Sunshine Coast

After the small job I had to do, and since it was Saturday, I moved up the Coast, past the Moreton Peninsula - famous for its Moreton Bay Bugs as digested a few days ago - I first stopped at Bribie Island. A quiet spot, many boats and many fishoes. A bit too quiet to my liking. I then headed to Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast which is a nice sea resort and stopped at Alexandra Headland's Beach just south of Maroochydore. There are long stretches of fine sand and even though it is the weekend, and supposed to be crowded, many places are void of people. Being used to the overcrowded Mediterranean beaches it always surprises me to have all these empty beaches in Australia. But then again, it is true that the waters are not as inviting since they are populated by animals you'd better avoid and the coast is only a mere... 50,000 kilometres long!

Brissie

Today I had to go to Brisbane and to the exception of a stop over on my way to Papua New Guinea 17 years ago I had never visited the City. It is the third biggest in Australia and continues to grow fast. You easily understand why since the weather is always good. Never too hot, never too cold, the sun shines all year long, it is near the beach, tucked away in between the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. Wandering through the streets you can feel people are happy to live here. It makes me wonder why I would not make the move myself as well!

Crocodilians

Even though Charles Darwin has never set foot in Darwin and has never seen a Territory Crocodile in his life there was no better place and better moment than to set an exhibition about crocodiles in... Darwin. The exhibition currently running makes it for an interesting additional information about the beast and the room that bears an incredible timeline on its four walls make you realise the history of this fascinating reptile. Crocodilians: Darwin’s ultimate survival story is an exhibition demonstrating Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through crocodiles.

The Ghan

That's what happens when you are coming from the comfort of your Air Conditioned vehicle and want to take pictures outside. If I was wearing glasses it would be the same. Fog on the lense! Anyway, above is the foggy picture of famous Ghan that goes from Darwin to Adelaide. It takes two days to travel the 3000 kilometres that separate the two cities. It also is the reason why there are so many wild camels in Australia since they were used during the construction of its rail line. It additionally gave its name to the service - originally The Afghan Express - since the camels used for that purpose were imported from Afghanistan. The connection to Darwin was only in service in 2004, so it is quite recent, and even though I drive past the station several times a day I do not have the opportunity to see one of those very often as they only depart from Darwin twice a week (on Wednesdays at 10am and on Saturdays at 9am).

Flix in the Wet

Since the traditional outdoor and deckchair cinema cannot continue to screen its movies during the wet season and we will have to wait until the rains disappear entirely in April, they take the opportunity of slow Mondays to rent a screening room within the Darwin Cinema to run private (but public) sessions. Yesterday I went to see the impressive anime entitled 'Waltz With Bashir' which is an obsolute must see. The unexpected insertion of real footage from the Sabra and Chatillah massacre right before the closing edits is a moment difficult to digest but leaves you with food for thought for hours and days and weeks.

Single(s) of the Week: Port O'Brien 'Winter' / The Low Anthem 'Charlie Darwin'

No nonsense Americana is my choice of the week. Two great slabs of vinyl. Both lovingly packaged, made with love, far from the impersonal digital releases (well, 2009 oblige they are also available for download) and both with a very particular theme.

The former, Port O’Brien, that I have been following since day one, have decided to issue a 7” for each season of this year. So logically, here comes the first instalment subtitled winter but the actual A-Side is a rework of ‘The Whiskey Song’ while the beauty of this record is hidden on the B-side, new track ‘Is This Really What Its Come To?’.

The latter have already issued two albums over the past two years but this year might finally see the public ripe for their beauty and success. Pure Americana in the vein of Bon Iver. The theme of this very single is their own celebration to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin whom incidentally I have also started to develop a fascination for lately. Please buy them on vinyl. The 500 Ltd. edition Port O’Brien single is available through their website or Piccadilly Records and the Low Anthem here.

Bugs

The first time I read the name on the menu in a restaurant I was really curious about this. What is this? Australians actually eat bugs? What kind of bugs? Then I saw that it had nothing to do with the terrestrial bugs I knew. Actually the name is short for Moreton Bay Bug. They are very strange creatures, a bit like lobsters but with no head or rather a flat head. They look rather prehistorical to me. Once cooked on the barbecue their flesh and taste are heavenly. Better than lobsters in my opinion. Here you can see them in my sink before I cook them...

Rain Rain Rain

This week has been absolutely gorgeous. We did not have any rain and the skies have even been cloudless on many occasions. Unfortunately there is another Tropical Low coming from the East and it all suddenly changed a few minutes ago with the first heavy downpour of the week. Not a very good weather for barbecues this week-end. But it promises to clear up for a while before the Low passes overhead from Sunday night onwards. I really enjoy these heavy downpours. It is fascinating to watch the rain fall from the comfort of your home.

National Geographic

The Darwin saga continues and it seems there will be quite many events and publications this year to celebrate the man's bicentennial. National Geographic has pur Darwin on its cover under the quite unusual title of "What Darwin Didn't Know". It starts with an article about his long Beagle journey and continues with a second article about the "Modern Darwins" and the science he helped inspire. It makes for a very interesting read indeed.

Japanese research vessel

I saw this vessel at the Port this morning. Nothing exceptional except that a fence had been set all around to forbid access. A bit odd considering that you do not usually see this kind of actions in that part of the world. It then made me wonder why this could be? It could be linked to the fear any Green group might want to take this opportunity to board the boat as protests are still common and ongoing, especially in Australia, against the Japanese who continue the whaling - supposedely over the legal quota and also supposedely for research purposes. This vessel is not a whaling vessel but a Marine Research Vessel... Any info welcome.

Stokes Hill Wharf

Today I took a small boat to go and visit one of our Vessels near shore. It was actually my first trip out of Darwin by sea. It is great since it gave me a new perspective. I departed from Stokes Hill Wharf which is a place that is very popular with the tourists and locals alike. Housed under the roof of the building you see in the picture (the roof actually says ‘Welcome To Darwin’) are a good quantity of restaurants and is a popular spot to watch the sunset while having a bite and a drink. I have been to some fancy restaurants but the best Barramundi I was given to experience remains at Stokes Hill Wharf for a few quids and in a plastic plate with plastic forks and knives.

Internet Access

The same as for the cars, the telephones and all the rest, it is difficult to imagine how we would live without internet nowadays. For someone like me, often on the move, it is a great tool to keep in touch with the rest of the world, exchange messages with my friends, purchase my weekly fix of vinyl records, etc. Nevertheless, we are not all equal when it comes to the connections. In France, I must admit that I am very happy about the speed everything is going. Singapore remains a nightmare, even with the best plan. If you do not live in the right location, downloading / uploading speed is a nightmare. But there is an advantage though, you can find free hotspots pretty much anywhere in the city. I have never seen a country with so many free accesses. But I use the word ‘free’ as in ‘gratis’. If not, many websites and blogsites are still restricted and that is a big frustration. The sensation of being controlled is terrible (and I am not talking about China). Another ground where we are not equal is the access from hotels. So far, the only country where I have experienced free access from all the hotels I visited is the U.S.A.

Here, in Australia, I have this 3G thingie that enables me to surf from pretty much anywhere as long as there is coverage. It is great but the down point is that it is often quite slow, not so reliable and pretty expensive (well, I am not paying for it but still!).

Record of the Week: Doves 'Jetstream'

Of course, the Doves are one of my favourite bands ever so it is difficult for me to remain objective. I was so excited when I was directed to their website for a free download of one of the tracks from their forthcoming new album ‘Kingdom of Rust’ that is out on the 6th of April. The track that is currently being offered through their website (here) - be quick - is the opening title of the new album and as best described in their own words “being fans of the Vangelis film score, 'Blade Runner', (they) always wanted to write an imaginary song for the closing credits on Ridley Scott's classic... It's called Jetstream”. The best is always coming from Manchester!

Darwin, the man

Even though I am in a place called Darwin I had not realised I knew so few about the man who gave his name to the city. I was delighted to watch a documentary today that made me feel like learning much more. The doco I watched was interesting but a bit superficial I reckon concentrating on the first quarter of the Beagle voyage only. You almost feel that there should have been 4 additional parts. But it corrected several misconceptions I had about the man. I always heard he joined the Beagle even though he was not particularly brilliant. There I learnt the real story behind his joining and understood how serious and dedicated he was to his job. It also enlightened me a lot on his theory of evolution itself. I was still with the image (often seen on posters) of the man evolving from the ape but his tree of life theory is nothing like that! To make a long story short, there is no doubt that one of my next readings will be his autobiography to try and know more. I also feel his theory should be taught much more thoroughly at school.

Back to the Pool

Back to the Pool after nearly three weeks of laziness. It is true that while travelling it is never a priority to find a lap pool and since I came back here on Tuesday I have been pretty lazy but I decided today was the day. I was hoping it would not be too busy but when I arrived at 1340 I was shocked to see the crowd was consisting of two guys who were actually leaving. I ended up swimming my kilometre alone. A kind of private pool. Weird but it is also true that the summer school holidays are over and that it was raining over lunchtime. Also many people might have been digesting by that time. I personally had my lunch after the pool session...

More from the Northern Territory News

When the rest of Australia is continuing to be under the bush fires shock and trying to forget and get hope thanks to the Sam and Bob koala story effect, the ever amazing Northern Territory News newspaper has nothing better to do than to bring a 10-year old story about a guy who got bitten 9 times by a King Brown snake. At least it is a change from the usual Crocodile story. That said we had a few snake stories in the past as well as some shark and box jellyfish stories. One of the best one so far this year has been the sighting of a flying car over Darwin (drinking is a big occupation here so that might explain some of the stories). Please also note the top story which relates the story of that woman who is outraged from having been banned from a Shopping Centre because she was wearing a bikini. I am always amazed to see all those people shopping barechest.

Dry fruits

I usually really like dry fruits. Of course, it is often the common apricot or mango that I tend to snack on but I often try something new and different. I never had any kiwi before. It is not bad. I am not overexcited about it but it still makes for a good snack. The proof is that I finished this 150Gr packet in two days. The problem I find with most dry fruits though is that they contain lots of unecessary sugars. It is quite rare to find raw dry fruits without any additive and it is a shame since they are much tastier in the raw. The other problem is that the drying process kills most of the Vitamin C but they remain rich in vitamins and dietary minerals.

Water

My favourite drink after... milk, of course. I love water. We all do I suppose as it is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. During and after a long plane trip it is more essential than ever. I got this bottle from Coles Supermarket today and it informed me that Elysha drinks 2 litres a day. Well, it is very good on her, whoever she is. I personally probably drink more than this, especially at the moment.

Back in the "Wet"

Back in Darwin. We are in the middle of the wet season. The nature continues to thrive. The birds of course, the ants as well and I have already started to spot quite a few grasshoppers which were not as numerous before I left for my holidays, that’s for sure. I wish I can get time in a couple of months to explore places like the Kakadu National Park that is supposed to be at its best in April.

Record of the Week: Food of the Gods "Boys From Brazil" / House of House "Rushing To Paradise"

Each time you have some new WhateverWeWant releases it creates a wave all around the World Wide Web. It would be easy to say that it is all hype but the fact is that these 12" always deliver something unique and very special indeed. Now, I am not sure why they are so difficult to hunt down and so expensive whenever you see them. The Food of the Gods one is probably the most awaited since it is a kind of supergroup for people "in the know" but the deep house sound of House of House is not half bad neither. I have to admit that I have been quite lucky so far for being able to lay my hands on new and past releases from that label and do not regret any of these purchases.

L'Homme a La Tete de Chou

Just a quick one before I go and take my plane to Singapore. Yesterday we went to see the Gainsbourg exhibition at Cité De La Musique (in La Villette). Quite an enjoyable way to waste a couple of hours browsing around the various photos and videos on display and a lot of reading material. It surely is not easy to organise an exhibition on musicians or film Directors. The most amazing I was given to see so far was the Almodóvar exhibition at Musée du Cinéma. I found this Gainsbourg exhibition to be lacking something on the extravagance, independence, exuberance of the character but it still made for an informative visit. I was particularly moved to see the famous original sculpture of l'homme a la tete de chou.

Snow, snow, snow

Today we watched the snow fall through the window. Unfortunately it first was slit and the temperatures were probably a bit above freezing point so even though it snowed heavily for a good three hours nothing was left on this part of the city. I was quite amazed to discover later on in the news that it disrupted the whole South / Southwest suburbs with people trapped in their cars for hours waiting for the road transport authorities to remove the snow from the roads. I am quite happy since I kind of wanted to see some snow and I just got some following me around. I got some in Philadelphia, then moved to New York where it followed me and now Paris. I can happily go back to the Australian summer.

French Literature

Living in English speaking countries I have only read English books for quite some years now. Strangely, I just finished two amazing French books that were out in 2008 and not yet translated in English. “La Meilleure Part des Hommes” from Tristan Garcia was an amazing tale set from the late 80s until now where many recognised a handful of famous French activists even though the writer claims it is all pure fiction. Meanwhile regarding the other book, “Le Théorème d'Almodovar” from Antoni Casas Ros, you are never quite sure if it is an autobiography, a dream or a fantasy. It resembles nothing I read previously and made for an easy and fascinating read. Incidentally, the moment I finished the book I read about the new Almodovar movie that will be out later this year "Los Abrazos rotos" and I can’t help but draw some parallels. Both the book and the movie follow a character who is living a life “in the dark” (one lost his “face” the other his sight) after a car accident where the love of his life happens to die. Never having been disappointed by an Almodovar movie, I can’t wait for this forthcoming release.

Paintings...

Voila! It is finally done. After a few days sawing, nailing, sticking, assembling wooden chassis, the aboriginal paintings I bought in Australia finally are up on my French walls. And they sit there perfectly. You actually only see a couple of them on this picture (a Ningura Napurrula from Napunya and an Antoni Janima from Stirling Station). There is also a nice bark painting that I brought back from the village of the middle of the Sentani lake (not far from Jayapura, the capital city of Western Papua). It is frustrating not to have a bigger house!

Rapa Nui, Espace Fondation EDF

I am not too sure about what has been attracting me to the Easter Island for years. I know I will visit the place one day. I actually nearly did once but I realised it was the wrong time of the year and settled on Alaska instead. It is a barren land with hardly anything to see and I am usually not particularly attracted by islands but something fascinates me with Rapa Nui. It probably is its inaccessibility and remoteness. Or it is its famous stone giants. Or maybe one of the most intriguing ways of writing, the Rongorongo. It is all there (physically, suggested or documented) at the moment at this very instructive exhibition that is taking place at the Fondation EDF, in the 7th Arrondissement until the 1st of March 2009. A must see.

Les Plages d'Agnès

Agnès! What an incredible woman. I have not seen so many of her movies / documentaries but every single time I do I am in love with her work. Everything she does is done with so much humility and kindness. This latest movie, still showing in quite a few cinemas, is a kind of autobiographic documentary on the eve of her 80th birthday. She gets to share a glimpse of her life that saw her moving from the beaches of Knut-Le-Zout to New York. She witnessed so many Art movements and Artists. Most of them now dead. That is the emotional element of the movie but it is with pleasure we cross the path of individualities as different as Jim Morrison, Catherine Deneuve, Jim Morrison or Yolande Moreau. And of course the biggest emotion comes along with every mention of her late husband, Jacques Demy. If it had not been issued last year this could easily have been my movie of the Year!

Record of the Week: Telepathe 'Dance Mother'

My Record of 2008 was from TV On The Radio so there is no surprise that I can make this amazing new album from Telepathe my Record of the Week. The connection becomes very evident on tracks like ‘In Your Line’. It also has to be noted that Telepathe’s first album is actually produced by Dave Sitek, TVOTR’s mastermind. Second week in a row with an album that is impossible to classify. It is as if the music creativity is finally moving forward after years of cut / copy / paste. Piccadilly records use the words ‘Prog-Stepping’, ‘indie-meets-Afro-house groove with West End style NYC disco’ and ‘avant / electro-pop sound that combines spliced electronic beats, lush sound textures and sweet female vocals’. Erm… Listen to them in order to make your own opinion and I am sure someone will soon come up with a term to define this futuristic and fantastic new music. New York strikes again!

Visit and listen to Telepathe at MySpace

Rent-a-Car

I do not own a car so I rent one every time I need one. In the end I believe it is probably much cheaper than owning one. First of all, I get a new car for each trip. Usually they are quite new and only have a few kilometres on the odometer. Secondly, I am not worried about where to park it when I am not using it. To drive from Washington to New York we rented a Prius since they seem to be quite popular over there. Why is that people continue to use normal cars? Hybrids are so fuel efficient. It might not be the definitive solution but at least you can guess that it is a real progress.
On our way back from the countryside, we had a little Opel. In contrast, cars in France continue to use extremely polluting Diesel fuel (which you rarely see anywhere else in the world except for trucks). For the recorded story, it was filled with the wrong fuel and we got stuck at the fuel station after realising the mistake (we had hopefully not started the engine). Not an experience I recommend to anyone on a Sunday morning in the middle of nowhere in France.