In this picture, taken at some sort of art gallery party in a San Francisco basement, I'm trying hard to look like I'm not enjoying myself... or, more likely from what I've heard, I'm getting near my Totem.

Sometimes when some people stick together for some period of time, they start making up little stories only they know about. There were several of these small make-believe fables on our road trip this summer. It's a sort of bonding, I suppose. We know, and you don't.

Indians, as most of us probably know from our enlightening cinemas, find their Totem in various stages of "exhaustion". Well, we were at the brink of finding our true Totems somewhere not far from central Monterey. The problem is to bring the Totem together with your conscious self, otherwise you could only hear from others what your true Totem is. We called this, in a metaphor; "the Falcon and the Pig". I never met my Totem, but was told later it's the Llama; basically cool and calm, but arrogant and could spit you in the face.

I suppose it could be worse. At least they look distinguished, even if they're anything but.

The topmost picture in this post was taken by the psychiatrist Dr Åhs, seen in the picture below. He's apparently very comfortable with his Totem. We always try to travel with at least a photographer, a graphic designer, a CEO, a sociologist, an architect, an IT manager, a biochemist, a psychiatrist and a physician. Currently we're looking for a solicitor and a priest to fill vacancies. And, no, it's not a joke.