I've been traveling solo. I've been listening, I've been learning, I've been lonely.
What about you? Do you ever travel solo? What do you think?
Images shot in Morocco by Gun-Ho Lee For Vogue Korea. June 2013. ‘The Middle East Story
Marrakech Morocco: and a tale of unplugging & connecting -- Christine Johnson family photography
They were seated at the table next door in the restaurant. Parents and two children, their heads stooped over, their faces bathed in that unmistakable glow. The daughter flicked through the photos at the speed of light, one after another, one after another. The father typed furiously with his two thumbs, his mouth curled in a scowl. The littlest boy cried Nooooo.....and then Yesssss... as he shot laser after laser. The mother liked and then liked again -- she liked everyone, it seemed.
Marrakesh, Morocco: and a tale of a Moroccan cocktail recipe ( a new series!)
We take our Moroccan cocktails seriously at Peacock Pavilions. When we have guests, a freshly made, craft cocktail is available every day at 5:00 (and we make sure that guests never get the same thing twice). Over the years, we have amassed a repertoire of Marrakech-inspired cocktails, and there is always something new and delicious being stirred, muddled or shaken in the kitchen. Many of the ingredients come straight from our organic garden!
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: and a tale of voyaging
My father lived in Cambodia, in Phnom Penh for years. He lived in an old Khmer house with potted orchids hanging from all the eaves. His furniture was dark oiled wood, his bedspreads were silk in inky colors. It was all very dramatic.
I visited him in Cambodia, once and then twice. I was living in Kathmandu at the time and Phnom Penh seemed chaotic and dangerous in comparison. People would whisper about having to run checkpoints late night. There were robberies with complicit guards tied up up in pretend manner. My father once saw a man shot in some brawl over a prostitute. We would listen to the tales of intrigue and betrayal over drinks at the Foreign Correspondents Club where we'd mingle with the regulars.
It was an unusual life, but one suited some how for my father -- a man who was exceedingly mild mannered but yet terribly adventurous at the same time.
I'm back now in Phnom Penh. And I'm alone. At first glance, the city seems to have changed, to have gentrified - the bars less gritty, the streets cleaner.
But perhaps that's just the surface. Let's see what I'll find.
Images from Gypsyskyphotography and Bwiti