Immediately after landing in Genoa, Italy, I boarded a ferry and headed south to the island of Sardinia. My home base would be the small town of Pula, not far outside the capital of Cagliari. I ventured into the city for my first collaboration with soprano Elena Ledda and mandola player Mauro Palmas.
As we entered our second month of coronavirus lockdown near Kaustinen, Finland, the days became brighter and signs of spring were around. Hikes continued, folks started to cautiously meet and make music, and I started to take the odd country road just to see where it may lead.
We jumped a continent and a few climates when departing India to Finland in March 2020. Two days later, the borders closed due to coronavirus and we would call a cozy cabin in Kaustinen our home for the next two months. For the first half, winter was winding down, but not before experiencing our first snows in 5 years. The world was shutting down around us, but thankfully we could still get out and hike.
For our final week in Japan, we visited some friends in the quiet beach town of Kamakura. This also got me close enough to Tokyo for a planned musical collaboration. The absence of tourists made for peaceful exploring, and on a clear day, you could see Mt. Fuji from the beach.
While based in Kyoto, I took a couple of excursions. The first was to the whispering bamboo forest of Arashiyama. The second was to the Fushimi Inari shrine, with its pathways lined by vermilion torii gates. The final was out to the countryside village of Miyama, with its traditional thatched roof homes. (Location for Miyama village is Kayabuki-no-Sato)
After spending two months in India, we set our sights on Japan. We landed in Osaka and immediately jumped on a train to Kyoto where we would spend the next two weeks. This album is a collection of daily life scenes, meanderings, and things that catch my eye.
We boarded a train in Bengaluru and traveled southwest a few hours to spend the final week of our 2-month trip in Mysuru (Mysore). This modestly-sized city hosts an amazing palace, is easily walkable, and had a relaxed atmosphere. It was a great way to wrap up our trip in India.
Arriving to India, I discovered that my passport was nearly full, and I would need another. To pick it up, one morning I bounced from Bengaluru to the consulate in Chennai (eastern coast), and walked the city until my return flight later that afternoon. I met some great folks along the way.
