‘The worst can happen but usually it doesn’t’

Name: Joe Debono
Age: 36
Occupation: Musician

My best holiday ever…

I was staying in a hotel at Shimba Hills National Reserve where there was a man-eating leopard running around

Brazil because it’s out of this world. And it’s healthy too as you practically drink fruit juice in all varieties: boozy ‘juices’ like caipirinhas at parties or teetotal ones like ice-cold coconut and açaí juice on the beach.

I still dream of having breakfast while listening to the sound of humming birds on the idyllic sandy beaches of the beautiful Ilha Grande, just two hours by bus from Rio de Janeiro.

The most dangerous place I’ve visited …

Kenya. I was staying in a hotel at Shimba Hills National Reserve where there was a man-eating leopard running around.

My favourite city…

New York, where you find the best of most things. I went for the jazz clubs, art museums and cycling in Central Park.

The friendliest people…

New Yorkers. Whenever my mate Gianni and I lost our bearings, after exactly four seconds squinting at the map (we timed it), a smiling New Yorker would come up to us and ask if we needed assistance. Which neatly brings me to…

My biggest gaffe abroad…

As I was waiting for my pick-up outside Mombasa airport, I spent the best part of half-an-hour politely saying “No thank you” to local passers-by and dodgy taxi drivers who kept approaching me saying “Jambo! Jambo!”

It was 5.30 a.m. and I thought that this ‘jambo’ was some kind of drug (it was still much too early for such things), only to learn later that ‘jambo’ simply meant ‘hello’!

My most treasured holiday souvenir…

My New York photos: we took brilliant pictures which totally captured the spirit of the city. They would be my most treasured holiday souvenirs if Gianni hadn’t left his camera behind at the hostel (I take every opportunity to never ever let him forget this).

My most memorable experience on an aircraft…

Three days after 9/11, I was travelling to Kenya from Frankfurt on a charter flight full of fair-skinned Germans. It was a classic case of spot-the-odd-one-out and there was not a soul on that plane who didn’t eye me suspiciously. I just sat there, with my best puppy-eye look, hugging my hand luggage.

The taxi ride I will never forget…

A non-stop, never-ending, five-hour ride in a 1970 Peugeot station wagon from Cairo to the Red Sea, driving at neck-break speed on a 500-kilometre road that crosses the Sinai Desert.

An unforgettable hotel...

I was invited for a gig in Romania; the hotel was a brand new five-star hotel and my room had two huge glass walls with a breathtaking view over the whole city of Bucharest. And there was a steam bath in the bathroom!

My ideal travel companion...

Nadja my girlfriend. She’s a good-time magnet. In fact, she’s the person I’ve travelled with the most, and that’s not just because she’s (slightly) more organised than I am.

Country with the best cuisine...

Without a doubt, Greece. All that fresh fish, grilled lamb, honey with yoghurt and walnuts, the beef giros pitta with slightly spicy tzatziki and that olive oil. I want to go back now. Just for the food.

In Mombasa I spent half-an-hour politely saying ‘No thank you’ to local passers-by who kept saying ‘Jambo! Jambo!’ I thought ‘jambo’ was some kind of drug, only to learn later that it simply meant ‘hello’

I partied hardest in…

Luxembourg. I lived there for three years in an apartment bang in the middle of the city, overlooking Grande Rue. So if there was something happening in Luxembourg, it was happening there.

Conveniently enough, the apartment was sandwiched between offices and shops, so most of the time, nights out with friends started and ended at my place.

My next holiday plans…

Sicily, for a gastronomic holiday. And it’s close by, so perfect for an overland holiday.

My travel tip…

The worst can happen but usually it doesn’t (except for the New York photos).

• Joe Debono plays at Veccja, Xemxija, every Thursday evening and at the Kiosk in Howard Gardens, Rabat (next to Roman Villa), on Friday nights.