#<- pic from our 3 hr walk in the park | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bluesandboos · 1 year

Note

HI JUST FOUND YOUR ACC THIS IS ME ASKING FOR DETAILS ON YOUR BA VACATIO DURING THE FINAL OMG

BESTIE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE. THANK YOU FOR ASK ING IM ABOUT TO POP OFF

ALSO I WILL HAVE TO PUT THIS INTO TWO PARTS BECAUSE TUMBLR IS AN ASSHOLE

OKAY

okay

sorry if this is too much rambling and has too many of my Own Personal Thoughts but writing this took me down memory lane and i am Emotional. also pardon any spelling/grammatical errors

let me put in a line break so i don't clog my approximately ten follower's feeds

a little unnecessary backstory that you can definitely skip: way back in march 2022, my family was all "hey we should go on a family trip in december because that's when we're all free, where should go" and my brother was like "argentina" (he has no football brain he just thought it would be an interesting place to go) and that was when a little seed was planted in my teeny brain. i knew that the wc had been rescheduled for december and i knew that argentina had been doing p well since the copa and would probably be favorites for the wc so i started skewing the plans to go towards argentina bc how dope would it be if we happened to be in argentina during the final? even if they didn't make it all the way, it would still be cool to be in a place where football means so much during the biggest game in the world. anyway, my scheming and manifesting paid off and we went to argentina! we flew out of (home country) on the day of the semi-final (i watched the arg vs croatia match while waiting to board) and then landed in buenos aires, was there for a day, then flew to iguazu falls for a couple of days.

we flew back to ba on the night of 12/17 and THAT'S WHEN THE PARTY STARTED

wait i think i can include some pics/vids i have to make this experience more immersive!

literally in the uber on the way to our airbnb, this was what greeted us at a stoplight at the obelisco:

also just a side note, just walking around ba the first day was crazy because my man dibu is just... there on adverts, flexing on bitches

and so many murals/adverts featuring mostly messi but also the rest of the tea,, and the JERSEYS my god. i don't have the dough to shell out for something authentic so i copped a ~very believable~ messi fake for like 3000 ARG pesos. i was so happy

ANYWAY the morning of 12/18 (i could hardly go to sleep i was nervous as fuck), i literally woke up to muchachos. like when i stood on the balcony of the Airbnb i could hear people just playing that song on BLAST. greatest alarm ever.

i had found out that the government (?) had set up screens all over the city so people could watch, so we decided to go to one that was set up in a park near paseo el rosedal, which ended up being ~1 hr walk from where we were staying. BUT it was SO WORTH IT because just walking through the streets was amazing. people were wearing jerseys, waving flags, cars were decorated and ugh. i was shitting bricks tho.

so we get to the park and im just gonna let my vids (fuck tumblr for only letting me upload one vid in a post) set the vibe:

(sorry some of them are super short; i make montages to remember vacations and short vids are ~aesthetic~)

HERE ARE THE VIDS FOR THE PENALTY AND REACTION TO LEO'S PENALTY. I HAVE NO WORDS AND WILL LET IT SPEAK FOR ITSELF. SORRY MY SCREAMING IS UGLY AS FUCK

i don't think i have the reaction to di maria's goal, i think i was just ~living in the moment~ but anon, lemme tell you, after going up 2-0, the vibes in that park were IMMACULATE. everyone was so freaking happy, and singing and ugh!! im getting emotional looking through the vids

more vibes (obvi lots of "muchachos" singing, but this song was one i hadn't known (disclaimer: i am very obviously not argentine. nor do i speak/understand spanish))

and obligatory muchachos:

and THEN MBAPPE DECIDED TO RUIN IT (okay, i actually don't really mind mbappe as a player but on this day he was my actual enemy. i hated his ass. it took me weeks to get over it). decides to tie up the game 2-2 as if he didn't win the world cup four years prior (selfish as fuck smh) and SHIT WAS SO FUCKING TENSE. my hands and legs were SHAKING. im literally getting nervous thinking about it.

and then leo. KING LEO. SCORED TO MAKE IT 3-2

i remember there was confusion for a bit because they were deciding if it was offsides or not and i was looking wildly around my family asking "did he get it?" because i was confused as to whether he actually got into the net (it was getting super hard to see with the glare of the sun and the dust and smoke and everything).

and then the goal stood. and i immediately burst into tears. i don't really know why (actually i do, it's because when it came down to it, leo put the team on his back and saved their asses AGAIN. he saw lautaro send it directly into lloris and said "fine, i'll do it myself" thanos-style and put the fucking ball directly into the back of the net. in the dark times, my hero came back and saved us. it was too much for me)

also literally imagine being varane and your ass being too fat be the reason your country gives up a goal in the wc final. couldn't be me.

obvi i don't have the immediate reaction to leo's goal because i was too busy screaming crying throwing up, but here's some aftermath (which is also emotional with the whole never-really-being-respected-on-the-international-level-and-his-kids-asking-him-why-do-they-kill-him-in-the-streets and now they're literally bowing down to him)

just more vibes:

i don't have any reaction to mbappe's penalty to make it 3-3, probably because i had shit my pants or something. also by the end of extra time i think i was full on having a breakdown. i don't even remember seeing dibu's save against kolo mani; i only heard about it and saw videos afterwards (honestly a good thing because i probably would've blacked out if i saw/registered it in the moment)

OKAY so then the game goes to penalties. i think i had started to feel a bit more confident at that point because i knew Our Lord And Savior Dibu Martinez would be the one to bring it home.

unfortunately i don't have any videos of when dibu saved any of the penalties/tchouameni missed because i could barely watch. i literally had my head in my hands and was trying to not to have a panic attack and was only relying on the noises around me to figure out whether a penalty was missed/scored. have you seen the clips of rodrigo de paul pacing the sideline, hoodie zipped up during the shootout? yeah that was basically me. but i think you can imagine how the crowd was whenever france missed/arg scored

i do have the best video tho. SOMOS TODOS MONTIEL

and here is just the aftermath that i managed to capture because i had, once again, promptly burst into tears. like many others, because Argentina had become Campeon del Mundo

(sorry not sorry if you don't care about the visual aspect lmao. i ain't ever deleting these vids and am obligated to rub them in people's faces)

OKAY BESTIE THIS IS WHERE I WILL HAVE TO END PART 1 BECAUSE TUMBLR IS PISSING ME THE FUCK OFF AND WON'T LET ME ADD MORE VIDEOS i will see u in part 2 if you're still interested :)

#mailtime #about me #argentina vs france #world cup #world cup 2022 #lionel messi #la scaloneta #argentina

3 notes · View notes

shinymooncolor · 4 years

Text

Hi lovelies.

Hockey is back. ❤️

And so here is another sweater weather chat. It’s split in two. So stay tuned 😘

All the love in the world for @lumosinlove and each and everyone of you! This fandom is truly a remarkable place 💖

Sweater weather chat #12 part 1

Dumo loses a bet. Sunny has a lot of stories. Sergei once had blue hair. He also fought a German suit. Snuck a few of my nhl heroes in here. See if you can spot them. Nado is dying from anticipation. Blizzard wants pictures. Olli is trying to stay on topic. Alice has questions. Sirius has no comments. We jinx the cup a tiny bit. I took some liberties with rosters and timelines for international hockey. No people were harmed in the making of this chat. Danes really are pesky meatball thieves. I love germans (just needed a bad guy).

Friday 7.22 pm

Prongstar: hey dumo. Not backing down from the bet?

Dumodad: no. I honor my word. You guys won. What do you want? Suicides, my car, my wife’s cooking?

Talkiewalkie: damn dumo. Pimping out Celeste

Dumodad: like the lot of you aren’t half in love with her or Anya. You’re not subtle

Krisvolley: I’d marry both with no hesitation. Between Anya’s piroggi and Celeste’s brownies, I’d be set for life.

Nadotheman:fuck you’d have to fight me and Kuny both for that krissy.

Russiangod: I already son of Anya. I take sergei’s place

Sergei_81: am not even 40 yet. Also you all boys. Can’t handle women. They need men.

Logantremblayzzz: it’s weird guys. Don’t crush on your team mates wives 😳 also Sergei you are 40....

Sergei_81: 🤬

Blizzard: don’t make sexy eyes at your goalie when he’s stretching. 🤪

Timmyforrealz: burnnnnnn hahahahahaha

Prongstar: potential adultery, sergei’s age and Logan’s inappropriate staring aside. Dumo lost our bet. And I’ve made a decision. Drumroll please 🙈🙈🙈🙈

Kuny: drdrdrdrdrrrrrrrrrrrr

Prongstar: thanks Kuny babe 😘

Prongstar: dumo! I want the truth about Prague. In this chat. In writing. You have 1 hr.

Dumodad: no.

Sergei_81: no

Sunnysideup: YES

Sunnysideup: I’ll tell them if you don’t 😜

Dumodad: it’s all your fault. Stupid Swede.

Sunnysideup: no one made you bet me. We won, fair and square!

Sunnysideup: the year was 2006. Turin, Italy. Winter Olympics. A brash Russian and a confident Canadian decided to make a bet with a lovely, young and innocent Swede.

Bradygunzz: innocent? 😂😂😂😂

Walkietalkie: wait weren’t you in Sweden then? Or am I missing something? How’d you even know these guys?

Kaneyoudigit: I thought this story was about Prague?

DumoDad: it is. It just started 9 years earlier.

Sunnysideup: some of my national teammates played with Sergei in the khl during the nhl ‘05 lockout. Dumo was signed to do some press stuff with us at olympics. Something about cross team friendships.

Logantremblayzzz: Wow you guys are ancient

DumoDAD: we were top 3 seeded teams and they picked the Russian with good English, a Swede who’s not scary and me. It was fun. And it turned into a bit of drinking after Sergei and sunny started arguing about the quality of vodka.

Krisvolley: you shouldn’t drink at the Olympics 😂

Sunnysideup: anyways. We bet and of course all three were convinced our respective teams would win. Of course, we all know who emerged victorious 😜

Sergei_81: you had Swedish murder twins not fair. Baby sedin slash me on purpose

DumoDad: he didn’t. That was a legit hit you big baby. Also we did better than the US.

Sergei_81: was not clean.

Sunnysideup: we’re not having this discussion again. You both lost. It was a clean hit. Also, the fun part was the bet itself.

Nadotheman: just fucking tell us. The suspense is killing me.😳

Siriusly: whAt did you do??????? Dumo!!!!

Sunnysideup: well. they got kitted out in lovely blue and yellow team colors. Hank’s idea - some fans gave him loads of body paint. Hahahaha also Sergei was sporting a very impressive buzz cut then. It was a thing. So we’ve got these two idiots painted in blue and yellow including sergei’s head. Unfortunately the dye wasn’t meant for hair. So he had blue hair for two weeks after. Anya is still mad at me about that one 😜

Nadotheman: so you just painted them blue and yellow? That’s like so anti climactic.

Logantremblayzzz: oh he’s not done 😂

CarbO’Hara: Logan tell usssss

Siriusly: how come you told him and not me? I feel betrayed.

DumoDad: I didn’t. Celeste did. Traitor.

Logantremblayzzz: I was sad and homesick and she wanted to cheer me up. 😍

Ollibear: I feel like we’re getting off topic

Logantremblayzzz: wait didn’t you then make them steal the Olympic flags from the hotel you were celebrating at and exchange them with Swedish ones?

Sunnysideup: indeed, Logan, and that went smoothly. So it turned into a thing that every time we compete all three in an international thing. We make the losers swap flags. It’s cute.

Prongstar: what about Prague then? That wasn’t until 2015? Was it?

DumoDad: and we all remember who won.

RussianGod: is also where butt slap come from then? Pre game one?

Sergei_81: not our fault. U had Crosby make heart eyes at zhenya. And no Kuny, not from there...

DumoDad: you’re never letting that one go? Hahaha poor Sergei.

Dumodad: also. the butt slap is an Old tradition. We had a playoff round ages back and I slapped him. We won. We’ve done it since. Works doesn’t it?

Sergei_81: you said “let’s go get them”. Still do. It works. All magic slap. I thought you say “ let’s go eat them” Still works hehe

Ollibear: again, we’re veering off topic, dumo.

Sunnysideup: well. Prague. I know Canada won. Golden boy got golden goal. Blah blah blah. But for some reason we had another bet 😜. Dumo cooked up a revenge for me and Sergei. But it was before the final. We were just heading into the second round and somehow ended up in another vodka related discussion (we all know Swedish vodka is superior).

RussianGod: Swedish vodka is water. Russia best.

Sergei_81: was stupid idea. But vodka make us brave.

DumoDad: I never told you to start climbing that flag pole. You decided that on your own. I just told you to get me the flag.

Sunnysideup: he did climb that pole like a fireman though.

Timmyforrealz: hold up a sec. you’re telling me sergei “i never smile and my looks can literally make opponents wet themselves” Ivanov climbed a flag pole while drunk and it looked good?

Sunnysideup: he was wearing a “I love Canada” onesie and crocs. Which was about 6 sizes too little. We both were.

Newt-leo: we’re going to need pics of this.

Sunnysideup: well. The onesies were one thing. Still not sure how we got corralled into it. But anyways as I remember Sergei did successfully steal the flag from the hotel and started on the cars outside. We just didn’t know it was some group of fancy politicians also in town to watch hockey.

Dumodad: you Europeans and your weird politicians. Apparently the little politic guy didn’t like Russians. So his body guard tackled Sergei down. Sergei fought back. And somehow I ended up in the tangle of suits and Canada onesies.

Sergei_81: he blame Russia for stupid shit I might get mad. Police came and put us in little jail in hotel. Sunny no where

Sunnysideup: I went to get help. I didn’t know you were going to fight the bodyguards of the German minister of trade now did I?

Dumodad: was it German? I thought it was Spain. The flag was yellow and red.

Krisvolley: wait so. In the middle of an Olympic tournament, the three of you (all dads and husbands by 2015) gets shitfaced on vodka, go on a flag stealing rampage through Prague and get tackled by German secret services? 😫

Sergei_81: not Prague just one hotel. And car park. And house opposite.

Siriusly: how did you get out?

Sunnysideup: I bailed them out. Or. I managed to explain that they’re big hockey stars and got backstrom and oveckin to come and support me.. Ovi just giggled. Backy just stared until they agreed. He’s scary. Sergei was cursing a lot. Dumo was crying at one point... hehehehe he . I think dumo was nearly benched no after?

DumoDad: somehow the team found out and little mr captain was not happy?. Also at this point sergei was mostly naked as the onesie gave up halfway through wrestling Germans. We got a big fine, had to formally issue an apology to the German delegates and the hotel. And Sergei had to pay another fine for embarrassing Russia 😂

Sergei_81: they happy I hit German but I couldn’t say hehe. Also lost a croc never found it. Walk home in one shoe 👟

Siriusly: I can’t believe you almost caused an international incident because you were arguing about vodka.

Sunnysideup: you should see us scandies when it comes to the origins of meatballs. Pesky Danes trying to steal credit. 🤬

Blizzard: and you’re all still talking about me and the fountain. Also. We were on the lions team then? How come you’ve managed to keep this quiet? Also. Where are the pictures of this? I have so many questions.

DumoDad: Sunny has pictures. And so does the Czech police. And maybe the hotel. And it stays that way.

Blizzard: sunny. I want pictures.

Sunnysideup: lord Stanley will decide ❤️ also pretty sure both ovi and backy has some. For revenge purposes.

Siriusly: DONT jinx.

Prongstar: you broke cap.

—-

Tuesday 2.54 pm

Alice: Sirius.

Alice: Sirius pick up your phone.

Alice: Sirius Orion Black. Please tell me that a picture of you and Remus in a closet in Ikea’s kids department is fake.

Sirius: I was in hiding. Re helped me. We didn’t do anything

Alice: your shirt is on backwards.

Sirius: it’s a fashion statement.

Alice: and the shark?

Sirius: no comment

——

Part two is coming up.

——

#lumosinlove #lumosinlove ocs #sweaterweather #sweaterweatherchats #sweater weather #sweaterweatheroc’s #sweaterweatherchatsnr12 #part 1

132 notes · View notes

some-thrilling-heroics · 5 years

Text

just came back from Rome! I have thoughts!

are you considering a trip? here are a few things from a friendly foreigner:

DON’T

seriously, I will never go back there; I expected something completely different and got disappointed

only Colosseum and Pompeii did not disappoint - AS PLACES

I honestly have no idea how people survive there, in terms of traffic; street light? you know, green / red etc? I think they are more of a suggestion than anything; people move around as they please, cars just move around, maybe they stop, maybe not; and the parking.... holy fucking shit, how do people get out? I as a person walking on foot had problems to squeeze in between cars, saw cars sandwiched in two rows and in some other strange combinations like... wtf?

thus, city is so not for you if you have any mobility issues - the pavement is uneven, lots of steps, and tight spaces; there are also no benches to sit on - in all of 6 days we were there, we only encountered ONE single, solitary bench to sit on; people sit on pavement etc or in restaurants but those are not free obv; also very few trash cans, like, you could walk for half an hour and not find one

it is dirty and just overall meh, with the exception of maybe the area around the Roman Forum and all that

seriously, when we went on a walk from hotel, we assumed we landed in some bad neighborhood; nope - that’s the whole city like that

there are buses going on, for tourists - hop on hop off; there’s like 5 of different colors and they all drive on the same exact route but do not take the pink one bc they have a tiny fleet and while supposedly they all go every 10-15 mins, we had to sometimes wait half an hour and watch 5 different buses drive off in the mean time (those five being from one single competitor, there were others - basically the red one seems to be the one with biggest fleet and most frequent arrivals)

those buses? they only go one way, which means if you get off on stop 3, and then want to go back to your hotel which was near stop 1, guess what? you have to ride all the remaining stops from 4 through 9 or whatever for the bus to get to your stop

also, metro / public transportation is way cheaper

DO NOT PAY 50 euro for GUIDED TOURS, no matter if it’s vip or super extra vip or whatever shit they tell you

yes, that gives you a living talking human guiding you but it also means you have to chase after that person and not lose them in a heavy, HEAVY crowd of other groups, also they are FAST AF, skip spots and there’s practically no time to rest when the tour is 3hrs on foot going up and down whatever place you’re in

pay half that for so called ‘skip the line’ ticket (btw, ridiculous bc if everybody is skipping the line then in fact, nobody is xD ) and get a radio / thing with earphones and you can walk at your own pace and take brakes and spend like 5 hours instead of 2-3 like with the guide

it really was sad how on these old places that should be, you know, preserved as much as possible, they do anything to just cram more and more tourists; there are like 5 if not more variations of Colosseum tour - in day and by night, like, how about you let the ruins rest some??

you’d have to pay me to go to the Vatican, but my friend went there (for 50 euro) and she regrets it very much bc she had to run after the guide and my friend is a fucking fast walker on average

when my friend was at the Vatican, I went to the Jewish Museum / the Synagogue and it was both awesome and underwhelming (fucking 15-20 minutes the guide was actually talking and that was it - ffs T_T )

Colosseum - we went both, and while it’s a great place and the guide was talking great stuff it was still too fast for our liking (tho slower than Vatican as I was told) and it still took about 3 hrs with the Roman Forum and the Hills

seriously, go at your own pace

your legs will thank you

similar with the trip to Pompeii - amazing place, but the guide is walking and skipping stuff as they see fit, as they have to cram a lot of content in 3 hr tour; my friend started to sneak up to other groups and listen to stuff our guide wasn’t talking about

HYDRATE; carry water or something

I think from all the guides we had, I like the one from the Colosseum the best - her English was kinda broken, but you could understand everything, and it was engaging and really really nice :3

souvenir prices were scary but I guess that’s just us and the fact we had to convert to our currency and think if we wanna spend or not

I do not like the local food, pizza especially; was leaving on locally bought fruit juices (yummy) and crackers from home XD

I can post some pics if anyone is interested?

#rome #italy #vacation #pompeii #about me #sorry for harsh commentary but that's the truth

8 notes · View notes

skiecas · 5 years

Note

this is probably such a broad topic but pls i'd love to hear more abt your japan + korea trip :')

OMGG i would LOVE to tell you aaaall about my trip!! i miss it every day :”D

it is a bit of a broad topic so i’ll try to restrain myself a bit instead of rambling on forever and ever, hehe. but feel free to ask me if there’s anything specifically you’d like to know about!!! (i have one friend who was just rly interested in the fashion there & we had an almost 2-hr discussion abt korean street wear vs jpn asdskghfk)

let me just tell you about some of my most fave things i did!!

we were only in korea for 3 days but i fell in LOVE, i miss it sm ;;v;; it was just so spacious and modern and chic, and i loved the aesthetic, and the fashion. and the food!!! was so good!! i had this pollack soup that i STILL think about….

we had plans to go hit all the big, tourist-y spots in the daytime and then go shopping in the evenings. but then getting around korea required so much walking/hiking/navigating the trains that we barely hit everything on our list and didn’t get to do any shopping ;;o;; so i HAVE to go back!!!

i think my most fave place we went in korea was the jogyesa temple; it’s a v small temple right in the middle of the city and it’s decorated with like a hundred colorful lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and they light them up at night, and it was like walking into a DREAM :”D pics really can’t do it justice but you can click [here] to get an idea of what it was like!! 🏮🏮

MOVING ONTO JAPAN

jpn was much smaller and more cramped/crowded in comparison to seoul, w a much more grungy and rustic vibe, but it was charming too!!!

shinjuku quickly became my fave district bc i feel like almost all my fave things i did were in shinjuku!! we went to sekaido, which is this huge stationery store w/ like 5-6 floors just FILLED w cute stationery, and i DIED from the happy :”D i was literally in there forever and i bought sooo many cute things, it was the best day ever!! we also saw an AMAZING view of the city from the top of the gov building (WHICH I WROTE IWAOI DOING IN A FIC ONCE), and it was sooo beautiful, i was *v* shinjuku was also where i went for a nice walk in the national garden while listening to classical music and wandering for over an hour through the prettiest greenhouse ever–TAKE ME BACK ;A;

the ashikaga flower park was v far away from tokyo but sooo worth the trip, it was a DREAM. look at this photo!!

this is JUST the view as soon as you walk in, then it gets even more beautiful!! they also have classical 🎵 playing through the park and offer all the guests sun ☂️s, so you can stroll through feeling like a classy shoujo heroine ;>

there was one day when we played w 🦉 in an owl-themed cafe and it was. SO. COOL. we got to pet them and even hold them!! they were a bit intimidating but also v cute bc they would be very happy to be petted and close their eyes and enjoy it!!

here’s a pic of me with an owl!!

((pls excuse the horrible hair kdashfkdg we actually got caught in a downpour right before we got there))

other fun things i did in tokyo: sailor moon store!! sooo many cafes. todoroki valley. meiji shrine (a staple). a 🌺 market/cafe! teamlab borderless WHICH WAS THE COOLEST THING EVER i can’t even explain but it was a digital arts museum and it was SO cool and trippy, pls google it!!!!! *v*

then we were in osaka for a few days and it was SUCH a different vibe than tokyo but still v grungy and Aesthetic!!! there was a big night-life there and cool murals were on the walls and also what was cool is that a bunch of places had giant figurines and such placed above their shop doors that were really fun to spot!! i saw a spider-man, a dragon, a giant puffer fish, even a giant takoyaki asfkdshgk

osaka was a lot of ⛩️ hopping and aquarium/ocean and karaoke and late night arcades. my sis surprised me with a music box that plays arashi’s “one love” and i cried!!!! ;;u;;

i also went to sendai (BC OF COURSE) & maxed out my little weeb ❤️ seeing the place where hq takes place and went to date masamune’s monument wearing seijou colors AND WENT TO SENDAI CITY GYM and had a Moment (that my sister did not understand akdahskfh) while looking out at the gym :”)

and um!!! UMMM i will. End here :”D

sorry i ended up rambling forever after all asdksjf but this was like a rly quick rundown of the Big things that i got to do!!

if you’ve never been to either korea or japan before, nonnie, i sincerely hope you get to go one day!!! i’m absolutely in love w them both!!!!

#r #I MISS THEM BOTH SM ;;A;;#and also my friends and having so much fun together :((

1 note · View note

k-llama-llama · 6 years

Text

BTS Love Yourself Tour: Hamilton Day 2 - My Experience

I’ve been to a few concerts in my time, but oh my gosh this was honestly one of the best experiences of my life.

We planned to leave around 8am (for a 2-2 1/2 hr drive). We had assigned seating, and neither me or my sister (the person I was going with) were super concerned about merch.

Either way, I somehow made myself so nervous on the drive there that I threw up in a Tim Horton’s parking lot. But I was fine after that...so yay!

We got there, and initially couldn’t tell what line was what. We walked about three minutes down a road following a line, before I finally asked someone what line she was in. Turns out that that was the GA line. The next one we found ended up being the soundcheck line, but eventually we found the end of the merch line. We got in the line at about 10:30, and it was super organized. There wasn’t any pushing or shoving, which was amazing. It was about a 2 hour wait from the moment we got in line to the moment where we got our purchases and left.

At that point, all of the hoodies and shirts had sold, as well as the group picket at the premium photos of Jungkook and Jin. Which was fine, because honestly we weren’t picky and were just going to buy whatever we could.

Kay so this was like my final haul Initially (like through the merch line) I just bought the Jimin picket, a V picket (for my sister, not pictured) and two sets of the photocards. All of that came to $70 CAD. My sister also got a thing of photocards...and a V premium photo. I posted a pic of that on twitter if you want to see it.

I was totally not planning on getting an Army Bomb. They were $75, and it just didn’t seem worth it to me. Well, my dad went to the bathroom, my mom decided that she thought it was worth it, and then we bought two Army Bombs. The strap on mine was initially broken, but we went back to the express booth and they were super great and got us a new one. Those things are freaking cool. I’ve been playing with the lights non-stop.

So...we enter the venue at about 3:30 (the show starts at six.) We buy candy, which we never ate, and then had some pizza. Our seats (section 221 if anyone cares) were amazing. We could see the whole stage and there was nothing blocking our view. Plus, we were at the end of the row next to the stairs, so no one was blocking up or walking past us.

The show begins...I’ve included the video because I adore it...but you don’t have to watch it if you don’t want it spoiled for you.

It was amazing.

I filmed a lot but honestly I don’t want to post a crap ton of videos and spoil stuff for you guys.

Just know that I cried. A lot. They sounded amazing and I don’t have a single criticism.

The way they all say ‘Canada’ is so cute. Nam Joon was saying that they were so surprised by the Canadian crowds energy that they had to figure out how to match it. Suga said that he had no choice but to come back next year, and Jin said that he was going to tell his parents about Canada😂

Honestly, it was great. Anpanman was a favourite (because Jungkook climbed on V’s back), but Epiphany and Serendipity we’re also phenomenal.

My favourite song is Answer: Love Myself, which is what they ended the show with and I cried.

They took a while to leave the stage, and bowed with their dancers and everything. It was amazing.

(BTW we had the set list that includes Baepsae and Dope)

I know I probably sound crazy, but if you guys ever have a chance to go then you should. It was beautiful and amazing and I loved every second of it.

If you have any questions...shoot em my way and I’ll try my best to answer them! And I’ve added a bunch more pictures down below because I want you all to fangirl with me!

#bts #bts imagines #bts tour #love yourself tour #bts love yourself tear #bts love yourself #love yourself #bts world tour #bts in canada #bts in hamilton #epiphany #bts pics #bts aesthetic

34 notes · View notes

missguomeiyun · 6 years

Text

Aug. 4th: Krystyn & Josh’s wedding

I had the honour to attend my high school friend, Krystyn’s wedding last Saturday. Although I was “guest only” status, it was still a very tiring day. Mainly bcos I’m not used to wearing heels at all. .. I couldn’t feel my toes by the end of the night. Let me show you pictures from the special day :D

The couple, Krystyn & Josh, held their wedding ceremony here at the St. Josephat Cathedral. It is located in the McCauley neighbourhood in Edmonton.

It was a cloud & rainy day on Saturday but once you enter the church, it was bright & bcos I got there about 15mins before the official start time, there was already a crowd inside.

It is a Ukrainian Catholic Church (the couple is Ukrainian). During the ~70min ceremony, there were what I call multiple “stages” - I’m not a church go-er so I didn’t know the significance of each part. It consisted of several rounds of standing up/sitting, prayers (was done in Ukrainian & English) & multiple choir contributions. I was lost for most of it tbh. .. but my friends & I teared up when we saw our friend Krystyn walk down the aisle with her husband *sniff*.

Guest photography weren’t allowed inside so I didn’t get pics inside the church once the ceremony started. I took several selcas outside though.

Selca with Christina.

Selca with Susan.

Selca from the side of the church. This photo looks awfully bright. .. it’s no filter too!

After the ceremony, we had a couple of hrs to kill so we headed to a café in the Brewery District called Wilfred. I will have a separate on that so pls come back to read the next post or search for it in my Archive.

A few of the friends booked a hotel room at the reception venue so they didn’t have to think about rides after the reception. Bcos it was raining & we had spent enough time at the café, we just chilled at the hotel room after checking in.

Selca~

While we were at the hotel room, I practiced the “extend & tuck” selca-taking technique, which is supposed to make one’s face appear slimmer lol. Do you think it made a difference to me? The answer is no. If anything, I want a chubbier face =(

Anyways, we figured it was still early in the late afternoon & quite a while till dinner. .. we ordered bbt from Dream Tea via SkipTheDishes. My Hojicha milk tea was disappointing. 1st of all, I ordered it as hot on their menu online but it came cold. .. but that’s ok. The drink itself was very milky & there was little to no tea flavour =( so sad. .. Christina got a jasmine milk tea & hers had a very subtle jasmine flavour to it but not much.

The reception venue was at Chateau Louis Conference Centre. It’s actually a separate building from the hotel. .. it’s located across their parking lot. When it was getting close to 6pm, we headed over the Conference Centre.

Their hashtag.

Their table chart.

According to Ukrainian wedding tradition, guests are supposed to take a shot of vodka at the door to greet the families of the wedding couple. They had this at the door all set up lol but I chose the water substitute :P

The Conference Room that was booked for the evening. It was my 1st time here at this place but Diana has been here several times. She said there’s several rooms for booking & we were in the bigger one.

My friends & I sat at table 10, the table under the projector screen.

Behind us was the buffet set-up! The menu was interesting - all of the buffet dinners I’ve been to for weddings were fairly “mainstream” with the typical North American/Canadian food. However, the food here was different. They still offered the usual salads, dinner bun with butter, chicken of some sort (it was baked chicken) & beef (roast, with gravy sauce on the side). In addition to these, they had Ukrainian items, such as cabbage rolls, perogies, & this other pasta thing I don’t know the name of. It’s a very thin pasta & inside the pasta “tube”, there was cheese & some herbs; it was both light & filling at the same time.

The pretty centerpiece. The blue was very attractive.

What happens when a doctor & a pharmacist gets married haha.

Center view of the head table.

& here they are!

Awwww.. .

Dinner time. The chicken was my favourite! Then the potatoes. The potatoes were baked but the outer layer was so crispy that it had a fries-like crunch to it. So yummy! I was very happy with the food ^^

My cakes.. . with 3 pieces of pineapple :P On the bottom was this strawberry mousse cake (it wasn’t that good); then in the middle, I had tiramisu (it was the best!), & lastly, on top, the black forest cake :D Oh & I also stole a gooseberry from one of the cakes.

The wedding cake. I didn’t get to witness the cake-cutting bcos there was a big crowd gathered in the front. .. but I managed to get a photo of it earlier in the evening. I like how simple & elegant it looks. It suits Krystyn so much!

The Ukrainian wedding bread.

In closer detail.

Selca with Diana.

Selca with Diana & Rebecca.

Picture with the gang.

& lastly. .. omg so hard to get a picture with them bcos they were so busy greeting ppl & stuff. Don’t they look great?!?!

Thank you for having me, Krystyn & Josh! CONGRATULATIONS! Have fun on your honeymoon in Europe =]

#summer #wedding #bff #congrats #congratulations #happy marriage

2 notes · View notes

theepitomeofsimplicite · 6 years

Text

Hi everyone! As many of you may already know, Amsterdam is like a place I feel like home. This city is well… gold! Lacking for better words to say this simply 😉 As I was chatting via Instagram with the lovely Chloé (@chloe_mrnr), who is going to visit for the first time the Venice of the West, I was giving her my own Amsterdam city guide so I might as well share the tips with you all.

Amsterdam Centraal

Amsterdam Canal View from Amsterdam Centraal

Ok, so where would you like to start the city tour? If you are arriving by train (like me most of the times), then you are getting off from Amsterdam Central. Make sure to head outside to be mesmerized by the train station architecture once out there and you will quickly grab a sight on beautiful canals, the white and blue tram railing by, and among other things a handful of tourists. Your eyes will also intercept from a distance the church of Saint Nicholas and some covered gallery shops.

Keep walking over the canals and see from a distance the Saint Nicholas Church

Inside of Saint Nicholas Church. Free entrance!

Look at these colorful buildings hanging over the canal!

Amsterdam Centraal from a short walking distance away, admire this architecture!

Then, as you are walking further away from Amsterdam Centraal, there is the notorious Red Light District area with funky empty shops by day but at night fall, this neighborhood gets seriously busy. I still recall the awkwardness I felt when I visited this area with my mom the first time a few years back where she was describing each woman behind those recognizable red light windows as they were lacking of something she would call “normal”. I couldn’t help than laughing at this precious moment with her by having her refusing to be convinced that women are made of a variety of shapes and colors just like the sweet skittles we enjoy so much. Euhh sorry for this poor comparison, ok then I’ll skip there! Shall we?

Amsterdam is very simple to navigate through: walk, hop on the tram, or do as the Dutch; bike everywhere! The city is divided into 4 areas and I’ll start clockwise from the North West.

The North West:

Toki is a fav local coffee shop (but don’t you worry! There is business there. I just happened to take a photo when it was closed).

The street of Haarlemmerdijk is where there is lots of tiny independent designer boutiques along with delicious bakeries that have window glasses where everyone can drool over the artful pastries, delicious sandwiches, and you gotta check out all the variety of fresh Dutch bread. The locals can be proud of their breads but also the coffee is quite remarkable. One of the locals’ fav is Toki (Binnen Dommersstraat 15, 1013 HK Amsterdam), where I’d meet up with friend Kimberley (@theotherway) for coffee and cake!

Meet Kimberley! (@theotherway)

Kimberley is one of the very first Dutch women I met during my first visit to the Netherlands! Let me just start by saying that she set a very high standard for other Dutch folks haha. She is one of the sweetest and kindest person I know. I still recall meeting her over in Eindhoven de Burger (5, Kerkstraat, 5611 GH Eindhoven), where she had waited for me (Sorry!) then surprised me with the world renown Dutch Stoop waffles from Albert Heijn (a typical Dutch grocery store should you need anything) and some other goodies. I still have so many stories to share about our meet ups but let’s save it for some other post 😉

Kimberley street style is always impeccable! I wonder how she does it?!

I love strolling these streets, wouldn’t you?

A great place for a brunch is The Breakfast Club (Haarlemmerplein 31, 1013 HR Amsterdam) where Kimberley likes her pancakes haha. I also recommend strolling through the street of Haarlemmerplein where there are those tiny boutiques and lots of greens and flowers sprouting here and there in front porches of the apartments. I think it’s an Amsterdam signature landscape.

The Breakfast Club for brunch is delicious!

The Breakfast Club

Sorry, I couldn’t help to creep snapped a photo of these Dutch girls as they wore the exact same things as I was and found that twinning was funny (striped top, jeans, and Celine trio) 😉

Other great coffee spot is Café Thijssen (Brouwersgracht 107, 1015 GD Amsterdam) but also great for late night bites. This is where I met up on the terrace with friend Nikki (@sartreuse). After shopping, you may get great pizzas at de Pizzabakkers (Haarlemmerdijk 128, 1013 JJ Amsterdam).You must check out the Movies (Haarlemmerdijk 161, 1013 KH Amsterdam)! Aside from catching a movie, you can have a romantic dinner too!

Meet Nicki (@sartreuse)

de PizzaBakkers is a fav local place!

And the pizzas are delicious at de PizzaBakkers 🙂

at The Movies

At the Movies is a place for movies but food too!!

Some interesting architecture

The North:

In the Northern area, it’s easy to find A’dam Toren (Overhoeksplein 23-B, 1031 KS Amsterdam) because it’s a very tall modernistic building. There, take the elevator which has cool light shows (each elevator gives a different experience) all the way to the 20th floor and the observatory deck offers a sweeping 360º view over Amsterdam and the river and if you ain’t afraid of heights and seeking a thrilling experience then you can try to get on the red sensational swings where you get to be propelled in the air over the edge of the building. A tad bit scary in my opinion! There is good ambiance there for night out with drinks and clubs. Downstairs though, there is the Butcher for burgers and fish chips with a beautiful bar setup right in the middle of an arcade. For culture, nearby there is the EYE Filmmuseum (IJpromenade 1, 1031 KT Amsterdam).

Sweeping view of Amstedam from A’dam Toren penthouse

Not afraid of heights, then try out these swings at the A’dam Toren! It’s the highest swing in Europe!

The Butcher’s Fish n Chips and yummy burger

The Butcher Bar overlooking at the river has an arcade there

The East:

On my last trip, I went to this English place for brunch at Bakers & Roasters (Kadijksplein 16, 1018 AC Amsterdam) to meet with Kimberley and Silvana (@saisonlune). In need for green space, there are Hortus Botanicus (Plantage Middenlaan 2a, 1018 DD Amsterdam) and the Oosterparkbuurt. Oh check out the Skylounge for a great view and a great drink (Oosterdoksstraat 4, 1011 DK Amsterdam). After a visit to the park, there is time for shopping at the Waterlooplein Market (Waterlooplein 2, 1011 AL Amsterdam).

Bakers & Roasters

Bakers & Roasters’ crumble eggs and green juice are delicious. Very friendly staff!

Oosterparkbuurt is very relaxing

WaterloopleinMarkt

WaterloopleinMarkt has lots of jewelry, interior decor, and more!

The South:

Park Museumsplein

Rijksmuseum

This is the cultured area where we have many museums to visit like Van Gogh Museum and the beautiful Rijksmuseum. Don’t forget to take a break in between and stroll around the Park Museumsplein for a break. Are you now ready to shop, then go to Albert Cuyp Market (Albert Cuypstraat, 1073 BD Amsterdam).

Ok, now the real break to me is here at the Sweet Cup (Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 93HS, 1017 NH Amsterdam) where they make the best coffee in town in my mind. But then, others might say the Bocca Coffee (Kerkstraat 96HS, 1017 GP Amsterdam) is better maybe because the baristas are hotties. Hmmm I don’t really know why would some people think this place serves coffee best haha.

Bocca

Bocca coffees

Wait, there is far more so if you need to stay over the night, the Hoxton (Herengracht 255, 1016 BJ Amsterdam)!! There is great breakfast with yummy avocado toasts and carrot juice, and some cool kitchen to host parties like this wine tasting tour I once attended.

The Hoxton Bar

The Hoxton brunch!

If you are in the mood for shopping in quirky boutiques in this area, go along de 9 Straatjes (Wolvenstraat 9, 1016 EM Amsterdam). But I also personally like to stop by my fav designer spots such as Loves Stories for the sleepwear, and Filippa K for the essential wear.

When dinner time is ringing, I’d go to San George (Stadhouderskade 7, 1054 ES Amsterdam). The staffs speak loud Italian and the pasta is just beyond words can describe. See the pics for yourself! But I also recall my double date with Silvana here at Caffe Restaurant Panini (Vijzelgracht 3, 1017 HM Amsterdam) a while ago.

San George pastas are delicious!

The West:

The Breakfast Club Brunch!

Some of my favorite things to do in Amsterdam are if you haven’t already noticed eat and drink hahaha which may explain the weight gained. To satisfy my taste bud, thanks goodness there is Foohallen (Bellamyplein 51, 1053 AT Amsterdam) where anyone can find whatever he or she desires (sushi, small bites of tapas, sandwiches, beers, wine, cocktails, tacos, and even ramen). I last went with my frenchies Jo, Adrien, and Yohann. If you like thrifting and need art works for the interiors, I’m sure you will like de Hallen (Hannie Dankbaarpassage 47, 1053 RT Amsterdam).

Foodhallen

Ramen & Beer!

Back to The Center:

Jordaan District (Rozengracht 76I, 1016 NE Amsterdam) I think is really cool! The narrow canals and streets there are filled with indie boutiques, cozy pubs and hipster eateries. At Noordermarkt square market there are stalls that sell jewelry, clothes, antiques and even organic food. But this is not just for the hipsters, there are also galleries in the area for innovative contemporary art. Other attractions include the Houseboat Museum and the Amsterdam Cheese Museum. Hmm must have Gouda cheese! But I also like Waterlooplein Market (Waterlooplein 2, 1011 AL Amsterdam) for more second hand stuff and quirky finds. And if you are hungry (like me, I’m hungry all the time!!!), Cut Throat is a barber shop brunch & Bar (Beursplein 5, 1012 JW Amsterdam) where the beau gets his hair done while I get food and drinks haha.

At Cut Throat

Cut Throat Brunch

If you can’t get enough of Amsterdam yet, supplemental guides can be found below just for you my friends:

Handy Guide: iamsterdam

Handy Book for the foodies: The Amsterdam Gourmet

Amsterdam Hi everyone! As many of you may already know, Amsterdam is like a place I feel like home.

#Amsterdam #Brunch #City Break #City Guide #Coffee Shops #Europe #Life #The Breakfast Club #The Netherlands #Travel

4 notes · View notes

awesomeproductsnearyou · 3 years

Text

Death Skull Life Is Short Don't Try Too Hard T-Shirt T-Shirt

132 wild horses were captured yesterday from green mountain hma in the red desert complex in wyoming this roundup continues to be hardest on young foals who are struggling to keep up being pushed hard in the summer heat 3 of the 6 deaths so far have been foals we only had a Death Skull Life Is Short Don't Try Too Hard T-Shirt T-Shirt distant view of the trap area from about a mile away the horses continue to come off the range in great shape with body class of 5 blmabuse stoptheroundups. In unserer live session mit mobilcom debitel habt ihr euch für die ultimative spiele app entschieden und uns mit tollen tipps unterstützt schaut euch die ergebnisse an und lasst uns wissen was ihr von einem gaming mobilfunktarif erwartet in our live session with mobilcom debitel you chose the ultimate gaming app and helped us with some great advice check out the results and still let us know what you want from an esports tariff plan. Pre save the soundtrack for lady gaga and bradley cooper s astarisborn on spotify and have shallow added to your library when it s released tomorrow Death Skull Life Is Short Don't Try Too Hard T-Shirt T-Shirt

Death Skull Life Is Short Don't Try Too Hard T-Shirt T-Shirt, Hoodie, Sweater, Longsleeve T-Shirt For Men and Women

Premium Trending, Halloween Trending shirt this Season : Day Of The Dead, Sugar Skulls, Halloween

Thank you elf for the Death Skull Life Is Short Don't Try Too Hard T-Shirt T-Shirt awesome reusable totes at your stores came in handy at the egg hunt today when I couldn’t find our easter basket for my toddler love the new store in menlo park mall. I worked for vs for quite sometime met some of the best people i’ve ever known and learned a lot about professionalism and superior customer service at northpark in dallas having said that I am beyond disappointed and upset to see something like this happening in one of your stores faith’s actions are not aligned with the culture of victoria’s secret. I’m skipping mac and will only do nars from now on anyone that knows me well or even just knows me at all knows how much I love nordstrom after my experience having my makeup done at mac at southcenter mall in tukwila I have no plans of ever going back my 40th bday party was that night and I had an appointment at mac to get my eyes cheeks and lips done I got to the counter at 3 20 was informed my schedule artist would be with me shortly at 3 55 she decides to start I showed her an image of what I wanted and explained that time was running a little short since we were starting almost 30 minutes late she got the makeup and started working on my brows she almost tripled them in size showed me a pic and I asked her to just follow my natural brow 5 minutes later they were down to double the size I asked her again to just lightly fill them in showed her a pic of my natural brows and she proceeded to keep them at double the size I figured I would fix them when I get home her 4 00 showed up late and she stopped working on me to talk to her she then enlisted another artist for her 4 00 but felt obligated to find all the necessary makeup 15 minutes of this i’m almost an hour behind schedule with nothing on my face besides huge eyebrows she finally went to work and did the exact opposite of the photo she used no iip liner no under eye make up no blush or bronzer and employed no skill whatsoever an hour and 15 minutes after we were supposed to be done and one hour before I was to be picked up for my party she revealed this disaster this was the finished product I told her it didn’t look anything like what I was hoping for and would buy makeup remover only she looked at me said not one word and walked away I told the lady at the counter how upset I was my tears were also a dead giveaway and how I didn’t feel I should be charged for the fake eyelashes haphazardly applied or the makeup remover I would need she shrugged and said you look nice help this go viral worst experience of my life

Another product: If You Can Dodge A Wrench You Can Dodge A Ball Mechanic T Shirt

Trending for this post: What Happens In Hr Stays In Hr Vintage T Shirt

#Death #Skull #Life #Is #Short #Don't #Try #Too #Hard #T-Shirt

0 notes

sevenclowds · 7 years

Text

Frank Weekend

My account of going to see Frank Iero and the Patience play at the Baltimore Soundstage in Maryland, Sat Apr 22 2017.

My companions for the weekend are my 19 yr old and my friend's 16 yr old daughter. Both their names begin with C and will henceforth be known collectively as C&C. My teen was forced to listen introduced to MCR from the age of 7 and obviously has great musical taste. My friend's teen is a huge fan of the Emo Trinity, but is not familiar with Frank's non-MCR work. "Is Frank the drummer for MCR?" she asks innocently. Oh dear. We gotta lotta educating to do this weekend. Someone needs to save this poor child.

[Very long post. You probably want to put the kettle on for this.]

We leave North Carolina at 8am and make our first stop at 10am at a Starbucks. It is here that I purchase a fateful cup of coffee that will keep me buzzed for the next 19 hrs. Just how strong is Starbucks Pike Place Roast? And what on earth possessed me, a caffeine lightweight, to get a grande instead of a tall? It'll help me keep awake while driving, I thought. Someone punch me.

I treat C&C to my music on the drive. My iTunes music library appears to be like my blog: 95% MCR with the occasional snippet of something random. We make sure to play plenty of Frank, for educational purposes. C&C are huge Hamilton nerds and we listen to the soundtrack as we near DC. As we pass the capital city, I point out that Washington is now literally on our side. Groan. #momjokes

We arrive at our hotel in Baltimore around 4pm, then go out around 5pm. We walk past The Soundstage and there are lots of people lined up waiting to get in. I'm so happy to see several Frank fans wearing the same Death Spells hoodie as me and as we walk past I feel really fucking cool! These are my people! My tribe! They will see my DS merch and know that I am one of them! Whereas last week, walking round Harris Teeter, I felt vaguely conspicuous in my black hoodie with the scorpion on the back, but now, I fit in. I am home. If I didn't have C&C with me I would be lining up there with them. But I have to feed my teens and not leave them to stand outside in the rain, so I sigh, and head toward Shake Shack for some food that we'll loosely call "dinner", like a grown up.

After eating some fries, we head to a spiffy steampunky Barnes & Noble where C&C, both devoted book nerds, are in heaven and bond further over their love of fiction. I'm itching to get to the venue but it's still raining and cold and they're having so much fun that we don't head over there until about 7.30pm.

VIP Ticket Fiasco Two months previously, when buying the tickets online, I wasn't quite fast enough to get the VIP tickets and I sat at my computer spitting curses and venom at those who managed to buy them in 0.2 milliseconds flat. The VIP experience included a private acoustic session before the show, a copy of Parachutes, and a seat in the posh table-and-chairs bit near the side of the stage. But alas, it wasn't to be so I made do with the regular tickets.

So, as we enter the venue, we're informed that we can upgrade to the posh section for an extra $10 each. C&C look thrilled at this idea, and my kid has issues with being in crowds and had been intending to stand quietly near the back, so this is a fantastic opportunity to get a great view without the crush. I relent and upgrade, even though I'm crying inside because I know we've missed out on the private session earlier and I just want to die. Fuck me, I get to sit at a table like somebody's mom. Kill me now. My plan is to stay with C&C for a couple of songs and then venture out into the crowd, but that damn parental mode kicks in and I feel guilty about leaving them so I stay. But actually, the view is really great, even though the atmosphere in the VIP area is nonexistent.

Dave Hause and the Mermaid open the show with some so-so rock stuff. Perfectly fine and competent band to fill the time, although nothing too exciting until the last song, dedicated to Trump, and called Dirty Fucker, causes the crowd to go wild.

Then Frank Iero and his Beardy Wondergroup come out, launch into World Destroyer, and time ceases to exist. It's the first time I've seen Frank since 2007 when he wore his Black Parade jacket (sniff) so I'm very emotional and I'm grinning the whole time. I realize I don't know as many lyrics as I'd like to, on account of Frank lyrics being hard to learn without serious study, which I haven't had time for. I do my best and probably sing a pile of nonsense for the most part. He tells us that today is the first time he's showered in 5 days. Why so gross? He tells us a story about how bad the crime is in Baltimore, which makes everyone nervous about getting home tonight.

I take some great photos

And some not so great photos

After the show, we head to the pizza place next to the venue to kill time until the band hopefully come out. We huddle in the corner by the door and eat pizza. I can't really taste it. Maybe it's because it's gluten free and vegan, maybe it's because I'm really not quite in my body. I realize I'm shaking and figure it's still The Coffee I had earlier plus added adrenaline and fatigue.

I message Kyle @casesandcapitals to come meet us in the pizza place because I know he's here somewhere and we've never met before. Next thing I know, Jen @jen--ne--sais--quoi and Kyle are walking in and I realize three fundamental truths at the exact same time:

1. Jen has intimidating make-up skills

2. Kyle IS recognizable without the 5ft tall metal flamingo

3. These people are way too cool for me

I am a little excitable and extra when meeting them and their friends Abbi @grewuponyourbackporch and Cole, but mainly because Jen's jacket is all kinds of awesome.

My new friends eat pizza and go outside to wait again but it's too cold for us so we stay in the restaurant. I feel really sick, I'm still shaking and I feel like crap. In my fevered state I manage to post the same pic to Facebook twice and cannot for the life of me get anyone's name right in the above photo that I post to tumblr. My brain has gone. I'm a mess. I'm not really in my body and I wonder if they'll put "death by frank" as my cause of death.

We go to join everyone outside at about 1.30am because those band members aren't going to meet themselves and we don't want to miss it. It's fucking freezing! You can tell the direction that everyone has traveled to the show by how many blankets they're shivering under. Southerners are suffering and northerners don't give a shit because they're tough as nails. My kid discovers their Hamilton hoodie isn't at all warm but I'm not going to give them my hoodie because I need to meet Frank in my Death Spells hoodie because I'm shallow and a really bad parent. I actually choose to let a child freeze because I want Frank to know I'm a fan and not just someone's mom. Priorities, people!

Evan and Alex keep appearing and disappearing again. They mill around and meet folks, clearly enjoying themselves or at least faking it really well. Me and C&C go stand in the parking garage entrance for a bit because it's possibly 5 degrees warmer than outside. It's 2.20am. C&C want to give it until 2.30 before we leave. It's clear by now that Frank isn't going to come out. But he ALWAYS comes out. I'm faced with the reality of having to leave without meeting him and I'm distraught. I comfort C&C because I feel bad for making them wait all this time but they end up comforting and hugging me. They tell me to wait until 3am and to come speak to Evan because he's being adorable and there's hardly anyone left so we'll have him to ourselves. And so we do, and he's just the loveliest, sweetest man and he fixates on the fact that me and the kiddo are British, haha! We tell him we drove 8 hrs today and he should come to North Carolina. He agrees and says he loves Chapel Hill so maybe that'll happen some day (yeah right). He imparts wisdom on doing what you love and not being obsessed with grades because they won't matter once you leave school. He starts talking to someone else and just as we're thinking of leaving, there's a tap on my shoulder and someone behind me yells, "Oh! Nando's!" It's Evan again, wanting to tell me about his favorite British experience - a restaurant that serves the best chicken. He's so enthusiastic as we discuss Nando's menu, particularly the veggie options and the bean burger. Hilarious! He's my new favorite person without a doubt.

It's 3am and we leave, jogging back to the hotel (because Frank's made us nervous about Baltimore). We get to the room and I get into bed in my clothes because it's too cold to consider taking anything off. My body is still buzzing (can it STILL be The Coffee from this morning or is it shivering?). I get maybe 1-2 hrs sleep because my mind insists on composing Hamilton/FIATP hybrid songs and some of them are actually quite good so I stay up and listen to the inside of my head.

Next day we drive back to NC. It takes 7.5 hrs. I force C&C to listen to the entire Death Spells album and even a little bit of Leathermouth just because I know it's what Jen would have wanted 💜

#frank iero #frank iero and the patience #fiatp #evan nestor #matt olsson #alex grippo #apr 22 2017 #apr 22 show #baltimore #maryland #baltimore soundstage #adultishbandomnet #my show #my photos

33 notes · View notes

katalyjournals-blog · 7 years

Text

HK DAY 1

Gonna journal here kasi tae di po talaga kasya sa physical journal ko! And di ko dala here sa HK so. OKAY so i was supposed to wake up past 3 talaga pero 2am talaga biglang pumasok si Ate San sa room ko! So ayun tae di ko nga alam kung nakatulog nga ba ako non or what pucha! So ayun. Tapos super paranoid ni mom like mallate na daw shet ang aga pa talaga! Tapos nagagalit pa siya huhu pati kay kuya miko dahil sa BASO. Ok so nakarating kami terminal 2 mga 4am tapos ang galing kasi easy breezy check-in and immigration! May nag assist sa akin all throughout hanggang gate. Pero shet more than 3 hrs ako dun TULOG NA RIN YON. Pero syempre di ako nakatulog :) TAPOS nadelay pa flight ko huhuhuhu pero bawi naman i think? Mga 1 hr rin agwat ng flights ko with my friends though. TAPOS uy gusto ko talaga sana matulog tae kahit ilang mins lang swear pero yung nakatabi ko foreigner na may BABY tapos nasa likod ko bata!!!!! Like super ginagalaw talaga seat ko :( tapos nung parang sinisipa na talaga nung kid seat ko, i got transferred to business class!!!! HEHEHE pero uy ilang mins lang talaga yun rar. Pero ganda nung view cos landing yun tapos omg kasi legit diba window seat ako wala talaga akong nakita kasi wing pala row ko amp. So yeah bawi hehe. Tapos when we arrived may lady na nag assist sakin tapos super nice sana nag pic ako with her CHAR like siya nag write ng immigration form ko and everything and nag take pa ng luggage ko for me :( she was with me until i met with sina tita na and my friends sa arrival hall.

Took the bus to our hotel. Ang ganda nung bridges and everything very aesthetic. Ok tapos nag post si jodie abt people copying her /aesthetic/ daw tapos shet ? na freak out ako kasi uy nagaya ko na siya talaga like pag type and pag post ng pics sa stan acc. Hay. :( wanted to get friendly with her sana pero i rlly dont know sino ba tinutukoy niya. Eh she was in hk legit yesterday lang tapos ??! I was tweeting abt hk rin ??! Paranoid lang cguro aq. Anyway so lumampas kami ng one stop so nag lakad kami pabalik tapos puta ang layo rin talaga ng linakad namin. Tapos surprise we need to deposit 800 hkd pala bye money. So yah. Check in tapos ano uh went to eat at cafe de coral tapos kowloon park for pics and go around hehe.

Ang cool ng park cos theres swimming pool and aviary and even mcdo ! Kinda regret not trying their matcha soft serve but i was really busog na that time. Went to Mongkok na after the park. Um Sasa and Bonjour was like paulit-ulit and everywhere kinda like the road shops in Seoul haha. I was looking for Clean it Zero PURE pero wala so oh well. I stocked up on acne patches and cotton lang. Then we were looking for mga outlets na and clothes. Passed by Ladies Market and tried haggling. Tbh I haggle pero I know my limits kasi hello hanap buhay rin yun ng mga sellers. Anyway ang intense po nila Lish like ??? Ang OA ganon tapos when its super low na di naman bibilhin which super annoyed me rin. Kasi ako sure shopper ako when I see something I wanna buy I buy it. Tapos so si Lish naghhaggle for this necklace tapos ang low na ng price pero sabi niya BYE. Nagalit tuloy yung seller tapos ang scary swear never again. Nakakatrauma lmao. I was able to buy a mini Kanken finally for HKD110. It’s fake so idk man. Ok na rin tbh. I found argyle centre online so we went there and it was like teen shopping ganon. PH shopping is still cheaper hay. Korea pa rin talaga ako punta for shopping or here na lang sa PH tbh.

Me and nikka decided to eat dinner na lang sa hotel and buy food at 7/11 cos we were scared of walking na late at night to Mcdo. The 3 went there pero oks na rin cos we were able to wash up first haha. May nakasabay kami na family sa elevator and turns out theyre filipino tapos across lang room nila from ours!!! NICE.

Had trouble sleeping the first night so nagtabi kami ni Nikka (jus like sa baguio lol!) So yown.

#aly #travel

0 notes

wesummerstreamin · 5 years

Text

Vanlife

BTumblr

26Apr2019- left Kentucky at 10am

Drove as close as possible to new green acres in walterboro s.c. About 10 hrs., however appears loiuses bladder only had capacity for 9 hrs 55 minutes and had to use Phyllis lap instead of litter box.

The drive from Nashville thru Knoxville and then to Asheville was very pretty, with dogwoods blooming and last of red buds and the hills of Appalachia’s mountains

Private campground was ok but noisy located next to freeway, I was wishing for kids sound machines ......had to guess at price since arrived late and no one duty until 2-6 on Saturday.

27-Apr-2019

Woke up early to just hour left, we ran errands to Publix for our previsions, next was strawberries at the u-pic place but got a basket already picked, next was Gay fish store for Mahi-mahi and shrimp we past it because we were looking for shrimp shack mile marker to figure out how far to ride bikes from campground back to shack when we were hungry , anyway turned around on butches road to go back to the fish market.

Arrived right before noon and our spot was available.

Site 168 right to restrooms....p was not a great fan but it is convenient for shower and washing dishes, we kept our window shades up on that side. The WiFi routers are located in the restrooms so it was an advantage. First time with cats to beach, we bought a cat walk and crate for them to use In the tent but they prefer to stay on the floorboard of van floor on the drivers side where they road the last half of the trip.

The park has changed the beach front is very large extending to half the old campgrounds. We do see some tents sites that will be ocean front again but are not open yet.

The last time we were here was when princes died April 2016- 3 yrs.

28-Apr-2019 Sandy and Bobs Birthday

Pancakes and fresh strawberries for breakfast

Spent most day at beach; we forgot our awesome umbrella and had to made do with this ikea tent that we unfolded nicely but getting that tent folded back in the case was impossible no matter how many times to tried to read the stick figured instructions. Supper was fish and jumblia seasoned rice. Cats are getting better in screened tent, yesterday both cats hid in the litter box for hours before walking around.

0 notes

thefamilyineverknew · 6 years

Text

Turning 47: pt. VI

“Carry On, My Wayward Son”

16-17 May 2018

Following the directions given by the Waze app, I twist through street lit asphalt noodles on the outskirts of Kansas City toward Bruce’s house. I have no real idea where I am, having surrendered my Rand McNally skills to Lord GPS, the Omniscient. It’ll do, though this willingness to give in to technology does have me concerned about the plight of human capability, knowledge, and will.

The idea of Kansas City used to set my imagination alight. Having grown up 3 1/2 hrs north in Des Moines, Iowa, Kansas City meant one thing: Worlds of Fun amusement park. And I was certain it was...worlds of fun. If only we could have stopped there once when traveling to see our relatives in southwestern Kansas. We never did. The closest we got was a drive-by; seeing the tracks of the Zambezi Zinger and Orient Express roller coasters rising up above the tree line behind the gates. Here it comes, here it comes, here it COMES...there it goes. So close!

I make it to Bruce’s place. He’s putting his kids to bed, but offers me a beer from a local KC brewery and tells me to sit down & relax. I’ve known Bruce since 2nd grade, but we were never all that close growing up, just in the same class. However, in the last 10 yrs we have been able to reconnect via FB, and I’m grateful for it. This stop will be the third time I get to see the man during my stint in the U.S.; twice in Chicago, and then this time.

Bruce Copeland casts a wide net for people, open to hearing an opposing idea, and generous and accepting that there is room to differ without getting bent out of shape. A welcomed relief in this day & age. He has a big heart, and grateful to those who stepped into his life to help get him on the right track. This Bruce is nothing like the one I knew in elementary school; undisciplined, rambunctious, and hilariously disruptive. No, this Bruce is a good sounding board, measured and wise.

He comes down from putting his kids to bed, and we shoot the bull. Talk about professoring and what that was like, the drive, where I’m headed next. And then I lay down the story of the Ancestry results and subsequent message I received from my birth mother. I had yet to contact Arla again, save for letting her know that I would be in contact after processing this huge information, which is what I had been doing, slowly, in waves. Bruce takes it in stride, and we just chill.

The next morning, I’m up early (for me) staring down the barrel of a 9 hr drive. Bruce makes some coffee and we chat about old times, a bit of “where are they now” and “remember when”. So good and all so improbable. I’m completely open to all of this improbability. It seems to be the soup in which I am swimming.

I hit the road west again, this time across the Sunflower State: Kansas.

Now, this drive is notoriously monotonous, droning on forever in a dull, never-ending string of utter nothingness; at least for most. This is not the case for me. I grew up taking this trip at least once a year, fighting for room with my 4 brothers in the back of our brown 1984 Dodge Caravan, sometimes with a dead animal strapped to the rooftop for my dad to taxidermy later (the inspiration for one of my band’s songs,”Skunk in a Box”). For me, the drive is actually dynamic; cruising past vast wheat fields, big white grain elevators, sprawling irrigation crawlers, paralleling the occasional, impossibly long freight train, and rolling through the sand hills where I used to imagine playing Cowboys & Indians (growing up being told that I was 25% Native American, I always fought for team Indian). So the drive, for me, is sheer nostalgic joy.

In making my way to Garden City, I decide to go through the town where I spent my formative years from 2-7; Hutchinson, Kansas. In my mind, and experience, Hutchinson is a place trapped in memories ending in 1978, when we moved to Des Moines. In those memories, it’s always sunny, warm, and golden, like a postcard or advertisement of the time. It’s always Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. It’s always Sesame Street. Always the Krofft Supershow. Always CHiPs. Always The Six Million Dollar Man.

What was our old address? I had it memorized in 1st grade, but now? Hmmm. I kinda recognize these streets, but...hmmm. Eventually I make my way to W. 25th Street and see our old house, remembering jumping up & down on that porch with excitement as a boy, seeing Grandma & Grandpa Rupp pulling up in their impossible road yacht, a 1971 Chrysler New Yorker. And there was my best friend Marci McCoy’s house, where we used to eat Zingers and watch cartoons. And there was the church, across the parking lot from our house, where my dad went through his ordination process to become a pastor. All there, but altered, slightly, by time.

This whole experience has felt like traveling through time; from teaching at my alma mater, seeing old friends, and revisiting people and places once locked in memory, and then, suddenly unlocked. Here it is, right in front of me; where I first learned to ride a bike, where I got my head stuck between some metal bars, where I dropped a bunch of bricks down a tube to hear them splash (inadvertently ruining a septic tank).

So I tooled through Hutch, and so much of it had not changed from my memory. I stopped at Dairy Queen and had a Blizzard, then into Dillons grocery store (exactly the same), and then into the public library. I just wanted to go in and see if it smelled the same as I had remembered. A woman at the check-out desk asked me if I was looking for something. I said, “Yeah...1978”. I mentioned that I moved away as a kid and just wanted to come in and see if it smelled the same. “Does it?”, she asked. “Exactly the same.”

After that, I went to the riverside park, and got back on my way to Garden. Again, I had taken liberties with my time and was running behind, but it was only another 3.5 hours to go...or so I thought.

After an hour and a half, I take a rest stop in Kinsley, KS, heralded as the historic halfway point on the railroad between New York and San Francisco. There’s a little park there with a giant locomotive. I was snapping off a few pics when suddenly I feel the air temp drop precipitously. I look back and see the sky is dark, gun metal gray. Uh oh. I get in the car and sit there, turn on the radio and hear the scratchy emergency weather report coming in; severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes in Ford, Finney, and Gray counties. This is my direct route! Better get going.

The wind was raging, trying push my car off the road. I didn’t get but a few miles from Kinsley before I chose to pull over and wait it out. Driving on these rural two lane highways with semi-trucks passing at blistering speed is gamble enough in fair weather, but in these conditions? Nope, not worth it.

So, I parked my car on a side road, perpendicular to the storm and waited. It was awesome, like being in a terror spa. In Sweden, we don’t get this kind of dramatic weather and I had missed it thoroughly.

Eventually it let up enough for me to get back on the route. The rain, wind, and lightning were still relentless the entire way, but then there was also Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” and Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309” coming through on the radio, so there was a balance.

One last 10 minute leg to go, I rounded past Garden City proper, heading down South Star Highway toward my uncle John and aunt Cindy’s farm, where my parents were there to meet me. I knew what I would have to reveal when I saw them. How would they react? I really had no idea. This might go belly-up. Whenever the subject of “would you be interested in finding your family” would come up, and it very rarely ever would, I got a sense of eggshell walking. So, what would happen when they hear the words I am about to say?

Finally, I arrive, and my folks and uncle are there waiting in the doorway. Greetings and hugs (I hadn’t seen John since 2001). The farm is in the exact same place it’s been since before I could remember, and here it is, right in front of me.

We bring in my bags, and then I begin to divulge my tale...

#kansas city #missouri #kansas #worlds of fun

0 notes

ashafriesen · 6 years

Text

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route

Climbing Kilimanjaro. pic credit: Justin Brown

History is filled with stories which never got told, however, I promise you this one will not be it.

Ok, cut to the chase and drama, here is my story of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mountains have always inspired me and after the EBC Trek (Everest Base camp) it was time for my new adventure and it was only Mount Kilimanjaro on my mind.

The usual suspects were taken into confidence, my teammates Meera and Justin from the last trek, my mom to babysit and hubby to agree to the plot. The planning started months in advance and soon it was time to set off to climbing Kilimanjaro.

Now for the story…

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Acclimatisation Day

I arrive at the Kilimanjaro airport

We arrived from different parts of the world to Springland hotel in Moshi. It was a 16 member team, including our team leader and guide, Sanjeev Ganju from White Magic Adventure Travel. Meera, Justin and I knew each other from our last EBC trek. There was a Singaporean gang and an Indian gang. There was Jackie, Chisa, Carrie, and Rupinder, then there was Ajai with his two kids Ahilya(22) and Ahan(16) and Arun from Singapore. From Dubai, we had a mother-son duo, Alka and Aashay and Dr. Sanjiv and Jayesh Choksi from India.

Basically, Moshi is at 1400 mtrs above sea level and we stayed at the Springland Hotel here for a day to acclimatise. We got to meet and mingle with our team followed by a briefing from our team leader. Our support staff from the local agency of Zara Tours, consisted of 45 Tanzanian individuals – porters, cooks, guides, etc. This time I had a personal porter as well because I had a shoulder injury(minor cartilage tear) and I didn’t want to carry any heavy loads. Whew! That was a lot of people!

Day 1 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Simba final altitude 2600 mtrs

We were driven to Kilimanjaro National Park at 2340 mtrs from Springland hotel on a bus.

Ready to go!! pic credit: Carrie Chow

The ride is around 2.5 hours. One thing to observe is no one drives fast even if the road is empty. There are cops hiding everywhere.

It was an “easy day”, consisting of about 4 hrs of easy walking through a rainforest. We could have definitely walked faster but our team leader set the technique of walking ‘Pole Pole’ or slowly in a line, which was frustrating at this gradient but would help us when it gets tougher. Since you walk through the rainforest today, you hardly get to see any views today. We camped at Camp Simba that day which is at 2600 mtrs.

There was also an oxygen level check done every evening to check how our lungs were coping with the altitude. It was almost like getting marks after a school test and became a competition and betting point.

Day 2 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Kikewaki final altitude 3600 mtrs

Meera and I were sharing a tent and after sharing a few adventures together we have become comfortable and have a system in place on how to share and pack and get ready. Honestly, having at least one friend on a trek is a huge comfort factor.

On Day 2 there was gradation as we were climbing a 1000 meters but it wasn’t tough. In fact, I found all other days apart from the summit night and day pretty average. After walking for four hours our porters created a makeshift camp on top of a hill and served us lunch. Talk about comfort and camping in the wild.

We walked through the Kilimanjaro national park with hardly any views. After a few hours of walk, we got the first glimpse of Kilimanjaro but very soon it went behind the clouds. I prayed to ‘Jua’ or the Sun God, every day to stay with us and it had been working. It took us another 3 hours to reach our campsite Kikewaki at 3600 mtrs.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

First view of Kilimanjaro

Unlike EBC where we did not climb more than 500 mtrs in a day, we were gaining altitude fast on this trek but as our oxygen rating showed we all were coping pretty well. It was already getting cold and I wondered what the summit will feel like.

Also, unlike EBC here after reaching our camp, we would change, eat dinner and just retire to our tents. It was just too cold to sit and chat or bond with teammates for long.

Day 3 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Mawenzi -final altitude 4350m

The temperature was starting to dip – we had frost on our tent overnight.

Mawenzi is one of the craters of Mount Kilimanjaro and it means the mountain that cannot be climbed. Did you know Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain made of three craters, Mawenzi, Kibo, and Shira? And that it is actually not a typical mountain but years of volcanic ash piled on.

In just 3 hours of walking ie by 1 pm, we had reached Mawenzi but it was a steep climb today and I was surprisingly a bit tired.

pic credit: Justin Brown

The campsite was around a waterbody and after we reached there, ‘Jua’ was shining bright on us today and we had half a day to lounge around. I think it just uplifted our spirits.

It got us out of our tents and into squeals of laughter over card games like ‘Oh, hell!’ and ‘Dhumaal’ all games courtesy our EBC trek :). We even had people singing at the lunch table and no oxygen levels did not drop :).

Well, the sun does make you want to pose :). That’s Rupinder and Justin for you!!

I even managed to shoot this lovely mountain song to which I owe my knowledge of Swahili.

Jambo! Jambo bwana! Habari gani? Mzuri sana! Wageni, mwakaribishwa! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna matata!

Tembea pole pole. Hakuna matata! Utafika salama. Hakuna matata! Kunywa maji mengi. Hakuna matata!

Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, mlima mrefu sana.

Which basically means, welcome guest you are here for Climbing Kilimanjaro, no problem. Just go slow and drink lots of water for Kili is a huge mountain.

Day 4 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Acclimatisation day at Mawenzi

I call these the bonus days in my mind. They break the monotony of the climb and give me a chance to breathe. Acclimatisation day does not mean a complete rest day though we did get to sleep in a little late as today we were to do a mock climbing exercise on scree. Think of scree as loose gravel and climbing on it needs concentration. The summit climb is full of scree so this was a good practice. We started hiking only at 10 am. Today, Sanjeev gave us our positions based on our speeds and made sure we kept in a line. This was a good thing I thought, so no one gets left behind or marches ahead.

Each day is a step closer to climbing Kilimanjaro

It’s pretty dusty so a breathable buff comes in very handy. At the top, Meera, Justin and I were shooting our Bollywood Slo-Mos in memory of our EBC times.

From the left. Sanjeev, Meera, Justin and Me.

It was fun as usual and our new teammates were either aghast or enjoying our craziness. Descending the scree was fun but I fell a few times and so did others. Jackie slipped 5-6 times and injured her back.

Once back, we had our card games on and the fun continued. I couldn’t find my Nalgene bottle and panicked. Babbu, the lead guide from Team Zara offered me his bottle which I was grateful for but finally, we found my bottle and didn’t need his. We packed for the summit night as we knew the next day there was going to be no time or respite.

Day 5 and 6- Kibo Huts and Final summit and descent to Horombo Huts- 4850 mtrs- to climbing 5895 mtrs to- descent to 3700 mtrs

I have put the days together as it was difficult for me to say when one ended and the other began. Day 5 we started our walk from Mawenzi to Kibo huts, this is an almost flat but a vast stretch and is known as the saddle, as it connects Mawenzi to Kibo.

pic credit: Justin Brown

This was the most boring stretch I have walked on this trek. While it was flat we were not to break the line and Kibo huts can be seen from a far distance but take forever to reach. Almost, like a mirage in the desert. When we finally reached there it was cold and at 4850 mtrs we were breathless.

We somehow managed to click pictures, eat our lunch and just retire into our tents till it was dinner time at 6 p.m. The idea was to conserve energy and rest as much as possible. We were asked to wear our entire gear and sleep after dinner as we would have to start climbing from 11.30.

We had an early dinner, followed by a debrief about our summit attempt starting at midnight. We set our alarms for 10.30 pm, we didn’t want to rush and up we were and raring to go. We were given some hot porridge before we started. Some of us missed the guides call and so we got a bit delayed and finally left at 12.15 pm.

I wasn’t tired or sleepy. In my mind, I had played this night many times. The one thing I hadn’t planned well was a good playlist, as you need to keep your mind occupied. We set off into the darkness under the starry skies in a line towards our goal. It was the biggest eclipse of the century and it had come right after a full moon night. Our world was a zone we created around ourselves. The light from our headlamp, gave us view only of the person in front and you followed their rhythm. We took short standing breaks every hour. We would have water, some chocolates, energy gels, and it was super tough to do this with gloves on. Our porter helped us with this and I didn’t complain or feel The climb was steep and the air kept thinning. I was gasping for breath. In contrast, our Tanzanian guides were in full swing, they kept singing in Swahili;

“Jambo…Jambo Sana..! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna Matata!

On our way up, we could see other groups as well. An Asian girl struggling her way up, with her guide literally holding her hand and leading her. ‘Keep your focus’, I had to keep reminding myself. Somewhere between the second and third stops, I started shivering through all my layers. It was just too cold and I remembered Sanjeev telling us that a lot of people give up because of the cold. I gathered all my strength and told Babbuu our guide that I was feeling cold. He immediately gave me his heavy-duty Parka which brought back life into my being. What happened afterward is a blur. I just remember reaching Gilman’s point just as the sun rose up the mountains in its full glory.

Sunset At Gilman’s Point. Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

It was too cold for me to even want to take off my gloves. We were given a hot cup of ginger tea at the top and God, I was grateful for that!

All 16 of us made it!! pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Meera was still coming up, so I waited for her and it is at this point, we got separated from the rest of the group, which decided to plod on. Jackie had been unwell for the last 2-3 days and how she managed until here was also commendable. She returned after Gilman’s point. Unlike, what we had expected the next 200 mtrs to Uhuru peak was not a gentle walk, unlike our briefing. While it’s not a steep climb anymore, you push beyond exhaustion, there are many sharp turns with deep We kept trodding on and somewhere between Stella point and Uhuru Peak, I realised a guide was walking along with me who kept nudging us to not give up. While I am not the kind to ever give up, it just was good for my morale.

The never ending walk to Uhuru Peak. Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Usually, you don’t see snow at the top in July but this year, there was plenty and we were prepared with our cleats to handle it. Snow slows you down further. By this time, I had forgotten hunger or thirst, there was just one goal to reach Uhuru Peak. I would walk ten steps and stop to breathe. After what seemed almost a decade I reached the Peak and was happy to see the rest of our team. I had made it and I knew I would be fine now.

pic credit: Justin Brown

Our group was ready to leave in five minutes but I wanted to wait for Meera who joined us soon enough. On my way, I saw a woman being rescued and a guy being given oxygen. The altitude here at 19000 plus feet is not a joke.

Godfrey, my guide kept insisting I keep moving so I started walking. A downward slope has always been my forte and the goal was already achieved. I walked through the ice really quickly. Somewhere between Stella and Gilman’s point, Meera started feeling dizzy and the first signs of AMS started showing. I was worried. Luckily we had two guides and a porter with us. Our group was nowhere in sight and I knew we had to get her down quickly. In the middle of giving instructions and quick action, somewhere I heard a familiar voice. It was Arun, he was behind us and had assessed the situation. He just overtook, giving porters clear but firm instructions which they apparently followed without a question. We sent a porter ahead to catch up with Sanjeev so that he could take care of the situation while we headed to Gillman’s point. Once we reached there, we realised that the group had already moved on. It is at this point that I got a bit dizzy too. I checked with Arun and he wasn’t feeling great either. We had spent too much time on the top and the altitude was playing havoc. We discussed one ill person with 3 porters was better than three ill people with three porters. Meera was still a bit behind, we shouted to her to let her know that we were going to descend fast and the porters were going to get her back to safety. I am not sure how much she heard. Arun led the way and after Gillman’s point, it was mostly scree. We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down.

We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down. While we shouted and informed Sanjeev about Meera’s condition, a mild snowstorm had started even before we could reach them and we had lost them again in the mist. Arun and I continued screeing down and many times, I felt we had lost our way.

“We have been walking down for so long, did we really climb this much? Are you sure we are on the right path”, I would keep asking him and he told me to keep the faith.

It is said by porters that had the climb been done in the daylight most people would give up midway.

We took a good 6 hours to climb down all the way from Uhuru. Meera reached almost at the same time as us. Descending fast had helped her and she was her chatty self again and I was relieved. The day had cleared up and once again ‘Jua’ was bestowing us with a smile.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done after the 100 kms Oxfam walk. Unlike EBC, this was a summit and summits required a different level of push.

Day 7 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro: Marangu gate 1,860 mtrs

You would think now that the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro is done we will get to rest a bit but no, the last day was another 6 hours of walk to Marangu gate. Meera, Justin and I trodded on peacefully, chatting as the goal was done and now we were just walking to leave the National Park. With our feets already swollen and this being a downhill rocky path, we soon developed blisters which made the rest of the walk a little painful but the excitement and the endorphins kept us going.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

When you exit the park, you have to register with the authorities who will give you a certificate saying that you have sucessfully completed your trek.

Before leaving we had our troop of 45 guides, porters, and cooks singing for us. It was a lovely end to yet another adventure.

The post 7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route published first on https://parentcenternetwork.tumblr.com/

0 notes

evodex · 6 years

Text

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route

Climbing Kilimanjaro. pic credit: Justin Brown

History is filled with stories which never got told, however, I promise you this one will not be it.

Ok, cut to the chase and drama, here is my story of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mountains have always inspired me and after the EBC Trek (Everest Base camp) it was time for my new adventure and it was only Mount Kilimanjaro on my mind.

Now for the story…

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Acclimatisation Day

I arrive at the Kilimanjaro airport

Day 1 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Simba final altitude 2600 mtrs

We were driven to Kilimanjaro National Park at 2340 mtrs from Springland hotel on a bus.

Ready to go!! pic credit: Carrie Chow

The ride is around 2.5 hours. One thing to observe is no one drives fast even if the road is empty. There are cops hiding everywhere.

Day 2 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Kikewaki final altitude 3600 mtrs

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

First view of Kilimanjaro

Also, unlike EBC here after reaching our camp, we would change, eat dinner and just retire to our tents. It was just too cold to sit and chat or bond with teammates for long.

Day 3 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Mawenzi -final altitude 4350m

The temperature was starting to dip – we had frost on our tent overnight.

In just 3 hours of walking ie by 1 pm, we had reached Mawenzi but it was a steep climb today and I was surprisingly a bit tired.

pic credit: Justin Brown

The campsite was around a waterbody and after we reached there, ‘Jua’ was shining bright on us today and we had half a day to lounge around. I think it just uplifted our spirits.

Well, the sun does make you want to pose :). That’s Rupinder and Justin for you!!

I even managed to shoot this lovely mountain song to which I owe my knowledge of Swahili.

Jambo! Jambo bwana! Habari gani? Mzuri sana! Wageni, mwakaribishwa! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna matata!

Tembea pole pole. Hakuna matata! Utafika salama. Hakuna matata! Kunywa maji mengi. Hakuna matata!

Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, mlima mrefu sana.

Which basically means, welcome guest you are here for Climbing Kilimanjaro, no problem. Just go slow and drink lots of water for Kili is a huge mountain.

Day 4 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Acclimatisation day at Mawenzi

Each day is a step closer to climbing Kilimanjaro

It’s pretty dusty so a breathable buff comes in very handy. At the top, Meera, Justin and I were shooting our Bollywood Slo-Mos in memory of our EBC times.

From the left. Sanjeev, Meera, Justin and Me.

Day 5 and 6- Kibo Huts and Final summit and descent to Horombo Huts- 4850 mtrs- to climbing 5895 mtrs to- descent to 3700 mtrs

pic credit: Justin Brown

“Jambo…Jambo Sana..! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna Matata!

Sunset At Gilman’s Point. Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

It was too cold for me to even want to take off my gloves. We were given a hot cup of ginger tea at the top and God, I was grateful for that!

All 16 of us made it!! pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

The never ending walk to Uhuru Peak. Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

pic credit: Justin Brown

“We have been walking down for so long, did we really climb this much? Are you sure we are on the right path”, I would keep asking him and he told me to keep the faith.

It is said by porters that had the climb been done in the daylight most people would give up midway.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done after the 100 kms Oxfam walk. Unlike EBC, this was a summit and summits required a different level of push.

Day 7 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro: Marangu gate 1,860 mtrs

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

When you exit the park, you have to register with the authorities who will give you a certificate saying that you have sucessfully completed your trek.

Before leaving we had our troop of 45 guides, porters, and cooks singing for us. It was a lovely end to yet another adventure.

The post 7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route appeared first on Maa of All Blogs.

7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route published first on https://bestbabyinc.tumblr.com

0 notes