moments of Inspiration in a challenging world)

Middle Brother – Self-Titled (2011)

We recently took our first family holiday in about 15 years, in wine country, California. A family reunion like this was always going to make good on a number of promises, primary among them the inevitable debate, good wine and food, and without doubt the music. When I was packing to leave Mexico, feeling a bit blue about saying goodbye to a place I love, my iPod shuffled its way onto Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” – a song that indelibly and inextricably reminds me of good times with my middle brother and his wife. I happily “lai-de-dai” and symbol crashed my way through the rest of my packing smiling and looking forward to drinking, singing and boogie-ing my way through a week with my very special family.

I am one of those lucky (and sometimes slightly frustrated) girls who has older brothers, two of them, and two very special sisters-in-law. My middle brother, in particular, can take a lot of the credit (or blame) for my taste in music. He gave me my first CD when I was 12 (Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie, when everyone else was listening to the Backstreet Boys), and around the same time introduced me to Metallica’s Black Album, an album that I proceeded to grow up on. I suffered through the vast majority of Slayer’s back catalogue as a 13 year old, and consequently grew to like and appreciate proper punk in my later teen years. Nearly 20 years later, my brother and I still share a love of music, make recommendations for each other, and debate (often heatedly) the merits or otherwise of various albums and artists.

And the other day, as we meandered together through beautiful agricultural land of Northern California, we listened to one of his playlists, kicking off with Traveling Willburys, and followed by plenty of Johnny Cash, Bright Eyes, the Black Keys and the like, and as we passed through country that looks like this... 

… a new band also meandered their way onto the playlist. Ever reliable, my brother had just introduced me to Middle Bother, and it was love at first listen. I’ve subsequently listened to this album a number of times and it is beautiful in its lack of self-consciousness. It’s a deliberately slightly haphazard album, and it really works. The title track is full of wild hand-clapping, loose saloon piano, and  country riff goodness.  I think my pick of the tracks is Track 6, “Portland”, a very catchy tune that drew me in from the first strum of the opening riff.  And while the album is a low-key album, there’s an energy and intensity that comes through in tracks like “Me, Me, Me” which with more of that fantastic piano is just pure rock n roll.

This is a collaboration of super-group quality, and the sheer talent of the musicians lends this lack of self-consciousness to the feel of the album. It’s a rocking and rolling good time, without being over done. It has this sort of honest looseness to it; it is beautifully put together without feeling too polished.

A rambling, ramshackle music, for a rambling, ramshackle countryside, this lackadaisical little jaunt of an album is actually just perfect. This is my kind of country, and this is my kind of music. 

Air Tran: budget travel made good

I flew from Mexico to the US yesterday with Air Tran airlines, a company I’d actually not heard of until I started searching for low-cost carriers in North America.  While I confess to occasionally being a bit of a princess and actually rather enjoying the benefits of flying with airlines whose loyalty scheme I belong to, I need to hit low-cost airlines while I’m an unemployed gypsy. In my experience, this is always a double-edged sword, because inevitably you tend to get what you pay for. The abysmal VivaAerobus experience in Mexico sort of proved this point to me – endless, unexplained delays, being made to pay baggage charge after baggage charge for having the audacity to bring a bag with me on my flight, being shunted like cattle onto a flight without an allocated seat and generally ignored for as long as possible, etc etc. So in general, except in cases of extreme poverty (such as unemployment…) I would rather pay a bit more to be treated like a human being.

And so you can imagine my apprehension at spending 7 or so hours with Air Tran. At this point, beggars can’t be choosers, but frankly their prices are so low that expectations also needed to be set pretty low. I gritted my teeth and heaved my backpack off to see what I could find.

How pleasantly surprised I was. The service at Air Tran was exceptional. My first (and to be fair, only) checked bag was checked through for free. I was offered my choice of window or aisle seat (aisle, always) and front or rear of the aircraft (front, always.) You can pay for this service in advance, which I chose not to, but even picking a seat for free at the airport I was seated in the first row behind business class, the kind of seat I would expect to get with a carrier with whom I was a loyalty member. My carry on luggage was easily stowed, without hassle. Free soft drinks, tea and coffee were served, along with a delicious pretzel-y treat.  All of this stuff is pleasant, but it’s the little touches that make a journey great, like offering the use of pens when handing out customs and immigration forms. I always carry a pen with my travel documents, but still the offer was nice. Inflight wireless is available on all flights – when travelling for work, I had pretty strong feelings about this as in flight was the only time my Blackberry was ever turned off, BUT as a personal traveller, having the option there is pretty cool. The flight deck communicated openly and with humorous personal touches, in ways that reminded me of Air New Zealand and Virgin airways, my top two favourite airlines respectively.  And most importantly, the staff – from check in to cabin crew - was warm, helpful, interested and kind.

I love US Airways, whose service is always exceptional, and who make traveling a nice experience. But apart from that, I generally find flying domestically in the US a sometimes difficult experience. But I can genuinely say that flying with Air Tran was one of the most pleasant travel experiences I have had. They were hands down a vastly superior service to that of, say, United (with whom I am a loyalty member) at about half the cost.

So, memo to all budget travellers: Air Tran has not just revolutionized the price of travel, but also the friendly, helpful manner in which we do it. Full marks. 

I've Gone to Look For America

I have left Mexico many, many times. In the space of the last 8 months, I’ve left about 4 times, and like a  vortex I keep getting drawn back in. But this morning is the first time I can remember that I haven’t bawled my eyes out as I go. Which is not to say I don’t love Mexico anymore; quite the opposite. It’s to say that I’m finally so sure of how much I love Mexico that I know I’ll be back.

It is sad to leave behind friends and such an exciting, challenging country. But I am so excited to meet up with my beautiful family for our first family holiday in many, many years. And I’m excited to finally have the time and the flexibility to wander about the US of A – which I have always wanted to do, but time, in particular, never allowed.

Now that I am kind of used to it, there is a real joy in travelling on a one-way ticket. Previously, this would have scared me senseless, because I like plans and certainty and budgets and spreadsheets. But right now, I love that I simply do not know what my plan is after spending the next week with my family, and that I could just pick a spot on the map and go there. This flexibility is totally invigorating and exciting and yea, a bit scary. But I have found my wandering spirit again, and she is awesome.

Speaking of awesome, check out this First Aid Kit cover of Paul Simon’s “America”. I can’t wait to listen to these beautiful ladies as I take off over this beautiful country for a while. I’ll be back. I just don’t know when. 

Where ya going til tomorrow?

I am writing this post - which might appropriately have been entitled 'Interstate Love Song' - instead of packing. Tomorrow I am due to leave this wonderful, complicated country for who knows how long. And for everything that's fun and exciting and interesting about wandering, sometimes it is just really hard.

Last week, I took an overnight trip to the historic Mexican town of Taxco. It was hard to pack an overnight bag (the absurdity of which was not lost on someone who has spent about 2 nights at home in the last week). It was hard to drag myself onto the metro to the bus stop (again, insane for someone who normally works the metro like a boss.) The problem is, although I'm driven by the excitement of finding new places and meeting new people, sometimes I find a place and people that I just really love. There is something to be said for the familiarity of a complex and difficult city; there's more to be said for the quiet love and support of wonderful friends. Happily, I enjoy both in Mexico City, and that makes it a very difficult place to leave.

I nonetheless took myself off to Taxco, to explore a new area and to find some quiet space to think. I found myself on a bus that smelt suspiciously of off milk, showing a traditionally terrible Mexican film.  And after a loud run through The Veils' Nux Vomica, which I deemed suitable dark and eclectic for my mood at the time, I found myself back in my groove, enjoying the bucolic Mexican scenery and the company of Stone Temple Pilots.

Before long, to the soundtrack of the wonderful acoustic version of 'Plush', I found myself rounding a corner to be confronted by the beautiful sight of Taxco from the North. 

I spent a delightful few hours wandering the winding streets of Taxco, rode a cable car to enjoy a beer overlooking surely one of the best views of the City, and meandered through endless silver shops. I sat on a terrace overlooking the beautiful Santa Prisca cathedral and ate a Sopa Azteca and a mole. And I found the time to myself to think and reflect on what it means to wander. It was a delightful visit to a delightful place.

lovely Taxco

reflective cerveza spot

Santa Prisca

Ultimately, though, I admit I was pleased to get home. To my friends, to familiarity, and to my very happy life. Because a life is what I have accidentally created here, and that's very difficult to leave. I guess the great irony of travelling so much, is that meeting so many new, wonderful, people and places to fall in love with, means that leaving is never going to be easy. 

My philosophy has always been that the world is small though. And so tomorrow, onwards. 

Feist is coming to Mexico!

You guys! Feist is coming to Mexico!

One of my favourite parts of Mexico City is colonia Roma, which is full of sickeningly hipster tiny little bars like this and this where the staff is beautiful, the drinks cool, and the music excellent. I've noticed a recent trend towards Feist, in particular, in many of these places, and recently commented that it's as though every hipster bar in Mexico just discovered that's she's awesome and is playing her on loop. And playing her old stuff, too, which is refreshing.

I am totally ok with this.

I love her.

And now she is coming to Mexico to play, which might just be one of the most wonderful combinations of things ever. It's only been a few months since I saw her, but seeing her in Mexico would be a new and excellent kind of treat.

And that, my friends, is what a win looks like.

Fleet Foxes - Bedouin Dress

Because this song is just one of the things making me smile this beautiful Sunday afternoon.