The Notion of Motion

Book Book Book

2011-11-15T01:48:00.001-08:00

Hey All!

I made a book!

I did it all by myself, it's 240 pages long, and if you have a few spare coins - buy one and read it!

It's about AU$100 for a 10x8 hardcover delivered, of which I make $10 profit. It's practically nothing for the time I've invested into it, but frankly, it's not about profit. Maybe one day I'll try and find a publisher and it'll be cheaper. But until then, have a look for yourself.

I've put a preview of the entire book up on blurb.com, so click the link below and enjoy!

(Ps - I got feedback that one book had horrendous printing. The printing should be great, so if there's a problem, send it back to blurb and get them to re-do it!)

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2566427

Choke 'em

2011-10-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Choke 'em

Over the past weeks the city was tidied up some-what, the homeless were put in shelters for the time being and particular roads were cordoned off. St. Georges Terrace was flooded with policemen and ridiculous signs affirming authorities rights to arouse suspicion over uncanny behaviour that could effect the image of Australia while The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) proceeded.

I watched an old dude with a killer moustache chatting to Police one day, as I walked a direction up the terrace. And then, as I returned the same way, I watched him get frisked, inspected and then taken away in the paddy wagon.

Politics, fucking politics bless my heart.

Oh, and apparently the Queen and her royal convoy were here too.

The dear Queen who does jack shit except wave patronisingly down at her humble peasants.

That was a bit harsh wasn't it? I don't know the woman, so who am I to judge!

I actually couldn't give a shit about these particular politics, I just like going against the grain of the masses.

The weather.

That's a much nicer topic. And yeah, it's warming up down here, as it's heading towards summer.

I'm usually hatin' on the heat, but now I'm really looking forward to it. Well, as much as I can for the next two weeks anyway, as I'm jet-settin' to Central Asia for an unknown amount of time, beginning in China!

Attention: back to politics.

So I got the Friday off and saw it as a photo-shoot. So I slammed a slice of Pizza at Lorens and P to the ublic-transported myself into the CBD.

I bought a 750ml Mocha, but quickly tapped into the inescapable buzz and energy of bulk people in the city. It felt like a happening place for once...

So I chuuugged the milk and...

The Queen. I thought this old bird was much sexier than the real queen, undoubtedly!

When I got in, the protest was at the corner of Hay and William, but they put their heads together and moved towards Murray St.Mall, speaker phones and voice boxes aloud.

The flowering spike of a Xanthorrea tree.

Even the Po's were shooting street! Using a monopod...

And she was using two of them.

"Go the bubbles!" - fucking right. Mad respect.

High-heels and Horse-shoes clickity clack.

In Forrest Chase, the "99%" congregated and voiced opinions on topics that Police and media have subdued. Equal rights, corruption and all that.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, we are trying to change the world."

Go go go the bubbles.

He definitely doesn't have little man syndrome. A legend in my books.

Jerry, or Gerry, however it's spelt. He goes to the city every day with an amplifier and sometimes a mic, dressed up in radical clothes, dancing the best, or worst he can. I love his take-the-piss-and-have-a-good-time humour, gets me goin'. Poor Jerry...his girlfriend of 5 and a half years had broken up with him two weeks prior, so he was telling me how he's gonna try and get her back. Jerry's 49, and the woman...25! Wish Jerry luck!

How can you resist that look?

It's been funny to observe people's reactions to this one. So, use your imagination.

Trippy?

Trippy but funny?

It was about bloody time I took this portrait. Too many years had gone by and I ignored the impulse to approach this man. He was a man of few words. A proud character. And that was it.

"Dance with me"

Pacing along, towards the masses in Forrest Chase, was tie-over-shoulder-man.

Our eyes volleyed back and forth as I drew my camera away from my face. We fired up some convo and he shed a few facts about his life. He'd travelled to 80 different countries, and worked as some sort of doctor in 32. He didn't understand why these people were even protesting, and reminisced of how he was watching a rally in Africa once upon a time, when two cars with a chain locked between the two, cut through the crowd and snapped hundreds of legs. In a pro-violence sort of way, he said that during the wars, they wouldn't help any of the wounded, they would just slaughter them. In the same way he didn't get there's, I didn't quite get his protest. But I shook the hand he'd literally just cut on a broken beer glass at Durty Nelly's and continued forth.

I saw this photograph and hastily snapped, because I knew that weeks before - I had taken almost the exact same shot, but on a different bench, of the exact same guy - on a roll of 400 tri-x that the kind Miss Claire Atkinson had donated, to shoot through my M6. (Which I'm selling, because after trying to adapt to the rangefinder, I still prefer the SLR)

So cheers Claire, this shot's for you!

That's the Coles-Myer corporation sucking some royal-dick, in my peasant-opinion.

The Happy Campers.

Ridin' the Scythe like a pro.

Okay, so basically they're saying you have to fucking pay for a prayer normally?

Peekaboo.

Shadow of the church.

He asked for a portrait. I obliged.

The extra height trick.

Jasper had just saved up a bit of money and come from the east coast. In Perth for a few days already, he was considering his next travel move. A super-nice dude from what I gathered.

So the 99% decided on a civilised rebellion, and they were to snooze in sleeping bags in Forrest Chase for some days.

I left town, to go and meet some mates and have a BBQ down at the south foreshore.

I hadn't seen Davo in two years, so it was good to re-acquaint.

The next day, there was a $2 sausage-sizzle down by the river on behalf of the queen. She could've at least shouted us a few sausages...but...no.

Hectic. I imagine it'd look good poster size.

Two little monsters in matching monster shirts.

Yep.

So the night before my birthday I went out to dinner with my family + Eve.

"The doctors keep giving me the indication that my time's running out."

Fuck off, Eve will never die. 85 and goin' hard.

The same night, I went to the bathroom and looked at my self with astonishment. Not because I thought I looked good, but because I blood vessel randomly burst in my eye. I kinda like it. So back at work, Tim Masih took this photograph with the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro. Tim Masih represent.

An orgy of white cars rolled into the end of the mall. It was like something from a movie. Security guards with ear pieces and the lot. They were government heads from Tanzania and the sort.

I sat next to him and ate a pie. Another situation in which I'd held off from approaching him for years. I got a different feeling from him when I was younger. Goes with the state of mind I guess. He was nice, also a man of few words.

I see red I see red I see red.

We are 99%.

I saved a few cents and walked the 5km home.

100%.

Out-takes and Rarities etc etc

2011-10-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

Out-takes and Rarities etc etc
2011

There's always a couple of stand-alone photos taken throughout the year that sit and rot because I don't know what to do with them.

Here's a handful!

Cody aka Jesus, catching the train with me early one morning.

Chanelle Rogers lazing around in the summer heat while she was living in Perth.

Drage and I went to Freo one evening, to watch some bands, have a few brews and make something of the night. After catching a few local acts and washing the drought away with a few drinks, we hit the beach and stripped off for a moonlight swim. There were a few people on the beach, who weren't expecting to be approached for conversation by two naked guys. Though it was a first time for us too! The clothing came back on and we chilled with a group of Frenchmen, eventually strayed the pack and then got a kebab on south terrace. Down the terrace we chatted with a few strangers, which turned into us well and truly pissing off a gang of drunk meat-head fuck-wits who were walking by. By that time we were ready to pursue the wind-down, and search for a place to crash. Scaling the fence at The Yacht Club, we tippy-toed down the jetty to see if we could slumber on someones boat while they weren't there. I got on the second boat along, opened the door, looked around - and then to my...umm, you could say - dismay; peered through an open door to see two naked people sleeping on a bed. Fuck. I slithered right-on-outta-there, feeling snakier than ever. It was pretty dramatic. And the creepy thing about the situation is that the people will never know I was on the boat! The Yacht Club didn't exactly work out, and the sandy dunes on the beach seemed a lesser risk, so that's where we passed out. I was the early bird, awake first, and Drage was face down in the sand. As in, face.first.in.the.fucking.sand. I don't think I'd ever seen someone face-down, asleep in a sand dune until then. Amidst laughing at his expense I loaded off a few frames, woke him up and headed to the bus stop, where we sealed the occasion with a free ride home!

One random morning, I woke up with that hair...

Sir Callaghan playing Mario on his arcade machine in Planet Shed while the smoke machine was on.

I was in the mood for a self portrait.

Graham, a fellow i met on the streets years ago. Photographing Graham never gets old. I've been watching the fleeting states of Graham for years, and one side of me wishes I've taken more photo's of him.

Drage and I went to Larry's. We were a bit golly-wonkered as result of illicit herbs, beer...and an omelet Larry made us. A bit over-kill, and didn't go down so well with Drage. Forcing him to lay down and vomit. Scared the shit out of us at first, but we got him water and nurtured his poor soul. Not funny.

Well, until Larry did a piss around his contour and pretended to dig his Grave. Australians are cruel.

Jack and I went for a run through the bush in Mundaring while it was raining. Such a feeling of rejuvenation.

Caleb and Dan having a morning durry in 'Planet Shed'.

Threesomes with a fuckin' Triceratops.

Siahne and Andrew, Northbridge.

A self-timed shot of Drage and I. Came out...different...

Mum and Mr.Fox, the newest addition.

This morning I woke up at Frazers, still drunk as all shit from the night before. I walked outside. Initially it was like I was approaching the pearly gates, but then my eyes adjusted to the light and it was like wooaahh, hello rain clouds. I walked down to Chicken Treat to get a greasy feed and the dude at the counter was like "How are you?"

I was honest and said - Duhhh-ruuuunk! Quarter Chicken and Chips please.

As soon as I got my feast, the sky began to release gigantic drops. I was so amazed by the fast moving clouds that opened and closed views of the blue sky above, that I walked around with my head directly upwards for minutes. The plane gives you a sense of scale.

More vanity in the backyard. The light was too good to let go. Oh, and living on the highway sucks dick. I dislike traffic, it does no good when you're feeling anxious. I'm somewhat desensitised to it now, as I've endured months of it already.

I don't even know how long Lena and I spent sitting at the marina next to Cicerellos in Freo, watching the Seagulls argue and bicker. That's a real shot by the way. Perspective makes all the difference.

Larry had a bucket full of carrots and told us there's a goat in the block next door. There's also a single Goose in the yard too. A Goat and a Goose. Interesting combo!

Josh and patterns of light caused by drapes, right before we had a friendly non-gay spoon between mates. Josh and I have known one another since primary school. It's cool to know that after years of knowing someone you can still catch up every now and still connect.

The end.

I hope you enjoyed!

Bells Rapids

2011-10-18T02:05:00.000-07:00

Bells Rapids

Swan Valley - 2011.

I feel the weight, pushing down on my quadriceps.

As of late I'm finding it hard to make the next steps, on my own accord.

At one point I thought I was sure, I wouldn't fuck things up, so tidy and together is what I was working towards.

Slipping between my fingers it seems I couldn't handle the order, without a team it seems I'm always trying to cross the border, not for water, but something more sought after. It's a hunt.

And while I'm trying to find a stead, there's sand between my toes, from my mind-downward it overflows through a cracked hourglass, where the past is my contact lens.

The boundary's where the sensation is, I'm seeing exits where the station is and then wondering why I'm tearing away, galloping astray for the next leg.

It's not just in my head, right now the hedonist is dead, but everyone's still looking for it 'cause they're following what Simon said.

Fairy Floss and Cheap Plastic Shit

2011-10-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ahh!

The Perth Royal Show was back again, for that one week in October.

I hadn't been in years, but Lena was over from Germany so I figured I'd take her to the only sort-of-big fair thingy-mcjig that Perth holds.

I hadn't really shot solely on film for some time, so I chucked the zeiss 35/2 on the EOS 300 and kept shootin' the roll that was already loaded. Starting as we got off the bus.

First shot didn't work so well, second shot clipped Lena's arm, and the third got 'em right where I wanted 'em.

I didn't notice that she noticed me noticing her in the frame, hence why I didn't notice her smiling. Notice?

A bit more red wouldn't go astray!

The great dividing pole.

Women.

This was in the cookery exhibit. There were an insane amount of cakes and baked stuff to look at, and if it looked that good - you could vote for in the competition.

Cowboy Jack blowin' his nose. Jack mightn't be his name, nor he be a cowboy, but that Camel sure looks sexy.

Grams, obviously admiring the silver bullet.

Old dude on the raft ride. $10 a go. Never really understood the buzz when I got to the age where value-consciousness clicked in my brain.

Freddy High-Five Kreuger.

"This is a picture of me standing next to The Grim Reaper in Perth!" - or something like that.

An expressive family.

Computerised sex tester. Maybe it'd make sense if you had to put your gear in the slot instead of a dollar. Ding ding ding.

That's a hawaiin shirt.

And the monkey lovers. Get my play on words?

I really love those things.

This guy was cool. I got a really warm and generous feeling from him.

We walked into one area that was actually the grooming/practice area for the show horses, so a security guard directed us out. I liked the shiny coat on that specimen.

I remember the days of devouring candy like an animal too.

Beauty in the golden light.

Those electronic palm-reading-wizard-extraordinaires are kinda creepy.

I thought I was quite the comedian with this one.

Kidnapped Luigi!

I wonder if there's a planet somewhere in the universe that has aliens, and at the annual alien show they have human blow up dolls? On earth I guess we just call them sex toys.

Stupefied.

Hitch-hiking.

And a glorious firework ending to yet another year of excessive consumption. I'm not whinging, I love carnivals as they provide almost too many photo opportunities. I finished 3 rolls, and the world keeps turning. Just enjoy it!

Unfurl

2011-09-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

Unfurl

Well, here's a handful of photos of primitive beings-and-the-like taken in the urban jungle over the past months.

Funnily enough, pattern is a recurring theme!

(I haven't really had the energy to write as of recent, and there's no point forcing words, so please excuse my lack of motivation - and hopefully the images speak for themselves!)

I Saw She Saw We Saw Warsaw

2011-09-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

I Saw She Saw We Saw Warsaw

- With Ada Sawicka-wicka-wicked

(Warsaw - as in, Poland!)

A week of ample steps and exploring in the capital.

11/9/10 - 18/9/10

Note: Mmmdatass

The Baroque Ghost

2011-07-16T22:43:00.003-07:00

The Baroque Ghost - Vienna

I spent a week in Vienna after rolling in from Bratislava.

It was a good week, but a weird one.

My brain got turned upside down and inside out, and a few doors opened.

Props go to Tommy for being an amazing host and putting up with a handful of strangers, and this guy that took way too many photos!

On that note...

Travels With Greeky: Part Two

2011-07-16T22:43:00.001-07:00

So Tim and I got up early and caught the subway, then the IKEA(Yes, they had their own bus that took customers from the station to the store) just outta Prague, where we got some hotdogs and stole some plastic bags to make rain coats.

After a little bit, we scored a lift with some tradies on their way to a plant.

They gave us beer and dropped us off at some random town along our route.

While we were in the middle of nowhere, we dropped in to have a cheap beer with the locals. They rigged us up some cardboard with the Liberec abbreviation and we got on the road again. After waiting for about an hour or so in a shitty hitching spot, we got a lift with a man who'd just had a kid and was starting up his own online business. He dropped us off in the students district and we magnetised to the pub and started talking to a girl, who bought us a couple of beers.
We had no idea where to pitch the tent that night.

And after too many beers, you don't care anymore. So we pitched it on the lawn in front of the rec centre. No pegs for the tent meant that because it sprinkled a good portion of the night, we woke up to moisture between the layers. Lucky it didn't rain.
Not a bad place to wake up, for sure. Especially when the sun is out and the temperature is crisp.
The rec center facilitated our morning needs and so forth.

First event of the day, was the world championships for underwater navigating happening at the LBC lake.

Second event was..Oliver Twist? He was actually one of the cast for a random film being made. It was breakfast then a stroll on my list, and breakfast then guitar in main square for Tim.

It was such a lively city this particular day. And be-e-e-e-e-eautiful weather.

This man, his beautiful scar and flattened trumpet - didn't go unnoticed. It was a short and sweet moment.

"So where do you come from" - Australia.
"That's far away." - Yep, very far away.
"My name's Martin. What star sign are you?" - Scorpio.
"Okay, nice to meet you, bye."
On the church steps where Tim and I sat. There seemed to be lots of weddings happening. I looked at the crowd and see an old woman holding a saw behind her back. I thought that was a bit strange, then the saw changed hands.
And next thing you know, the bride cut a cuff off the groom's ankle. I found that symbolically nice.

A handful of Gypsies played Tim's guitar while the wedding continued. Those little hooligans picked up the ceremonial rice and harassed an old man by continually throwing it at him...

I asked this guy to give us a hitch to Wroclaw, but got no reply...

Again, on the steps of main square I heard engines Rev and people stop. I jolted to up to see what the commotion was all about and smoke started flying. A bikie gang wedding was also happening that day, and some of the members spun their wheels at the cross walk to make it obvious.

At about 1pm, I thought I'd go and make a sign, so I got our hitching card and borrowed a permanent texta from a shop and wrote "Anyone got a couch or floor to sleep on? Couchsurfing!"

The first people to notice it, sat down with us, and a bottle of wine - they said that if we didn't have a place to stay by 5pm, they'd have us. They came back at 3, wasted - and took us under their wing.
Nela and Pete, our new friends, took us to a classic sailors bar, perhaps you could say it was underground. Only for the slickest of cats/oldest and the only place in town you could get Krakonos, beer.

However many beers later...
Food and the daylight were behind us, and the night was ahead.
Ridin' trolleys.

We slugged a few balls down at a snooker club and then went to...beer.

The girl we met on the first night in the students village crossed our path at a pub, so she got us all stamped in to a club for free.

Then we went outside for some fresh air and smackadoodledoo there was a fight erupting. More like a brawl, and the first fist-conflict I'd seen on the travels.
But the cops arrived and everybody left.

Settin' off for Wroclaw this time, leaving Nela and Pete - those madcats who gave us refuge.

It was Wroclaw this time - an attempt to get to Poland.

I climbed this mountain for a shot because no-one would stop for us. We eventually got a lift. Making it 11km out of Liberec - to a small town called Jablonec. When the driver asked where we were going, I said 'Wroclaw', except pronounced 'Rock-claw'. He looked at me as if I was an idiot. I found out later that the Polish pronunciation is actually 'Ro-slav'...yeah, I had a good laugh at myself. So it was about 10 at night, we were 300km from Rock-claw at some random town, there was no traffic and it was cold and we had two euros left. We had two options. Either pitch the tent, have a feed and wake up early and hitch, or go to the pub and get a beer each.
Our choice was obvious. It was really warm inside the pub and there was a birthday shindig happening. I remember looking at Tim as he rubbed his face scheming. He said "I've got a feeling." - Why's that? "This dude at the bar's got 200 crowns hangin' out his back pocket. I could either wait until it drops out and put my foot over it and get more beer..or.." We got the dude's attention and told him about the money about to fall out. From there we started talking to his girlfriend and a few others.
They ended up taking us back to their place and giving us a bed to crash in.
And in the morning they cooked up a breakfast for us.

And THEN, they even gave us a fucking lift across the Polish border after breakfast!!! Honestly, it shows how karma comes back around. Linda and Michael Co. = fucking amazing.
As per usual, as Tim and I waited, we started getting bored and pissed off - and also, as per usual, as that started to happen, someone would stop and pick us up.

The pair of guys who who picked us up happened to be going all the way to Wroclaw aswell, so we hit the jackpot. They even stopped and showed us a city along the way, then dropped us off right at the front door of our hosts apartment. We made it to Wroclaw, and in those days of getting there we learnt how generous some people can be.

Travels with Greeky: Part One

2011-07-11T07:29:00.001-07:00

I left Vienna on a bus. The driver was nice and the sun was out for a while, but I was feeling a bit dim and grim.

Just as I pull my finger out of my nose with one of those big crispy nuggets attached, a mans cash register sounding message tone alarms at the exact same time.

And that's when you know things are on the rise.

I get to Prague and find the address to my hosts place. After a nice greasy feed I head to the underground and shoot off.

Another guy, a Greek dude named Tim is surfing the same lounge room with me, and after acquainting with our hosts - we head out together and make something of a new companionship.

Creating mischief seemed to be something we could share on mutual grounds, and - on the grounds of Prague!

Down near the galleries in town, Tim and I were chatting with a few skaters. I bumped into a dude I'd met in Slovakia a month previous, who'd given me some good advice( See here - http://billyreeves.blogspot.com/2011/06/just-little-bit-longer.html ), and one of the skaters had my cam and got a shot. Small world.
Skate Art.

Videos of yourself riding around the main square on a two wheeled buggy?
What was once a book.
Violin out the front of the museum of torture. Such a tragically beautiful sound/scene.

These pom blokes were out having a bucksnight-esque-boys night in their sexy dress. Police enjoyed it too.

Sucker-fish massage parlour!

We'd had enough of the city and decided to walk back.
Tim about to do something naughty.
We jumped the tram a few stops and then kept walking.
Tim scoped a pile of street signs and barriers and thought it'd be a sweet idea to make a road block and some guerilla art. So that's what we did. Only problem is that an old man spotted us and....yeah.
Right after this beauty, I heard an engine growl and thought "That sounds suspicious."

"Oi Tim let's run, the Police are comin'."

We started bolting, and as I suspected, the cops were in pursuit, but we cut through some trees and then hung over the side of some rails with a massive drop, at a castle - in the rain, until it blew over. Didn't predict that one!

Greeky reading a map on our way to the city again.

David, our host - suggested this low key pub for a cheap meal and a beer. I can't remember the name, but I remember the owners were really nice and - they had scientific posters of sexual organs on the wall.

Out and about, there were a crew of videographers and some female actors shooting a clip for something. They asked us to be a part of it. So as the girls walked past us, they looked at us and we looked 'em up and down like the alpha males....we may have seemed? Who knows what it's for - but it's out there somewhere at least.
He didn't flinch the slightest bit when I took two photographs of him. One snap, two snap - no response. Almost as if I wasn't there.

We'd met Pete on the street earlier in the day. He'd just got in from Dresden and asked us about hostels. We gave Dave a call and managed to get him a place to crash along with us.

Just after we bought some Absinthe.
And created a make-shift javelin, then voyaged back and crashed for the night.
So Tim played guitar, Pete played mouth-organ-keys and I created a savage drum kit from containers and sticks. The rambling hobo band formed and we set off for a subway to busk in.

Was I the only one who saw a sail boat floating through a tranquil sea?

We were pumping out the tunes and collecting a few drinking coins. A girl with dreads came up and tossed us some shrapnel. We had a few words and I found out it was her birthday. Eva gave me her number and told us we should join her party later in the evening.
The prominent finger.

She'd booked out a bar in another district and invited a heap of mates around for a few drinks.
In true birthday spirit, Eva had one too many drinks a bit earlier than one usually would.
Some random moments the next morning.

I loved that I could watch people light up cigarettes in pubs, bars and cafes. I'd never see that in Australia 'cause health regulations have made it a thing of the past.
Startin' young?

Orange.

Down in the subway again. He wanted to play Tim's guitar.
There was an Art installation with projectors and music happening downtown.
Sprinkling rain. It looked so nice as it floated through the projector rays.

After the installation they held a free entrance party.

The loners view.

Pete hustled up some of that illegal herb from some strangers, and as there was a piano, we tinkled a few keys - and then lost all motivation and social skills.
The guy with his hand up is actually giving me the hint to go away. I can only thank him.

Tim and I decided we'd travel together for a while, so that morning we left Prague and headed to the outskirts to find a nice place to hitch-hike.

The Cut

2011-06-23T02:31:00.013-07:00

The Cut
Košice - Slovakia

Riding around with Martina, and stopping to, well - watch a man shave another of his homeless fellows, was - at the time, one of the most beautiful things I'd seen.

Flicker In The Dark

2011-06-23T02:31:00.011-07:00

Flicker In The Dark

Fell through armed branches to the base of the tree, covered with split splinters entering me. Whimsical of the arson type, we set the tree alight, 'cause the sapping pine is now the glowing bonfire. Good morning sunshine your fingers charcoal from the works, keep building, rocks are left, you're stocking for the nurse - inside a castle with a painting of recreational tangles inside a lopsided rectangle. Breathing kite wind through the gills of a Manta Ray, you're not washed away, you've always been a flicker in the dark.

_________________________________________________

Świnoujście - Poland.
(With Lena)

Scouting for a place of rest was a gauntlet well worth the run.

Stealing a cafe umbrella to drag to the beach after dinner at a kitschy farmhouse restaurant was one thing.

Confusing the security guard who stopped us with his torch on the way to the beach was another.

Creating a hut out of recliner chairs on the beach and wrapping the umbrella fabric around it to protect us from the elements was the final key to close the cave.

Candles gave us light.

Just a little bit longer.

2011-06-23T02:31:00.007-07:00

Just a little bit longer - Slovakia.

The metal slug slid towards Bratislava and I thought I was having my period.
But I snapped back to masculinity and figured I was just lonely and fractious, dwelling on the thought of gettin' a flight back home if things continued to bore me.

Ahhh stop poutin' you bitch, you haven't even got to Bratislava yet.

Falling into a state of confusion is one of the reasons I keep myself wired and never fall asleep on public transport. And that's where Mr.Driver does his job and cuts their dream world short!
Who honestly would've thought that a 9 euro a night room at a hotel on the outer rim of the capital city would pull through. I called up and made my reservation for a split room the night before, which means there's a possibility I'd have to share, with one other person. The thought's kinda creepy when you consider it's a hotel and not a hostel. But what the fuck is there to lose, besides the v plates to your rear end? Shit's cheaper than a hostel and no-one else came. Win. Hotel Plus = I highly recommend.

I got off the tram back near the train station and tried to find my bearings. A young couple perhaps doing the same.
Thematically red. Back focused green.
I ended up chatting to the couple at the lights, but beer at a nice cafe seemed even better. He had some of the tightest shorts to grace this earth.

We talked over a few Pils and they told me they were from Prague, and also about a Film Festival happening in a city in the mountains that they were going to the next day, and would well be worth my time.
7.80 euro - but that doesn't include the 10% tip. Load of modest bullshit if you ask me. Not that the service was bad, but beggars can't be fucking choosers in my humble opinion.

Politicians are all arseholes, regardless of the country. That's Bias.
I got the last tram back in the direction of the hotel because I didn't feel like walking those however many kilometers in the early morning.
Looks more like abduction light as opposed to street light. Maybe a softbox would help.

One of the first things I saw back in the city the next morning, after checking the train timetable and making the erratic decision to head to Banska Stiavnica in light of what the couple told me; was this fanatic stopping every couple of steps and waving around his rosary beads. He looked nuts. I don't think the thickly glassed specs did any good in redeeming that image.

The briefcase of life.
While this guy was tugging his zoom lens and checking out the live view of his mad street photography, I popped my head inside his window, took a few shots and walked away. His expression was priceless. In words it would be something like "Hey umm, wait, oh, huh....ummm, what."

I love trains rides...mostly. The movement, the people and watching things around me constantly change. Sparks the good receptors in my brain.
It would be a shame to go about taking 45million pictures of others and not have any of myself. Bathe in the vanity!
Crotch stompin'.
When I think about how much I actually observe and absorb when it comes to the way other people behave, it's sort of weird. Especially weird when you think that you've just been watching someones head sway from side to side in their sleep, then you've just watched them eat. And then you've just had a conversation with them. And taken a handful of pictures. Is it visual aesthetic, or is it something more deep and psychologically rooted?

Who cares. He was a nice guy.

Banská Štiavnica. I arrived there as it bordered dusk. I wrote a message to the guys who told me about the things that were happening(Forgive me, I've forgotten their names), and I got a response that I should head to "Art Cafe" in the centre and go from there. Little-the-fuck did I know, from the station to the centre was 4km throughout winding mountain roads. I didn't know where I was staying or what it was going to be like. Safe to say I didn't have a clue what I was doing but having clueless fun, 'cause that city was stunning!
So I made it to Art Cafe alive as some bands played. The beer was good, cheap - and dedicated to Wu-Tang.
There was absolutely no accomodation available besides a posh, over priced hotel - so I figured I'd weasel my way into something else. A few other people with backpacks were chilling at the cafe, so I started talking to them and asked where they were snoozing. The patch of grass further up the hill and next to a lake, seemed like a good idea to me too, I just didn't have a tent and the weather was unpredictable. Whatever, ta-ta-tagalong time.
As part of the festival they had an old school projector rigged up that was projecting hilariously tacky asian ninja films onto a sheet hanging off the main gates.

It was all fun and games until the reel burnt out along with the night's screenings.

Pitching the tent by torch light. We left the bags inside the tent and slept outside in our sleeping bags.
Even further up the hill was apparently a building full of Gypsies. One of them visited in the morning and talked to everyone, whether they wanted it or not. A bit of entertainment while I had a dip in the lake.

Local hooligans.
I spent a fair bit of time chatting with her as we were camping together. Couldn't believe she was 31.
A famous landmark of this UNESCO world heritage city is the church that sits atop the hill in the distance.

We went to a handful of really nice and generous cafe's that day, for beer and food.
Tipsy by the evening, indeed.
Magda Stanová - it was nice to bump into someone who even knew where Perth is on a map of Australia, let alone someone into Arts who has participated in Foto Freo.
A black and white Hungarian film from the 50's played in the courtyard of the Banska Castle - with a live music score ontop. That was fucking epic.
But there was a party about to start at the train station that seemed applicable to the current state of mind and little more appealing.
Well, that was the first ever time I'd been to a party at a train station before. Yes, a train station.

A DJ mixed tracks, it was pissing rain, windy, and lightning struck about the sky above girls getting drenched. Then a moan turned into a roar and BOOOOM, thunder cracked down, all of the lights went out - but the DJ, as he was running from a different source, continued to play. I don't know how to rightly explain how motherfucking raaaaaad that was for everyone.
Swear to a higher being that dog was pinging.

Don't know what was going on there, but it looked hip.
As did that.

Cute and self involved yeah?
The owner of the station brought his dogs along.
Yet the real animals were evident when things started getting tense and argumentative. It simmered down eventually.
Too much Wine! If it wasn't for the words of wisdom he and his misses educated me with, I'd never have discovered Banska Stiavnica.

Again, another surprise unfolded. I spotted Martin. A dude I'd met on the street in Bratislava as I was heading to the station. He was making a few bucks selling darkroom prints to tourists. We never talked about the festival, but he said that he'd been thinking during the day that he should've invited me to come along . Fate, I guess. He introduced me to some girls...
One girl was staring at me. "Are you Billy?!" - I reacted a bit stunned.
I'd sent Nina a message on Couchsurfing a few weeks before, asking for a place to stay in Banska Bystrica, but she couldn't host me at the time and I moved on. The web started to get interesting at that point, because I ended up visiting and staying with both Martin and Nina separately.

As the party began at the time the last train arrived at the station, it too - ended when the first train left. I crashed on the old, unused platform in my sleeping bag along with a few others, and then, boarded the first train in the morning, for my connection to Poprad.
Where I eventually met Viktor.

Banská Štiavnica was seered into my memory big time - and gave me the kick I needed to look upwards and keep traveling.

With all sentiment aside, it's still a stunning and highly recommendable place to visit.

Shepherds Herd

2011-06-23T02:31:00.005-07:00

Shepherds Herd - Záježová, Slovakia.

I’m sitting at a café in Kosice, drinking a tea and waiting for a hippie band to set up.

A couple of guys walk in, and I’ve got a table to myself, so naturally - I offer them the spare seats. There’s a few people about, and golden light from street lamps flood in through the windows, dousing the white pages of a book a long haired guy, next-table-over; reads silently.

After serving up my travel story to the strangers at the same table, the long haired guy reading the book confesses his eaves-dropping and comes over and asks me if I’ve been to a certain place in South America. I say I haven’t and he sits back down and continues to read.

As I finish up my tea and I’m about to leave and meet Michal at KulturPark, the long haired guy looks away from his text, pauses me and tells me that he and his friend are going to Central Slovakia the next morning, and that if I want to come – I should join them at the train station at 6 in the morning.

We exchanged mobile numbers and I give it some thought.

The thought turned into me waddling-with-my-backpack-a-flutter-as-if-I-was-running- as-fast-as-I-could towards Kosice Stanica.

I didn’t know who this long haired guy was, I mean for all I knew, Viktor could’ve been his alias, and he was a criminal with his sweet-tooth set on my foreign hind end.

And what started off novice-like and 6am-quiet, turned into bowls and meadows.

Except the bowls were filled with Slovak soup and the meadows were filled with weird noises, figures rolling around in the grass and sheep and goats sprinting away from said figures and noises.

We were mid exams for our Shepherds license and the weather was changing, the fog was rolling in and out of the meadows, and the animals were grazing. We were just getting to know one another, and to familiarise in such a backdrop was incredible to me.

After we led the animals down the hills, around and over the bends and creeks, the farmhouse reeled us back.

Katarina worked for the farm, and Viktor was a friend of hers. I took lead role as the random hobo that was granted an invitation.

The family of the farm were tough but warm people who took care of everything necessary to keep the place flowing.

A bunch of kids kept the air filled with noise and youthful spirit, the mandatory sounds of repelling isolation.