#I call anything over like 1.5 hours a road trip in the sense of like

[ethereal-bang]

Stormy Night

Authors Note: Hey guys!! It’s finally here, my first fic to post! AANNND ITS SEUNGMIN SMUT YOU’RE WELCOME this probably seems very rough and rushed and I’m sorry lol it’s my first time writing smut and my first time in a few years writing a fic, but I’m really happy with it!

Characters: Seungmin x Female Reader

Word Count: 3.3k (oops lol) 

Type: Friends to Lovers, An equal amount of fluff as there is smut “There’s enough room on the bed for both of us”, somewhat of a buildup

This piece of fiction is intended for adult audiences, 18+ ONLY 

Watching the rain as it hits the windshield, a mild feeling of panic starts to wash over you. The storm was getting bad, and it would be getting dark pretty soon. Looking back on it, maybe taking the 18 hour road trip home with Seungmin wasn’t the smartest idea you’d had. You were nearly half way there, so close but so far to your hometown, where you insisted--no, begged for Seungmin to come with you due to a family wedding that you wanted no part in, but were obligated to be at. Not to mention, your cousins had been pestering you about when you were finally going to bring a plus one to such important family gatherings.

“So Y/N,” your cousin started, and you immediately feel a little panic set in, knowing where this was going. “Is your boyfriend coming with you to Jennie’s wedding? I mean..you do have a boyfriend, right?” You can hear the smirk in her voice over the phone, asking about the wedding that you would be attending this weekend. Every time one of these events take place, she’s always there to make fun of your relationship-- or lack thereof. Searching around the room as you try to think of an excuse, your eyes land on your best friend, Seungmin, who is sitting on the couch watching some drama he had turned on when your cousin called. An idea forming, you slowly smile. “Actually..yes. I am bringing my boyfriend with me.” At your words, Seungmin’s ears perk up and he turns to look at you. Eyes going wide, he immediately catches onto your plan, mouthing words of protest at you as you try to wave him off. “Yes. We will make sure to be there by noon. Okay, I’ve gotta go, I’ll talk to you later bye!” You tell your cousin, quickly getting her off the phone as Seungmin has now stood up and was making his way towards you. 

Hanging up the phone, Seungmin looks at you like you're crazy. “No.” He says quickly, not letting you get a word in edgewise. “No. I am NOT going to play boyfriend at this wedding. Please don’t make me do it,” he pleads, eyes going wide. “Seungmiiiinnnn,” you whine, “it’ll only be for a weekend, please just hear me out!” you beg. He shakes his head in resistance and you groan, throwing yourself onto the couch. “Pleeease. I’ll do anything!” At this, he stops. “Anything?” You nod at him, looking hopeful. “Do my biology homework for a week and you’ve got yourself a deal.” You smile at him, surprise taking over your features. “Done.” you beam, and he groans, not thinking you would actually agree. 

And that was how you got here, Seungmin volunteering to drive the first half of the way. However, you weren’t expecting the rain to hit as hard as it was. Sensing you were a tad bit anxious at the growing storm, Seungmin takes a hand off the steering wheel and places it on your thigh. You really wish he wouldn’t do that.

It’s no secret that your best friend is attractive. Seungmin is a traditionally handsome kinda guy-- brown, soft hair, big chocolate eyes that scrunch at the corners when he smiles and a laugh that can brighten anyone’s day. You take a second to appreciate said features, hoping that he wouldn’t notice the blush making its way to your cheeks and focusing on the road instead.

Yeah...so maybe you have a thing for your best friend. No big deal.

A loud crack of thunder pulls you out of your trance, and it starts to rain even harder, if that was even possible. “Seungmin..” you start, voice small, “maybe we should stop somewhere, just until the rain calms down a little.” Your eyes are drawn to a road marker: “LODGING: EXIT 15 (1.5 miles)” Pointing it out to Seungmin, he nods and keeps an eye out for the next exit, which should be quickly approaching. “You’re right, man who would’ve thought it would rain this bad..” he says, trying to keep the car on the road despite the rain making it hard to see.

Soon enough, you see the neon lights of a hotel come into view. Seungmin, sighing with relief now that he won’t be driving in the dangerous weather, pulls into the parking lot. “You stay here, I’ll head inside and get us a room,” He says, undoing his seatbelt and pulling the hood on his jacket tight. You nod in response, watching him jog through the parking lot and into the lobby. You focus on the sounds of the rain, now oddly calming as you know you’re not going to be in it. Really, you were just worried about this wedding, wanting it to go well and hope that no one will see through the little act you’re about to put on with your best friend. 

A few minutes later, Seungmin runs back out to the car. Brandishing a key on a little feather chain, he smiles at you. “Got the room, let’s go on up.” You grab your backpacks that were sitting in the back seat, and follow Seungmin to the room. Upon opening the door, you take a look around at the place you’ll call home for the night. A patterned rug, wall lights soft but warm which make the room feel oddly cozy, and dark red curtains make you laugh, feeling comfort in the very stereotypical decor. That is, until your eyes fall on the bed.

That’s right, the bed. One bed. For the two of you.

Now, you’ve had sleepovers with Seungmin plenty of times, memories of all nighters before finals and drunken celebrations crossing your mind. However, when he stayed over you almost always ended up falling asleep on the couch; TV playing a movie that eventually neither of you could keep your minds focused on, too occupied with the idea of sweet sweet sleep. Your back might have hated you for not sleeping in your own bed, but waking up on the couch with Seungmin’s head resting atop yours was something you’ll always find comfort in; his hair tickling your forehead as you take in your surroundings. 

“Only one bed?” You ask him, feeling a little nervous. “Yeah, it was all they had left..I can sleep on the floor if you want me to, it’s no big deal.” He shrugs as he sets his bag down on the table near the front door. The idea of him sleeping on a hotel carpet does not sit well with you, thinking of how many people have been through this room and questioning just what has went down here. “No no it’s okay. I don’t want you sleeping on the floor. There’s enough room on the bed for the both of us “ You say, trying to hide the nervous tint in your voice. “Are you sure?” He asks and you nod your head, not wanting your voice to betray you. Shrugging his shoulders, Seungmin announces that he’s going to take a shower, feeling gross after being in the car since the early hours of the morning and being caught in the rain. 

You get comfortable in the hotel room, setting your things down and getting ready to let sleep take you over. While laying in the bed, as close to one side as you possibly can, you scroll through your social media as Seungmin finally makes his way out of the bathroom. Glancing up  at him from your screen, you hold back a gasp as you take in the way he looks: Hair still a little wet, a fresh tshirt that fits his arms just right and his grey sweatpants sitting a little low on his hips making you want to lift his shirt and kiss the exposed skin. Your mind goes absolutely insane as you try to push the thoughts away, wanting to get some sleep. 

Picking up the covers, Seungmin slides in next to you and chuckles about how apprehensive you seem. “You know, Y/N, you’re almost falling off the bed. You don’t have to be so far away.” he says, getting under the covers and making himself comfy. “No, really, I’m alright,” you lie to him, wanting to maintain your distance otherwise your sanity will slowly chip away. Even with the small distance in between you, you can smell the cinnamon of his body wash, one that you’ve definitely used on the occasional chance that you’ve stayed at his apartment. The scent is almost intoxicating, because it’s just purely..Seungmin. “Okay, suit yourself. Try and get some sleep, I set an alarm for the morning so we’ll be fine,” he says, punctuating his sentence with a yawn. You set your phone down on the side table and turn off the lamp, closing your eyes and trying to fall asleep, willing away dreams of the boy who is snoring peacefully next to you. (Seriously? How did he fall asleep so fast?)

You almost had a peaceful sleep. Almost.

You’re unsure how much time has passed, but your slumber was rudely interrupted by a very bright strike of lightning, loud thunder following not too close behind. The sound made you wake in a panic, heart racing and sitting straight up in bed. Once you realized what was happening you lay back down, trying to relax yourself back to sleep.

It wasn’t working. The lightning and thunder continued, and for some reason you just cannot bring your brain to calm down enough. Tossing and turning, you’re thankful that the darkness can hide the blush on your cheeks as you take in Seungmin’s sleeping form. His mouth is partially open, soft snores emitting from it and making you smile. His hair has dried, fluffy and falling into his eyes where his lashes cast a delicate shadow onto his cheeks. 

Another crack of thunder makes you jump, and this time it was loud enough to make Seungmin stir too. Afraid he would wake up and catch you staring at him, you quickly shut your eyes, pretending to be asleep and praying that your best friend wouldn’t be able to hear your heart pounding in your chest. 

You hear Seungmin take in a deep breath, and he scoots a little closer to you. “I know you’re awake,” you hear him say, and the gentle yet sleepy tone makes you open your eyes, even though you were desperately trying to get yourself to fall asleep. Taking a look at him, you try to hide the fact that you’re a little flustered, but that isn’t easy as Seungmin reaches across the space in between you and pulls you into his chest. If he couldn’t hear your heart beating before, he should be able to feel it by now, but sure enough you relaxed in his hold, as if you were made for his arms to be wrapped around you. Seungmin runs his fingers through your hair in a slightly comforting gesture. “Thunderstorm keeping you up?” He asks quietly, and you nod your head. “It’s gotten worse. I hope it lets up before we have to leave…” you trail off, and Seungmin just shushes you, the patterns he’s drawing on his scalp slowing to a stop as he holds you.

Taking a chance, you look up at your best friend, nose touching his chin as he lays there with his eyes closed. Sensing your stare, he pulls away a little and looks at you, and that’s when you see it. Something is there, but you’re not quite able to make it out.

That is, until suddenly Seungmin is leaning down towards you, face coming closer slowly as if to gauge your reaction. Taking the plunge, you meet him halfway in a searing kiss, one that you did not expect to come from him right now, or ever.

You were always positive that your feelings for Seungmin were unrequited, looking for signs that he may have even the littlest bit of feelings for you over the years. Maybe you’re just oblivious, but all of those thoughts fly out the window at the feeling of his lips on yours, the hand that was once on your waist now on your cheek, his other hand still in your hair.

You stay like that for a few minutes, just kissing, enjoying the fact that you’re both finally getting what you wanted. You’re the first one to pull away, out of breath and absolutely smitten.

“You,” Seungmin starts, a shy smile on his lips as he looks at your pink cheeks, “have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that for,” he confesses, and it makes you smile. “Well, why’d you stop?” you tease and pull him back down for another kiss.

The first kiss was gentle, loving, sweet. Everything you ever expected of Kim Seungmin. The second kiss, however, turned into something deeper, more sensual and passionate as you swiped your tongue along his bottom lip, him granting you access but immediately fighting you for dominance. You let him win, giving into the feelings that were slowly forming in the pit of your stomach. His hold on you tightens, and he pushes you into the mattress, hovering over you while still driving you absolutely insane. His hands move under your shirt, the brunette tracing circles on your hip bones that automatically start a fire inside of you. His kisses move down to your neck, biting on a spot between your neck and your collarbone which elicits a small groan of his name from your mouth.

“Fuck,” he says under his breath, the noise you made clearly affecting him. He pushes his hands farther up your shirt and looks at you for permission. “Can I?” he asks, and you simply nod your head, raising your arms to help him get you out of your shirt. 

Being in front of Seungmin in this way was totally new-- the most he’s ever seen of you is in a bikini, and even then you wore a tshirt over it more often than not. You go to cover yourself but Seungmin moves your arms away and his lips immediately attach to your chest, making eye contact with you as his tongue runs across your nipple. Seungmin seems to be spurred on by the noises you’re making, running his hands up and down your sides, going lower each time but refusing to put his hands where you really want them. He pulls away for a quick moment, and you whine at the loss of contact. Seungmin sits up, a chuckle falling from his lips as he takes off his own tshirt, and you can’t help but stare at the lithe body that’s presented before you. You’ve always known he was in shape, but watching his muscles flex with each movement he makes suddenly makes you very impatient. 

Suddenly he’s back on you, lips traveling farther down to your core and the knot in your stomach tightens a little bit more with each kiss he leaves on your body. “You,” he begins, “are the most. Beautiful. Woman. I. have. Ever. seen.” he accentuates each word with a kiss, starting at your ribcage and ending on your inner thighs. His lips are ghosting your core, opting to continue the sweet kisses on your inner thighs. “Seungmin..please,” you whine out, a hand moving down to grip his hair. “What do you want, baby? I need you to use your words,” he says with a smirk on his face. 

“Seungmin please. I need your tongue, your fingers, fuck anything just...touch me. Please,” you beg him. Happy to hear your breathy moans, he finally slips off your sleep shorts and your underwear at once, running a finger through your folds. “So, so pretty,” he says in amazement, reveling in the fact that you’re soaked, and it’s all for him. 

Seungmin begins placing soft kitten licks to your clit, the feeling making you want to roll your eyes into the back of your head. Instead you opt to watch him, his eyes completely blown with lust as he adds a finger to the mix. Looking up at you to gauge your reaction, Seungmin is more than happy with what he sees. Your eyes have gone dark, trying not to throw your head back in pleasure because you want to watch as he slowly has you falling apart around him. 

The feeling of his finger inside you makes you whimper. It’s nice, but it’s nowhere near enough. “Seungmin..please stop teasing,” you beg him. He looks up at you questioningly. “Nu uh baby, I have to get you ready for me,” “I am ready for you, Seungmin, God please-- just fuck me,”

Hearing the absolute desperation in your voice, he decides to grant you mercy, removing his fingers and pulling your legs up a little higher. “You sure?” he asks once more, looking for your consent before you cross a boundary that the two of you will never be able to come back from. You pull him down to you for a kiss, hoping that he can feel all of the emotions you’re pouring into it. “Seungmin, I want you. In every sense of the word. I have never been so sure about something,” you say. With a gentle smile on his lips, he leans back to pull down his sweatpants, cock springing up against his stomach. You feel your heart begin to beat even faster-- as if that was possible-- knowing what was coming.

Seungmin runs the head of his cock in between your folds, something that has you keening with pleasure and excitement. Leaning close to you, he takes your hand in his, and uses his free hand to guide his cock into your entrance. Seungmin lets out a deep groan that mirrors your own, getting lost in the feeling of how tight you feel around him. The stretch stings for just a moment, but is soon replaced with a feeling of absolute euphoria. It’s like Seungmin was made for you; feeling absolutely full once he bottoms out. He stays like that for a moment or two, letting you get adjusted to the feeling as he peppers kisses on your neck, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. You wiggle your hips just a bit, and Seungmin gets the hint. Slowly pulling out, you moan at the feeling of him inside you. He picks up a steady pace, not too fast but not agonizingly slow. 

The only sounds that can be heard in the room are skin slapping, and your moans mixed with Seungmin’s quieter noises as well. “F-fuck,” he stutters, hips starting to move faster, hitting you harder and looking for your gspot. “S-seungmin dont..d-dont stop,” you say, the knot in your stomach turning white hot as he continued.

Seungmin leans in closer to you, your legs pushed up against your chest and the position has you seeing stars. Feeling your wall clench around him, one of Seungmin’s hands travels down to your clit, rubbing fast circles. His high was approaching too, but he wanted to make sure that you came before he did. “Oh my god,” you breathe out as the knot in your stomach finally snaps, vision going white and the only thing coming from your mouth is Seungmin’s name, repeated like a mantra that you would live by your entire life. Not even seconds later Seungmin’s orgasm comes, triggered by your wall tightening around him. You feel him fill you completely, a soft moan let out as you both finally come down from your highs.

Pulling out and laying back down beside you, Seungmin pulls you close to him once again. “I meant what I said, you know. About wanting you. I do. All of the time,” you quietly say, still a little out of breath and your cheeks flushing pink. Throwing his arm over your waist, he presses a kiss to your cheek. “I know. I want you too, always. Y/N, would you do me the honors and be my actual girlfriend?” He asks, looking you in the eyes. You smile softly, leaning into kiss him once more.

“Absolutely,” you say, right before sleep takes you, the thunderstorm completely forgotten.

 _______________________________________________________________

A/N: Hey! If you’ve made it this far, make sure you like/reblog/give me any kind of feedback! I really hope you guys like it!!

Also my requests ARE OPEN so if you have anything you wanna send in, feel free to do so!!!

#seungmin #skz #stray kids scenarios #stray kids fluff #stray kids smut #kim seungmin #kpop scenarios #ryn writes #ryn's work: seungmin #ryn's work: stray kids

[pandjseetheworld]

Backpacking Glacier

Day 3 in Glacier Continued…

Day 1 Backpacking

After parking the car next to the trailhead we gathered our gear and headed on the the trail. We were so excited to get going that we completely forgot to eat lunch so by mile 2 we realized we were hiking on breakfast only! We felt weak for just starting out but thankfully we only had to hike 6 miles this afternoon. About 4.5 miles in there was a sign for Twin Falls so of course we took a quick detour. And wow, these falls were stunning! And for the first time we made it to a beautiful spot that wasn’t swarmed with people making it even more majestic. My pinkie toe was rubbing and I was already getting a tiny blister so I switched into my sandals for the remainder of the hike (1.5 to go).

It was dusk by the time we were nearing our campground, with Pearce in the lead he quietly and quickly says “Moose!” Holy Moly, I was about to jump out of my sandals!!! There was a bull moose not but 50 feet from us! I swear to you it was Bullwinkle! This guys antlers were HUGE and he was just chowing down on some dinner, which we could relate because we were starving! This was by far the closest I have ever come to such a large animal. Pearce and I both looked at each other like… ughhhh what to we do now, the Ranger video didn’t mention how to get around a moose haha so we just made ourself known and slowly walked around him. Pearce was on guard with his bear spray out though, realll prepared! Several people we met along the way told us that a moose is more dangerous than a bear because they are huge and dumb. They will just charge for no reason so we should always keep a rock or tree between us and the moose. We were fine but I was on a high from seeing him so close! It was awesome!!

After our moose encounter, we continued on to our campground. It had 4 sites and was completely filled up. There was a pit toilet, bear box, and communal food area. Pretty nice amenities for being in the backcountry, I was impressed! The first thing we were told to do upon arriving at camp is to put your food and anything smelly in the bear box. This was there is only one area that smells (makes sense). So we dropped all our food off and headed to set up camp. Our campsite was nicely laid out with a flat area for our tent. Truly these campsites were impressive. Finally, the time had come to eat! We were both ravenous and probably would have eaten a bear if we saw one but instead we stuck with our dehydrated meals, equally as yummy and filling! You had to cook in the communal food area and the other groups were there eating too. It was nice to mingle with the other folks and hear about where they camped and their stories. It had a hostel vibe which was enjoyable and made me feel a little safer knowing we weren’t the only ones out there. If a bear were to eat us, someone would surely hear. At least that’s what I told myself before going to bed!!

Day 4 in Glacier

Day 2 Backpacking

Today was the longest day we’ve hiked thus far on our whole entire trip. In total it was only a 12 mile day but it had a 3600ft vertical incline! Now, these numbers were not pitched to me before hiking, I was only informed of this during and post hike for good reason! It was not the easiest day but you know what they say, “nothing worthwhile comes easy!” And it was very worthwhile!

After packing up camp and having some yummy freeze dried breakfast (it’s actually good if you haven’t tried it you should), we headed back on the trail. After the hype of the moose yesterday and talking to people at breakfast I was really hoping to see a moose swimming. Apparently it’s more common than it seems. And low and behold, not but a mile from leaving out campsite there was a cow moose in the lake we were hiking next to!! I was beside myself! The moose wasn’t swimming but still, he was in the water hanging out!! It was a perfect boost to get us going on the difficult day!

On our way up, up, and up we passed another little lake called No Name Lake and saw a big horn sheep along the way. After No Name Lake there was no looking back, we were heading to the clouds. Straight to the clouds, at a steep vertical incline! Of course picking huckleberries along the trail gave us some rest breaks and every now and again we’d have to stop to look back at what we had just climbed. It seemed endless at some points but with one foot in front of the other it wasn’t too bad. About 2 hours up and we hit Dawson’s pass. It was Windy City because at the Peak the Mtn’s opened up to the heavens. It was incredible! We had to hide behind a rock wind blocker for lunch but would step out to check the views every now and again. It was magnificent and the visibility was pretty good!

At Dawson’s Pass, I was thinking our incline would be over and we’d start our decent but I was wrong. We walked along the ridge line of the mtn for 2+ miles taking in the views and carefully placing each foot down. In come places we’d be walking along a rock slide that had been flattened about a foot across to serve as the trail. Vertical rock slide on one side and death with one wrong step. It was hard to look any where aside from at the trail on those sections but the views we jaw dropping! Fear met beauty at those moments and it was a wonderful rush!

We walked along the ridge to a second pass the Pitamakan Pass. This was equally as gorgeous but now we could look down at Old Man Lake and see the campground we were staying it. The wind picked up as we continued down into our campground but thankfully we weren’t on the edge of the mountain any more.

After arriving at Old Man Lake Campground we hung our food up, they provided a high food pole for us, and scoped out the camp sites. We got a nice site but there wasn’t any tree coverage and we were pretty open to the elements. For our wedding we got a super nice light weight backpacking tent that’s been fabulous for our backpacking trips but not the best in the wind. At night there were gale force winds that swept through the lake and pass and nearly broke our tent. The winds also stirred up and blew the dust and dirt so when we woke up the next morning everything had a fine layer of dirt. I cannot say it was the best night of sleep I have ever had but it was definitely a cool spot!

Day 5 in Glacier

Day 3 of Backpacking

The next morning I woke up and was ready to go. I was covered in dust, had little rest, and I was best from yesterday’s hike. So we had a quick breakfast and hiked out as soon as possible. Another 6 miles down hill and back to Two Medicine and we were done! The views on the way down were amazing and it was neat to look back at the mountains and think I walked along that ridge line! This trip was incredible and made Glacier a pretty impressive park in our opinions!

Since everything had a fine layer of dust on it, when we got to the car we unpacked our gear and wiped it down then repacked everything into its right place in the car. The wind may have been a pain the ass for us but it did wonders for the visibility. We decided to take the long route around and give the Going-to-the-Sun road a fourth chance. And I am so glad we did. The wind blew out all the smoke and it was perfect visibility! We could now see the vast amount of waterfalls and canyons off the road. The colors were popping with greens from the trees to blues from the glacier water . Finally we understood the hype to this road! It was very cool and I’m glad we didn’t give up after our first day in the park!

It was time to pick up Mr. Loki and run a bunch of errands in Kalispell and Whitefish before our next adventure to Canada. I just want to add that Whitefish Montana is absolutely adorable and if you ever get the chance to go to Glacier make sure to stop there. It’s a quaint little mountain country town that’s got lots of fun shopping and restaurants! Worth the stop!!

[collapsingintojupiter]

Sunshine and Storm Clouds: Chapter 5

Chapter 1  Chapter 1.5  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4

Hey guys, back with a new post from my baby series, Sunshine and Storm Clouds. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you guys enjoy reading it too.

Characters: Remy, Roman, Baby Patton, Logan, Virgil

Relationships: Analogical

Warnings: Some cursing…other than that I think nothing? Let me know if I should add any though.

___

They were at Remy’s house again, loading up the last boxes with Thomas’ help. 

“That was fun,” Remy remarked as they all piled into Thomas’ truck for the last ride to the new house. 

“I’m tired,” Virgil groaned.

“When aren’t you tired?” Remy asked without missing a beat. Thomas grinned. 

“You know, he’s got a point, Virge,” he said with a chuckle.

“Oh shut up.” Virgil leaned against Logan’s shoulder with a sigh and Logan let him–even for an adult, he held remarkably still. Remy had claimed the passenger seat already and Thomas was driving, leaving the back seat free for them. By the time they had completed the twenty minute trip across town, Virgil was asleep and Remy was pretty sure that statues were more fluid than Logan was right then. He tried to quietly open the door so as not to wake his friend up, but no luck. Virgil had always been a light sleeper, and he jerked awake with a start as the door handle clicked, looking around the cab for a few seconds with wide eyes before he seemed to realize where he was. He let out a quiet sigh, then pushed himself upright and slid out of the back of the car. Logan pretended not to notice and calmly got out as well.

They spent an hour unloading the trailer into the new house, and once they were done Remy put his hands on his hips and nodded.

“This calls for a celebration,” he declared. “Who wants to go shopping?”

“Oh no,” Virgil and Logan said at once, exchanging glances as they did.

“Not me.” Thomas shook his head. “Unfortunately I’ve already made prior commitments, so I won’t be able to accompany you three tonight.” He grinned at Remy. “Send me pictures?”

“Gladly.” Remy adjusted his shades, gesturing to Virgil and Logan with his Starbucks-holding hand. “You two are free, right? Where’s Patton?”

“He’s at home with Roman,” Logan answered.

“Ooooh you should bring him!” Remy squealed.

“Which one?" 

"You know what? Bring both of them, I’d love to meet Roman! You’ve told me so much about him–Thomas, remind me to get lunch with you sometime; you deserve it after all you’ve done to help me out.”

Thomas gave him a thumbs-up, waving to the trio as he headed for the door.

“You free Thursday?” Remy called after him.

“Sure, does noon work for you?”

“Absolutely. Mexican?”

“You bet!”

Virgil and Logan waved goodbye to Thomas, and soon it was just them and Remy in the house. Remy was quiet for a minute, before he jumped up and headed for the door.

“Let’s do this!”

—

Roman glanced up from where he was reading Winnie the Pooh to Patton when the front door opened. Except, instead of two people coming inside, there were three this time. The third one was holding a Starbucks cup in one hand and a phone in the other; a fancy pair of shades rested on his nose, and when he came into the room he immediately let out a squeal that made Virgil jump.

“Oh my God Patton is so cute! I mean he never wasn’t cute but ohmygosh.” He came into the room, grinning at Roman as he did.

“And you must be Roman! Welcome to Remy’s adopted family!” He gestured to Virgil and Logan before reaching out a hand, and Roman blinked at it before hesitantly taking it. He offered the new character a small smile.

“Uh, hi, Mr…”

“Remy, just call me Remy.”

Why do they keep doing this to me? Roman thought with an inward groan, though he forced a smile onto his face anyways.

“Nice to meet you, Remy sir.” The man in shades raised an eyebrow.

“I like him,” he announced to Logan and Virgil. “He has manners.” He glared at father in purple and black, who rolled his eyes in response. 

“You know you love me.”

“You thought, anyways.” Remy nodded, then gestured to Roman. “I’ve decided; he’s coming with us.”

“Remy, you have to ask him. You can’t just take people places without consent,” Logan crossed his arms over his chest and gave the one in shades a stern look. Remy sighed dramatically.

“Why wouldn’t he want to come shopping with me, Lo?” He asked, winking at Roman.

“Because shopping with you is a nightmare.” Virgil answered.

“Hmph.” Remy turned to Roman. “You want to come?”

Roman shrugged. “My mom won’t be home for awhile so…sure, I guess.” Remy’s face broke into a grin, and he smiled at Roman.

“Right answer, my boy.”

“Papa!” Patton cried, trying to wiggle out of Roman’s arms as he reached for his father. Virgil stepped forward and picked him up, frowning as he did so. 

“There’s shady people in malls. Don’t want Patton in that,” he muttered.

“Ah c'mon, Virgey, loosen up a little!”

“Don’t call me that!” Virgil hissed. Remy rolled his eyes.

“Look, Aunty Remy ain’t gonna let anything happen to your boy. Anybody shady is gonna have to get through me first, m'kay?”

“And me,” Roman said suddenly, his voice coming out a bit fiercer than he meant it to be. His gaze shot over to Virgil and saw the older purple-and-black clad man blink at him in surprise, and his cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “I-I mean I’d be happy to look after him…i-if you want,” he added under his breath, tripping over his words with an inward curse at himself. Remy laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh you’re gonna do great, kid. Let’s go, Virgey!”

“Call me that one more time, I dare you.” Remy wiggled his eyebrows at his friend, then started for the door. “Let’s get this show on the road!” He called. Logan let out a long-suffering sigh and followed the others out the door. He stopped at his car to get out Patton’s car seat and Roman found himself rushing to help him, taking it from the teacher’s hands and carrying it over to Remy’s car for him.

“Mmm, he’s helpful too,” Remy remarked when he showed up, shooting a look at Virgil that only earned him a silent glare in response. Roman felt his blood run cold when he made that face, freezing in place with the car seat in his hands.

Does he hate me after all?

What did I do wrong?

“Just put it right here,” Logan ordered calmly as he approached and Roman jumped at his voice, nearly dropping the seat as he did so. He quickly recovered and saw Logan motioning to the open backseat of the car with one hand, swiftly putting the car seat in place before his reaction could be noted by the others. Remy told him to take the passenger seat and he tried to refuse, until the older man pulled him aside and explained that Virgil and Logan would want to be in the back with their son. It made sense, sort of, but it still felt weird to Roman as he sat down and clipped his seatbelt into place.

“Ready to go?” Remy asked once they were all inside.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Logan answered dryly. Patton squealed excitedly and clapped his hands; Virgil just sighed.

“So…what exactly are we doing?” Roman asked as they pulled onto the street and started driving. Remy grinned at him.

“We’re going shopping!” He said brightly. “But it’s shopping with a twist. Logan and I started doing it back in seventh grade, though we do it a little differently now. You’ll see when we get there.”

Well that makes perfect sense. Thank you for clearing everything up. Roman shook away the sarcastic thoughts with a cough, half-listening to Remy’s chatter and half-zoning out as he watched the buildings of the city whiz by. Something tells me that this is going to be interesting, he thought. Boy, Remy sure likes to talk a lot. It’s even worse than Logan.

They arrived at the mall some twenty minutes later. Roman watched Virgil gently unclip a sleepy Patton from his car seat, hoisting the little blue-clad boy into his arms while Logan climbed out from the other side. Remy smiled sweetly at the group once they’d gotten out, then led them all inside.

The city mall was quite large; three stories high and long, with branches and hallways that seemed to break off and wander in every direction and then some. Roman froze at the entrance, trying to take it all in at once. He’d never really been to the mall–those places were for the rich folks, he’d heard, not for a broke teenager like him.

Roman glanced over at Remy and, honestly, he looked like a queen in the brightly lit and noisy place. He acted like one too, looking around at the shops and the peasants inside as he strutted forward across the fancy-tiled floor.

“Oooh, this is going to be fun,” he said with a devilish grin, cracking his knuckles. “Right Patton?”

The little boy looked at the area around him with wide eyes, then at Virgil.

“Pretty big, isn’t it?” His father asked. “But don’t worry, Sunshine, you’ll be alright. Nothing scary here gonna get you.” He gently rocked Patton back and forth until a smile eventually came back to the blond child’s face, and he clapped in delight at all the pretty lights strung from the ceiling as the group began walking down one of the long hallways. Remy looked proudly at Virgil, then resumed his own oddly-gaited strut. Roman couldn’t figure out how he did it, and he didn’t try to copy him either though a part of him wished he could.

They passed a storefront and Remy suddenly stopped, pointing at one of the displays with his free hand. 

“Twenty bucks says you won’t wear that for the rest of the day,” he said, looking back at Virgil. The purple-and-black clad father rolled his eyes and sighed.

“You want me to wear that godawful thing for an entire day?”

“Yup.”

Roman looked at what the two were talking about. It was a pastel cotton-candy-colored crop top sweater; probably about as far away from Virgil’s style as one could get.

“You know what? Let’s fucking do this." 

"Virgil, language,” Logan scolded. “Not in front of Patton!”

Virgil looked down at the little blue boy in his arms. “Sorry,” he whispered to him. 

Remy led the three inside and bought the sweater, then brought it to the restrooms where Virgil passed Patton to Logan and changed into what he called “the most atrocious getup he’d ever seen.”

Remy whooped and clapped, and Roman found himself laughing when Virgil came back out of the bathroom, a particularly nasty scowl lighting up his face. 

“What do I do with my hands?” He hissed. “This thing has no pockets!" 

"Virgil, you look fabulous!” Remy said, loudly enough to draw the attention of at least thirty people who were out in the food court beyond. Virgil shot him a glare that could’ve killed a man at twenty paces, but there was a light in his eyes that Roman hadn’t seen there before. Was this…was he actually having fun with this? Seems like it. Although how this was fun, Roman couldn’t yet fathom. 

They continued walking. Patton seemed to be about as excited about the noise as Virgil was, but he loved the lights and ornaments that were strung from the ceiling. He kept reaching up for them with his tiny hands as they walked, wiggling his fingers excitedly.

“Up, up!” He shouted.

“Your father’s not that tall, Patton,” Logan grunted, lifting him up a little higher. “That’s as high as you can go.” Patton seemed to be satisfied enough with the new view from his father’s shoulders and quieted down, looking around at the people below him with wide eyes.

“Let’s see…where’s the tie shop?” Remy muttered to himself. “I know it’s around here somewhere…there it is!” He pointed towards a small shop that Roman could already see was packed with the strangest, weirdest, most ridiculous ties one could imagine.

“Oh no…” Logan groaned.

This time Remy held Patton, taking him through the shop while Virgil hugged himself around his waist and scowled. Roman saw Logan visibly cringe when Patton started playing with a glittery pink tie that had cartoon unicorns and rainbows on it, laughing and flipping it up and down with his little hands.

“The boy has spoken,” Remy said solemnly, nodding. “What do you think, Logan?”

“I mean, at least it’s sufficiently gay,” Virgil stated, pointing at one of the many rainbows.

“Sufficient…is not how I would describe this…this thing…” Logan hissed through gritted teeth. 

“Fifteen,” Remy said, raising an eyebrow at Logan. The teacher mimicked his expression, then sighed loudly.

“Deal.”

They exited the store, and while the two fathers looked quite unhappy about their circumstances at first, that soon changed.

Remy handed Patton back to Logan, and the little boy was absolutely delighted that his father was wearing the glittery tie he’d so liked. He played with it in his hands, giggling and occasionally holding it up for Remy or Virgil or Roman to see as they walked across the fancy-tiled floor.

“Dada!” He squealed, holding it up to Logan’s face.

“Yes, it looks quite nice doesn’t it?” Logan asked the boy, ducking his head so that he could still see and allowing himself a little smile. “That’s a tie, Sunshine. Can you say tie?”

“TIE!” Patton shouted, holding it up again and shaking it in his tiny fists.

“That’s right,” Logan chuckled. Roman saw a pride in his eyes and step that hadn’t been there before as he continued. If Patton likes it, that’s enough for him I guess, he thought. Even Virgil stopped hugging himself eventually, looking at Remy and shaking his head before matching the other man’s strut.

“Yas gurl!” Remy snapped his fingers and laughed as the two started walking side-by-side, Roman hanging back by Logan and Patton in order to watch over the little boy in blue. Logan gave him a look that might have been appreciation when he matched the teacher’s step, then turned to face forward once more.

“Alright it’s Roman’s turn now.” Remy announced sometime later, as he and Virgil  stopped to look at a storefront that held an arrangement of sun dresses. Virgil leaned over and whispered something in Remy’s ear, and he burst out laughing.

“Alright Roman,” he said a few minutes later, once he could manage coherent speech again. “Thirty bucks says you won’t wear that dress with the matching bonnet and heels.” He pointed, and Roman found himself staring at a cherry-red frilly sundress with white lace, topped by a red-ribboned bonnet and matching heels. He grinned. These guys were crazy, and he couldn’t believe how much he was loving it.

“Well you got one thing right,” he said with a nod. “Red certainly is my color.” Remy started laughing all over again, and couldn’t even speak for several minutes that time as they went inside to purchase the ridiculous outfit. Remy paid; Roman noticed he’d also paid for the other items as well. Why pay for something like this, he wondered, and why pay them all to do it? Didn’t that get expensive? Roman wondered if Logan or Virgil would bet Remy for something, and what they’d pick if they did.

The sassy man in shades noticed Roman’s confused expression and grinned at him as they exited the store. “We donate these to a charity after this–” he glanced at Logan. “–At least, usually we do; my parents are way too wealthy so I like to spend money on other people whenever the opportunity comes up, especially if they’re friends. This tradition is one of my favorites.”

“And you started this in seventh grade?” Roman was amazed.

“Well…it was a bit different then,” Remy admitted with a chuckle. Logan nodded; Roman waited for him to say something or Remy to say more, but neither of them offered an explanation. He didn’t ask any more questions.  

They went to the changing room at the back of the store, and the other three waited outside while Roman quickly slid on the dress. He looked at himself in the mirror, shook his head, and laughed out loud at what he’d gotten into. He looked absolutely ridiculous if you asked him; too tall and skinny and lanky for the outfit, but he figured he might as well have some fun with this game as long as he was playing. After all, it had been so long since he’d gotten to laugh like this. Too long.

Remy whistled, Virgil laughed, and Logan and Patton clapped as Roman exited the room and twirled around in front of them, then curtsied. 

“I didn’t think you’d do so well in heels,” Remy observed as they left the store. Roman laughed.

“Neither did I,” he answered, shaking his head. “I actually kinda like the bonnet too." 

Patton laughed and reached out for the hat with his little hands and Virgil raised an eyebrow at him. 

"You want to take him for a while?” He asked. Roman’s eyes widened sightly.

“Sure!” He reached out and Virgil carefully handed him the child, who giggled and started playing with the brim of the bonnet once he’d settled into Roman’s arms. Patton then pulled it down over Roman’s head and he let out a startled squeak, stumbling a little, but Logan quickly fixed it before he could run into anything.

“Thank you, sir.” He said with a bit of a sheepish grin in Logan’s direction.

“No problem,” he answered. “Wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Okay, but when do I get a turn?” Remy pouted, finishing off the last of his coffee and tossing his Starbucks into the nearest trash can. “Aunty Remy needs more coffee everybody!” He announced.

“Only once we’ve ruined you,” Virgil answered.

“Got any ideas for this time?”

“The ball gown we put you in last time looked pretty great on you…” Virgil ran a hand through his hair, thinking. Then a smile slowly spread across his face. “Come with me.” He started off down one of the many side branches and Remy hurried after him, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Roman and Logan followed; Roman tripping occasionally in his heels as he ran after them.

“Walk with me, Ro,” Remy ordered. Roman blinked a couple times before obeying, hurrying over to the man in shades.

“Yea–” he stopped himself with a yelp as one of his heels caught and he pitched sideways. Before he knew what was happening strong arms grabbed him around his waist, and he found himself face to face with Remy.

“Well then,” he chuckled, righting Roman and continuing as if he hadn’t just French-dipped the younger boy in the middle of a busy mall. Virgil let out a whistle and Logan just shook his head, following his husband down the hallway and deciding to ignore the whole occurrence. Remy helped Roman keep his balance and showed him how to walk properly, something that Roman was quite grateful for as they navigated the mall’s elaborately tiled floor. He hadn’t realized this was going to be as difficult as it was.

Virgil stopped at a pajama store towards the end of the long hall.

“Oh no,” Remy’s breath hissed through his teeth when he caught sight of it. “You wouldn’t. You couldn’t.”

Virgil ignored him and went to one of the racks, triumphantly holding up a hot pink bunny onesie in his hands. Remy groaned.

“I take back everything nice I’ve ever said about you,” he growled at Virgil as they went to the counter to pay.

“Sure you do.”

“You’re ruining my aesthetic! This is an outrage!”

“Oh I hope so.” Virgil smirked as Remy disappeared into the changing room with the onesie, then turned to Logan. “Be right back,” he whispered.

Virgil came back right as Remy opened the door to the changing room, and the now shades-less man let out a gasp of horror as Virgil handed him a coffee cup–Dutch Bros.

“Treason!” Remy hissed.

“You said you wanted coffee,” Virgil answered with a smirk. “Just be glad I didn’t get you the garbage stuff." 

"This is garbage stuff,” the other one growled, swiping the cup from him. “Trade shoes,” he demanded.

“What…” Virgil looked down, his expression immediately switching from smug to horrified. “You’re wearing block heels!?” 

“Well, what else am I supposed to wear?”

“Normal shoes! Like normal people!” Remy rolled his eyes.

“Should’ve thought about that before being taller than me. I don’t do normal, hun. And it’s your fault for putting me in this.” He reached out a hand. “I can’t wear these with this…thing, and the heels go better with your outfit anyways.”

Virgil made a nasty face at him, but slid off his black-and-white converse anyways, handing them to Remy with a scowl.

“Mess those up and you’ll never see your shades again,” he threatened as he sat down and pulled on Remy’s heels.

“Gurl, I take better care of your stuff than you do and oh my God what is that smell!?” Remy shrieked. Virgil shrugged.

“Not all of us have time to wash our shoes every day,” he snickered at Remy, then grumbled as he stood up. “This goes against my whole look. I hate you.”

“Same to you.”

Roman looked at them; they were both grinning at each other despite the harsh tone of their words. And there was that light in Virgil’s eyes again; Roman was starting to realize that this was somehow his way of having fun and that, like him, this was something he didn’t get to enjoy too often. The trio had the strangest relationships between each other; Roman could hardly puzzle it all out.

But he loved it.

Logan calmly watched the exchange with Patton in his arms, and Roman thought he saw the faintest smile on his face; that same small look of adoration in his eyes as he led Virgil back out into the mall. And when Virgil looked at him, the look in his eyes was calmer; content, loving, unlike the wild shine that seemed to surface whenever he and Remy were causing trouble and exchanging their playful insults. 

I don’t get it at all. They look so happy, even when they’re arguing…like they’re enjoying it…Roman shook his head and ran after the trio, hurrying to Remy’s side again. 

“Awful, isn’t it?” Remy looked down at him and grinned, sipping his coffee. “And he got me the kid’s cup. I’m hurt.”

“I think it suits you,” Virgil called from where he was walking with Logan. Remy stuck his tongue out at him. His sass was made all the stranger by the hot pink bunny onesie that hung loosely from his shoulders, the sunglasses that now sat on top of his head, and the Dutch Bros cup in his hand. Roman just shook his head and laughed.

“I think Roman’s having fun.” Virgil grimaced. “You’ve ruined him, Remy.” That statement sent all three of them into a fit of laughter; Logan joined soon after with a few chuckles and a head shake, and he was grinning like Roman had never thought he could. Patton giggled and clapped his hands, not wanting to be left out.

“Not Patton too! Remy!” They all started laughing again, until Roman thought he couldn’t breathe and collapsed against a wall for support. Remy joined him and Virgil fell into a nearby chair, soon followed by Logan still with Patton in his arms. They laughed for what felt like eternity; Roman’s chest was heaving when he finally could breathe normally, and Remy jumped to his feet as soon as he could manage it.

“Now!” He said, rubbing his hands together, “Who’s hungry?”

“Food sounds like a good idea.” Logan nodded.

“What he said,” Virgil said, pointing at his husband; Roman nodded vigorously.

“Oh yes please!” He almost shouted in his excitement, then ducked his head apologetically. None of the others seemed to notice.

“I wanna see you two act like a couple,” Virgil pointed at Remy and Roman.

“You mean act like I’m straight?” Remy sounded horrified. “How do you even act straight?” He looked around at the small crowd of people on their hallway, half of which were ignoring the spectacle of the man in the bunny suit and the other half of which were staring at him in something between horror and confusion. “Logan? Are any of us even straight?" 

"I’m pan,” Roman offered.

“Hmm.” Remy made a face, then caught Roman’s questioning glance and laughed.

“I’m afraid that an aunt is all I’ll ever be,” he said with a dramatic sigh.

“He means he’s ace,” Virgil stated bluntly.

“And aromantic,” Logan added.

“Oh.” Roman nodded. “Cool. So…I’m supposed to be his girlfriend?”

“Why not? I think you look pretty.” Remy shook his head, gesturing to Roman with his free hand. “At least you’re in something nice, I’m a rabbit for crying out loud.”

“But a very cute rabbit,” Roman said, and then laughed. Remy looked indignant.

“I’m always cute.” He stood up and started walking. “Do I have to hold miss Roman’s hand? Do straight people do that?”

“Yes,” Virgil and Logan said simultaneously. 

“To the first question, at least,” Virgil added. “No idea about the second.”

“And only if Roman’s okay with it,” Logan said with a glance at Roman. He shrugged.

“I don’t care,” he said. “I can do whatever.” Remy groaned. 

“Well c'mon then, honey.” He took Roman’s hand in his and they started walking again.

“What’s my undercover name?” Roman whispered after a minute.

“Got a favorite TV show?” Remy asked in a stage whisper. Logan raised an eyebrow and Virgil rolled his eyes.

“I like Margaret from M*A*S*H,” he answered after a moment of thinking. Remy chuckled.

“You like those old shows, eh?”

“Used to watch ‘em with my mom all the time.”

“Alright, you’ll be Margaret then. Got that, boys?” Remy glanced over at Logan and Virgil.

“I think I can keep that straight.” Logan said with a nod.

“And it’ll be the only thing straight about you,” Virgil agreed. Logan rolled his eyes.

“This is what I get for letting you hang out with Remy,” he groaned. Both of them stuck their tongues out at him and Logan turned to Patton with a sigh. 

“You see what happens when I let those two hang out?” He asked the little boy in blue. “Chaos. Utter chaos. Nobody listens to me.” Roman looked at him; that faint smile was still there from earlier. So he’s having fun too.

“Ah, Margaret, here we are!” Remy announced loudly as they came to a restaurant entrance he hadn’t noticed earlier. “Trust me, this place has some of the best food in town.” Roman held onto Remy’s arm and looked over the entrance, quickly switching to his actor mode.

“Oh, it smells good!” He exclaimed in the most feminine voice he could manage. The waiter standing by the front looked confused, but still smiled at them as they approached. 

“Welcome to the Mustard Seed!” He announced cheerfully. “Would you guys like a booth or a table?" 

"Ooh, can we do a booth?” Roman asked, blinking up at Remy. “I do love those!”

“Of course, dear.” Remy looked up at the waiter and smiled pleasantly, as if there was nothing odd about a full-grown man going into a nice restaurant wearing a hot pink bunny costume and carrying a kid’s Dutch Bros cup. “We’ll take the booth, please.”

The waiter led them to a side booth near the corner of the restaurant, leaving them with a few menus to look over. Roman looked around and saw that the restaurant was nearly empty; a part of him wondered if that was the only reason they’d been let in at all.

“Was that straight enough?” He asked Virgil and Logan, who were sitting across the table from him and Remy. Patton, who was now sitting in Virgil’s lap, clapped his hands together and reached for the crayons that the waiter had left for him. Virgil looked at Logan and then shrugged.

“Damned if I know.”

“Language!” Logan hissed.

“Sorry,” he glanced down at Patton. “I mean, you could’ve fooled me. So sure.” He shrugged again. “Don’t exactly have experience with that.”

“Mmmm.” Logan raised an eyebrow at him and Virgil smiled a little, leaning into his husband’s shoulder. Patton got a red crayon and started drawing on his kid’s menu; Remy chuckled and looked over his. Roman eyed one of the pasta dishes, but when he saw the price his eyes widened and he quickly located the cheapest thing he could find on the menu. Mac n’ cheese. At least that was better than nothing. 

“Good evening, what can I get you folks to drink tonight?” A tall brunette wearing a red and black apron smiled down at the group.

“I’ll have water,” Roman told her. Remy’s eyes narrowed.

“Get whatever you want, Ro,” he whispered in Roman’s ear. “Please." 

"Ah…um on second thought do you guys have lemonade?” That’s cheap, right? 

“We do, would you like that instead?” Roman nodded. 

“Yes please,” he smiled sweetly at the waitress, but inwardly his gut was twisting as the others ordered their drinks. Why is he so nice to me? I don’t deserve this, what if they think I’m a burden or something and hate me? I don’t want them to think I’m selfish…

“Miss, what would you like to eat tonight?” Roman’s head snapped up and he smiled again.

“Can I get the–”

“She’ll have the Rizzoli,” Virgil interrupted him, shooting him a look as he did so. Roman was so surprised that for a moment his act fell away, his jaw dropping in surprise. How did he know…? He suddenly realized that the waitress was staring at him and shook himself, putting a smile back on. 

“Yeah, I’ll have that. Thanks, Virgey.” Roman saw Virgil internally implode when he used that nickname and wanted to laugh, but instead he smiled sweetly at him as the others placed their orders. Remy just nodded when he saw the exchange, and Logan looked almost…proud? 

I’ll never understand them, will I?

The waitress left and Virgil’s expression was something between angry and almost triumphant. Roman could guess what had caused the first.

“Sorry,” he whispered across the table to the man in the crop top. Virgil looked up, then smiled a little. Okay, I wasn’t expecting–

“You should be an actor, kid. But,” Virgil held up his index finger.

“–We want to spoil you,” Remy finished with a shrug. Virgil nodded.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for something you want. You don’t need to pretend around us, especially if there’s something that you need or a situation that makes you uncomfortable.” Logan gave Roman a look that was almost stern. His eyes widened. I didn’t mean to make them mad!

“S-Sorry, sir,” he stammered.

“You don’t need to apologize, Roman, I’m not angry at you. Just remember, okay?”

“Yes sir.” Logan nodded and leaned back, satisfied for now. Patton leaned forward and shoved his paper towards Roman. There was a red triangle-like shape on it that looked vaguely like a dress, and he grinned as he picked it up.

“This is marvellous!” Roman declared, still trying to hold onto the more feminine voice while he praised Patton’s work. “Beautiful, beautiful! I love it!” He turned the paper around and handed it back to the boy. “You want to try drawing on this side now?” Patton took the paper, smiled, got a pink crayon, and went to work. 

“You’re pretty good with Patton,” Remy remarked. 

“Thanks." 

I get the distinct feeling I’ve been adopted. Is this what an actual family is supposed to be like?

The waiter brought over their food. Roman stared down at his plate of Rizzoli, sniffed at it, and dug in. He tried to eat slowly and at least act like he had manners, but he was so hungry and there was just so much pasta…

A few minutes later, Roman licked off his fork and glanced up. Remy was staring at him with wide eyes, his food hardly touched, and Logan and Virgil looked like they were hiding smiles over their own half-finished plates. He felt his cheeks turn scarlet with embarrassment and he ducked his head, muttering an awkward apology under his breath.

"You want more, kid?” Roman looked up again. It was Virgil, staring at him with a questioning look in his eyes. There was something else there too; that same look he’d noticed before. A look that said he understood Roman, even better than Logan and Remy seemed to. A part of him wished Virgil didn’t understand.

I can’t take any more…he thought. I already took too much from them…that would be selfish wouldn’t it…? Gosh what would they think of me? 

“We’ll take another plate of that Rizzoli,” Roman heard Virgil’s voice and looked up in shock; he hadn’t realized that the waitress had come back while he’d been thinking. How is she so quiet!? “And can we get that one to-go?" 

"Sure!”

I’m not sure I like how well he keeps reading me…

Someone put a hand on his shoulder and Roman glanced back–it was Remy, of course. The man in shades smiled at him. 

“We want to make sure you get enough to eat. You’re not going hungry while Aunty Remy’s here, Ro.” Roman blinked, then looked over at Logan and Virgil. The other two were nodding. He found himself nodding too, trying to force away the tears he felt coming to his eyes.

“Thank you,” he whispered. 

Thank you for caring. Thank you for noticing me. Thank you for trying to help. Thank you for listening.

Thank you for everything.

___

Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added to the list):

@antisocialsilvermermaid @just-perhaps @ghostintimelostintime @amintyworld

#sanders sides #fanfiction #thomas sanders #roman sanders #remy sanders #patton sanders #baby patton #logan sanders #virgil sanders #analogical #sunshine and storm clouds

[fatokifavour12-blog]

Godsfavour Fatoki

Robert Lunday

ENGL 1301

December 12,2019

Two Year Experience, Forever Trip

A trip to Nigeria does not sound bad, right? Here is the catch; you have to leave your friends and family behind and can only communicate with your family through the phone. Feel like backing out?  This is the story of my life, March 2016. Who knew I was set to hear news that would eventually lead to me staying in Nigeria for two years? Nigeria is a place of culture, one that I did not know much about until the end of the trip. One of the perks about knowing your roots, is just having some background knowledge about where you came from. Which I was naïve too, but slowly began to appreciate.

Given that you had the opportunity to go and learn more about your culture, and where you come from. Will it be easy for you to drop your friends, pack your bags and travel off to your fatherland? Sound Bittersweet? It is not that simple, especially when you are not familiar with the environment. I was given the opportunity but had no say in the decision making. Despite the idea of the trip being bittersweet, if you knew a trip like this would change the way you think and view the world, would you still go? How about if you could not come back and visit the states during the holidays? Even tougher decision. Maybe now you can have a sense of what I endured for two years straight. Two years straight. In addition, there would be limited phone calls because of the time zone difference, and sleepless nights.

I was born in Nigeria, but raised in America. That being said, I can be categorized under the Generation 1.5. This refers to students who are citizens or residents of the US but whose home language is not English. For some of these students English can function as their primary language. In Nigeria, the main tribes or languages are Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa. I was born into a Yoruba home. You can tell a persons tribe by either their first and last name. For example, the Yoruba tribe is known for the “Olu, Oluwa and ola.” Before the trip, since I could barely speak the language, I had trouble distinguishing tribes from one another. Usually, whenever my parents would speak to me in Yoruba, I would have trouble interpreting and I would ask my sister to translate for me.

Before I returned to Nigeria for two years, I went to Cinco Ranch High School. While attending the school, we would have some foreign students, or some other Generation 1.5 students who had a senses of background knowledge of where they came from. Other Generation 1.5 students would be asked what their home country was like, and from there they would be able to pour out information that would have you like intrigued. I was in search for my own story to tell not, someone else’s something to let others know that “I know where I’m coming from,” “ I know my country.” That kind of topic can also lead to good conversations.

With all the fun I was having in America, I then faced the music. I was finally going to Nigeria. Did I want to go? No! Not at all. So, I was going to Nigeria, there were no further questions to be asked, my parents’ decision was final. They insisted that it will be beneficial in the end. I would be going to Nigeria with my older sister and my dad, leaving my two younger sisters and my mom behind. My older sister would soon return to America after her first year.

The plane ticket was booked for the fourth of September, and by this time Hurricane Harvey had struck Houston. While I counted the days leading to my departure, I also prayed that Harvey would hit George Bush Intercontinental Airport so that my flight, and only my flight, for Delta Airlines would be cancelled. Unfortunately, this was not the case .Departure day arrived and all the roads had cleared up. Still refusing to believe this was happening, there I stood in front of Gate C, with a carry-on bag and a suitcase of clothes.

My sisters were in tears as they watched me leave, as was my mom, who tried fake a smile. This was pretty aggravating considering the fact that she wanted me to go. “Ill see them soon, after all its just two years it will be quick. Let’s just make the most of it” I say to myself as I passed the checkout area. At the moment, I felt no need to cry or whine about it, because complaining would only make my it longer. I just had to take it as it was, as much as I felt like running away. Who knew what good could come from this?

The plane landed successfully on the fifth of September; school started on the eleventh. I would be attending Grace International High School, a boarding school in Lagos, Nigeria.

  The following day my dad used it as a day for relaxation, considering that we were coming from America we had to adjust to the time zone. My dad took me around town the next day, showing me some great places and sights. He showed me the hospital where I was born and the flat we stayed in when my mother was in labor.

I was born in a small hospital in Victoria Island. Victoria Island is a big area in Lagos. Lagos is like the suburbs of Nigeria. Lagos is the heart of Nigeria, this is where the money and power is mainly located. All the powerful people in the country stay in Lagos. In a sense Lagos is like the New York of Nigeria. This is where the most attractions are, and Victoria island is at the center of it. Most businesses and churches are established here.

On the seventh of September, we went to the school. We came here this day so I could see the school I would be attending. As we approached the gates of the boarding school, I began to have mixed emotions about it. Excitement and suspense filled my head as we came closer after the long car ride we had. As I stepped down from the car, I was told I would be taking my entrance exam. An exam of which I was not ready for at all. At this point my heart was basically racing and I was not happy with my dad for making that call. There was not anything I could do about the situation, so I did not complain out loud. The thought of failing crossed my mind at the time. “What would happen if I fail,” “I don’t want to fail and waist his money.” My dad made no attempt to calm me down; the only thing he would say was “you ready?” Now that was a rhetorical question any answer other than “yes” would result in a hot slap.

I walked in giving myself motivation. The examiner walked in and handed me my papers. She told me I would be doing a Math and English exam. She asked me the one I would like to do first, and I chose to do Math. As she handed me the paper she told me that I have an hour and thirty minutes. The math test felt easy up and till I reached question 25. I flipped through the remaining pages and realized that I had 50 Multiple choice questions, the remaining questions where non multiple choice. This caused me to start sweating in fear. I skipped question 25 and moved on “Is their any other easy question I could do?” I asked myself as I was running out of time. The examiner then walks in and says “Thirty five minutes left” and this is where I panicked “screw it A B C D!” I went straight to the non-multiple choice questions and could barely answer three questions. My heart sank after submitting the paper, I fought back my tears as the examiner handed me the English exam. Knowing how bad I did on the Math, I was determined to breeze past the English paper. I felt the English paper was somewhat easy, but not bad enough for me to fail.

The examiner checked my work and gave my father back the result. They discussed in Yoruba for a while, I eavesdropped, and only picked out phrases in what they were talking about. The were saying something along the lines of “he needs improvement, but he has been accepted.” A wave of relief filled me inside, and it must have been contagious because it showed on my fathers’ face. My dad now paid the school fees that I had so I could get my school clothes and books.

They sent us downstairs so I could get my uniform for the boarding house and for school. The boarding house uniform we would wear for any activity other than sports that took place downstairs. The boarding house uniform was a checkered blue shirt and khaki pants for the boys and a checkered pink gown for the girls. The school uniform was strictly for school and school excursions such as debate club competitions. The school uniform was a green long-sleeved button-down shirt with a tie and colored whine pants with black shoes and socks. I was absolutely disgusted by the uniform. It was evident that who ever had the idea of such nasty looking uniforms had no fashion sense whatsoever. The two colors did not fit together in any sense, my dad told me to manage the clothes because there is nothing we can do but get it fitted.

  The first year was off to a rocky start, friends did not come easy, I was a little secluded because I was missing home. I was falling a little behind in some of my classes, because it was pretty difficult for me to balance 11 subjects. I was doing Calculus, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer, Catering, Civic studies, Yoruba, Geography and English. Some of these subjects I was being taught as a fresh subject. I had enrolled into the school as a year 11 student, and my mates have been taught these subjects since year 10. In order to make good grades I would stay back for tutorials, and I would read over night. It was not as easy as school in America, because I was used to taking only seven classes a school year.

In the school we had three terms a school year, I did not feel comfortable till the second term. I became friendlier but was not feeling true to myself. So I became a little more withdrawn and did not give anybody a chance to speak bad about me. Before I left I was a bit of a extrovert, me having the mindset of “I do not want to be here” really kept me from making friends. I still managed to figure it out because I could not help but talk. It was not until my second year that I began to feel more comfortable; though this was the year I felt more alone because my sister was not there with me, I became more independent. I started to branch out to more people than I did my first year. My dad would call me sometimes but it was not as frequent as it was my first year in the school. At this point I had not been missing home as much I was before and I felt more free with people.

The boarding house was pretty awkward at first primarily because of their restrooms; the place where we shower was not divided by any stalls or curtains. When we shower we could see each other’s private parts, which too me was very uncomfortable. It took me a couple days to get used to the showers. Inside the boarding house phones were not allowed, and this really prevented me from talking to all my former friends. Instead of phones, they allowed tablets sadly there was no free Wi-Fi. So some kids would hack the principal’s server and steal their Wi-Fi.

The boarding house was ran by the boarding house master, and the Boarding house prefect and the seniors. The school has elections that they do for every set of kids for every school year. The seniors were basically in charge whenever the boarding house master was not around. The seniors often abuse their power when it is given to them. The seniors bully their juniors. By junior I mean any student in the grade below. The boarding house had students from the 7th grade to the 12th. So the seniors had had wide range of students to pick on, I was in the 11th grade. The seniors gave the 11th graders some regard because they will soon be entering 12th grade so conflict between them was not much.

The prefects and students were allowed to belt other students, meaning that they could use a belt and deal with the students that were misbehaving. The boarding house master would use and object we called “cane,” which is basically like a tree branch. The cane could be used by a teacher, the principal and the vice principal. The boarding house master was known for his good arm. For an old aging man you would be surprised at how fast his hands move. The fear of being beaten by either one of those objects really got to me. So I was really cautious with how i acted in front of certain people and in different situations. I would often stop my juniors or mates from doing wrong to the juniors, but after a while I just got tired and lazy. Being mean to others people seemed to be the trend, which I nearly followed along to. The seniors do not like to be told what they were doing wrong, and when told it would result in a beat down to the students.

The experience shaped me to be who I was today; the nights I barely got any sleep really paid off in the end. It really opened up a part of me that I did not know I had. I had become more familiar with my culture and began to appreciate the side of me I did not know much about. I learned to appreciate what I had and I became more grateful for what I had. In Nigeria, not everybody has enough money to plan a trip to abroad, but I went there and came back. With all that I have seen in the country it had me thinking about how I could contribute to the society, a lot needs to be done to the country to speed up development. For that I thank God I went. Without the trip I do not think I would have sense of independence , I really went in to depth with my roots.

I have established a social network that will be useful to me in the future, the people I met will and can benefit me in the future. The friendships I have made with the people I met over seas I really enjoyed my time with will come in handy when I plan my return to the country soon.  You never know what you can do till you go through it alone.

[chrysaliseuro2018]

BOSS OF THE BUS

As we were making our way down the west coast on our 5 day trip, Genevieve was investigating trips from Side to Capadocia in the centre of Turkey. Correspondence went back and forth about a €40-50 (about $75-80) 3 day trip. Comparing what we were paying for our 5 days this was so cheap I feared we would be camping. But no this was the price. Of course the sting came a bit later.

So we were up for it and the 4 of us booked to start the tour on 12th June with pick up time 6.45am. Antique Side is closed to cars other than those of residents so the tour bus couldn’t come down the hill to collect all our luggage. Booking ‘agents’ advised the town electric cart would collect us but alas no. Meanwhile Chris was in negotiations with the police manning the gate but it was a firm No. With minutes ticking by Doug quickly got Penny’s car, luggage was loaded into that and driven to the bus.

Now about 30 minutes had elapsed so understandably got some stink-eye from the passengers who’d been kept waiting.

The bus was designed for 12 passengers but fitted out for 17 so it was a close and intimate affair. In the front 2 seats were Doug and Gene who it has to be said got lucky with some extra leg room. Behind them 2 elderly Danes who grabbed a bottle of wine and or beers at every possible opportunity. Behind the Danes were 10 year old Russian lad with his mousy mute mother. Then Chris and me wedged in (Russian lad had his seat reclined the entire 2 days), and behind us the very friendly and chatty Aunty Margaret and Tina from Essex. Along the back were sweet young newly weds Soyah & Maurice from Holland, a spare seat, then Holly, Tina’s stepsister who judging by her size would have been grateful for the spare seat. Could have knocked us over with a feather when she told us she had been to the 7 continents by age 24, had emigrated to Melbourne several years ago (lives in Chelsea)and works as a sound engineer. You just wouldn’t have picked it!

Then heading back along the bus in single seats was a surly young lad who turned out to be part of the tour operation, a woman of unknown origins who disappeared after day 1, then Mr Russia who seemed to have supplanted both his wife’s and his son’s ego into his own.

Bus driver slipped under the radar but the same can’t be said for the guide Nahjo. In fact it was a battle of egos between Nahjo and Mr Russia. He didn’t just like the sound of his own voice. He was addicted to it! Along the way amongst other chit chat and information we got his life story, some group marriage guidance, how small lies can be forgiven and how this works in a religious context too. Every monologue went for a minimum of 10 minutes and woe betide you should you chat amongst yourselves during one of his diatribes. In the gaps the gregarious, party-loving-club-going-40-something Tina would try to share with me her life history. Nahjo seemed to get wind of it and standing facing the back of the bus would either clear his throat or announce it was his turn. Chris and I were left thinking our polite and humble Gallipoli guide must have been absent for the Tour Guide Arrogance 101 unit of the qualification.

So we were off and despite the late get away we stopped not 20 minutes down the road for a tea/ coffee break, followed by a breakfast stop 40 minutes later at a petrol station/ roadside stop. (It has to be noted that Cappadocia is some 470 kilometres from Side so it was going to be long day if the stops came so frequently). Breakfast option 1 was a vast modern complex selling everything you don’t want to eat. Gene who has an eye for local food spotted hidden in a corner behind some trees an outfit selling gözleme so we headed there. Great decision. Shoes off and into the tent where the local lady sat crossed leg with her dough, tubs of filling and the black dome for cooking the gözleme. Spinach and cheese one was a bit dry but the potato one was outstanding.

All wedged ourselves back in the bus which climbed up the mountains through some magical scenery. Unfortunately Nahjo kept reassuring us on the wrong side of the bus that we would see it ‘on the back journey’. However our arrangements meant we weren’t doing ‘the back journey’ so at one particular stop he was a little annoyed when we headed off 200 metres down the road to photograph the nomads herding their goats. I suggested it would be better for all if the bus pulled over so we could all see anything of interest on the way to Cappadocia. Suggestion was not welcomed.

Another stop for coffee and the sting of the extra €’s. It had to happen of course. You can’t run a tour for €50 per person providing transport, 2 nights accommodation no matter how basic, 2 dinners and two breakfasts. So lunch which we though was fend for oneself turned out to be a set payment (we only paid for one and opted to take our chances on day 2), and extra for Whirling dervishes, museums (charge €25/ $39.20 versus ticket face value less than $9) etc totalling an extra €120 between us. Even taking that into consideration €220/$350 for both of us was pretty cheap and the overcharging on extras balanced the undercharging on initial outlay.

Next stop, lost count if it was 4 or 5, was at the Mevlâna museum Konya, the birth place of the Sufi religion and Dervishes. The site is a holy place for Muslims with over 1.5 million visiting it yearly. The Mosque contains the tomb of Rumi (unfortunately hidden due to renovations) later known as Mevlâna who devised the idea of whirling and the tombs of other eminent dervishes. Also on display were Mervlana’s coat, a box apparently containing his beard and any number of exquisitely decorated Qurans, one so tiny that the author went blind writing it.

Alongside the Mosque was a complex giving information about the dervish culture. Included was a lodge displaying mannequins dressed as they would have been in Mevlâna’s day and the dervish cells displaying various items. I for one would have enjoyed more than our tightly scheduled allotted time there. But we were rounded up like errant school children and headed back for the bus. Chris managed to ruffle Nahjo’s feathers by needing a toilet stop when we were warned the next section of the drive would be 2.5 hours. By this stage as it was 1pm we were wondering about the elusive lunch if the drive was for 2.5 hours. There was some grumbling from Tina and Aunty Margaret and it wasn’t from their stomachs.

Eventually we rolled into another vile modern roadside stop - our lunch venue. Behind the counter were some aggrieved (probably because of the lateness of the hour) gorillas of men slopping out an assortment of runny casseroles, reluctant to identify any ingredients. It tasted as bad as it looked. We were immediately pleased with the earlier decision not to commit to day two lunch.

A short drive and then time for another stop. This time it was to visit a preserved home dug under ground, a primitive more simple Coober Pedy affair. Apparently tunnel complexes formed entire cities but this was a small example taking only 10 minutes for everyone to get through. I opted out and instead waited near the entrance/ exit where a dozen or so middle aged women had set up a market. Trouble was they were all selling the same little local cloth dolls so competition to get any one walking by was frenetic. Females in particular were the target for the spruiking with a good natured but frantic cacophony of calls of “Mother, Mother”. The closer anyone ventured to the stall the louder the screeching got. I hope everyone managed to sell something but with another 5 weeks on the road, it wasn’t something I could buy.

Everyone back on the bus and off to Dervish show scheduled to start at 6pm. Clearly we were up against it as the previously cautious bus drive planted his foot. Arrived shortly after 6pm with another bus arriving after us. Having been so enchanted with the beautiful ceremony we saw at Hodjapasha in Istanbul Chris and I we were looking forward to a similar experience. Dougal and Gene had never seen them and had their expectations built up by us.

Oh dear!!! The pipe/flute player struggled to find a note, the dervishes all looked like novices (part time uni job perhaps), they wore slippers that made a noise that was distracting, one was losing his pants, also very distracting. There was a non dancing head honcho roaming around amongst them dressed in black once again distracting, they didn’t vary their speed and were for the best part out of sync. Yes they could spin but it lacked all the beauty, rhythm and charm of our previous experience. We left feeling glad to have seen a more authentic experience and Doug and Gene left feeling they were yet to see one.

Short drive to our delightfully self rated ‘Special Class’ hotel in Göreme, rooms allocated and orders that we had 15 minutes to get to dinner. Dinner a simple affair with lentil soup, the not-so-traditional-Turkish chicken schnitzel and melon. Danish couple of course knocked off another bottle of wine.

Gene, Chris and I headed for a stroll to town wandering through the streets. Highlight was at a hotel where I poked my head in and elderly Mehmet the owner insisted we come and look at his accommodation. Beautiful rooms that were huge with the bathrooms built into the rock giving a sense of a modern and upmarket Flinstone bathroom. With Mehmet’s limited English we spent a special half hour in the hotel’s courtyard trying and making a reasonable hash of having a meaningful conversation.

A long day and time for to return to our ‘Special Class’ Hotel Karl for bed, especially for Gene with a 4.30 am start for her hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia.

[mikeyhatesit113]

forever and never: Chapter 6

My vehicle sped up the road, my foot stomping on the gas pedal.

The minutes ticked by like hours, and no matter how fast the car went, it still wasn’t enough. I had to get back to her, but would she be there?

Outside, the dark night was haunting me once again.

It had been hours...hours of silence.

Desperation built in my chest.

Please be there...

9 Months Earlier

I was back home, and I had my family back. I had a renewed sense of commitment to Janie, and I was determined to do what was right by her.

She was my franchise player, and I had to do what every professional sports organization needs to do…lock down their star player with a long term contract. And true to the world of sports, my star athlete did seem to have interest in other franchises, but after all was said and done, it appeared that she wanted to remain with my organization.

Of course, I’m referring to marriage. I immediately needed to marry Janie.

I had put a lot of the blame on myself for the way Janie had felt, because true enough, we were two years into a relationship and I had not proposed to her. No, I did not think that we were ready but apparently she did, and as I knew I wasn’t going anywhere, why not?

I had ignored the organic, special nature of wanting to marry somebody. It became an initiative of mine to make her feel as comfortable and secure as possible, so that I’d never have to suffer through another agonizing, restless night of wondering where she was.

The first order of business was requesting John’s permission for her hand in marriage. Remember John? Her father who confronted me at the sports bar? Since that heated exchange 2 years prior, John and I had not exactly become “close”, but we were cordial in the event of dinners and parties.

And even though he “forgot my gift at the house” when he came over one Christmas and gave Janie and the boys presents, I still felt comfortable enough to ask his permission for his daughter’s hand.

This process wasn’t going to be the traditional secret phone call or visit that most guys like to have without their prospective fiancé’s knowledge. This tradition usually maintains the element of surprise, as most proposals come in the form of an unexpected moment a couple can cherish and look back on decades later.

Well, there wouldn’t be any real “surprise”, as there were only expectations now.

Janie and I were sitting on the couch one Sunday night when we began talking, and I announced to her, “I’m going to call your dad right now and get his permission.”

Janie giggled excitedly and immediately whipped out her phone to call somebody while I stepped outside and made a phone call of my own. John immediately answered.

“Hey John, it’s Ekim. I’ve given this a lot of thought and I’d be grateful for your permission. Can I marry your daughter?”

John chuckled and said, “Well, I think you’d have to ask her that.”

Alright, one obstacle down.

The next obstacle was going and buying the ring. I went into a local, over-priced jewelry shop and let the guy in the clip-on tie and purple dress shirt guide me through the options. I picked out what I thought the perfect ring was, and I was on my way.

Two obstacles down.

Next, the proposal, but where to do it?

A quiet pier, just the two of us? No.

What about a cute little scavenger hunt, ending with me on one knee? Nope.

In my desperation to make her feel special, I wanted to do it big.

As in, The Big Apple.

I planned a last second trip to NYC, and I told her to pack a bag. We left on a Friday afternoon and hours later, we arrived to the modest hotel in Newark.

It was nice, if you could ignore the aged wallpaper and smell of cig smoke emanating from the air vent.

NOTE: Sorry ladies, but I was fronting ALOT of cash in a short period of time. I couldn’t afford a hotel in Manhattan. I was a baller on a budget.

I called down to the front desk, and a man who spoke broken English answered.

“Hey, can we have another room, by chance? I think that the cigarette smoke from down below is coming through our air conditioner,” I said.

The man on the other end asked me to hold briefly, and I heard him consult with the clerk beside him.

“He say, the smokes from outside, is in their room.”

We moved to another room, but we didn’t stay in it much. We were up bright and early the next morning, and my car zipped into Manhattan among the other aggressive drivers. We grabbed an “early bird special” at a parking garage and began our tour of the city on foot. The ring box bulged in my pocket as we walked through the streets and eventually ended up in Times Square.

With her back turned, I seized my moment and knelt down on one knee. She turned around.

Looking back, it’s hard to figure out if anything was special between us. It’s hard to imagine her being happy or being genuinely pleased after knowing what I know now. But if this moment where her jaw dropped and her hands clapped to her face was nothing but an act, she put on a great show.

We both did that day, as nearby tourists stopped walking and took pictures, saying “aww!” and giving small rounds of applause.

Of course she said yes. It wasn’t getting any grander than that.

The rest of the day went fantastic. I had proposed, and I made her feel like the luckiest girl in a major American city.

After returning home, we started planning for the wedding, which would be held in February at a local private club’s banquet room. We invited all of our closest friends and family, and I’d include her two boys in my groom’s party. Other members of my party would be my father, my buddies Bill and Sean.

Bill. Remember Bill. Right there with November 4th, put Bill in your memory bank for a rainier day.

Anyway, for as extravagant as we tried to make the wedding, everything turned out rather normal. In fact, after our rehearsal, we held our rehearsal dinner at a pizza buffet.

My father and his girlfriend, even years later, remained non-fans of Janie. My father treated all of his duties as a groomsman with reluctance and exasperation, and on the night of the rehearsal dinner, veered left to the neighboring chinese buffet while everyone else went to the pizza buffet.

My father and his girlfriend laughed as they did this, and I didn’t know how to feel about it at the time. Years later, the sheer audacity not only to miss your son’s rehearsal dinner, but to literally go next door to another restaurant, is inconceivable.

Anyway, the wedding day went off without a hitch. Janie had one last surprise for me, as she abruptly changed her music halfway down the aisle to an upbeat, poppy Miley Cyrus song and danced the rest of the way to the altar.

I am not quite sure, to this day, what she was going for. All I know is that there wasn’t a huge burst of laughter, no applause, and no one cheered. I can honestly say that everyone looked as uncomfortable as I felt. I knew nothing about the song switch-up, and I couldn’t understand why it had taken place. Miley Cyrus had zero significance to our relationship.

This was a wedding...not a Party in the USA...

I mean, at least save it for the reception?

After the wedding, Janie and I departed for our honeymoon in a modest beach town. It was February, so it was the off-season. We had a decent time with what we could do during a time of year where 75% of the businesses are shut down.

Inside, I felt accomplished, if nothing else. I considered the early chaotic origins of our relationship, and at least I could hang my hat on the fact that we were officially a married couple.

More to the point, we had just planned an entire wedding in 3 months, while also coordinating a move from our cape cod house to a townhouse. The rent at the cape cod house was extreme, and the rent at the townhouse would not only be cheaper, but also be in the same housing development as her mother.

Win/win, we thought.

After those two monumental events, I began looking at my career. I wasn’t too happy at the vending company. It allowed me to provide, but the seemingly erratic decisions from the small business owner made me nervous, and I started seeking a long-term career elsewhere.

Enter, the Sheriff’s department.

I filled out an application and they called me in for a panel interview. After getting approved, they passed me onto the physical fitness test.

The vertical jump. 25 pushups. 38 situps in under a minute. 300 meter dash. And of course, the dreaded 1.5 mile run in 12:29 or better.

I passed everything but the 1.5 mile run time. I hadn’t ran that much since 8th grade.

They scheduled me for a retest, and I worked my ass off in preparation for the running portion. Janie was ultra supportive of my quest for a position in law enforcement. She encouraged it, telling me that she always had a thing for cops. This of course motivated me even more.

Anything to feel like she wanted me.

Weeks later after running more than I ever had, I arrived at the hot track where the fitness test would be held. I performed the tests in succession of the process, passing each one. Then it was time for the run.

The whistle blew and I took off, pushing myself harder than ever as sweat poured down my face. Through every burst of running and stretch of walking after I got a stitch in my side, all I could think about was not failing. Not going back to Janie and telling her that I didn’t pass.

I pushed, and I barely made it.

After the test, they handed me a large stack of background paperwork to complete, and I was elated. I couldn’t wait to tell Janie. I hopped in my car and blared Limp Bizkit as I chugged red bull on my way home. On the way, I called Janie.

No answer.

Moments later, I tried calling again.

No answer.

I was befuddled. Wasn’t she eagerly waiting to hear the results of a test regarding a career that could change our family?

I pulled into our development minutes later and parked at the house. Janie’s car wasn’t there. I walked across the street to her mom’s and asked where Janie was.

“I don’t know, she should be back by now,” her mom said. “She only ran down the street to Walgreens, but that was a while ago.”

Minutes later, Janie did in fact arrive home. I excitedly told her the news, and though she was happy, I didn’t exactly get the reaction I had thought I’d get. She was rather passive, as if someone had told her that their growing pumpkins were coming along nicely.

Unfortunately, this reaction was a sign of things to come. Almost like clockwork, one year since “Corey”, her behavior changed abruptly, and our fights became more frequent. Everything that mattered before didn’t seem to matter to her now, and she was rather detached.

When you’re with someone for so long, you become accustomed to their patterns, behavior, and routines. When they abruptly change, that’s what you would consider a red flag.

One evening, I had enough. If she was going to take me for granted, then I’d make her miss me. I had tried to give her everything, but it wasn’t good enough.

Maybe it was time for her to wonder about me for a change?

I left the house and stopped by the mall, where I grabbed two CD’s. I hopped in my car and gunned it. Where was I going?

Well I’m glad somebody asked. The beach, of course.

My plan was to book a hotel room and stay there the entire weekend, taking time for me. I didn’t plan on having my phone on me. I was going to cut loose and have as much fun as a married stepfather could have, which in retrospect, isn’t much fun at all.

That entire 4 hour car ride, I gave myself tiny pep talks.

Fuck this. She’ll get a taste of what it’s like to be without me. She’ll be begging me to come back. It’s time for her to be insecure for a change.

The sun was going down, giving way to a beautiful dusk. I would of loved to share it with her. I wish this was our trip to the beach. But it was mine, and mine alone. There didn’t seem to be much that she did want to share with me. I’d make her pay for that.

This was incredibly toxic.

Hours later, my Matrix zipped up the main drag of the beach town, the same beach town we had spent our honeymoon in 7 months earlier.

Attractive women, families, and lively young people littered the sidewalks, laughing and enjoying each other. The night clubs, the smell of the ocean, and the excitement filling the air was intoxicating.

I had never felt so alone.

My adrenaline had worn off, and I was beyond empty. I had completely bottomed out. I was a loser. A fucking loser.

And she hadn’t tried to contact me once.

I realized almost immediately that my grand plan of staying there the whole weekend was a foolish illusion. I had become delusional to think that I could separate my stubborn mind from my heart.

What was I going to do? Walk the boardwalk 500 times? Talk to girls and hope they didn’t catch a glimpse of my wedding ring?

I was a gullible puppy dog. This had become some sick form of stockholm syndrome.

I turned my car around and zipped right back up the road. If I made good time, I could get home at least by 3am.

But I wasn’t going to call!

Halfway up the road, that resolve failed too.

I began calling, and texting, and I received nothing in return.

On top of not bothering to check where I was or if I was ok, she seemingly didn’t give a shit about hearing from me either.

I couldn’t understand. Why was this happening?

Where was this coming from?

Why didn’t she fucking care???

The distance I had sought to put between us had become a curse. I couldn’t wait to get home. The car couldn’t go fast enough. I needed to get back to her.

I even later got a ticket in the mail from one of those speed trap cameras.

After 3am, my car pulled into the driveway. Thankfully, her car was there.

I got out of my car and ran inside the dark house, dashing up the stairs. I bursted into our room, where she was sleeping. Or at least feigning sleep.

Her phone was next to her on the bedside table, dark and dormant...as it had never received any attempts from mine.

“I tried calling you,” I whispered to her as I knelt beside the bed.

“Oh,” she said. “Just come to bed.”

No questions of where I was all night. No further inquiries.

Her level of concern, or lack thereof, was maddening. But she was in front of me in our bed, and I wanted nothing more than to lay down beside her.

I eagerly changed into my PJ’s and laid next to her, taking her hand into mine.

But her hand only returned two quick squeezes and then pulled away.

I fought to fall asleep, replaying the entire evening in my head.

Wondering how it was so easy for her to be so rested and peaceful.

Wondering what was happening behind the scenes.

Wondering what was motivating her...

Or who?

Truth be told, there was someone else in our bed.

I could not see him, but he was there.

He was in her text messages. And in her call logs.

Hiding in plain sight.

“I'm blind, lost inside my head, And I can feel the end, it's coming after me. And I can't walk away.”

From Ashes to New “Blind”

NOTE: Though this is my side of the story, including my own personal recollections and opinions, the reader should not consider this note anything other than a work of literature. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

#dating #relationships #suicide #depression #self help #mental health #divorce #marriage #begin again

[hellocupcakeitsme]

An Unexpected Journey

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So for the last almost 7 months I have been walking more and more and finding it rather enjoyable. I've never been one for hiking or anything like that. I've liked the idea of it, but putting that into the physical act of actually doing so has always been something completely different.

Just recently, I walked 13.5 miles (21.73k) from my town to the next. Now according to the trail signs, the distance is only 7.3 miles (11.75k). But Im not sure if that "as the crow flies" (meaning a straight line) or if that is how far it actually is. But 3 different apps that I have on my phone said that it was 13.5 miles.  Which trust me, either way, my feet and back were killing me. It was such an emotional and almost spiritual adventure. I have NO EXCUSE for why I did it. It quite literally just happened. The day that I went walking, I had it in my mind that I was going to walk to the 6 mile marker. Where I park my car and start walking is about 1/4 of a mile (0.042k) from the 7 mile post marker. So I have always done the trail just past the 6.5 trail marker. But that day like I said I wanted to see where Mile 6 post was. And it was on a part of the trail that I had never done before, so if anything, curiosity got the better of me.

So, when I came up on the 6 mile marker, I decided to "go a little further" to see where that part of the trial went. When I came to the bottom of a steep hill and saw a ranch style fence, I thought "ok i'll just walk up to that fence and turn around." Had I done that, my round trip would have been just under 4 miles at that point, because I had walked over 1.5 miles. But when I got to the top of that hill and caught my breath, I noticed that the trail was flat for as far as I could see. So I thought, "ok I wonder where 5.5 miles is." A few weeks prior to all of this, I picked up the trail from a different access point and walked from the 4 mile marker to the 5 mile marker. I called a girlfriend of mine and asked her if she would come pick me up if I kept walking because I knew I probably wouldn't have the strength nor the stamina to make the return trip to my car. And that I was going to keep walking until I couldn't go any further. So she agreed and so I continued my journey.

When I got to the 5.5 mile marker (8.85k) I realized that I had seen it before, and realized where I was from having walked it a few weeks prior. So that gave me a renewed sense of energy "knowing" that the next trail access was only a mile or so up from where I was. This is when things started getting a bit spiritual for me. As I was walking, and there really wasn't anyone else on the trail, save for a biker or someone running by every now and then, but for the majority of the time, I was all by myself. 

So I started talking to god/goddess/spirit/higher power/the universe/etc and asking for the ability to complete my task of walking further than I have. Now mind you, this is when the wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington were really bad. The air quality was 289 (which is really really REALLY bad). And because I didn't plan on doing that large of a walk, I had NO previsions with me. Thankfully this time of year all of the Blackberries are in season and so are the wild apple trees. So every so often I would stop at a blackberry patch and grab a few handfuls and mush it around in my mouth. Not only for the sweet sugary taste, but for the juice to help with my thirst. So about 2 miles from where I started eating the blackberries, I met a wonderful lady who was mucking out her horse stalls. I stopped and spoke with her for a few moments, she offered to go get me some water, but her house was about 8 acres from where she was, and I honestly didn't want to stand around and wait for her. So I thanked her and kept on going. I then came to a green apple tree. I thought that it might be crab apples, which are very tart and kind of "woody" and not very juicy. I knocked one off the tree, because at this point I was starving because I didn't eat anything before going on my walk, because having to use the restroom on the trail isn't that fun, and I didnt have any toilet paper with me, so I didn't want to eat and have to deficate on the trail. But that apple was a wild Granny Smith. It was the most delicious apple I had ever eaten (at least right then while i was a bit dehydrated and hungry) that I actually turned around and got 5 more for the trip ahead. 

By this time I was at the 4.5 mile marker letting me know that I was almost to the trail access that I was going to have my friend pick me up at. But I started thinking "its really not that much further into town." So I kept going. By this time im an emotional wreck, and everything is making me want to cry. I had begun "unpacking" emotions and situations that had happened and just really doing some mental and emotional cleaning and soul searching. My feet were in pain, my lower back was numb from the pain. But I just kept telling myself to keep going. Honestly I have no fixed memory of what I was thinking about at the time. What feelings I was having. Nothing. It would come in waves, I would think about it and play scenarios out in my head and then move on to the next thought. They kept coming like waves, and it seemed like everytime I would come up for a breath I would get hit with another one. 

After I got past the 4 mile marker and saw the 3.5 marker I was completely lost. So everything at that point was new. Which brought on its own set of emotional tidal waves. I started talking to myself and the universe or whatever spirit or god wanted to hear me and listen to the ramblings of a fat man walking in the woods. At one point I came to a large tunnel that ran under a road that I had driven over many times before, but did not realize that there was a trail that went under it. And there was a breeze that was passing through it that made it feel like an air conditioner, which took my breath away because I was really hot. I just stood there for a moment, and cooled down.

Then walking through it, I noticed all the graffiti that was on the walls and had thought about my friends from California who are street artists and how they would have loved that tunnel and would have used it as one big canvas for something im sure that would have been worthy of an art gallery.

Just on the other side of this tunnel was a long stretch of forest trail that had the most lush and prehistoric looking Sword Ferns that I have ever seen. These have quickly become one of my favorite forest plants that I have come across. So as I was marveling at the natural beauty around me, and coming to an open field, something walked out onto the road and caught my eye. At first I thought that it was a small dog or a racoon or something like that, but it was an orange tom cat. As I approached it I thought that someone may have abandoned it out there. But as the trees began thinning and I got closer to the clearing, I could see that there were houses on either side of me, and that this little guy had a collar on, and a well worn trail where he had walked many times before. But trust me, I was more than ready to scoop him up and bring him home with me, even though Bella probably would have killed both him and I.

When I had walked about 1500 yards, I could see the highway into town. This of course brought tears to my eyes, realizing how close I was to the end of the trail, and thinking about how many times I had driven that stretch of road and never knew that there was all of this beauty and semi hidden trail. Walking under the freeway and realizing that I had less than 2.5 miles to go before I was at the end of my journey, I began getting really giddy. More street art adorned the overpass. 

When I came to the 2 mile marker of the trail, I almost lost it. Years prior, when I had first moved to Washington, I had walked to the 2 mile marker from the end of the trail, and realized that it was literally all downhill from there, but in the best possible way.  My thoughts and emotions were all over the place. When I came to the 1 mile marker. I started crying uncontrollably. I started talking to my dad, my grandma, and grandpa, telling them how proud they would be of me for making it that far, and for having done something like that in the first place. I could see my end goal in sight. I know that section of the trial all to well, as I walk it several times a month. When I got to the 1/2 mile marker I called my friend and told her where to pick me up. There was a part of me that wanted to keep walking. To keep walking past the trails end, all the way to the end of the road where it met the ocean. But I had kept her waiting by her phone all day, and didn't want to make her wait around for me any longer than what she already had.

As I approached the end of the trail, where it meets a parking lot. It felt like my steps were getting heavier and harder to make. Like subconsciously I didn't want it to end. That even though I was in pain, and numb, that I needed to keep going. But the spark of sanity that I had left told me that it was more of an accomplishment than I was giving myself credit for. Stepping off the trail, and walking to where I told my friend I would meet her, was difficult. Time was off for me. I kept having flashbacks to where I was, what I had seen, and to a smaller degree who i was when I started vs who I was when it ended. Yeah it was only a few hours, and several miles of walking. But it really did have that profound of an effect on me. Especially since the week before I was seriously depressed, and had being toying with the idea of just ending it once and for all. But here I was. I had accomplished a goal that I had set for the following summer, and had accomplished it almost 7 months ahead of schedule. 

When I saw my friends car pull up, I lost all control I had and began crying. She was more than ecstatic for me, and just as shocked as I was that I had done it. I kept my sobbing under control the best that I could, just letting hot tears streak down my face. My back was in spasms, my feet felt like they were broken. My shins hurt, my calves were cramping. But I had done it. I had made a trip that this time last year would have been impossible. 

For days after my walk, I had what I can only describe as PTSD from it. I just kept having flashbacks to parts of the trail. Remembering things that I saw, the scent, the sounds. I have since started watching Trail Vloggers, and watching their journey's. And they all have said the same thing. That when they end a hike, that they get what they call "post trail depression".  I have now downloaded several hiking apps, that show all of the trails in my area, and their ratings. And I have also began stockpiling hiking gear. I've been walking with a school backpack with about 7lbs of stuff in it, just to get used to walking with a pack on. My friends husband, gave me one of his old hunting packs and told me that he has some other items that he was going to give me.

I have already planned my next "big" walk. Its just under 14 miles, and another one that I plan on doing next summer too. I would try to do it now, but its fall/winter here in the PNW now and i'm still not that experienced, and still need to build up the strength and stamina to do so. And plus it will give me some more time to get things together for it. 

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[ddcassiere]

10 Tips for Hitchikers

Today we are going to talk about something that I thought it might be useful to alternative travellers. And not only, seeing that the general opinion in Europe about hithhiking is relatively ambiguous on how trustworthy is it for moving around and also on how safe is it for both travellers and drivers.

Before we continue I want to say a quick thing, that is: 

the least economically progressed is the country in which you travel, the more are the chances you actually get to meet new friends. Here it is: we discovered hot water! 

Joking apart, in terms of human interaction, I felt an incredible shift from Croatia - west-ward. 

For who doesnt know about my most recent experience in hitchhiking, I travelled from Iran to central Europe in a journey of two years. All by thumb for exception of one or two buses for minor movements.

Hitch Hiking with new friends in the south of Iran

The change of scenario that I experienced from the balcans to Croatia revealed itself in the matter of people being eloquently suspicious, scared and overall, in my humble opinion, nevrotic.

When I reached Poland, I couldnt stress enough this point with my friends, that what I was seeing, by just looking around after a year in the est of Europe and in middle east, looked to me like a horror movie.

People glazing jars of confecture like hypnotized at the supermarket, people reaching to their phone as soon as they were alone, people looking at my rugged clothes as if I had leprosis.. and so on.

For the first time in one year of travel I felt so self conscious about my appeareance  and my general behaviour. 

It was as if the power of dividing humans was not anymore a prerogative of money, but if people themselves had became money.

Never the less I remained in Europe for a while, just to live there and eventually to adapt and normalize myself, Till everything that now I see is normal, or just ok, or it doesnt matter anyway.

Saying this, I definetely love Bosnia Hercegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro.. I enjoyed my breathing and my being in flow as I rarely had before.

When the driver invites you home and you stay there for days. In the countryside of Banja Luka, Bosnia Hercegovina.

Paranoid is not an issue over there, yet. 

Or if it is, well, I can  tell that in central Europe the state of fear and diffidence toward the human being is much  worse.

Now my 10 tips for the good hitchiker. I hope you find them useful. 

I believe these tips are interesting not only for the traveller, but also for suspicious drivers, as they might realize that after all, its just human beings standing there on the side of the road. And that these human beings, more often than not, are as much as scared as the drivers themself. Of being kidnapped, cutted in piece, raped, eaten, dissolved.. not necessarily in the order.

Now, 

Heading to Albania from Kosovo

nr 1

If you are at your first experiences, I would plan a trip in countries where hitchiking is the normal thing, as diffused and accepted as bus drives. Then, once the confidence is boosted you can bring the Verb of the Thumb to other countries and spread the custom. Do it in the balcans or in Romania for example, where if you are lucky, you wont have to wait longer than few minutes for a ride. But remember that most drivers there expect a symbolic payment after the ride is over. That’s called hay tax, as the tradition roots back to long ago. This lead us to point number

2 

Always ask, before getting in the car, if the ride is for free. And if you dont want to pay, make it clear from the beginning. Otherwise, its not only unfair, but it can be troublesome. 

If you have been told it’s for free, dont let the driver scare you into paying. In hundreds of rides, this happened to me only once, but still it wont help you to show fear as this might easily lead you into being actually robbed.

3

Truck drivers are your best friends! They are definetely scary when you drive by them, but trust these words, there is seldom good people around as truck drivers. Their heart is huge. It would take me several pages to name all the good I have received from truck drivers! Shared meals, cigarettes, long talks, music, laughs, I have been even spontaneously donated money sometimes! If you learn some russian or slavic language this will definetely help in Europe as most truck drivers, at least in my experience, come from slavic countries and they are genuinely happy to have someone to talk to. Be nice, and...

Cool Uzbek truck driver in Turkey

4

Bring some food to share! Nuts, crackers, sweets.. anything that your new friend can grab a bit of. An old calabrian proverb says that you can call someone a friend only when you have shared meals enough to consume a ton of salt. Even though this proverb clearly states that you never know anyone unless you spend huge amount of  time together , this also says that you have to eat with a person to became friends. Or if not, just hand a cigarette, a little present.. anything that would actually show a bit of respect and gratitude.

5

Use Wikinomad! In there you will find the hitchhiking section, organized city by city. So for example, if you are in Prague and you want to go to Wroclaw, it tells you which spots are the hottest and it also contains the reports of previous hitch hikers who have used those spots, by even adding their average waiting time! 

For me this was definetely useful, not only for the directions, that anyway you can find them yourself on google map.. but more than anything for the sake of knowing that there is actually a community and a tradition of travellers .. and that you are not the only madhead.

6

Water is never enough. Especially in summers. If you go a long way and you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere, bring at least a 1.5 litres of water and a sleeping bag. 

7

Learn few words of native language. For me it wasnt always possible as sometimes I would cross three countries in a week and words would get all mixed up in my fucked-up brain. But still, try, because its mostly appreciated. And this is obviously valid also for non hitchikers. It sounds bad when you go somewhere and straight away you claim that they know english or worse, your native language. Ok, this might sound an advice for dummies, but I have seen a lot of backpackers approaching people in english as if they ought to understand.

And if you really cant remember few words, at least ask if they speak english before you assumingly start to speak in english.

7

If you are hitchiking in Iran, dont use the thumb up because over there it equals the middle finger of the west.  Wave your hand at waist hight and that will be enough. And make it clear that you dont want the driver to take you to a bus station and that you want to go together to wherever you are headed. 

It’s because mostly in Iran, local people dont know what hitch hiking is. Dont be shy! Just explain, if they speak english. And if they dont, just smile and say the place you are headed to. Ants communicate and they never speak!

more hitchiking in Iran

8

I have seen many backpackers writing their signs in very small cardboards, or worse, with unreadable calligraphy. It has to be at least an A4 carboard and you need to consider that it has to be spotted from far away. This means also that you never ever ever have to stand in a place where if a car stops, you cause an accident. 

I have seen experienced backpackers, and I did it myself once, positioned right after a curve with not enough space to pull the breaks and stop comfortably. Choose your spot carefully, even if it takes a long time or if the ones that you need are occupied. Move further along the street and come back if necessary. Of course you can be picked up anywhere but for the safety of everybody, choose the pitch with care.

9

Especially before your ride, stay away from paranoid people, the ones who have a problem for every solution. Of course you are going to deal with troubles.. but no more than a regular traveller will and with the main bonus that you are going to meet and talk with a lot of different individuals. And this adventure, without you even noticing, will boost your confidence about yourself and will add a huge window into your knowledge and acceptance of humankind. Your senses will be much sharper than the ones of who travels in the ordinary way. And if you do it long enough, surely you will meet new friends and its not rare that you will share also their house and meals and more than just a few hours in their car. You have absolutely nothing to loose by hitchiking, but all to gain for your heart and mind.

And dont fucking rush! If you are on hurry take a flight or a train! Just enjoy the ride, look out of the window and if he/she feels like, have a chat with whoever is the driver. 

cool lawyers with super clean car, pick up hobo with super mudded shoes and trousers - somewhere in Chech Republik

10

Many say: easy for you! You are a man! 

You would be shocked to know that most hitchikers I met where solitary attractive girls. 

Bring with you a chilli spray if that makes you feel safe. Or simply talk your way out of a driver that doesnt inspire you. You are not obliged to jump on anyone’s car and you still have your pepper spray.

I know lot of girls who travelled half world by hitchiking alone and they didnt have more issues than I myself had. 

Saying this, if you are a girl and dont feel confident enough you can still bring a girlfriend with you. Two pepper spray is better than one. 

I met Sam in Montenegro as he was hitch hiking north, then I visited him in Slovakia. Very scary guy as you can see.

This new post of Naked Songs is over. I really hope it comes handy for you, wheather you are a traveller, a curious or anything in between. 

If you have any questions regarding hitch hiking, or busking and general hobo life style, write me via tumblr.   I will be happy to anwer if this will motivate you in any way to follow your dreams and thirst of adventure.

Love and Openmindedness to everyone!

D.

[richjapan]

#RichJapan - 2.0 - Kyoto

Last time I was in Japan I spent about 80% of my time in Tokyo and only about 15% of my time in Kyoto. This time I wanted to do almost the complete opposite. One reason why I specifically chose to spend more time in Kyoto was because of how *magical* it was for me over the course of two days. I was yearning to re-create that experience.

I spent a total of five days in Kyoto and my first day was not ideal. The places I re-visited on my first day did not seem to have the same spark or hit of dopamine and endorphins as the first time. My soba restaurant didn’t have the same taste of umami and their tea wasn’t as savory either. The bartender at my favorite sake bar was grumpy and not as friendly as last time. My other favorite sake bar was closed. The whole town was overrun with Western tourists. 

This first day made me remember and appreciate the Japanese saying of “Ichi go ichi e” - “one time one meaning”. Meaning that everything that happens is a brief moment in time that will never happen again. It’s important to cherish every experience as once-in-a-lifetime.

Each day when I was in Kyoto I was trying to re-create that feeling of magic and zen. Not until my last 24 hours did I find it.

On my last day in Kyoto, I had just spent the last day and night at a ryokan and I felt what I can only describe as tranquil, euphoric, and zen-like while walking the streets. Deep thoughts interrupted each step. 

Three things were top of mind during this moment of zen: 

1. What’s the operational complexity behind the most simple things we do every day? Example: turning on a water faucet, throwing something in the trash can, how to operate a tea farm and ship tea internationally, what’s it take for all the trains and buses in Japan to be on time, etc.

2. What is it about my experiences as a child that made me who I am today? From a career and income standpoint, I feel like I’ve found a certain level of success. But why me? Who helped me get here? What experiences growing up particularly shaped me? Too many people I knew growing up are in sad states and/or dead (literally). I reflect that I have this chip on my shoulder that I have to prove myself - prove everyone wrong that ever doubted me. But how did I get that chip on my shoulder and why do I have it? And why don’t other people have it? Or do they?

3. What’s my purpose? I read a few things such as a Medium post from the founder of Thumbtack on lessons learned from building a company, a Harvard Business Review white paper on the subject, a couple YouTube videos (one about the Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway) and the book “How Will You Measure Your Life” by Clayton Christensen.

The Japanese have a word for purpose called “ikigia” (pronounced ee-kee-gai) which literally means “life’s worth” or “a reason for being” or translated in English to “the reason for which you wake up in the morning.”

After much thought before, during, and after Kyoto, here’s my leadership purpose:

“My leadership purpose is to build and maintain meaningful, long-lasting relationships that help individuals reach their full potential”

I’m in the process of defining this statement in greater detail, designating metrics for it, and devising an action plan to execute. Stay tuned.

Observations:

- Reflecting on the numerous privileges I have that makes it easier for me to travel internationally:

American

Speak English

Fair skinned / racially ambiguous

Disposable income

Male

Tall

Women tell me how much they have to be extra mindful about everything they do when they travel for fear of their safety. One friend said she had to change her flight to Delhi from arriving at night to arriving in the early morning because she said locals told her it was too dangerous to take a taxi at night as a solo women traveler.

- People don’t say “God bless you” when you sneeze in Japan

- Part of me going to Japan was to purposely get lost, but the ironic thing about Japan is that it is nearly impossible to get lost because transportation is so logical and efficient, smartphones are the 21st-century compass, and because the Japanese go out of their way to point people in the right direction.

- Japanese are so purposeful. Even every movement the woman was making when she made tea during the ceremony was for a specific purpose. Every attendee to the ceremony was told to kneel - and this was purposeful, too. Kneeling made everyone the same height. This made everyone equal. There was no way to rank people because of height. This is key to the Japanese tradition of equality and collectivism.

- Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) in Japan is of such high quality. Everything from the food, public transportation, taxis, housing, roads, sidewalks, etc. I could not find anything dirty or in poor working order. I think my whole two weeks there I only found ONE dirty public toilet.

Learnings:

- “Nichi nichi kore kojitsu” is a saying I learned at the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It means “every day is a good day”. This is another great mantra to live by in line with “ichi go ichi e”.

- Four symbols of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony: Peace. Respect. Purity. Tranquility.

- There’s a word for the Japanese-style of hospitality called “Omotenashi”

- Tea is the #1 agricultural export from Japan

- So many flavors, spices, and foods of Japan are indicative to only small regions of Japan and in short periods of the year. For instance, it was explained to me that sake is only produced in colder months of the year. I tried to find a rare fruit called Yamamomo I had 8 years ago when I worked at an authentic Japanese restaurant with a classically trained kaiseki chef. I searched far and wide in at least 10 shops in Kyoto and Japan and no one had it because the fruit only grows a couple months a year in a remote, mountain area of Northern Japan and only a small supply is harvested.

- I’m usually good at avoiding or limiting jet lag because of a few hacks, but this trip I had the worst jet lag of my life. It felt like the jet lag lasted for 7 days. It was compounded by a slight cold / allergies, drinking too much caffeine and alcohol when I landed, not getting enough sleep, and not getting any exercise. Lesson learned!

- The movies The Matrix and Star Wars make so much more sense after being in Japan. This is almost 20 years after I first watched both series of movies. It’s crazy they turned the principles of Zen Buddhism into action movies.

Memorable moments:

- I visited a sento in Kyoto where they had different ways to bath in hot water. At one time I was bathing what I think was hot tea. Another time I went from one boiling hot water bath to another and as soon as I stepped into the other bath my muscles started spasming. I thought I was going into cardiac arrest so I quickly jumped out the water. Another English-speaking patron saw my displeasure and told me that particular bath was for electric shock therapy - meaning they pump electricity into the water. Needless to say, I did not use that particular bath rub the rest of my time in the sento.

- Getting a massage from the mother of all massage chairs at Kurama Onsen. For less than $3 for 16 minutes I got one of the best massages of my life. This equates to about $12/hour compared to the usual $60+ per hour for a human masseur. Currently, this one chair can do about 80% of the job at 25% of the cost - whereas a human masseur does 90-100% of the job. The massage chairs are only going to get better over time. Is this another potential job eliminated with the Rise of Automation? I looked online and this one chair is $10,000. Anyone want to crowd-fund it? :)

- Tea picking and Hiking in Wazuka Kyoto. I felt so at peace picking tea in the crisp Kyoto air while overlooking the mountains pointing in the direction of Nara. A stressful, hard-working life in tech startup land felt so far away and not once entered my mind. At the end of your hike, the owner of the tea farm, Daiki, does something extra special with the tea leaves each guest picked. I’ll leave it as a surprise, but it’s served in a way that you’ll likely never see anywhere else! Highly recommended for anyone looking for a unique experience off the beaten path.

- I stayed one night at a luxury ryokan called Yuzuya Ryokan. The theme of the ryokan was yuzu. The food, beverages, the spa, and even the decor was influenced by the famous Japanese citrus. The dinner kaiseki was the highlight. I tried new ways to digest yuzu such as yuzu sochu, yuzu tea, yuzu pepper, and yuzu miso. I also tried new food like red baby shiso leaf, half beak fish, grilled bamboo shoot, peach wine, and tile fish.

Yuzuya adheres to strict Japanese traditions such a quiet, tranquil environment and when and where to wear slippers and wooden clogs. The hospitality was more posh and stoic than the outgoing, friendly Japanese service I’ve come accustomed to experiencing. The price was about 3-4x the price of a normal hotel room, but it was about 2-3x the experience of a traditional hotel or Airbnb. I think the value matched the price. I remember one time I took United Polaris on a 10-hour international flight which was about 10x the price of economy, but did not feel it was 10x the value.

I had to take one business call during my entire trip and it happened to coincide with my stay in the ryokan. In light of the time zone difference, the call took place at 11pm Tokyo time. I took the call in my room thinking I would not bother anyone. Little did I know - the walls in each room are paper thin. Within 5 minutes of taking the call, I hear a loud bang on my door. I opened it and see a visibly upset, tall, American man in his 50s. 

"This is a ryokan! It's meant to be tranquil! You are being loud and I can hear every word you are saying. I'm trying to sleep and you woke me up! Take your San Francisco conversation outside!"

Part of me wanted to chuckle, but I remained poker-faced, apologized, and then took the call in the lobby while whispering and covering my mouth over the speakerphone.

Places Visited:

- d:matcha Café & Kitchen - the location of tea farm about 1.5 hours outside of Kyoto. It’s a bit of a trek from Kyoto (two buses and two trains each way), but well worth it.

- Kurama Onsen - The height of zen and relaxation. Make sure you experience the 'mother of all massage chairs'. Try the plum wine sorbet - it's amazing. It's a bit tricky to get to from Kyoto, but well worth the trek. Relax here after climbing Mount Kurama.

- Sake Bar Yoramu - Only open from Wednesday through Saturday. Go after 10pm just before they close at 11pm to get a more solum experience. The bar tender is an expat from Israel who's been honing his craft for 30 years hand-picking sake that you will be hard-pressed to find ANYWHERE in the world. Ask Yorum to teach you how to properly drink sake. Tell him "Richard from San Francisco who likes Nama Zake" sent you.

- Goko-yu Sento

#kyoto #tea #japan #purpose #zen #ryokan #ikegia #kaiseki

[ayeletinthemountains]

Thunderbolt to Sill, plus Mount Agassiz

8/17/18 - 8/19/18

This was a big one. Leo and I first talked about Thunderbolt to Sill, a traverse of five of California’s 14ers, two years ago when we did a 2-week long road trip along the Eastern Sierra ~five months into us dating. I wasn’t a strong climber at the time. Leo wasn’t as much of a slogger and didn’t have as much alpine experience. We rightfully decided the traverse was probably above our pay grade, so decided to save it for another time. We still nabbed Sill via the Swiss Arete, an awesome climb and Leo’s first 14er. I remember being on the summit and staring at the rest of the peaks on the traverse, thinking how nuts it looked.

Now in 2018, in ~February/March, I went on a permit booking spree, dreaming up big goals for the summer, and this was the obvious choice. I booked a permit for a weekend in August and prayed we’d have good weather and that I’d be up to the challenge. As summer came, I got in several long backcountry climbs, from East Buttress on Whitney and Fishhook on Russell, to the Saber Ridge deep in SEKI. In the weeks prior to our Thunderbolt to Sill weekend, I did some long climbs in Canada with my friend Marco which had me feeling strong and in decent shape. The biggest open question (well, aside from all my nerves and self-doubt) was the weather. The Sierra weather had been full of storms all summer, severe enough to damage many trails and even close some roads because of mudslides. We’ve also had really bad smoke for much of the summer, with fires raging all over the state, bad enough to even close Sierra passes. But, as the week came, Leo and I were beyond thankful to see that the storms seemed to stop just days before our trip, giving us a perfect weather window, and the major fires near the Sierra started to be contained.

Thunderbolt to Sill is not something you want to do if there’s any chance of thunderstorms. Well, at least for a mortal like me. In my research, I saw people doing the traverse in as few as three hours. I also saw many trip reports with people bivying in the middle of the ridge, spending a night up there. I really didn’t have a great sense of how long the traverse might take us. It seemed not crazy to think we could do it in as few as 15 hours, but I didn’t want to get cocky and knew we had to be prepared for it to take much longer.

We drove from the bay area to the east entrance of Yosemite Thursday night, sleeping off the side of the road up high. I was happy to have a bit extra acclimatization and to not feel rushed getting to the east side. We worked remotely Friday, finished packing, and slept up near the Buttermilks. It was so warm out that we watch a movie out in the open in the bed of our truck before calling it a night. We set the alarm for 7am and drove up to South Lake to take the Bishop Pass trail. The parking lot was totally full, but we managed to squeeze in on the side of the road, which saved us what would have been an extra mile of road walking.

By the time we were ready to go, the parking lot was bustling with people. It’s always so surprising to be around so many people when you’re headed out to do a remote climb. For our gear for the trip, we tried to keep it pretty minimal. In terms of climbing gear, we brought:

Two Arcteryx climbing harnesses

Moccasym climbing shoes for Leo

Mythos for Ayelet

A 60m 7.5mm half rope

A set of offset nuts (which we didn’t expect to use, but wanted as insurance)

Two cordelettes

Four slings, each with a non-locking carabiner

Two megajul belay devices

Six locking carabiners

Two prusiks (critical because of the very skinny rope)

A spare quick link

A bail knife

Two climbing helmets

Heading off.

We set off on the Bishop Pass trail a bit after 8am. Progress went quickly. Even though I’ve been up this trail five times before already, I still am always in awe of how beautiful this area is. We stopped for a short snack break about halfway to the pass, and then continued up, finding ourselves at the top of the pass just before 11am. Given how early it was, Leo and I decided to tag Mount Agassiz on our way to camp. Mount Agassiz lies just 2k feet above Bishop Pass, right along the route to our basecamp. I had failed at climbing Mount Agassiz twice before. I made the mistake the first time with Leo, when we tried to climb it Memorial Day weekend in 2016 and only left the trailhead at 5am, making it to the snow on Agassiz’s slopes too late in the day. We bailed as were miserably post-holing up the side of the mountain, barely making progress, and storm clouds were coming in. The genius that I am was so enamored with the idea of climbing Agassiz in the snow that I made the exact same mistake, again trying to climb Agassiz over Memorial Day weekend in 2018, once again leaving the car at 5am. Way to go, me.

Views of Agassiz on the approach.

We dropped our packs at Agassiz’s base, putting some food and water into a flashpack I had with me, and started up one of the chutes on Agassiz’s northwest face. Progress goes much faster when you’re able to scramble up class two rock rather than post-holing through melting snow. The base was a bit sandy and loose, but as we got higher up the rock felt more secure. Agassiz is the 21st tallest peak in California, 13,893ft. We both could feel the altitude as we trudged up what we thought was very slowly, but it only took us 1.5 hours from the base to the summit.

Views of our objectives for the next day!

Near the summit, we met another party of two who were also planning to climb something near Mount Goode the next day and did Agassiz as a warm up. It was so nice out that I didn’t even put a layer on at the summit. We took in the views, ate our lunches, and headed back down, making it to our packs by ~2:30pm. I was pretty excited to have already nabbed a bonus peak (particularly one that had been on my grudge list) so early in the trip.

We repacked our packs and started the cross country slog to Thunderbolt Pass, our planned base camp. There isn’t much elevation gain between the base of Agassiz and Thunderbolt Pass, but we contoured along the side of Agassiz so as to not lose elevation. There was still plenty of ups and downs, and the terrain was pretty talus-y at times. Not exactly fun. The pass was only ~1.5mi from Agassiz, but it still took us close to two hours to make it there. About half a mile before the pass, we met a party of four who was camped. They had just climbed Thunderbolt that day and were relaxing in the sun, enjoying the many beers they had lugged up with them. We chatted with them for a little while as we filled water before continuing on our way. They had taken the first chute up Thunderbolt, which is the standard route from Thunderbolt Pass. We had been planning to take the second chute, because we had read some conditions reports that the recent rains had left some huge boulders in precarious spots. They didn’t mention anything about that, which I took note of.

The last bit of slog to Thunderbolt Pass. Ick.

The last half mile to the pass was through a pretty miserable boulder field. I was so happy when we finally made it to the pass and it was over. We had originally planned to camp ~400ft down on the far side of the pass, since that is the nearest water. But we saw there were at least a dozen campsites much higher up near the pass. We made the call to camp near the pass, rather than down near the water, so we wouldn’t have to lug all our gear down there and we could shorten our approach to Thunderbolt in the dark in the morning.

Home sweet home at 12,300ft.

We set up the tent and our sleeping gear, and then headed down to fetch water. We saw a tent near the stream we planned to fill at, and wondered whether we’d see its occupants. Sure enough, as we sat down to fill our containers, they showed up. It seemed to be a guide and a client. They had climbed Polemonium and Sill that day. We pried a bit for beta, getting the guide’s opinion on first chute up Thunderbolt, and one of our possible descent options. The guide said they’d been up the first chute two days before and seemed really casual about it, not mentioning any additional hazards. We thanked him for the beta and slogged back up to camp.

The view of southwest chute #1 from camp.

I hadn’t felt too miserable the first time we arrived at camp, but after this additional short trip, I was really feeling it. As we waited for our dinner to cook, I did a bunch of stretching to hopefully not be too sore for the following day. We ate, went up to the pass to watch the sunset, and then got into bed. I bundled up into all my layers, expecting it to be very cold since we were sleeping above 12k feet. But as the night went on, I periodically woke up too warm and would take one layer off at a time.

Leo chilling at the pass, taking in the sunset. Thunderbolt behind.

We had set the alarm for 4:15am. Around 3:30am, I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, because I was so nervous about what was to come. This often happens to me before big climbs. For once, it came in handy though. Turns out Leo hadn’t saved the alarm when setting it the night before. I looked at my watch and saw it was 4:18am, and woke Leo. It was time to get going.

We dressed, made breakfast, and put our food in our packs. When I got back to camp after going to the bathroom, Leo told me had a problem: the tube of his water bladder had broken. With no real opportunity to fill water on the whole ridge, having plenty of water with us was non-negotiable. We pulled out some leukotape and taped the opening of the bladder, hoping it would be enough to get through the day.

We put on our headlamps and started towards Thunderbolt. The night before, we decided to switch to the first chute instead of the second, since it was closer to camp, and both parties we’d met had seemed to think it was okay. The chute is only a couple hundred feet from camp, which we definitely appreciated in the dark, so that we wouldn’t get lost. The chute is definitely loose, as advertised. We headed up until we reached the chockstone described in the SummitPost beta. I had misremembered the beta for this section, we lost maybe 15 minutes looking for the class 3 way around the chockstone. Turns out it’s actually ~30 feet below the chockstone on the right, and we had walked right past it. It felt great to be out of the chute on much more solid rock. After a couple hundred feet of gain, we found ourselves back in the loose chute, but it was much easier to stick to solid rock on the sides at this point.

Heading up the chute.

We reached the top of the chute around 7am, feeling the sun on our skin for the first time, always a joyous feeling during an alpine start. We headed up the class 4 climbing (which was cruiser and fun) to get to the base of the summit block. And there we were! At the climbing crux of the day, as I’d seen in so many photos and videos leading up to this trip. The summit block of Thunderbolt is only 15ft tall, but it’s 5.9. And by 5.9 I mean unprotectable fall-and-you-die 5.9. Enter Leo. :) I promise I don’t only bring him around to lead the scary stuff. I also bring him around because he carries the heavy gear.

Leo prepping for the summit block. Summit register bolted at the top!

We pulled out the rope and our climbing shoes. Leo tied one of our cordelettes around a large boulder, to at least keep us attached to the mountain in the event of a fall. Leo sadly took off his shoes and socks, feeling the cold as he put on his climbing shoes. As I belayed him, I remarked, “I wish I could also film this!” Leo said back to me, “You probably could, it’s not like your belay is doing anything.” The whole climb took Leo probably about one minute, and then he was on top! Looking back, I wish I had taken more photos. I just felt like we had to go, go, go all day (which was true), but this is really a unique spot, and we should have taken more time to enjoy it.

My belay finally became useful as I lowered Leo (you’re welcome). It was my turn to have my feet be freezing at 7:30am at 14,000ft. With Leo’s belay assist, I made it to the top more easily than I expected. The climbing isn’t easy, but there were more holds than I had anticipated. One peak down! The register is bolted to the top of the summit block, so I signed for both of us before Leo lowered me back down. We packed up our gear and got ready to go. This was the only time either of us wore our climbing shoes for the whole traverse. Oof.

Me on Thunderbolt. I was in such a rush I forgot to take a cool standing pic. :(

We left the summit of Thunderbolt around 7:40am. The next peak on the traverse is Starlight. We checked the beta we had with us, and started to descend to the notch between the two peaks. We downclimbed what we believe was the fourth class chimney system, until we made it to the slabs. On the slabs, we stopped and took a look at what lay before us, trying to identify the route before we were too up close to it. We crossed the notch and started climbing up, trying as much as possible to stay to the ridge. We came to some giant rock walls, uncertain of where to go. We explored both sides of the ridge, settling on the right side. We walked along some very flat, sidewalk-width rocks on the right side of the ridge, below huge walls to our left. I was convinced this wouldn’t go and we were lost, but Leo managed to find a squeeze-ramp type feature. It was pretty steep, but managed to go. The top of it became a chimney, which was definitely fifth class. After Leo soloed up, he saw a very solid rappel anchor, so he pulled out the rope and belayed me up using the anchor. I was glad to have the rope, and definitely weighted it once while trying to figure out the moves. This was one of two times on the entire traverse that Leo belayed me (aside from the two fifth class summit blocks). From there, we had some more high class scrambling until we reached the milk bottle, the summit block of Starlight.

Looking to Starlight from Thunderbolt.

Descending the slabs just before the notch between the two peaks.

With this summit block only being 5.4, Leo opted to lead it in his approach shoes. We again pulled out the rope, and Leo once again quickly made it to the top. While he climbed, our rope fell off the ledge it had been sitting on maybe 40 ft down a hole between the rocks. I tried to pull it up, but it was caught on something. As Leo chilled out on the summit block, I managed to scramble down and free it. For those two minutes, I was really nervous, uncertain how we’d get down safely without a rope. Thankfully, it was not an issue we had to deal with. I scrambled back up and then lowered Leo back down to the ledge. I also opted to climb this block in approach shoes, and had no trouble (thanks for the tight belay, Leo!). Back down on the ledge, two peaks down, three to go! We started on to the next peak around 9:45am.

Starlight summit success!

From the summit of Starlight, I crawled through a narrow opening along the ridge, while Leo scrambled up and over. We continued along the ridge, trying to find the simplest way down. We eventually came to the notch between Starlight and North Palisade. This notch has a big gap, which isn’t easy to climb or jump. There was a rap station above it, so we pulled out the rope. Leo rappelled first, and had to swing over the gap to the other side before going off rappel. I rappelled next, and had zero grace in trying to get across the gap. I wish a third person had been there to get a video of this, it must have looked so ridiculous. I’d push off the wall, trying to swing across the gap, while Leo pulled me in as hard as he possibly could. This failed the first two or three times, as I could not get my butt or feet or anything on the ledge on the other side of the gap. Finally, with our teamwork, I managed to get across. I also bring Leo around to pull me in after rappels, apparently.

Looking back down at the very awkward rappel from the other side.

We put the rope away and continued scrambling. I think we did not find the easiest way up North Pal, by any means. We scrambled mostly on the left side of the ridge, trying to find a way up. We didn’t have a great view of what was above us, so we couldn’t tell if going up was even the right way to go at times. We eventually found a chimney that exited onto an airy arete. Leo again soloed this, and opted to pull the rope out for me, the second and last time he’d belay me (aside from the two fifth class summit blocks). He slung a huge boulder with a cordelette, and tossed down one end of the rope. I was definitely glad to be on belay for this. It was not something I could have soloed. As Leo coiled the rope, I continued the route finding, down-climbing five feet to get to a squeeze ramp that then led to the summit! This was the only peak of the whole traverse that I summited before Leo, and it was just because I left him with the gear. Thanks Leo!

North Pal summit selfie. 3/5 down!

Sitting on top of North Pal, I was feeling really content. Even if we somehow next got lost and couldn’t finish the traverse, it still felt so cool to have done three new 14ers all in one day. So many people opt to do just one of these peaks in a day: but we didn’t plan on trying for just three, so it was on to the next. We left the summit of North Pal around 11:15am, and found a rap on the south side of the summit. It looked like we could potentially downclimb from here, but we figured we’d just do the rappel. This dropped us into a small bowl that had probably the best bivy sites we’d seen on the entire ridge traverse thus far.

After a bit more downclimbing, we contoured along the ridge, able to stay at the same elevation all the way around the bowl until we fell in-line with the ridge once again. We travered on the left side of the ridge, and then back to the right before finding some more rappel stations. We did four rappels and found ourselves in the U-notch. It was possible that we could have again downclimbed these, but I think we were both happy to get a little rest while rappelling rather than downclimbing. The right side, towards the west, of the U-notch looked like a sandy, miserable chute. I checked it out, knowing this is often used as a descent option to get back to where we had camped. We were still undecided about how we’d come down.

Me route-finding from North Pal to the U-notch.

From the U-notch, the description was pretty spot on. We went up some exposed fourth/low fifth class directly from the top of the notch, traversing right until we reached a ridge once again. Here again there was some more exposed fourth class/low fifth class, but it was short, and we quickly found ourselves on the summit. The fourth peak of the day! And the last new summit for us of the trip.

It was around 1pm as we topped out on Polemonium. We again took another rest as I perused the summit register. I was feeling really beat. The fact that we’d already climbed Sill before left me with very little motivation. Plus, if we climbed Sill, we’d have a much longer slog back to camp. I was entirely open to going back down Polemonium to the U-notch so we could get back to camp early. I even wrote in the register that I didn’t know if we’d continue, and you’d have to climb to Sill to see if we did. But, Leo was not having it. No way was he going to stop at this point, so on to Sill it was.

Looking back from Polemonium to North Pal, Starlight, and Thunderbolt.

Leaving Polemonium, there was some more fourth class to get off the summit and lower down. After five or ten minutes though, we found ourselves moving quickly over class two terrain. It felt nice to be away from exposure and able to move more quickly (despite the fact that the direction we were moving quickly was away from our camp). I was thrilled when we reached the point where we could drop our packs. I finally took off my harness, which I’d been wearing all day. For our last scramble up to the summit, Leo carried my flash pack with some water and snacks, so we could leave the rest of the gear. It felt amazing to scramble without a pack (thanks Leo!). And soon enough, we were on the summit of Sill, traverse completed!

Success!

The ultimate summit selfie. :)

We had read some conditions reports that Sill was currently missing a summit register, which we found to be true. We had brought a nalgene with us, along with a small notebook and two pens, to leave at the summit. We sat down to rest once again while we readied the register. I ate a packet of peanut M&Ms (when you do a traverse of five peaks, which summit do you eat your summit treat on!?) for some easy energy that I could keep down. I was definitely low energy, but I had no zero appetite. We took many celebratory selfies, and eventually I ran out of things I “needed” to do on the summit to delay the impending slog back to camp.

Our six summit register signatures in order from the trip!

We decided to take the long way back around, towards Potluck Pass, rather than re-summiting Polemonium and heading down the U-notch. And so, at 3pm we began our descent. It took just under 30 minutes to make it back to our packs. For this type of terrain, I’m not much faster heading downhill vs uphill, since I’m paranoid of rolling my very weak ankles. We headed south down the bowl between Sill and Polemonium until we reached the bottom, and then headed along the west edge of the bowl. Rather than taking the bottom of the drainage all the way around to Potluck Pass, we cut over the hillside. This saved us some distance, but I suspect it didn’t save us much time.

As we came around the ridge, we had the choice of dropping down to the west, where the drainage becomes flatter, or contouring along the slopes of the Palisades crest to keep our elevation all the way to camp. If we did the former, we’d have a long section of uphill at the end to make it back to camp, which sounded miserable to both of us. So, we opted to contour the entire way. It was a miserable talus slog that we suspect was worse in the end. If I had to do it again, I’d take the low route.

Camp was only a mile away in a straight line, but it took ages to traverse. As we neared camp, Leo so graciously offered to split off, to head down to the water source for us, while I’d continue on to camp. I had absolutely no energy to fetch water, and would have instead made the 2L we had waiting for us at camp work. But, Leo is great like that. We split off to do the last section solo. I knew I had to keep moving, because I’d be mortified if Leo somehow made it back to camp before me. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. I was able to have my gear unpacked and our dinners rehydrating before Leo made it back to camp (though he made it back maybe only 10 mins after me). All in all, from the top of Sill back to camp took us 4hr 45mins. We took essentially zero stops in that time.

We finally turned on our head lamps as we ate our dinner. We had made excellent use of the daylight, and our timing worked out perfectly. Having to do any of the slog back to camp in the dark would have been challenging and miserable. I was in bed at 8:40pm, thrilled about what we’d accomplished. I was so tired, but also so excited about having achieved this goal.

We slept from ~9pm to 6:30am, waking up with the late and not feeling too sore. We leisurely made breakfast and packed up, still being ready to go by 7:40am. It was really nice knowing the most miserable part of the hike out would be the first part, and then it would be behind us. It took us about 2 hrs to get from our camp back to the trail, with no breaks. This was about the same amount of time it had taken us to get to Thunderbolt Pass from the trail. Slow terrain is slow in both directions.

Once we were at the trail, it was a cruiser walk out, though we were both feeling ready to be done by the end. We were back at the car around 11:50am, quickly changed and headed to Bishop for some well-earned celebratory burgers. It’s always nice when you hike out early enough in the day to not feel rushed at all about getting home.

Looking down from Bishop Pass.

All in all, we couldn’t have had better conditions. We spent nearly the whole day of our climb above 14,000 ft, and never wore more than our base-layers after 8am. The air quality was totally fine, and the skies were nothing but clear. We saw no one our whole traverse day except for one person on Sill when we were just leaving Polemonium, very thankful to have no one to drop rocks on us. We were shocked that on such a perfect weekend, there was no one else doing this amazing climb.

Now here’s time for the mushy Leo part. This climb felt so daunting and scary to me, and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable trying it with pretty much anyone other than Leo. When I’m scared, he asks how he can help. He pretty much always knows when I’ll want a belay, always a step ahead of me with the rope. He never makes me feel bad if I’m not comfortable solo-ing the terrain he just cruised up. Not once has he ever complained that I descend talus at least twice as slowly as he does. And when I’m not sure if I have the skills, he reassures me that I can do it. Thank you Leo. Now I can think of the next big slog we can do together. :) End mushiness.

[rou5a-blog]

What to expect?

Is it a little India? Maybe…Those dark smiley face drenched in sweat, hardly looking into your eye will feel familiar. The heat, the stench of sewage and crows even though it’s a lot cleaner. Less crowded which means that traffic clown business is not as crazy…

On a train from Colombo to Badulla…

Local/traditional food will and must contain either grated coconut or coconut cream or coconut milk and definitely cooked with coconut oil in addition to curry and other spices. Which is “too heavy” for an indian stomach.

Sri Lanka a poor country which explains the hassle around every tourist attraction, but you will not find anything similar to the poor Mumbai slums. Robbery is not a major issue…

Tourists will find international food they can savour because the restaurant business is not exactly directed to locals…Lankans are raw, they keep a lot of their tradition in many aspects of their daily life. The same way that Nature is still raw, unexploited or at least not fully… Beaches in many areas are sewage free and the ocean still preserves its gorgeous pallet of turquoise, greens and blues.

The gorgeous south coast…                                                                                                                                  

Lankans are mostly Buddhists, few are Hindus in contrast to India. There is a decent number of mosques and churches specially in the areas where Portuguese and Dutch colonies used to reside.  Christians will most likely have european christian names and keep to themselves, and muslims are ethnically distinct; a muslim old man in Galle explained that he came from a moroccan descent and how the sovereign at that time enabled Arab merchants to settle, allowed them to marry local women and build a life to do what they knew best; commerce…

Sunday morning at St Paul Church in Kandy…

My only concern as a solo female was to maintain a balance between the recommended safety precautions and not building a wall. It’s all commons sense; locals do not stay out late, by 8 you could sense it’s nearly midnight from the empty streets and closed shops. It’ll be more likely to face danger at that time…

Getting dark in Kandy around the lake…

 The major health risk consists of exposure to mosquitoes that carry Dengue or Malaria. The only way to protect yourself is an efficient combination of mosquito repellents all day, all night. Dengue fever has no vaccine as it changes its form and can be deadly at rare occurrences. The cure is not complicated; rest for a few days and have paracetamol.

Most insects are friendly…Except for the mosquitoes.

Getting there

Sri Lanka is an Island that has 24 airports, yet only 2 are international and only 1 is actually functioning as such. If you’d be travelling from the south of India; there is a cheap operator called Spice Jet. Or sail…

What to do?

Everywhere on the Island has got something to offer, may not be tempting for more than a day or two but if you want to have a good plan you need to define your priorities; Culture(whether it’d religious, food, city life, village life…etc)?  Nature and hikes? Wild life? Swimming and surfing? Whale watching? or is it all of them?? Because it’s all there.

In the capital…

Plan an adequate amount of time for your commutes; there are no long distances but most roads are 2 ways, 2 lanes with habitation. You also need to be careful about when to go; The weather is tropical and the monsoon can be a barrier as the rain sometimes causes minor floods as well as changes to the animal migration pattern…

A little stormy in the south…

Optimum trip duration would be a month, try not to plan less than 10 day if you want a little bit of everything, the south is very tempting and the tea country is a must.

Attraction map, courtesy of Ceylon Discovery tours…

Here’s the itinerary that I’ve used circling the southern half;

The fish market, main attraction of Negombo

Day 1: Land in Bandaranaike International airport and spend the night in Negombo, a village that is good for nothing except for its proximity to the airport. In town, you can visit the fish market but watch out as touts are everywhere. A little further everything is overpriced around the beach, however I’ve enjoyed the beach park near sunset watching kids flying their kites. Alternatively you could spend sometime in Colombo and start your journey with the national museum and a fancy meal.

Tuna drying out on the beach near the fish market

Days 2-3 Kandy: Famous for the temple of the tooth relic which is a pilgrim site and worth every penny.  There is a nice walk around the lake next to the temple and a traditional dance show at 5 pm.

Pilgrims into the temple of the tooth…

Kandy station

Days 4-6 Ella/Nuwara Eileya: Both are ideal for hikes, calm nature and tea plantations. Ella has a great tea factory and is less crowded but either would suffice. Don’t expect much from Ella at night though, it’s not even a town but you can have a cooking class.

Tea plantations and Adam’s little peak…

Cooking with Lanka

Days 6-8 Tissamaharama/Kataragama: The starting point for Safaris at the Yala national park, the advantage of Tissa is its proximity to Bundala national park if you are a bird lover and Kirinda fishing village. Both towns have pilgrim sites as well.

Tissamaharama dagoba…The main temple.

Days 8-10 Mirissa: to watch the whales, as it’s the only location in the south offering this adventure. Enjoy a day on the beach, eat some sea food and relax and then you could easily reach the airport within 4 hours and fly back home.]

4 pm sun at Mirissa beach…

Waves and footprints…

Gorgeous beach…

You could also go for a day trip in Galle and stroll around the dutch fort and the fish market. Spend another in Colombo, although 4 hours were more than enough to go to the national museum and the temple, including 1.5 hours to eat one single crab.

On the walls of the dutch fort, Galle…

Where to stay?

My pick would be homestays for several reasons: 1- A family will protect its home and business, theft is not very likely, 2- it’s hot, there are mosquitoes and really after a long day, personal space can be appreciated. 3- it’s still cheap. 4- You can befriend the family, and have some insights on local life.

If you are planning on staying in hostels; make sure there are lockers…

View from the homestay in Kandy…

Commuting

Monk priority seating

Always colorful, and always musical

Train/bus: Cheapest, slowest and least convenient but you get upclose and personal with Lankans, literally. Second class train tickets are less than 200 rupees for the famous routes like Kandy-Ella or Colombo-Galle. Buses will not exceed 300 rupees and are generally faster since trains run between 20-40 km/hr on average, maximum 60 but not all the time. Buses can go as fast as 80 km/hr

The family I befriended on the train…

Trains offer the time and space to socialize. The ride was scenic towards Ella, and seeing the waves crashing beneath the train on the way to Colombo was something out of this world. Buses will grow on you specially that the ride is very rhythmic.

Yes the waves are crashing beneath the wheels of your train…

There is a collaborative spirit among Lankans, If you are lucky to find a seat you owe it to your co-citizen to keep their purse/bag on your lap.

Tuktuk: Cheaper than taxis and a bit faster as they can go easily around traffic. Beware that 3 wheelers are neither road safe nor comfortable specially in long rides. So travelling with a tuktuk for more than 20 kilometres is a bad idea. And always negotiate starting with half price, however in Colombo as them to turn the meter on…

You’ll find tuktuks in the most rural unexpected places as well the crowds streets…

Taxis: Safest, most comfortable and most expensive aswell. A bus from Ella to Wiraweela cost 385 SRL, from Wiraweela to Tissa you’d ride a tuktuk and pay 400 SRL so in total 785 SRL, you’d pay 7000 and 8000 SRL for a taxi.

Local Food

Since Lankans are not much of restaurant goers, restaurants are widely spread where tourists go and it’s really easy to find those who serve western or chinese food. There are Pizza hut, dominoes, KFC or burger king in major towns. In small villages, it’ll be harder to find a restaurant, so you’ll eat at your home stay, hostel or hotel.

A pork Kothu with an omelette on top…

The unwritten Lankan cuisine rule is: “everything will, can and should be cooked with grated coconut, coconut milk or coconut cream and definitely coconut oil. Cause coconut is a way of life…”

Breakfast:

Anything can make a good breakfast, you could have egg hoppers or hoppers with honey or any filling of your preference, hoppers are crepe-like bell shaped pastry also made with grated coconut and coconut milk.

Egg hoppers…

Traditional breakfast consists of leftover rice and curry. Or a fresh baked roti with coconut Sambal and Dhal (lentils) curry.  The roti contains coconuts and cooked with coconut oil, coconut sambal (a dry curry made of grated coconut, onions and red or green hot chilli peppers).

Roti with an omelette

Dhal curry

Coconut sambhal

Locals usually stop by a bakery on their way to work or school and get one of these delicious pastries; fish sambal, samosa, vegetable roti, egg roti, hotdog bun, bread rolls…etc. Don’t forget to couple it with some milk tea.

A small roti with a fried dhal patty… 

Lunch or Dinner:

Rice & curry…

Rice and curry for lunch, dinner or breakfast, some would replace rice with roti. Curries may have a protein base (fish, chicken, mutton, beef, pork…etc), or simply vegetarian or fruitarian options like beetroot, coconut, dhal, pumpkin, and passion fruit.

Roti with fish, veggie and tomato curries…

Kothu is a street food that consists of shredded veggies, chilli, fried roti leftovers, some seafood or protein of your choice. All pan fried in coconut oil with an egg. It tastes sweet… Don’t expect your plate to be bone or shell free though.

Fish Kothu

Chopseuy; fried rice dish with shredded veggies and left over meat,  not necessarily traditional as it’s also mild.

Chopseuy with seafood (squid and shrimps)…

Deviled meat: A sweet and sour treat. It consists of chili, palm honey, veggies and a protein of your choice. Very saucy and normally served with rice…

Deviled prawns…

Fresh seafood: Fish, shrimps or crabs, can all be fried or served dry. The spiciness level is not guaranteed so make your preferences clear. My favourite would always be crabs; those enormous giants are soft, sweet and tender. It takes at least an hour to devour an 800 gm monster.An hour of criminal pleasure…

Sweet chilli crab…

Tip: If you are not into spicy food, then curries are not for you…

Snacks:

Street food is cheap, as in 10 SRL per piece, spicy and hard to name as well as sorts of cashews, nuts, exotic fruits and paan. For those who don’t know what paan is, you’ll find stuffed green leaves that people buy from small kiosks or street vendors. This contains either tobacco or sweets, it’s nice to try once at least…

Rice milk with spicy curry on a banana leave…

I particularly love the Issu vadei and uludu wade as well as things with dhal (lentil) base captured below.

Yummy street eats…

Curd with honey: Curd is basically a buffalo milk yoghurt but it’s a bit different in the making process which is called curdling. In terms of taste, there are evident solid masses, and a bit of a salty taste similar to cottage cheese.

Curd & honey…

Tip: I am not sure they call it paan in Sri Lanka, that was the name in India, you don’t need to spell it, just point at it.

Desserts:

I am not a fan of sugar but I always appreciate a good dessert. i’ve tried some cakes based on coconut and bananas, some were dry served with a breakfast and some were moist and spongy…

Banana cake at heritage cafe in Galle…

Try string hoppers, rolled and stuffed with caramelised coconut, it was too sweet for my liking but I am the kind of person who doesn’t need sugar for their tea or expresso.

Kalu dodol: found at speciality shops, it’s made of coconut of course, cashews, flower and something else called Kithul jaggery along with flour.

My breakfast on the boat, egg toast, sausage, string hoppers with coconut, cake and pineapple.

Urunda and varieties: Crispy balls made of coconuts or simply flour, honey among other ingredients that I cannot really recognise but I can assure you it’s world class.

Drinks:

Coconut water: Whether it’s fresh off the tree or mixed with lime and mint. A perfect way to quench your thirst and very nutritious, specially if you eat the coconut afterwards, normally between 50 -70 rupees.

Carving the coconut meat…

Ginger beer: my favourite non alcoholic refreshing beverage, it’s basically carbonated fermented ginger with some additives. EGB is the best in my opinion.

I terribly miss these on a hot day…

Lion Beer: The one and only, “be strong, be a lion” or that’s what the tagline says. It’s not bad at all. The challenge is to get a cold one though…

With an ocean view…

Arrack: Other than Toddy (fermented coconut) that is best drank fresh, Lankans make a distilled version called arrack, goes well with a coke as it’s basically tasteless…

Arrack on ice…

Cream Soda: For some reason I cannot fathom, Sri Lanka makes an excellent cream soda.

Tea: It’s not a rumour, Ceylon tea is the best,it comes in all grades and flavours but all with good quality. Don’t miss the Uva Halpte factory if you are near Ella. Try ginger tea.

And when you serve tea, it has to be done right…

Lankan coffee: If it weren’t for the English, the first drink would have been coffee or so they say. Some local brands are starting to bloom and gain popularity. Sri Lanka is one of the prime green coffee exporters yet they are still learning the art of making it.

Budget

1 USD = 153 SRL

Depending on what you would enjoy; you can go as low as 150 $ per week.

If you are a budget traveller you can live with something between 3000 – 6000 SRL/day on average. It’s enough for public transportation, few tuktuks in town, decent meals and maybe something luxurious every once in a while, activities like safari and whale watching as well as one beer per day.

A streetfood shack in Colombo Green Face…

Accommodation in home stays: 1800 SRL per night, half of it with AC to avoid mosquitoes and have a good night sleep,  you can still have your own room at 1000 SRL per night.

Transportation: I was travelling from a place to the other every two nights in addition to the commutes within town limits (I did walk a lot though) for  400 SRL.

The awesome bus stop…

Meals: 600 SRL/day without crabs, with crabs it’d go up to 900/day. A single crab can cost up to 4000 SRL depending on how big and where you eat it. Yet if you are going to live on street food you can spend as little as 400 SRL per day. Prices differ from a place to the other. You are more likely to spend less in big towns… Add to that around 150 SRL for snacks as a safety net.

Fresh fruits stand…

Drinks: If you are going to bars, sip a fresh coconut, ginger beer and bottled water, your average would be round 550 SRL, without beer it can go down to 200 SRL. Lion Beer would cost anywhere between 300 -500 SRL.

Seema Malaka on Beira Lake, Colombo.

Activities: museums, temples, theatres, safaris…etc would average around 1500 per day, Safari costs around 6000 SRL/person for 6 hours with breakfast and drinks in a 6 person jeep. Whale watching is between 4000-6000 SRL including breakfast, water and snacks…

School students on the way home…

Shopping varies from a person to the other, so nothing to recommend here, not much of a shopper myself…

A buddhist monk near the lake in Kandy…

Please note that prices are subject to change, my calculation before travelling went to the drain as it was based on old information while all prices went up in August 2017, always buffer with a 25% extra and note the article’s date.

Next: A Solo female guide to Sri Lanka.

All photographs are shot by myself Racha Rachad, and I preserve all copyrights.

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Sri Lanka; The essentials guide… What to expect? Is it a little India? Maybe…Those dark smiley face drenched in sweat, hardly looking into your eye will feel familiar.

#accomodation #animals #arrack #asia #authentic #beach #beer #begging #breakfast #buddha #buddhist #budget #Bus #buses #cheap #chopseuy #coconut #colombo #cooking #country #cream soda #cuisine #Culture #curd #curry #desserts #deviled #dinner #drink #eat

[ripwitchuniverse-blog]

Treadmills - Understanding the Technical Elements

After you set out to buy a treadmill, you can be certain that you just will have adequate possibilities readily available to have your mind buzzing. So the perfect point should be to have some defined tips of what aspects are essential from your treadmill, and what exactly is simply out on the query. Horsepower has continuously baffled purchasers after they look to opt for a motorized treadmill. Some dealers money in on the confusion and rant the 'bigger the better' rhetoric. For that reason, it's important to be properly versed, or at the least apparently properly versed, in what you desire. A two.0 HP motor would do well for your treadmill, anything significantly less than 1.5 is definitely going to wear out substantially quicker than you'd count on, so go for the optimum option. The concept would be to look out for the gimmicks never spend heed for the terms like 'peak horsepower' or 'treadmill duty'; they mean nothing at all within the extended run once you want consistent speed. The vital thing will be the 'continuous duty'; which marks that the motor might be capable to produce a continuous 2HP to get a full 24 hr motor usage. It's a practice with companies to stamp the 'continuous duty' horsepower on DC motors, so getting a look beneath the hood would not hurt either. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Treadmills.jpg" alt="" width="900" /> Now a motor's HP will get you going, but negative Motor Electronics can mar the quality of encounter you may have with your treadmill, to not mention the amounts you might must pay for repairs! Seasoned companies ensure that their treadmills have a steady clip which utilizes a microprocessor to sense the belt load and adjust accordingly for silky operation. So the best treadmills will be the ones that sense your resistance in case you make an effort to slow down, and adjust accordingly to maintain the set pace going smoothly. Attempt slowing down a treadmill even though hanging on for the handle bars, and you are going to know what I'm speaking about. A low high-quality, affordable treadmill will show her displeasure at your rudeness by jerking and groaning, but the quality ones, I have currently described. The Motor Toque may be the issue that rotates the shaft which ultimately moves against your load. So plainly speaking, the motor torque must be higher to take the load of a human body, a potentially heavy human body at that. It's very simple sufficient to know that you simply will need higher torque for your treadmill. But also, the number of revolutions per second have to be low. Otherwise the treadmill could possibly make you appreciate it at higher speeds but at low speeds the high revs would truly tax the motor. And consequently the motor won't last extended sufficient to justify a very good obtain. Having a selection of treadmill readily available, the buyer ought to make certain what type of Speed he desires from his treadmill. Irrespective of whether you want to use it for running, jogging, or simply walking determines which machine will be most effective for you. For walking, speeds from 0 to 6mph would do fine, but for runners the most effective treadmill will be the 1 which delivers speeds from 0 to 12 mph. Running a motor at top rated speed of its speed limit more than a extended time frame is often a certain method to put on out the motor is usually a hurry, so avoid that in the event you do not like to pay for repairs. For starters, the secure speed is half a mile, per hour, to produce confident that the jerk in the initial start off will not spill you over. The treadmill's Belt has to suit your operation style at the same time. In order to use the treadmill for operating the belt really should be 18 to 22 inches wide at the very least, to help keep the runner safe. Whilst the length would need to suit long strides for runners so anything among 50 to 54 inches will be very good. In the event the length or the width is not optimum for your use, then keep clear of such treadmills, as tripping on deck moving 5 mph is extremely most likely to possess you end up doing crosswords inside a hospital bed. With producers competing to be the best treadmill makers, the better ones deliver two-ply belts that final longer and are much less probably to curl in the sides. So that's the advised stuff as it will final longer than a more affordable single ply belt. The treadmill Deck need to have shock absorbing qualities to advocate it. Typically a good manufacturer will be sure that the deck delivers ease to the user. In comparison with roads, a fantastic treadmill deck delivers pretty much 40% shock absorption to lessen the effect on the feet and joints. For that reason, for purchasers that have joint troubles, or those who don't wish to develop any, the very best issue should be to go for properly cushioned, pre treated decks. This will likely, needless to say, result in fewer maintenance specifications. Even though more impact protection is surely going to hit you proper where it matters; on the wallet. Although it's necessary to have the essential Resilience, all the speak about the effect protection should not deceive you into getting a inexpensive treadmill with an overly soft deck. What you may need can be a deck that absorbs a few of the effect; rubber bushings beneath a flexible deck serve the goal ideally. On the other hand, once you go out to really shop for the most beneficial treadmill for you personally, you will need to understand that there are actually no set requirements for cushioning and provision of resilience. The cushioning varies from treadmill to treadmill practically. Evaluation treadmills; attempt out as quite a few as you may, be critical. Never fall for 'the softer the better' sales line; resilience is not meant to create the deck spongy or bouncy, a very good pair of footwear and a decent deck resilience is sufficient to provide relief to your feet and joints, so go for it! For treadmill Rollers although, 'the larger the better'. This logic is primarily based in straightforward physics; rollers with bigger diameter have much more surface area so the bearings need to do a good deal much less function in comparison with smallish rollers. Plus there's the belt to take care of, when you have little rollers the belt may have to place up with far more tension and consequently there might be far more repair function necessary also. And obviously the larger rollers have much more load bearing capacity so they need less repair operate than the smaller rollers, who will be rolling themselves rugged in the event you regularly take up high speeds. Also, remember that strong rollers are superior than hollow ones, and choose steel rollers to aluminum, which begin to form an almost sand paper like material amongst the belt along with the roller surface in fast time. Even though treadmills give wide range of Incline selections, they normally differ among 2-25%. Pretty understandably, low cost treadmills have manual incline solutions but the costlier ones present motorized incline attributes. Again, motors make the treadmill more complicated piece of gear so the repair charges enhance, in addition to the initial value. The factor to keep in mind about incline motors is the fact that they should really be rather about their efforts, if they groan as they enhance incline then beware, they'll die down on you lots sooner than you'd anticipate. It can be simple to try to find the widest range of choice and decide upon that, but seriously speaking, mainly you don't will need more than 10% of incline as far more is often hazardous for wellness. So, an innovative way might be to go for the motorized incline treadmills which retain your heartbeat in verify and automatically adjust the incline to keep it smooth. Those who nonetheless cannot get their heartbeat to the optimum higher can just consider just how much they paid for the treadmill; I bet the treadmill would go downhill if it could! Potentially one of the most luring point about a treadmill is its Manage Panel or console. There's a wide assortment of options available on these consoles; from a speed monitor to heart price monitor, electric incline control, distance and time, the treadmills boast a variety of options. Even so, also lots of buttons and gauges might get confusing, as well as potentially risky due to the fact they complicate the treadmill further and raise repair costs. There are LCD displays inside the low cost treadmills whilst the high-end treadmills use LED displays that emit light from the show to produce them much more beneficial. Displays which might be significant easy and readable are the greatest options for all those who don't want to invest on luxuries for example the high-end treadmills. An excellent feature of some high-end treadmills will be the show that show error in case some part of the treadmill is not in perfect health, absolutely a fantastic thing to possess on hand, but not needed. Ideally, the handle panel really should be the final point in your thoughts whenever you determine on a treadmill, they will catch your fancy at 1 glance and after that you wouldn't make a lot of smart selections afterwards, beware! A Treadmill includes a Motor Controller that is an electrical power board that polices the existing of your motor. Typically they may be either Pulse Width Modulated board (PWM) or Solid State Handle Rectifier board (SCR). A PWM board delivers a lot more DC voltage than the SCR 1, because it has DC present operating. Therefore, PWM boards are a lot quieter than SCR boards, which can be recommendation adequate. To add to that, they call for much less repair solutions as there are no chokes and filters to be concerned about, as well as the stronger present results in additional tolerance while the heavier users are on. Should you nevertheless are not convinced then let me add that the PWM have reduced electric charges, and they generate less heat as opposed towards the SCR boards. Hence, their life and functionality are enhanced to create them user friendly and economical in the lengthy run. Heart Rate Handle is essential for optimum workout inside the least amount of time. The extra work you make the greater the heart price is definitely the simple rule with the stuff. It truly is ideal to possess a heart price monitor on your control panel to help keep the price in verify, going over board with as well substantially work can damage the heart, so hold an eye on it. As for the high quality of heart price monitors, the idea would be to pick a single that in the interactive monitors. These not just hold the heart beat in check but also increase or cut down the incline to keep your heart rate optimum. Good heart price control monitors use chest straps for evaluation, though other, less correct monitors use ear and finger clip pulses for monitoring purposes. Generally, the Frame with the treadmill is produced of either aluminum or alloy steel. Though steel has the potential to rust immediately but, for those who take good care of it, they are steady sufficient to perform you proud. Aluminum, around the other hand, is lighter than steel and supplies straightforward portability, plus it doesn't rust. However, the sturdiness of aluminum is low and it's not advisable to pick out it ahead of steel for that really explanation. Another crucial thing about frames will be the way they're created. Welded frame need to be preferred more than bolted ones; basically because bolts and are far significantly less sturdy within the extended run, believed they may well make moving less complicated, but that still is not enough to suggest them more than welded frames. Handlebars on treadmills are used for stability and balance so they should really be inside the reach of the user if he must use them. Nonetheless, prior to picking a treadmill, make sure that the handlebars usually do not come in to the path of one's arm motion regardless of whether you walk or run. The handlebars ought to be sturdy, stay clear of plastic ones as they may not last substantially. Plus the grips need to be comfy for straightforward usage. It definitely doesn't matter how many handlebars are there within your treadmill, they could be 1 or two rails over the front of the manage panel or perhaps a couple on the sides. What does matter on the other hand, is that handlebars need to be out of your way, a swinging arm hitting a handlebar around the full may possibly not be the best strategy to exercise, so choose wisely. Like other moving machines, motorized treadmills should really have Safety features that reduce accident possible to a bare minimum. Handlebars, as we've got discussed, play a very crucial role in safety in the users. In conjunction with those, emergency shut off is anything that needs to be present in a superior treadmill. Getting said that, it will be no use to possess an emergency shut off switch if it can be out of attain, so verify that at the same time. Similarly, the controls to limit the incline or speed or to turn to a gradual shut down must be within the user's attain too. Ensure that the treadmill features a safe starting speed plus a gradual shut down too, jerky beginnings or abrupt slowing may place the user in a bit of a tumble. An inbuilt circuit breaker is usually handy for high-priced motorized treadmills so in case of power breakdowns or accidental energy troubles the treadmill must shut its system down to stop harm to the machine. The Warranty; A excellent treadmill is usually a long term investment. If you spend top rated dollars for the top treadmills, remember that you'll want to have a assure that the machine will function effectively more than at the least over a period of 1-3 years. Mainly fantastic makers offer you lifetime warranty on frames while the motorized parts, electronics in conjunction with the deck and belt really should have a minimum of 1 year guarantee with labor to transform the problematic components in that period. Trusted manufacturers offer even 2-3 years warranties for the components but 1 year of labor, which can be fair sufficient. Guard against paying added funds for added warranty as that is not probably to perform you much good. On the other hand, it's generally beneficial to find out in the event the treadmill you're hunting to purchase may have its components available for some time for you to come. Certainly you don't wish your treadmill to turn into redundant material two years down the lane. For most people, the Value from the treadmill becomes the verify that hold them back from picking the top choice feasible. Commonly you would find that under 1000$ would be the kind of treadmills we have done our greatest to guard you against. So for a quality motorized treadmill, be ready to commit more than a 1000$ a minimum of. The high-end treadmills typical more than 3000$ so they rattle your pocket considerably if you go for all those, but as we have discussed earlier the competitive market has performed customers some level of great, so some superb treadmills are available about the two K mark as well. The catch is usually to understand that purchasing a treadmill is actually a long term investment for you, so need to assess the feasibility in accordance with your own personal sources. It is possible to go for refurbished treadmills or utilized treadmills which can be in great situation, but contemplate only quality treadmills when you invest in a made use of treadmill, a low high-quality refurbished treadmill will absolutely not be a fantastic purchase. Pick wisely, reside nicely! Get to know additional about treadmillhouse.com

[valendiles-blog]

Treadmills - Understanding the Technical Elements

As soon as you set out to buy a treadmill, you can be certain that you just will have sufficient selections out there to have your mind buzzing. So the ideal factor is to have some defined suggestions of what elements are required out of your treadmill, and what is just out of the query. Horsepower has continuously baffled purchasers when they look to pick a motorized treadmill. Some dealers cash in around the confusion and rant the 'bigger the better' rhetoric. As a result, you will need to be effectively versed, or at the very least apparently properly versed, in what you want. A 2.0 HP motor would do properly for your treadmill, anything significantly less than 1.5 is certainly going to put on out considerably quicker than you'd anticipate, so go for the optimum option. The idea is to look out for the gimmicks never pay heed for the terms like 'peak horsepower' or 'treadmill duty'; they mean nothing at all in the lengthy run after you want consistent speed. The essential factor is the 'continuous duty'; which marks that the motor are going to be capable to make a continuous 2HP for any full 24 hr motor usage. It can be a practice with producers to stamp the 'continuous duty' horsepower on DC motors, so getting a appear below the hood would not hurt either. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Treadmills.jpg" alt="" width="900" /> Now a motor's HP will get you going, but bad Motor Electronics can mar the excellent of experience you are going to have with your treadmill, not to mention the amounts you may have to pay for repairs! Seasoned companies ensure that their treadmills possess a steady clip which utilizes a microprocessor to sense the belt load and adjust accordingly for silky operation. So the ideal treadmills might be the ones that sense your resistance in case you try to slow down, and adjust accordingly to keep the set pace going smoothly. Attempt slowing down a treadmill while hanging on for the manage bars, and you are going to know what I am speaking about. A low good quality, cheap treadmill will show her displeasure at your rudeness by jerking and groaning, but the high quality ones, I've currently described. The Motor Toque is definitely the issue that rotates the shaft which eventually moves against your load. So plainly speaking, the motor torque must be high to take the load of a human physique, a potentially heavy human physique at that. It really is simple adequate to know that you simply need to have high torque for your treadmill. But also, the number of revolutions per second have to be low. Otherwise the treadmill might make you appreciate it at high speeds but at low speeds the high revs would definitely tax the motor. And consequently the motor will not last extended adequate to justify a great purchase. With a wide variety of treadmill available, the purchaser should really make certain what type of Speed he wants from his treadmill. No matter if you wish to use it for running, jogging, or simply walking determines which machine will be ideal for you. For walking, speeds from 0 to 6mph would do fine, but for runners the very best treadmill will be the a single which provides speeds from 0 to 12 mph. Running a motor at major speed of its speed limit over a lengthy period of time is really a positive way to wear out the motor is actually a hurry, so stay away from that should you do not like to pay for repairs. For starters, the secure speed is half a mile, per hour, to make sure that the jerk from the initial commence will not spill you over. The treadmill's Belt has to suit your operation style also. In order to make use of the treadmill for running the belt should be 18 to 22 inches wide no less than, to maintain the runner secure. Although the length would have to suit lengthy strides for runners so a thing among 50 to 54 inches could be good. If the length or the width is just not optimum for your use, then remain clear of such treadmills, as tripping on deck moving 5 mph is extremely likely to have you end up carrying out crosswords inside a hospital bed. With producers competing to become the most beneficial treadmill makers, the much better ones deliver two-ply belts that last longer and are significantly less most likely to curl in the sides. So that is the advisable stuff because it will final longer than a less costly single ply belt. The treadmill Deck need to have shock absorbing qualities to recommend it. Commonly a good manufacturer will be sure that the deck delivers ease to the user. In comparison with roads, a great treadmill deck offers pretty much 40% shock absorption to lessen the influence around the feet and joints. Therefore, for purchasers that have joint troubles, or those who don't wish to develop any, the most effective factor is usually to go for nicely cushioned, pre treated decks. This will likely, of course, result in fewer upkeep specifications. Even though far more impact protection is absolutely going to hit you proper where it matters; around the wallet. Although it truly is essential to possess the needed Resilience, all the discuss the influence protection should not deceive you into acquiring a inexpensive treadmill with an overly soft deck. What you need is usually a deck that absorbs a number of the influence; rubber bushings under a flexible deck serve the purpose ideally. On the other hand, when you go out to actually shop for the best treadmill for you personally, you will need to remember that you will find no set requirements for cushioning and provision of resilience. The cushioning varies from treadmill to treadmill pretty much. Overview treadmills; try out as a lot of as you can, be important. Do not fall for 'the softer the better' sales line; resilience is just not meant to create the deck spongy or bouncy, a superb pair of shoes and a decent deck resilience is sufficient to supply relief to your feet and joints, so go for it! For treadmill Rollers even though, 'the larger the better'. This logic is primarily based in easy physics; rollers with larger diameter have extra surface area so the bearings must do lots much less operate in comparison with smallish rollers. Plus there's the belt to take care of, when you've got smaller rollers the belt will have to place up with a lot more tension and consequently there will likely be a lot more repair function needed too. And of course the bigger rollers have much more load bearing capacity so they want much less repair operate than the smaller rollers, who will be rolling themselves rugged in case you consistently take up higher speeds. Also, remember that strong rollers are greater than hollow ones, and choose steel rollers to aluminum, which start off to type an nearly sand paper like material among the belt and the roller surface in rapid time. Although treadmills give wide selection of Incline choices, they typically differ among 2-25%. Pretty understandably, cheap treadmills have manual incline choices however the costlier ones present motorized incline characteristics. Once more, motors make the treadmill a lot more complicated piece of gear so the repair charges improve, in conjunction with the initial cost. The thing to bear in mind about incline motors is that they need to be very about their efforts, if they groan as they increase incline then beware, they'll die down on you quite a bit sooner than you'd anticipate. It can be simple to hunt for the widest selection of decision and decide upon that, but seriously speaking, largely you do not need to have greater than 10% of incline as additional is often hazardous for wellness. So, an innovative way may be to go for the motorized incline treadmills which retain your heartbeat in verify and automatically adjust the incline to help keep it smooth. These who still cannot get their heartbeat to the optimum high can just think how much they paid for the treadmill; I bet the treadmill would go downhill if it could! Potentially one of the most luring point about a treadmill is its Manage Panel or console. There is a wide selection of options obtainable on these consoles; from a speed monitor to heart price monitor, electric incline handle, distance and time, the treadmills boast a range of functions. Having said that, as well many buttons and gauges may possibly get confusing, as well as potentially risky mainly because they complicate the treadmill further and enhance repair costs. You will discover LCD displays inside the cheap treadmills although the high-end treadmills use LED displays that emit light from the display to produce them much more helpful. Displays that happen to be massive easy and readable would be the best choices for all those who don't desire to devote on luxuries such as the high-end treadmills. An excellent function of some high-end treadmills is definitely the show that show error in case some a part of the treadmill is not in fantastic wellness, unquestionably a fantastic issue to possess on hand, but not required. Ideally, the control panel should be the final factor in your mind any time you make a decision on a treadmill, they could catch your fancy at one particular glance and after that you would not make many smart possibilities afterwards, beware! A Treadmill features a Motor Controller which can be an electrical energy board that polices the existing with the motor. Ordinarily they may be either Pulse Width Modulated board (PWM) or Strong State Manage Rectifier board (SCR). A PWM board supplies a lot more DC voltage than the SCR 1, because it has DC present running. Hence, PWM boards are significantly quieter than SCR boards, which is recommendation adequate. To add to that, they call for significantly less repair solutions as you'll find no chokes and filters to be concerned about, as well as the stronger current leads to much more tolerance although the heavier users are on. In the event you nevertheless are not convinced then let me add that the PWM have lower electric charges, and they generate less heat as opposed for the SCR boards. As a result, their life and efficiency are enhanced to create them user friendly and economical inside the extended run. Heart Price Control is essential for optimum exercise inside the least amount of time. The far more effort you make the higher the heart rate is definitely the uncomplicated rule together with the stuff. It's excellent to have a heart price monitor in your manage panel to help keep the price in verify, going more than board with as well considerably effort can harm the heart, so keep an eye on it. As for the excellent of heart price monitors, the idea is usually to pick out one that on the interactive monitors. These not merely maintain the heart beat in check but also improve or lessen the incline to maintain your heart rate optimum. Very good heart rate handle monitors use chest straps for evaluation, when other, significantly less precise monitors use ear and finger clip pulses for monitoring purposes. Generally, the Frame on the treadmill is created of either aluminum or alloy steel. Even though steel has the potential to rust rapidly but, in the event you take excellent care of it, they are stable enough to accomplish you proud. Aluminum, on the other hand, is lighter than steel and supplies effortless portability, plus it doesn't rust. Nevertheless, the sturdiness of aluminum is low and it is not advisable to opt for it ahead of steel for that quite reason. A further important thing about frames is the way they may be made. Welded frame should really be preferred over bolted ones; simply mainly because bolts and are far significantly less sturdy within the lengthy run, believed they may possibly make moving much easier, but that still is not enough to suggest them over welded frames. Handlebars on treadmills are employed for stability and balance so they should be inside the attain in the user if he needs to use them. Even so, ahead of selecting a treadmill, be certain that the handlebars do not come into the path of one's arm motion no matter if you stroll or run. The handlebars need to be sturdy, steer clear of plastic ones as they could not last a great deal. Plus the grips need to be comfy for simple usage. It actually doesn't matter how lots of handlebars are there inside your treadmill, they will be one or two rails more than the front in the manage panel or a couple on the sides. What does matter nonetheless, is that handlebars must be out of your way, a swinging arm hitting a handlebar on the complete may possibly not be the ideal technique to physical exercise, so pick out wisely. Like other moving machines, motorized treadmills must have Security attributes that decrease accident potential to a bare minimum. Handlebars, as we have discussed, play an incredibly significant function in safety of the users. In conjunction with those, emergency shut off is some thing that must be present inside a superior treadmill. Obtaining mentioned that, it would be no use to have an emergency shut off switch if it is out of reach, so verify that too. Similarly, the controls to limit the incline or speed or to turn to a gradual shut down should be inside the user's reach also. Be sure that the treadmill includes a safe beginning speed and a gradual shut down as well, jerky beginnings or abrupt slowing may perhaps place the user within a bit of a tumble. An inbuilt circuit breaker is usually handy for expensive motorized treadmills so in case of energy breakdowns or accidental energy complications the treadmill should shut its technique down to stop damage for the machine. The Warranty; A quality treadmill is a long-term investment. When you spend best dollars for the ideal treadmills, do not forget that you need to have a assure that the machine will operate adequately over at the least more than a period of 1-3 years. Mostly fantastic suppliers provide lifetime warranty on frames while the motorized components, electronics along with the deck and belt need to possess a minimum of 1 year guarantee with labor to adjust the problematic parts in that period. Trustworthy companies provide even 2-3 years warranties for the components but 1 year of labor, that is fair enough. Guard against paying added dollars for extra warranty as which is not most likely to accomplish you considerably very good. Even so, it truly is constantly beneficial to find out when the treadmill you will be looking to purchase may have its parts accessible for some time to come. Certainly you do not wish your treadmill to grow to be redundant material two years down the lane. For most people today, the Price tag on the treadmill becomes the verify that hold them back from picking the top choice attainable. Usually you'd find that beneath 1000$ are the kind of treadmills we have performed our greatest to guard you against. So to get a top quality motorized treadmill, be prepared to devote more than a 1000$ at least. The high-end treadmills typical more than 3000$ so they rattle your pocket considerably once you go for all those, but as we've discussed earlier the competitive market place has carried out customers some level of superior, so some fantastic treadmills are accessible around the 2 K mark at the same time. The catch is usually to understand that buying a treadmill is really a long term investment for you personally, so need to assess the feasibility as outlined by your personal sources. You'll be able to go for refurbished treadmills or employed treadmills which are in good situation, but consider only quality treadmills when you acquire a made use of treadmill, a low top quality refurbished treadmill will definitely not be a great obtain. Pick out wisely, live effectively! Get to know additional about weslo cadence g 5.9 treadmill customer service

[jasondarejourney]

A “quick” Con dao travel guide. It covers how to get to and get around the island, some facts about night on ship, foods and what to do to explorer the paradise.

Hopefully it helps you plan for your trip. This is a beautiful remote place in Vietnam that a traveller should visit once-in-a-lifetime.

  Travel to Con Dao

There’s no budget flight on HCMC-Con Dao. The only airline is Vietnamairline, national fleet, price ranges around 80 usd/ one-way. The airport is quite far from the town, so if you’ve booked hotel, kindly request them a transfer.

The cheaper (but more adventurous, I warn you) way to get to the island is to secure a seat on a ship in Cat Lo port in Vung Tau. It runs every two day, so you should check the schedule beforehand. The green box is route Con Dao-Vung Tau, Blue box is Vung Tau-Con Dao.

The ship start at 17:00 and the arrival should be at 6:00 the next day for both route Vung Tau – Con Dao and vice versa. Sometimes you’ll reach the port at around 8:00 if the sea is rough the previous night.

  There are two ship operating:

– Con Dao 09: a big ship with 238 vacancies (200 beds and 38 seats). I traveled to Con Dao in the ship.

– Con Dao 10: smaller ship, vacancies only 148 passenger (108 beds and 40 seats).

  There’s a cafeteria onboard, serves you instant noodle for 20000 vnd and purified water for 10000 vnd. It serves until 19:00 when it’s getting windy and the ground becomes more up-and-down feelings.

Note: On the way to port, there’re several vendor selling local food, cheap. So before departure, you can walk nearby neighborhood for better food than poor menu onboard.

It’s quite clean, a lot of officer onboard. Night on ship will not a good news for those who are stuck with seasick. You’re likely to vomit, and it will weaken your health a bit. So if you’re not healthy, take a flight please, for your life. Here is my story in Con Dao 09 ship.

  Cost

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Ticket price

Vehicle fee

If you go on Con Dao 09, so you’ll pay 85 000/ seat and 150 000/ bed. Con dao 10 is more expensive: 200 000/ bed and 125 000/ seat. You can have seat anywhere you like, someones even stretch their legs over the nearby seat to sleep. You can bring hammock if you want more comfort.

50 000/ motorbike + 60k loading fee (onboard and offboard). Your gasonline tank will be empty before loading onto ship. The ship departs at 17:00, so you have to be at the dock before 1 hour if you’d like to bring along your bike.

    For ticket, buy here:

In Vung tau city: 1007/36, 30/4 street, ward 11. Telephone (Vietnamese) 064.383.8684.

In Con dao town: Vo Thi Sau street, near Con dao market. Telephone: [phone].

Email (quite useless): [email protected]

You’re required to provide your ID card, passport to buy ticket, and the vehicle license for your bike.

Note: From Ben Dam port to the town center, you have to travel 12 kilometers so if you don’t have any vehicle, so the motorbike taxi would charge you 50 000 for a ride. Remember to write down your hotel name along with address because few drivers speak English.

  Get around the island

Small fact: Con Dao islands are a group of 16 islands. The largest island is known as Con Son.

There are many way to explore the island.

Walk: Just by walking, you can even explore beautiful sea, visit prison complexes, have food and so on. The village is small scale so all the points of interest are close to one another ridiculously. Jogging in the morning and evening is recommended.

Motorbikes: I love this option most – as a guy loves roadtrip ah ha. The price is very cheap: 100 000 vnd/ day, no fuel cover, cheaper than mostly rest of Vietnam. The bikes are new, but remember to get your tank full of gas or you have to drag your vehicle (which is not romantic at all) because the petrol station have limited hours: 6:00-11:30 and 13:30 – 20:00.

Motorbike taxis: They are mostly honest. However, I think you should also check the distance, and bargain price before get on. Good guys – Bad guys – Who knows. These man are very useful guide, but because the fact that few of them speak English, so it’s not really useful if you cannot communicate in Vietnamese.

Taxis: Most expensive, I didn’t choose it. You are on a beautiful island, full of wild landscape. Why do you have to be stuck in a metal box?

Bicycle: Town is small, so if you don’t walk, you can ride a bicycle, but just around the town, OK. out-of-town roads are extremely rough and sloping. Know what to expect you!

  Stay

Many hotel in Con Dao, but most of them are quite expensive if you travel alone because there are just private rooms available. Price range from

If you have money, then Six Sense is a upscale resort that can satisfy all you need and your standard. (Ok, I’ve never been to there, I just heard people saying so, haha). A night here cost you only 500 – 2400$ (it’s too long to write in vnd, excuse me).

Con Dao average price for private room ranges from 20-40$. You can find Phi Yen hotel, Con Dao island hotel, Anh Dao easily. They are all popular to most of taxis.

I chose the only dorm in the island – Uyen’s house, very budget if you travel solo, only 10$ and it’s very beautiful, new so the equipments are still very fresh.

See more: Uyen’s house hostel review

  What you do in Con Dao

Con Dao, it’s famous for 3 things: a national park and a big historical jail and a island so, there are many activities to do, which may take you a whole week to well dig into each one.

  Swimming

As a small island, Con Dao owns just several nice beach to swim, the other are beautiful, but too rocky, which make it impossible for swimming around but ideal for camping, snorkel.

The closest beach is right at the town, walking for minutes and you get there. The water is clear enough and the sand is nice.

Further and quieter is Dam Tre beach. Just few local and hikers pass by. The water is clear as crystal, sand is very nice and smooth, while the beach is completely even, suitable for sun-bathing

  Trail Hiking

I did completely two routes, and to be honest, I did love them. That was a chance to refresh your lung, paint your eyes with green sightseeing and enrich your experience with wild friends, like monkeys and birds.

Hiking alone is more adventurous sense. A lot of scary things like cave explore, stuck in trail when it’s twilight, be some robinson-moment on a nice beach at the end of the trail,… very tempting!

  Wandering in historical sites

To be honest, I was frightened when enter Con Dao jail for the first time, it’s quite, dark, human statues. If you read the history, then you sense this is where thousands of revolution people died, like a mass death. It’s haunting.

Besides the jail complex, Hang Duong cemetery is also a sacred destinations where hundreds of pilgrims visit daily at night. You won’t forget the moment there.

  Diving

As a remote island, untouched by most of human activities, and still well preserved, Diving in Con Dao is very famous. There’s several diving center with PADI sign on. Signing up for a diving course is recommended.

  Cruising to surrounding islets

The wild life in surrounding area is still very dynamic. You can go to port, ask any fishing boat for a cruise tour, bargain for the best price, and step on, explore islets.

  Roadtrip

There’s an only coastal road, so it’s thoroughly worthy a ride to enjoy beautiful shorelines in the island. You’ll see bird spreading their wings in the sky, sun brighten the sea and wild plants color the roadside.

Roadtrip is very cheap, you can rent a bike for only 5$/ day, plus 1-2 $ for fuel. The experience on road will be amazing!

  Food and Drink

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bun rieu

dipping sauce

duck salad

lemon and hot pepper

adding vegetable

Food is expensive. We had a half of boiled duck and 4 soups, costing 320 000 in total. A buffet for 340 000/ pax, and a bowl of Bun rieu for 25000.

You have to breakfast/ lunch in time or no one would sell you anything. But the dinner is very relaxing, most of restaurant lasts til mid night.

If you run out of budget then some instant noodle packs are saviors. A packs cost 7000, double will be likely enough for a active day.

Most of Con Dao specialities are gifts or snacks like: almendron nuts, Oyster soups (not really special), Sea foods (snails, lobsters, fishes,..). I think echinus sauce and peanut worms are the two most unique that deserves a try (but requires a taste after all).

There are some nice local coffee shops to check in. I’ll pick up Infinite and Laraca if you like somethings cool, price is a bit higher than average . The local drink is also good to try. I bought a sugar water for 10 000vnd, the 1.5 liter bottle of water also costs me another 10 000vnd.

  The safety

One of the best things in Con Dao, and other islands like Phu Quoc is no theft threats. I haven’t heard any news report about crimes in the island, and you don’t worry about your bike if you leave it on road. That’s pretty good compared to the land.

One more thing to noticed that when you get on a boat for a cruise, remember to check for any life vests available. Some boat owner won’t provide the safety equipments like that so go on or choose another provider is your call. Be careful!

Do you have any questions on my Con Dao travel guide? Comment them below!

A “quick” Con dao travel guide. It covers how to get to and get around the island, some facts about night on ship, foods and what to do to explorer the paradise. Enjoy it if you are planning to visit Vietnam and have time for remote islands in the South. A “quick” Con dao travel guide. It covers how to get to and get around the island, some facts about night on ship, foods and what to do to explorer the paradise.

#budget #vietnam