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jam jars

Posted on July 24, 2011 @ 6:07 pm by massimo | Filed under: ancona,beach,books,cheap,croatia,food,holidays,illustration,island,mediterranean,news,politics,travel,wordpress

While reading an old guide book printed  by the former Yugoslavia Tourist Bureau in the mid ’70, I can’t avoid some personal memories.  My hometown Ancona lies on the Italian side of the Adriatic sea and, as a matter of fact, the Croatian coast has always been for us the very place heading for a short  holiday: a ship passage takes just a few hours. Everything was cheap in Yugoslavia, perhaps the most welcoming country among the ex-communist block. In 1984, as a moneyless youngster I went for the first time to Croatia, to Ugljan Island exactly. A very few money in the pockets means no comfortable hotels and restaurants. Cheap room renting was ok for me and some fasting too. Yet after a few days I really needed jam, sweet  and fresh blackberry jam. There was just a food shop. I went in and bought a jam jar. The label was peculiar, simply I couldn’t understand a single word but the expiring date and that stuff was expired since the previous year! So I asked politely the good-looking girl to have my jar changed; the good-looking girl looked at me smiling and politely said “yes sir, off course  consider that all the jars we have here are already expired ! “. I survived indeed the very expired Yugoslavian jam and I was able to happily go back many times more for new Croatia holidays.

fusion food

Posted on July 21, 2011 @ 6:00 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,ancona,beach,blog,food,fun,holidays,mediterranean,news,people,travel,ukiyo-e,wordpress

Among the  thousand reasons that make an Italy holidays very peculiar, there is food. Italian food is higly reputed due to  its traditional quality and variety. Yet, as for the rest of western or westernising  countries, (I apologise for my bizarre neologism) a new  cooking trend has gained little by little more passionate fans, even in the conservative Italy: the fusion cuisine.  The most creative Italian chefs deals with fusion and try their best in order to create new appealing dishes, which invariably make use of ingredients from distant and different cooking stiles. Here is a good example! The Ristorante Clandestino chef is truly influenced by Japanese food and he is invariably able to produce some funny, inusual, always excellent, food combinations. To underline the concept, last but not least, the management of this cozy beach restaurant, called it SUSCI restaurant instead of SUSHI restaurant, but you won’t understand the pun unless you speak Italian!

Lamu night life

Posted on June 6, 2011 @ 5:51 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,africa,beach,blog,fun,holidays,island,kenya,lamu,music,people,travel,wordpress

You might ask what on earth there is to do on an Islamic Island at night? The answer could be join a full moon party, a must almost for every tourist!  The party happens at the Shela beach and usually music is played by small  portable music systems. The local boys, especially the dhow captains and their friends love to dance and make friends with tourists- especially women. According to a dutch girl who stayed at my same guest house, they are “…nice enough and its a great experience! “. Sometimes locals play chakacha, traditional drum music; more often reggea and hip hop are very popular, so that you would believe to be in your caribbean holidays rather than Kenyan! Don’t worry! There is  true African disco in Lamu: the friday nights at the A.P Canteen have a reputation for being fun and wild; this is the only place to go out late at night. A.P. Canteen is run by the police, which also run the nice wine shop next door. At  A.P. modern pop African music is played, particularly  bongo flavas from the the neighbouring Tanzania. Along with dancing, the main activity is getting drunk and screw around with good looking girls, just under the big trees outside. Tourists are usually welcome especially if they get in with some local friends.

african carved doors

Posted on June 4, 2011 @ 5:02 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,africa,blog,cheap,fun,island,kenya,lamu,news,travel,wordpress

Lamu, Kenya’s oldest living town, was one of the original Swahili settlements along coastal East Africa. The town was first attested in writing by Arab travellers during 15th century. Lamu’s years as an Omani protectorate mark the town’s golden age. During this period, Lamu became a center of poetry, …

ablution

Posted on May 24, 2011 @ 11:21 am by massimo | Filed under: africa,blog,cheap,fun,holidays,illustration,island,kenya,lamu,news,people,travel,wordpress

The road trip from Malind to Lamu is a time consuming one. I found out that the road conditions have not changed much after 25 years. My second trip to Kenya dates back to 2009 and actually the very reason to get back,  was my need to compare the …

The Lord of beginnings

Posted on May 19, 2011 @ 6:01 pm by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,blog,fun,himalaya,holidays,illustration,india,mythology,travel,wordpress

Yes, definitely this blog needs a new start! Altough I quit  the  reckless and endless wandering that I experienced for more than a decade, yet I’m still able to take my  time and travel once in a while. Nevertheless my actual travel time shortage, I found out  that there is …

Kathmandu (T-shirt design)

Posted on April 29, 2011 @ 10:06 am by massimo | Filed under: advertisement,blog,fashion,fun,himalaya,news,t-shirt,travel,wordpress

I thought of using some old illustrations as t-shirt drawings. I gave up for the nuances and drastically reduced the number of colours. My intention is to optimize these drawings to the printing process. Here is the first attempt. Thinking of Katmandu, I can …

christmas at sea

Posted on December 31, 2009 @ 10:50 am by massimo | Filed under: blog,books,fear,illustration,music,news,sailing,travel,wordpress

The sheets were frozen hard, and they cut the naked hand;
The decks were like a slide, where a seamen scarce could stand;
The wind was a nor’wester, blowing squally off the sea;
And cliffs and spouting breakers were the only things a-lee.

They heard the surf a-roaring before the break of day;
But ’twas …

boat people

Posted on December 28, 2008 @ 11:48 am by massimo | Filed under: africa,another green world,beach,blog,illustration,island,news,people,politics,travel,wordpress

Someone told me on the Vietnamese boat people who had landed on Pulao Kapas’ beach many years before.  I came across the boat’s wreck a few d ays later. The boat’s left over, nearly completely buried by the sand, really struck me. I stopped and stayed by that …

a surprising man…

Posted on August 22, 2008 @ 10:52 am by massimo | Filed under: another green world,art,bargain,blog,boracay,fashion,fun,illustration,india,island,news,people,philippines,thailand,travel,ukiyo-e,wordpress

I like to edit again an old post written on November the 22, 2006…this fellow had a totally anti-routine life…it’s worth taking a look at his “biography” that my friend Gino edited recently in his blog.
Enjoy!

Among the strange people that I met, Max Maxwell is certainly the most unfathomable. I firstly met Max …

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