Posh Phuket Party
We came back from Phi Phi and met up with our new friend Will, who we'd met in Ayutthaya, to go to the Phuket Blues & Rock Festival. He'd made his way all the way down from Chiang Mai, and we'd cut our time short in the island paradise of Phi Phi just to attend this gig... this had better be worth it!
And it was. For 2 nights in a row we saw loads of Blues & Rock bands play at the Hilton Arcadia, probably the poshest hotel in Phi Phi, all for the grand sum of £24 each. Not too bad I didn't think, all the better knowing the funds would go to local charities that help children and those less fortunate nearby. The Hilton was so large that they even provide courtesy transport in the form of a bus, from one side to the other!
We changed hotels on our last day in Phi Phi and this improved the noise situation greatly, without destroying the idyllic location we had. So we were kind of reluctant to leave by this point, but we knew it would be good to catch up with Will. We booked some accommodation down the road from the Hilton and really close to the beach, in a place called Karon. It's a really lovely location, and it's a bit cheaper than Phi Phi - every penny counts at this vital point in our journey (less than 2 weeks left to go).
There were some legends there, or so I'm told. I didn't actually know that I'd like the gig - I'd never really gotten into Blues before. But hearing them live is so different and I fully recommend it to anyone who gets the opportunity. On the last night of the festival, the show was wrapped up by the guy who inspired John Belushi's love of Blues and subsequent Blues Brothers film, Curtis Salgado. I don't know how to describe him. He had an amazing voice, kind of powerful like Tom Jones, but flawless. If I hadn't seen & heard him with my own eyes, I'd probably have thought it was a recording. The guy's not small, but he didn't seem out of breath for his whole set. And he had a great sense of humour - his first line after the first song was something along the lines of "I know what you're thinking, is this guy going to have a heart attack before the end of the night?" Truth is, we'd watched a much less energetic Pink Floyd cover band earlier in the night who looked and sounded like they may well do so after one or two songs, Curtis just kept going all night though. Which is good, as I learnt afterwards that he was given 8 months to live 4 years ago after being diagnosed with liver cancer. The only reason he survived is because of his friends and contacts in the business who were able to raise enough money between them to pay for him to have a liver transplant.
He's the kind of guy who exudes 'cool'. I thought of him as a white version of the South Park character, Chef, and this image that was reaffirmed when he performed a song called Cookie Dough later in the evening. Slightly disturbing, but still amusing.
By the end of the festival, Will had decided he wanted to take up Harmonica and Chris was inspired by Rich Harper's amazing guitar skills. I even considered taking up the bass but decided I'd have more success with the saxophone - can't be much different to the flute, can it!?
All in all, an excellent weekend spent in great company, with great music and in great surroundings.
And it was. For 2 nights in a row we saw loads of Blues & Rock bands play at the Hilton Arcadia, probably the poshest hotel in Phi Phi, all for the grand sum of £24 each. Not too bad I didn't think, all the better knowing the funds would go to local charities that help children and those less fortunate nearby. The Hilton was so large that they even provide courtesy transport in the form of a bus, from one side to the other!
We changed hotels on our last day in Phi Phi and this improved the noise situation greatly, without destroying the idyllic location we had. So we were kind of reluctant to leave by this point, but we knew it would be good to catch up with Will. We booked some accommodation down the road from the Hilton and really close to the beach, in a place called Karon. It's a really lovely location, and it's a bit cheaper than Phi Phi - every penny counts at this vital point in our journey (less than 2 weeks left to go).
There were some legends there, or so I'm told. I didn't actually know that I'd like the gig - I'd never really gotten into Blues before. But hearing them live is so different and I fully recommend it to anyone who gets the opportunity. On the last night of the festival, the show was wrapped up by the guy who inspired John Belushi's love of Blues and subsequent Blues Brothers film, Curtis Salgado. I don't know how to describe him. He had an amazing voice, kind of powerful like Tom Jones, but flawless. If I hadn't seen & heard him with my own eyes, I'd probably have thought it was a recording. The guy's not small, but he didn't seem out of breath for his whole set. And he had a great sense of humour - his first line after the first song was something along the lines of "I know what you're thinking, is this guy going to have a heart attack before the end of the night?" Truth is, we'd watched a much less energetic Pink Floyd cover band earlier in the night who looked and sounded like they may well do so after one or two songs, Curtis just kept going all night though. Which is good, as I learnt afterwards that he was given 8 months to live 4 years ago after being diagnosed with liver cancer. The only reason he survived is because of his friends and contacts in the business who were able to raise enough money between them to pay for him to have a liver transplant.
He's the kind of guy who exudes 'cool'. I thought of him as a white version of the South Park character, Chef, and this image that was reaffirmed when he performed a song called Cookie Dough later in the evening. Slightly disturbing, but still amusing.
By the end of the festival, Will had decided he wanted to take up Harmonica and Chris was inspired by Rich Harper's amazing guitar skills. I even considered taking up the bass but decided I'd have more success with the saxophone - can't be much different to the flute, can it!?
All in all, an excellent weekend spent in great company, with great music and in great surroundings.
posted by wobblepop at 12:16 pm
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