life's adventures This is the story of my wanderings through Asia

That night through the pouring rain, we end up at the Bad Monkey, Dali’s infamous tourist bar that hosts the outrageous nights that make travelers fall in love with the vibe and life in Dali. The Quebec boys played there and we danced and reveled in the music and atmosphere created by these oh so talented guys. I vaguely remember carrying my Old Dutch friend Eddie home with the help of the good looking German barman, then returning for more fun with the band and their friends. The kiwi chick behind the bar, Jess, was glad to chat to other kiwi’s and it was awesome making new solid mates out of the people there that night.

The day after is a blur of hangover and physical ruin. My body had had enough, and it rebelled. We moved to the hump through a moody haze of hangover and intense cold. I ate a few Chinese medicinal tablets and managed to eat some hot food. We had tom yum and spicy Thai food for dinner. Later I downed a huge mug of menthol syrupy Chinese herbal tea, while sitting at the bar listening to Dan, JP and Chuck play their instruments to us, a captured and awed audience of 5. I felt so lucky and extremely happy. Hot shower did the trick and we ventured back out into the wet and visited a big party where everyone seemed on a different planet almost. I didn't stay out too late.

The next day (5oct) turned out to be the Dali street fair, organized by the Hump. Unfortunately, the weather in Dali is forecast for rain for the next week. So it was squished indoors, and my coffee didn’t have a chance next to local coffee stands (even though they didn’t have a clue how to use their little plastic machines, I know my Vietnam coffee was the winner overall)...tehe, you probably know how I am about my coffee! The Quebec Rednecks played again at the Hump bar and it was energetic beyond belief as we all knew the average amount of sleep had by anyone in the last week was around 4 hours per night/day. After they played, most of them returned to homes in Kunming, and we were entertained by a comedic carnival performance duo all the way from London, their son Roo an entertaining 10year old who brought hilarity to the buildup of the night by insisting he was an FBI agent undercover making sure there were no aliens amongst the people present. The beautiful Daisy and strong Mustafa made us laugh and warmed the watching faces with smiles. The bands after were good but sleepiness was overwhelming, so I had a hot shower and some Thai prawn tom yum that warmed me up sufficiently. Then without warning a drum circle came on and they pounded out rhythms that set my heart beating and soul flying, again stripping off layers to dance with the incredible moving sounds these young Chinese guys forced through our ears and down our bodies. Jo and Frank did a small fire show in the bar and Roo did a few flips on the dangerously slippery floor, it was a madness bought on by the jitterbug enhanced and encouraged by the drums.

-Read 'Jitterbug Perfume' and watch 'Dub Echoes'-

Wide-awake and energized, out into the dreary weather we marched. Once again our path was directed to the Bad Monkey to watch JP and Dan play their guitar, banjo and harmonica. They are extremely talented musicians and entertainers, and had the crowd sweating; it was the birthday of the owner of the bar, Carl, and the mood was infectious.