‘I went to Los Angeles dive bars to relive my teenage rock ‘n’ roll dream’ LOS ANGELES Los Angeles has some of the most famous rock 'n' roll dive bars in America. Damien Gabet went on a pilgrimage to the West Coast to relive his teenage dream
Can The Maldives cure me? I went to find out THE MALDIVES “The first dedicated wellness retreat in the Maldives,” they said. “Nonsense,” I said. Every Maldivian island and their dog has “well-something” splashed across their website. Once you’re done petting dolphins, what else is there to do but be tended to by therapists promising repair, realignment, reconnection, restoration and revitalisation? “I’m not having it,” I thought. [...]
An adventure through glorious, neglected Cuba Despite only a brief appearance, the hookah-smoking caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland was a significant character. Between puffs he took the time to answer questions and offer advice to someone quite confused by her environs. In Havana, Cuba, I’ve met a man of a similar disposition. Amid chat, plumes of cigar smoke that were custard [...]
Bangkok 2049: What do the next three decades hold for this neon metropolis? December 11, 2019 It looked like volleyball from afar. Up close, I realised the players were only using their feet. And the ball was hollow; a spherical rattan of bamboo. Sepak Takraw (or “Muzzle”) was being played with brio by a group of local boys on Phutharet Square, a Thai time capsule in Old City Bangkok. They invited [...]
On the trail of world-renowned gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey, Damien Gabet meets with silverbacks in the Rwandan forest November 24, 2017 There he was, the man we’d trekked hours to meet. Frank was square-jaw handsome, but with a perma-frown and scar that made him look dangerous. Once a poacher, he now uses his tracking talents to locate mountain gorillas for tourists. As we approached, I could see he was casually shaving earth from his boots with [...]