For ivory. |
Saturday 3 December 2016
National Museum, Dar es Salaam
Tuesday 22 November 2016
From East End to Land's End - Susan Soyinka (2010)
This is an extraordinarily well-presented tale drawn from a mixture of oral, documentary and photographic sources about the evacuation of the Jews' Free School in London to Mousehole in Cornwall during the Second World War. The picture of both the East End and the fishing villages is vivid, tender and uplifting; and almost entirely without sensation -- except that it seems to have been true. Possibly the best 'history book' I have read (and I have read a lot of them).
Hail the jumping 'brother from Mozambique'
I lunched on grilled red snapper which was very nice for TZS 20k with beer at 5k at Gerry's bar, which is on Nyungwi beach next to the Doubletree Hilton, Zanzibar. In the evening there is live music, loud on Tuesday and quiet on Sunday. On my Tuesday it started with a general Caribou with excellent lead guitar but covers (such as 'Sweet Caroline'), and though I like 'Hotel Cal-ee-fornia' as much as anyone it was not quite what we were expecting - the promised reggae set finally appeared following the belated arrival of the jumping "brother from Mozambique", with much dancing into the small hours -- as the mainland Rastas slowly emerged from the shadows, bringing remedies herbal and female, for a small consideration. While they were distracted in their ascension, I made my escape along the beach back to the hut, though was accosted by a further brother demanding 10k for no obvious reason, who finally gave up. Though if he had mugged me, using his African skills, he wouldn't have got much more than the 10k as Gerry's is rather expensive. And thus I left the glampackers swaying by the shining ocean -- while the inland locals cowered in foul hovels, and drew their plans against us.
Sunday 20 November 2016
Jambo Brothers Bungalows, Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar
I stayed 4 nights at the Jambo Brothers Bungalows, Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar in November 2016. They are half a dozen concrete huts directly by the sand next to East Africa Divers, being charged USD 30 per night without aircon on walking up, having been kindly guided there by a gentleman who met the dalla dalla (bus) from Stone Town (which is TZS 2000). It has wifi from its Waves restaurant, a shower with hot water, and a little patio. The room was large and could do with at least some plastic chairs as furniture to add to the bed, which had a net, and its bedside table. The manager is Mr Ali, an older man in a Swahili hat who likes his payment in advance. It has no sunbeds, though some are available at nearby bars for the price of a drink. The location is on the Nungwi strip -- the area roughly between Spanish Divers and the Doubletree Hilton having a dozen or two bars and restaurants, most of which serve meals at around TZS 15,000 and beer at 4000. Breakfast was included with omelette, instant coffee, juice, and fruit. The beach is beautiful but there are lots of Massai and people from the mainland selling things which can be annoying, though they seemed harmless. The village itself is a kilometre inland; gloomy locals reside in a miserable collection of half-demolished concrete slab huts. Possibly there are some slightly better bungalows for a slightly lower price elsewhere; I was not sufficiently bothered to search them out.
Saturday 19 November 2016
The Bedroom Hotel, Dar es Salaam
View |
Sunday 31 July 2016
Sunday 24 July 2016
Endeavour Sailing School, Puerto Calero, Lanzarote
I did a week's 'Competent Crew' course at the Endeavour sailing school in Lanzarote, in June 2016, not having previously stepped on a yacht. Whether I am now remotely competent I rather doubt, though I did finally manage to tie those rather tricky knots to secure the boat to the pier at the end! The staff, instructors and other students were very pleasant and patient.
Thursday 21 July 2016
Download 2016: Rivers
Let it stop! |
Following a mysteriously flat battery we arrived and were equally mysteriously directed without any queue to a prime and dry parking spot at the near side of the west car park and set up in time to watch a customarily commanding performance from Rammstein. The evening was notable for strange circus acts including 'sword swallower' and 'Mongolian Boy' and heavy disco to 3am in a general mud.
Next day the mud had churned itself into a fine, thick ooze.
Next day the mud had churned itself into a fine, thick ooze.
Rivers |
Inside |
Sunday 10 July 2016
Desertfest 2016: The Sunday Sessions
Blood donor. |
piece with sequenced drums, I found puzzling.
Necrowhatever |
Thursday 7 July 2016
Hesperia Lanzarote hotel
Cliff path just outside the hotel |
Sunday 27 March 2016
Cape Horn to Starboard - John Kretschmer (1986)
A charming, entirely unaffected story of a young man learning to sail and eventually rounding Cape Horn. Almost in passing, he mentions that two much better funded sailing vessels planning to do so at the same time, sank. I do not think anyone reading this could believe that Mr Kretschmer was, at least by the time he got to the Cape, other than a very skilled yachtsman, but still his modesty and calm is inspiring. Though now I think I will stick to the Canal.
Doom over London 2016: the Saturday Sessions
Rumble |
Sludge |
I arrived at the Saturday Doom over London 2016 Session, on 26 March, to see the end of the King Goat (and admire the hood), followed by Eye of Solitude, who rumbled vocals with a magnificently slow, nosebleed- inducing bass rising to a fine double-time finale ('double-time' being relative and still splendidly slow). Though their second song was much the same. Torpor were quite interesting, a 3-piece with a more experimental sludge. Sea Bastard again mainly amazed by the tattoos on their guitarist, which however represented beasts of the sky, rather than the deep. Sea Buzzard, perhaps?
For Slabdragger, I thought I detected a riff from exposed guitars towards the end, but it was not confirmed; likewise Ataraxie entertained a dissonant three-guitar counterpoint at one point, which also failed to launch. I preferred Officium Triste, presenting a much fuller and more structured soundscape. Bossk brought an aimless though not exactly unpleasant instrumental, similar to the largely wordless Esoteric, who came dangerously close to drum and bass at some points. I found Hooded Menace heavy in a simple way, and largely uneventful. Moonspell closed with a theatrical presentation, at the poppy end of doom, a bit like Lacuna Coil but without such clear tunes or the Italian lady; although some think the Coil not that good either.
Thursday 24 March 2016
King Dude: 13 February, London
A kingdom for him somewhere? |
He was preceded by a guitar gentleman by the name of "Naevus", desponding like a Cohen without the poetry. But I, Melachi, liked best the first band, a three-piece "The Howling Truth" with a bass beating throughout like a heart over mixed with free-ish guitar solos.
Thursday 14 January 2016
In the Danakil depression
Convoy |
being at a military base. The landscapes -- the volcano itself, the desert, camel salt caravans and sulphur fields -- were wondrous strange.
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