Tuvalu Drought

In late 2011 Tuvalu suffered from a terrible drought. Families were restricted to a few litres of water a day.  

By the time I arrived on the island it was swarming with specialists, all proffering theories.  global warming was a favorite. 

An old hand took me out and showed me the real reason when it rained. Poor maintenance on gutters and catchment tanks, on an island that was so low lying that you couldn't use bore water, meant disaster. 

I took the photo six months after the drought had ended.  Sections of gutter were still missing from this government building.  Downpipes didn't exist. Precious water flow into the ground. 

Nanta

Nanta are a Korean non verbal comedy show based around cooking.  The show involves acrobatics, magic tricks, comedy, pantomime and audience participation. The unifying element throughout the musical is the use of traditional Korean samul nori music, which in this case in performed with improvised instruments, such as cutting boards, water canisters and kitchen knives. Nanta is the longest-running show in Korean history.
Nanta is a series of roles played by different actors, the female (Hot Sauce) can be played by any of nine girls.  Here is Song Ha Mi playing the role.

Tarawa Atoll

This was the view from just outside my office on Tarawa Atoll, looking down the reef. Someone actually lived in that thatched hut on the beach.  

The sand was soft and warm, the lagoon turquoise and inviting. Sadly, it is highly polluted with fecal contamination and unsafe to swim in.

Korean girl

A Korean girl steels herself before a performance. 

Chateau 1771, El Pueblo, Mandaluyong City Manila

A rainy night in El Pueblo, Mandaluyong City Manila. The building is Chateau 1771, a famous restaurant.  The rain and the black and white photograph make it look like Paris, rather than Asia. 

I lived almost next door, and behind 1771 was the Sidebar.....

Some quotes of the internet about 1771:

"This famed restaurant is known for its "no borders" cuisine: mouthwatering innovations on well-loved Swiss, Italian, and French culinary concoctions that are simply divine on the taste buds".

"What I admire most about Chateau is that it has maintained itself as an edgy and elegant, tasteful and tasty restaurant. With food this good, I would follow this restaurant to L.A. (just like Posh has followed Beckham!). As long as they continue serving their Ivory Chocolate Ice Cream and Coffee Pie!"

"I have been eating, drinking coffee and lounging around Chateau 1771 since 1996. I have spent significant time in Chicago and New York and now live in Upstate New York. One of the things I miss most about home is this restaurant. Trust me! Try to dine on an evening where they have live musicians. Food, atmosphere and people are perfect. Feels exactly like home".

Korean Dancer

This was a Korean dancer in her traditional costume.  

yukata ice cream

Two Japanese girls, resplendent in colourful summer yukata, share an ice cream. 

I took this photograph years ago, but couldn't separate the girls from the background, so I used Photoshop to grey it out and blur it.....

Cafe Royal Bombay

India in the early 1980s was almost in a time warp. Although it was almost 40 years since the British left, much of the Raj remained. It was still just possible that former British colonial officers who decided to remain were still toiling away in some distance office.

The architecture remained the same, there was virtually no high rise in bombay at that time, and the traffic was very quiet.

I took this one afternoon from the Regal Cinema at Colaba, Bombay, just near the Wellington Fountain. Across the road stands the famous Bombay Cafe Royal, established in 1919.

The Cafe Royal still exists:  "Cafe Royal has been serving hungry patrons since 1919, which makes it one of Mumbai's oldest restaurants. Interestingly, the land on which Cafe Royal stands today was once used as a shed to park horse carriages for the Maharaja of Mourvi. What started back then as an Irani tea and samosa place gradually grew into one of the most famed fine dining restaurants with a live orchestra. Today Cafe Royal is once again bringing back the magic of the past and operates essentially as an all day cafe, specializing in Sizzlers and a variety of continental delicacies."

Bombay workshop, early 1980s

In the early 1980s I found myself in Bombay - when it was still called Bombay.  I would wander the streets taking photographs. Sadly most of them have gone, but I still have some.

Here an enterprising machinist has set up a little workshop in a tent at the aside of the road. He is actually on the pavement, and the ditch at the back is an open sewer/drain running though the tent.

Inside the tent was a very old electric powered lath You can see how he has made an illegal tap into the power pole.

The owner lived and worked in this tent, oblivious to passing traffic and people.

Sportsmans Bar and Grill, Jakarta 2007

Sadly now closed and abandoned, the upstairs bar at the Sportsmans Bar and Grill in Jakarta used to be a favorite of mine.  The food was good, you could watch sport, and the barmaids were always friendly. This photo was taken about 2007. 

Merry, trying to get me to try a vodka martini.....

And here is the Sportsmans in mid 2012...

Tuvalu hammock

Relaxing on Tuvalu.  The hammock is in the hotel garden and that is the airfield on the other side of the fence......

Nauru Coast Road

The coast road at Nauru runs all the way around the island, and all of the villages are on it. There is no road running across the island.

Tarawa Causeway

The Japanese built causeway links the small islands that encircle the Tarawa atoll. Unfortunately they also trap the water inside the atoll, leading to high levels of pollution and contamination in the water and in the fish caught inside the atoll.

Marcus Stephen, President of Nauru

Mr with the President of Nauru, Marcus Stephen. He was a former Olympic weightlifter,  and won seven Commonwealth Gold Medals. He resigned the day after this photo was taken, but is still a Cabinet Minister. 

Albion Hotel Auckland

All over Auckland are remnants of the very prosperous era when New Zealand shipped lamb back to Britain in refrigerated ships. This is the Albion Hotel. 

Green Nauru

Although often described as a sort of post apocalyptic lunar landscape, Nauru is actually very green and lush.   This is down near the coast, just behind the power station.  

further round the Coast Road near the boat harbour is dense green foliage:

And up on the top of this island, there is a  tropical rain forest:

1885 Bar, Auckland

Me at one of my favourite Auckland Bars, the 1885 in the Britomart area.  The bar is named after the year the former warehouse complex was built. 

From the internet:

Taking its name from the foundation year of historic Stanbeth House, 1885 Britomart is a sophisticated multi-level bar accessed off a private laneway behind Customs Street East.

Superbly designed, the interior is a clever blend of restored heritage features with rich contemporary styling. A high-ceilinged main bar with massive wooden beams and white stone bar gives way to the Martini Bar, a mezzanine lounge area full of deep velvet couches.

Opposite, the original warehouse doors open out onto a long covered verandah: the perfect vantage point for watching the Britomart nightlife go by.

Basement bar and live music

Hidden away downstairs is a luxurious underground cocktail bar, leather-upholstered and staffed by dedicated hosts. Here you can choose from an extensive cellar wine list or cocktails created by some of New Zealand’s best bartenders.

As well as a great place to drink, 1885 Britomart is a buzzing live music venue. Evening performances from some of New Zealand’s leading jazz, soul, blues and funk musicians are followed by a line-up of late-night DJs.

Close to Vector Arena, 1885 is ideally located for a drink before or after a show. A small, elegant bar food menu is also available at all times.

Discovery Apartments

Me outside "home" in Manila, the Discovery Apartments.....

From the internet:

Combining the warm comforts of home and the modern conveniences of a luxury serviced residence, Discovery Suites is the preferred address of business travelers, expatriates and long-staying guests in the Ortigas Business District. Situated right at the center of a smorgasbord of shopping and dining destinations , this 220-suite property offers easy, efficient access to both business and pleasure.

Bali Sunset on Tannah Lot

This is the sunset from the cliff top near Tannah Lot, on Bali. 

Two pretty girls in the crowd photograph it:

James Bond Island

This is the famous James Bond Island landmark in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

Its fame came through its starring role in the 1974 James Bond movie 'The Man with the Golden Gun'.

Boats are no longer allowed to come into the bay, and we had to land on the opposite side and take a short walk across to view the pinnacle. Phang Nga Bay covers an area of 400sqkm and is home to some 100 islands, and is now a National Park. 

Ambhara Hotel Jakarta

For various reasons the Jakarta Ambhara Hotel is one of my favorites.  It is well located, has an impressive foyer, great bar,  and was popular with the expat crowd.  I must have stayed in May 2005, although I can't remember being there then.  Again I kept the door pass....

I was back again in May 2012, when I took these photos. The hotel seemed to be losing some of its charm and was getting old.  I still enjoyed my stay though.

Nauru Sunset

Pacific sunsets are usually spectacular. This was especially true on Nauru, where the sun sets across a beach strewn with volcanic lava shapes. 

Most afternoons after work I would buy a beer from Capelles Store, and walk across the road to the beach to watch these sunsets. 

Banchetto Night Food Market, Manila

(Notice the huge reflection of the morning sun on the buildings....)

These photographs are from my Manila apartment bedroom window looking back to Emerald Avenue.

Every friday at midnight until 11am Saturday morning, this is the site for a slightly bizarre and somewhat unique event - the Banchetto Night food Market.   Reputedly started to service the thousands of call center workers who would change shift on a Friday at midnight, this has gown into a massive food festival.

In the first photo you can see Emerald Avenue on a normal 6am morning, in the other you can see it on a saturday. Living so close to such good food made breakfast on a Saturday an easy choice.

The market stretches for a long way down Emerald Avenue, the food is cheap, varied and delicious.  The crowds are fun loving  as party-goers and clubbers mix with call centre workers on a break, and families arriving for an early breakfast.

It really is an event not to be missed, and stands out as one of my best memories of Manila.

Two articles about the markets and with some great photos, are here:

http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2010/07/banchetto-love-friday-night-foodie-market-feast.html

http://pinoyfood.nimrodel.net/cakes/banchetto-street-fiesta-at-ortigas-center/

32nd Independence Day Kiribati

In 2011 I was working on Tarawa Atoll during the  Independence day celebrations.  This actually involves a whole week, when the entire country shuts down.   I was lucky to be invited to all of the functions for the week.

Proceedings start with the Independence Day Parade on the sports field. The best part of this was the march past of the schools, from senior to preschool, often in traditional costume. 

The Gilbertese people enjoy a good laugh, and the antics of the the children had the whole stadium rolling around in laughter. 

The participants stood in the sun for several hours, and those bare feet are walking on burning hot and razor sharp  coral sand. 

Nauru Zero

The Pacific is littered with the debris of war.  Mostly rusting away, or in the ocean, and often dangerous.  

On Nauru I found a large section of a Japanese Nakajima Zero in someones garden. The rest is probably somewhere in the undergrowth. 

Nauru was surrendered without a fight, at the end of WW2.  The Japanese were loaded onto boats and taken away, their equipment was left as it was. Apparently until the 1970s there were rows of such Zeros standing at the edge of former airfields. Most have been scrapped or buried now. 

Manila Bay Sunsets

One of my favorite pastimes in Manila was to head over to the big, cool Mall of Asia near the bay, and spend sunday afternoon browsing the shops, watching the ice-skaters on the indoor rink, or watching the performances in the auditoriums. The Mall of Asia is reputedly the third largest mall in the world. 

Around dusk I like many others, would walk outside and watch the sun set into Manila Bay.  I didn't see a single sunset that was not spectacular.   These are two of many.

Grand Pacific Hotel, Fiji

Once the most famous hotel in the Pacific, the  Grand Pacific Hotel is located on the main sea front, on Victoria Parade in Suva, Fiji. 

It was built by The Union Steamship Company in 1914 to serve the needs of passengers on its transpacific routes. 

It was a popular place to stay for famous guests such as Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, Somerset Maugham, James A Michener and even Queen Elizabeth II.

All rooms were on the second floor, and guests could step outside on a 15-foot wide veranda overlooking the harbor and walk completely around the building — as if walking on the deck. 

The Hotel has been empty for over 20 years, and after several stalled attempts to rebuild, it looks like it will remain empty. A testimony to an earlier time of travel in the Pacific .

Tokyo

Me in Tokyo, 2003.  

No swimming sunset. Bali

On Bali the sun sets behind a "no swimming" flag.  Widely ignored, they warn the unsuspecting tourist of the fierce rips and undercurrents that will drag a swimmer out to sea. 

Bali lifeguards patrol the tourist stretches. They are tough wiry guys with dark tans and a ready smile for passing girls.