We're Only Here Once

Anthropological riddles, three legged dogs, challenging reef passes and nearly a last-night mugging feature on the run home to Sydney.

Written, read and recorded by James Whiley.

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios.

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au if you’d like to make your own.

Some photos that illustrate this chapter are at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are:

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld, Midge Marsden and Vic Polyik – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars; Nigel Jenkins – recordings at Graffiti Studio, Dunedin, New Zealand.

#easterisland

#easterislandsurfing

#easterislandbackpack

#surfingmoorea

#surfinghuahine

#1993travelstories

#backpack1993

#backpacktravel1993

#surfingfarehuahine

#pacificoceantravelstories

Thankyou for listening to We’re Only Here Once: 1993

The South American leg of the journey concludes with a Homeric day-trek back to Pichilemu and a few final waves at Punta de Lobos.

Written, read and recorded by James Whiley.

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios.

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au if you’d like to make your own.

Some photos that illustrate this chapter are at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are:

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld, Midge Marsden and Vic Polyik – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars; Nigel Jenkins – recordings at Graffiti Studio, Dunedin, New Zealand.

#surfingchile

#stokedchile

#chile1993

#1993travelstories

#backpack1993

#backpackchile

#puertecillo

#pichilemu

#puntadelobos

#southamericatravelstories

A solo hitching-trekking-camping mission to ride magistical waves at two secluded left points in Central Chile. Yeehah!

Written, read and recorded by James Whiley.

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios.

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au if you’d like to make your own.

The photos that illustrate this chapter are at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are:

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld, Midge Marsden and Vic Polyik – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars; Nigel Jenkins – recordings at Graffiti Studio, Dunedin, New Zealand.

The harmonica in this chapter’s theme song ‘Sunshine’ is legendary Kiwi bluesman, Midge Marsden. Check out his spotify collection.

#surfingchile

#stokedchile

#chile1993

#1993travelstories

#backpack1993

#backpackchile

#puertecillosurf

#southamericatravelstories

A ten thousand kilometre adventure through beautiful Chile by train, bus, boat, car, plane and foot; from the Atacama Desert in the far north to Patagonia in the far south. Muchas gracias a todos nuestros amigos chilenos!

Written, read and recorded by James Whiley. 

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios. 

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au if you want to make your own.

You can see some photos that accompany this chapter at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are: 

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld, Midge Marsden and Vic Polyik – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars; Nigel Jenkins – recording engineer.

The harmonica in this chapter is Australian bluesman, Vic Polyik. Check out his page at www.bluestrain.com.au

#chiletravelstories

#1993travelstories

#backpack1993

#backpackchile 

#sanpedrodeatacama

#chilerailways

#torresdelpaine

#southamericatravelstories

We visit La Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, walk another Inca Trail to accidentally celebrate the Fiesta of the Virgin Mary in Coroico, then catch the now-defunct ‘Ferrobus’ across the desert Altiplano to the far north coast of Chile. Good times!

Written, read and recorded by James Whiley.

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios.

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au if you want to make your own.

You can see some photos that accompany this chapter at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are:

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld and Midge Marsden – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; Nigel Jenkins – recording engineer; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars.

This episode’s theme-tune, ‘Bright Fire’, was written in a chicken pen halfway along the Choro Inca Trail. John Thomasson (aka Carbonlifer) from Vermont in the USofA, takes us there on the flute.

Check out John’s album (‘Carbonlifer: Digital Analog Heart and Soul’) at Carbonlifer

After surviving a health scare, we walk the four-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, then bus south to Lake Titicaca and the Bolivian border. Plenty of scenery in this one.

Written, read and recorded by James Whiley.

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios.

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au if you want to make your own.

You can see some photos that accompany this chapter at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are:

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld and Midge Marsden – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; Nigel Jenkins – recording engineer; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars.

In this episode’s theme-tune, ‘Sufi’, John Thomasson (aka Carbonlifer) from Vermont in the USofA, takes us there on the flute.

Check out John’s album (‘Carbonlifer: Digital Analog Heart and Soul’) at Carbonlifer

He plays all the instruments and it rocks.

#incatrail1993 #peru1993 #machupicchu1993

An epic bus and train journey through Peru from far north to far south, featuring deserts, mountains, weddings, markets, buried towns and dodgy digs. Vamanos!

Written, read and recorded by James Whiley. 

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios. 

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au if you want to make your own.

You can see some photos that accompany these stories at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are: 

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld and Midge Marsden – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; Nigel Jenkins – recording engineer; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars.

In this episode’s theme-tune, Written on a train, Quentin Cooper plays the mandolin he found for five bucks in an antique shop and re-fretted with a penknife on our living room floor overlooking Dunedin. Great times.

Three weeks at La Casa de Coco with great people and deserted desert waves in a little town called Pacasmayo.

All text written, read and recorded by James Whiley. 

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios. 

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au

You can see some photos that accompany these stories at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support of this project.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are: 

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld and Midge Marsden – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; Nigel Jenkins – recording engineer; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars.

In this episode’s theme-tune, ‘(Working hard in) Pacasmayo’, Tama Taita shreds on lead guitar and Josh Kronfeld rips the harp. Great sesh, lads!

Fun times with Ecuadorian inefficiencies, snow-capped volcanos, joyous salsa, home-made explosive devices, semi-permanent mountain roads, upset Italians on the Devil’s Nose railway and avalanche-aware cattle on the way to cold waves and new songs at Montanita.

All text written, read and recorded by James Whiley. 

Other cool podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios. 

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au

You can see some photos that accompany these stories at the We’re Only Here Once instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support of this project.

All ‘We’re Only Here Once’ music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are: 

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld and Midge Marsden – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; Nigel Jenkins – recording engineer; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars.

The guitar solo at the end of this episode’s theme song, ‘Montanita’, is by Tama Taita.

The South American leg of the journey begins! I go on an epic journey by bus through the Andes Mountains to El Cucoy; nearly go into the horse-transporting business with the richest man in Colombia; and spend a surreal week spent high (but not what you’re thinking) above Bogota.  

All text written, read and recorded by James Whiley.

Other podcast tech stuff done by Rod Morri at Sydney Podcast Studios.

See www.sydneypodcaststudios.com.au

You can see some photos that accompany these stories at the We’re Only Here Once Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/jamesw_woho/

The texts of the stories are at www.jameswhiley.com

Big thanks and love to my family and friends for their support and help in this project.

All We’re Only Here Once music written by James Whiley and performed by James Whiley and the Nomads, who are:

Anton Harris – drums; Lindsay Jenkins – bass; Quentin Cooper – mandolin; Tama Taita – lead guitar; Josh Kronfeld and Midge Marsden – harmonica; Ainslie Laverty – keyboards; John Thomasson – flute, trombone and scat singing; Nic Leedon – lead and rhythm guitars; Tony Stephens – saxophone; Nigel Jenkins – recording engineer; James Whiley – songs, singing, rhythm and lead guitars.

(The guitar solos you heard on this episode’s track, ‘Heading South’, are by Nic Leedon.)