Handheld Travel

Papua New Guinea and the Trobriand Islands have long held a special place in the heart of explorers, anthropologists and adventurers. I have to admit, I am not immune to this either. In July 2019, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in this unique and fascinating region. Just on a random walk around villages, I came face to face with DOBA, or banana leaf money.

To find out more about Trobriand Island cricket check out this video.

There is a ton of (old) information on the Trobriand Islands. While most is decades old, it still gives a good foundation about the basics of Trobriand society. I personally took a copy of The Trobrianders by Annette Weiner on my journey.

As always, thanks for listening. I am hoping to start getting out on the road more as COVID subsides and get some more stories from around Australia. Please rate and review, tell your friends, and enjoy the show!

Music for this podcast :

Tommib by Squarepusher.

All Photos for this story were taken by myself.

Photo courtesy of Eric Nusbaum

Today on Handheld Travel we indulge in one of my more curious passions…..baseball stadiums. Old baseball parks hold a curious place in American lore and none moreso than Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Joining me in this discussion is Eric Nusbaum, author of the book Stealing Home, Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the lives caught in Between. He details the relocation of a community of Mexican-Americans to make for the new stadium, which was opened in 1962. It is a story that challenges our cultural myths and examines mid-century Los Angeles and how the the building of Dodger Stadium has shaped modern day LA.

It is a fascinating story and well worth an exploration, even if you are not a baseball fan.

Thanks to Eric for taking time out of his busy schedule. You can find his work here. You can also purchase Stealing Home from a very large retailer named after a large South American forest.

Music for today’s show :

“Un Telegrama” by Monna Bell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5LMgtoP-kQ

“Mariquilla Bonita" by Jose Luis

https://youtu.be/jQZU4hKJARU

“Mellow Nova” by the David Seeland Singers

https://youtu.be/sbehqmiU76w

The entire history of “The Battle of Chavez Ravine” is a fascinating part of American history and along with Eric’s book there a ton of great resources and photos from that time period. It is worth exploring and finding photos from the era, they really were vibrant and colourful communities.

https://seamheads.com/blog/2019/04/21/the-battle-for-chavez-ravine-eminent-domain-and-the-construction-of-dodger-stadium/

Thanks so much for listening and please spread the word.

Thanks,

Lawrence

A short story about a crazy plane ride.

Dennis McNally is the former publicist for the Grateful Dead and author of their biography A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead. Today Dennis shares one of his infamous stories from the 1987 summer tour. It involves the Grateful Dead, a boa constrictor, and Monument Valley. Enjoy.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.bouliacamelraces.com.au/

A few months ago, keen followers of Handheld Travel would have noticed I covered a camel race in the town of Maitland, NSW. What I expected would be a fun day and something to talk about has turned into a slight obsession. I had no idea the sheer number of camels that lived in Australia. I had no idea the history of camels and their impact on the development of Australia. I had no idea of the history of Afghan Cameleers and their unique history within Australian borders.

After spending a day with cameleers and handlers in Maitland, I began gobbling up information about camels and particularly camel racing.

The big aim of this research was to set myself up to create a radio documentary about the 2021 Boulia Camel Cup, a famed race in Outback Queensland. Of course, COVID has put everything on hold. While there are still plans to have the Cup next year, it is still too early to say how that will look. All I can say is that I still have plans to be there in 2021.

As part of my research, I came across the story of Dannileah Stewart and Ronnie Callope. Despite working full time, Dannileah has been able to successfully train racing camels along with winning the 2019 Boulia Cup, the Melbourne Cup of camel racing.

Dannileah's story is one of the most fascinating stories in camel racing and her love for her animals and camel racing shines through this interview.

I genuinely hope this is the first step in big adventure.

Further reading about Dannileah and Ronnie:

https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/feature/boulia-camel-races-remote-queenslands-melbourne-cup-camel-racing-1

https://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/3954676/every-day-is-hump-day-for-dannileah/

https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/3957480/every-day-is-hump-day-for-dannileah/

For further information about the history of camels, then check out Christine Steven's Tin Mosques and Ghan Towns : A History of Afghan Camel Drivers.

For those short on time, Ms. Stevens also wrote a wonderful piece in Australian Geographic.

Special thanks to Monique Krause for helping me arrange this interview.

Music by Blue Dot sessions.

Thanks for listening and please rate and review.

Entering Dhaka

Photo by Lawrence Hamilton

Earlier this year I had mapped out a pretty adventurous trip. Starting in Dhaka, Bangladesh I was planning on travelling up through Northeast India and into the Naga Hills of Myanmar. I was planning on making between 3-5 radio pieces while adding a few things here and there. Of course, like millions of others my travel plans were ruined thanks to COVID19 and its aftermath.

While I didn't get to pursue my dream this time, I still managed to fly to Dhaka for one day and fly out. This crazy little trip happened in the short window that existed before everyone knew COVID was going to completely change the way we live. I flew out at 11 am on March 13, 2020. If I had flown out at 11 am on March 14, I wouldn't have gone. If my flight had been scheduled even just a few hours later, I might not have gone. As it stands, I did fly out and spent roughly 20 hours in Bangladesh. Probably the only international trip I will make in 2020.

I have always loved travelling and I thought with COVID, I would have a harder time accepting this new reality, but so far I have enjoyed not making plans and just being in the moment.

Music for this episode comes from Blue Dot Sessions.

Some of the story ideas I was working on:

A visit to the Whistling Village of Khongtong:

https://tourmynortheastindia.com/2018/08/24/the-whistling-village-of-khongtong/

I was planning on documenting the Naga Hill tribes with an 8 day trek in Myanmar:

https://www.myanmarhighlandsecoadventure.com/destination/the-naga-hills/

My friend Jewel works at Royal Bengal Tours and was helping me organise my trips around Bangladesh. If you are interested in visiting Bangladesh, I would highly recommend reaching out to him.

As always, thanks for listening and please rate and review wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Jack Kerouac and America

A conversation with Dennis McNally

In my third conversation with Dennis McNally we discuss his biography of Jack Kerouac, Desolate Angel: Jack Kerouac, the Beat Generation and America.

We discuss:

-Kerouac’s legacy for a generation of young people.

-The difficulty Jack had with being famous.

-Whether you should read Keroauc after the age of 37.

-Judging art by contemporary standards.

-We take a listener question about Jerry Garcia and scuba diving.

Desolate Angel is available where all fine books are sold.

This interview is part of a larger project I am working on about Jack Kerouac’s later life.

Music : The Bird by Charlie Parker

Dennis McNally. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Dennis McNally is former publicist of for the Grateful Dead, a dream job if there ever was one. He has written several books inluding On Highway 61: Music, Race, and the Evolution of Cultural Freedom, Jerry on Jerry: the Unpublished Jerry Garcia Interviews and A Long Strange Trip: the Inside History of the Grateful Dead.

Today we discussed life in quarantine, Jerry’s healthy relationship with Bluegrass and his unhealthy relationship with the gym. Dennis even tells a great Donna Jean story. Enjoy!

This is the second time Dennis has appeared on the show. The song you heard at the during the interview was “Trouble in Mind” by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garica. It comes off the collection Before the Dead.

John Ziegler

On this episode of Handheld Travel I spoke with John Ziegler who is the host of the Individual 1 Podcast and writes a regular column for Mediaite .

No stranger to controversy, John has long been a critic of the ‘mainstream media’ and believes the current mediaa incentive structure means that it cannot cover large stories accurately. COVID19 is no different and John regularly attacks California Governor Gavin Newsom over his handling of the crisis throughout the state.

John has a very active Twitter presence (you can follow him @ZigmanFreud) and was the feature of a David Foster Wallace profile.

While it is safe to say I don’t agree with everything John has to say, I do appreciate him taking the time to have a conversation.

Handheld Travel is now on social media! Follow @handheldtravel on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Please like, subscribe and review episodes and if you really like it, please consider a donation. You can donate through my website www.handheldtravel.net and I also accept Bitcoin.

Thanks for listening.

COVID19 is currently reshaping our conceptions of the modern world. What the world looked like at the beginning of 2020 and what it will look like by the end of 2020 could be radically different. Behind this ‘new normal’ there is a battle being raged between the forces of democracy and the forces of corporate power.

Matt Stoller is the author of Goliath : The 100 year war between Monopoly Power and Democracy and joins me on this edition of Handheld Travel to discuss how these battles have taken place throughout American history, how a Congressman from rural Texas changed the American economy, whether or not we are truly living in ‘unprecendented’ times and how to make the topic of monoply interesting to a large audience.

Matt is currently a researcher at the American Economic Liberties Project.

His Twitter handle is @matthewstoller

I personally use Book Depository for all my book purchases. Goliath was no different and you can get your copy here.

You can subscribe to Matt’s newsletter and keep up with all his interviews and videos at https://mattstoller.substack.com/.

Today’s music was Lil Johnson with that Bonus Bill Done Gone Thru

Thanks for listening.