Rainforest Music Festival; Day 1

The rain came down in buckets drenching my hair, socks, shoes and jeans. But, the camera stayed dry thanks in part to an umbrella borrowed from a friendly Seattle native by the name of Lilly. She and her boyfriend skipped out on reality 9 months ago leaving their jobs, family and friends to come to Malaysia and live like bohemians. She, her beau and about 15,000 travelers from around the world were in attendance at last night's 11th annual Rainforest Music Festival.

Despite the torrential rains, aboriginal bands from Australia, Trinidad, Portugal and all around the world played throughout the night, bouncing from one stage to another. A band called 'The Love Circle' kicked off the show just as the ominous clouds opened up. A sea of festival-goers created a pool of mud and grime several inches thick and acres wide. It reminded me of Woodstock but minus all the nasty smells of ganja.

Pushing my way to the front, I scored fabulous close ups of the band members and the strange instruments they played. Some of which included the saba (guitar) and several gendang (drums) like the cerucap (made of shells) and raurau (made from cocunut shells).


The festival is on the grounds of the Damai Beach Resort, a fabulous area with tree houses for hotel rooms, a sandy beach and an outdoor soaking tub in the rainforest. Next time I'm staying there!