JAPAN: Osaka Junglists – Drum & Bass Japan

This year we could cheer to the start of the next as one of the firsts on the planet. New Year’s Eve in Japan, the country of the rising sun, Yeah! We celebrated in Osaka namely here:  大阪府大阪市住之江区北加賀屋名村造船跡地.That means Namura Zosenjo Atochi and it is an discarded and remodeled shipyard and the Osaka Creative Center, a very cool location and perfect for parties. We knew that there would be DJ-acts like Soichi Terade, Peter van Hoesen and several unfamiliar artists and groups, and we knew that there would be nice electronic music. But we didn´t know that there would be as well fantastic Drum & Bass on the second floor! Surprise! Incredible!

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LAOS: Toilet Streetart and Loo Graffiti – 4000 Islands

Actually I wanted to call it crapper-graffitis, the word is a bit too vulgar for the headline, but I just can´t get it out of my head and during the whole journey we really called this awesome artwork crapper graffitis all the time. In fact it was graffiti on crappers. Toilet graffiti sounded too western and too functioning, it were more some lavatory rooms far away from modern society on some islands without streets and with farmers, who rent some rooms to travelers and backpackers. Two-holer, outhouse or privy isn´t the right word as well, neither shithouse, because they all have some flush and lavation system. So let it be crapper. But in the end it isn´t important what you do at these places, much more what you can see on the outside walls…

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THAILAND: Phangan Rainbow Bungalows – Ko Pha Ngan

The times when we just did beach holidays in summer and skiing trips in winter are over since a long time. Meanwhile you can go very easily and cheap as well to a warm sunny beach on the one side of the planet, while it is freezing in your country, or you can travel during the totally hot mid-summer of your country to a snowy resort somewhere else on a summit in country where there is winter at that moment. We went to Thailand before Christmas, traveled around, had a good time on the sea and collected a lot of nice video and picture material. Our Thailand-Expert Praxinho V., who lived nearly half of his live in Southeast-Asia and who knows all around the islands by experience on exploring by scooter, on elephants, by foot or just crawling – that guy brought us to one of his “Special-secret-super-nice-places”. A lodge where he always goes, and where we all stood for some days and which we definitely can recommend: The Koh Phangan Rainbow Bungalows of Martin Hine and Noy Prante Limkul ….

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JAPAN: Streetart Osaka – 落書き Graffiti Nippon

We started the new year in Osaka, Japan. Konnichiwa! The celebration was great, the food and the sake fantastic, but the Japanese are not very familiar with streetart and graffiti. It is very regularized, officialized, well-signposted, marked and labeled. Streetpaintings which are out of the prevailing rules and raster, get cleaned away fast or cubically painted over. Which is kind of another invitation for some more already framed wish-wash or spray can art….

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LAOS: LaLaLand Bar & Tours

While we passed the beautiful village Vang Vieng during our Laos trip we visited the Karst Mountains, heaps of nice lagoons and caves and took as well part at the tubing of course. But the real good offers and choices we unfortunately found only in the end of our stay. Like always, you get to the best things just in the end. We didn´t experience the tours ourselves, but still we brought you a lot of amazing photographs and interesting interviews. Just in case if you should be around there one day. An insider tip: Lala and his tours!

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VIETNAM: Little Kingston Reggae Bar – Mũi Né

Vietnam is famous for its delicious cuisine, the marvelous beaches, the jungle or as well for the remains of the underground tunnel system from the war. But the country is for sure not famous for Reggae Music. Let´s see…. maybe just not yet! Actually everything you need for this lifestyle is perfectly there. You just need someone, who is going to establish the concept. Exactly this idea had the former Berliner and now Vietnam citizen Herby. He opened the Reggae chillspot „Little Kingston Beach Bar“ in the beach village Mũi Né. Herby is Reggae DJ since 20 years and lives since five years in Vietnam. The first three years he was resident DJ and manager in several clubs in Saigon, after quite a while he finally found a perfect place for his own project. We visited him and relaxed at the comfy hammock area at his beach bar location while we recorded an interview about the origin and development of the place.

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LAOS: Sae Lao Project & Equal Education For All (EEFA)

We found again something interesting, good and worth-to-write-about in the middle of the jungle. It was next to the karst mountains while we were passing with our modified go-karts to a lagoon. We jetted past a sign, but after the short look we had to go back to that place the next day for sure. There was written: „Buy a cocktail and send with your purchase a child to school”. There was as well something about „Need Volunteers”. That sounded interesting. What are they doing there and who is doing what and are they really doing what they wrote? And if yes, how can you support? A lot of questions, so let´s go and check it out…

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LAOS: Photographer Adri Berger & The Big Tree Café

During our Laos tour we had a stop in the idylic little city Luang Prabang next to the Mekong River and found by accident the Big Tree Café of the Dutch photographer Adri Berger and his wife Mija Son. The place is a café and a restaurant, but as well a gallery and a cultural meeting place at the same time. If you are around one day, you should have a visit, it´s worth it….

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