#Nescafé Sunset

[laplazachile]

Sunset Tour de NESCAFÉ se toma las playas este verano

Hasta el 1 de marzo, ocho balnearios del país tendrán la suerte de vibrar y disfrutar con una gran experiencia de NESCAFÉ, donde no solo habrá café, sino que divertidas actividades

Hasta el 1 de marzo, ocho balnearios del país tendrán la suerte de vibrar y disfrutar con una gran experiencia de NESCAFÉ, donde no solo habrá café, sino que divertidas actividades como masajes, tatuajes en henna, un espacio especial para los perritos y la visita de los tiktokers Alfred Okay y Anto Bosman. Las playas ya se están llenando de turistas anhelando el merecido descanso. Y para hacer…

[tadlonousvoila]

Paksé, Don Det: nous voilà tous ensemble!

Et bien, on ne dort pas si mal dans ces couchettes! Karine mettra en avant que si tu ne veux pas avoir le mal de mer dans ce train, il vaut mieux prendre les couchettes du bas. Autrement aucune crainte de rater l'arrivée, le monsieur vient 1h avant l'arrivée pour remettre le train en mode journée et ne te permet pas de profiter de la position horizontale jusqu'au bout; en tous cas, bien arrivés à Ubon ratchathani, un pti nescafé bien mérité. Le confort du train est validé, on profite d'être en gare pour prendre nos billets retours.

Puis, le choix est fait de négocier un mini van pour se rendre à Chong Mek, le poste frontière: pratique, confo et du coup, beaucoup moins de queue pour prendre le visa que quand tu passes en bus. Du coup, les douanes ne sont qu'une formalité, le temps de se boire un jus et on met la pression à Loic: on devrait arriver 2h plus tôt à Paksé. 

Belles retrouvailles au Lankram café : Loic, Golf et Éméric nous y retrouvent pour une petite soupe d'avant de repartir. Ça faisait longtemps, ça fait tellement plaisir de les voir.

Un pte crochet chez Éméric pour voir son chez lui, puis, direction les 4000 îles, notre destination finale.

La joie des enfants de voyager dans la benne du pick-up fait plaisir à voir et j'apprécie retrouver tous ces paysages pour se rendre à Nakasang: dernier village où nous attend la pirogue pour traverser le Mekong et rejoindre Don Det.

48h de voyage, 12777km plus tard, nous voilà  arrivés dans cet superbe archipel au sud du laos, a la frontière cambodgienne dans un hôtel avec piscine vue sur le Mekong. 

Petit plouf puis arrivés de Titi et Fred : nous voilà TOUS réunis!

Apero sunset face au Mékong, suivi d'une embuscade retrouvailles dans Don Der...bomb bomb...

Quelle belle journée !

[twistednuns]

December 2022

A ticket to the planetarium at the kids museum on a bland day in a bland city. Glow-in-the-dark stars and planets, a moving tunnel just like the Hexenschaukel. Golden glitter curtains reflecting the sunlight (El Salvador seems to be obsessed with Christmas). A kitty sleeping in the park. Pupusas. The girl from El Salvador/Texas who called her cousin for me and helped me find out where to buy bus tickets.

Mastering the blueberry challenge - recording a video of me making a blueberry hover over my mouth.

A very plushy and luxurious bus seat on the way to Honduras. A faint rainbow. Green valleys and mountains.

How my friends showed up for me when I told them my mum was very sick. Frank kept asking me how I was, offered support. Was suddenly really there. Doris stayed up very late for me so we could talk on the phone. Compassionate messages and offers.

Talking to my mum via Skype. It helped me accept and understand the situation when I could see/hear/feel her and learned how she felt about her illness.

Blanca picking me up from the bus station, listening to me, getting me back there the next day.

Listening to podcasts for hours and hours.

Palm tree forests with cow herds grazing. Passing a Chiquita banana farm on the way to the ferry terminal in La Ceiba.

The completely artificial and overly syrupy cocktail cherry on my smoothie.

I saw five cats one morning. Obviously they all thought I was there to deliver breakfast. One even tried biting into my forearm to see if I was the snack.

Diving! Seeing a huge puffer fish. Not fucking up. Everything went smoothly.

Being able to almost cross my legs? I'm obsessed. And want to keep losing weight!

Strutz, Jonah Hill's documentary about his therapist. I learned about some interesting thoughts and concepts. But it was nothing new - actually it all comes down to the same work but Strutz has a different way of explaining things. And that was nice to learn as well - I already know what I need to know. I have to stop looking for teachers and guidance and put the wisdom I already have to practice.

I went over to the freediving centre. Didn't get the introduction course right away but was invited to come out on the boat to watch and snorkel. Walter, a red female cat, showed up and was super affectionate. My emotional support animal. We took out the boat, it was raining. Marc gave me his jacket. Everyone prepared for their training and I watched Marc doing line dives. Tried a few myself. I enjoyed using the long fins, how easy it is to get down. The plankton, the air bubbles, like a marine whirl pool. Marc's air rings. The last one was perfect, almost like a hula hoop. Diving some more. Seeing the sheer mass of water and light above me coming up. The blue abyss below me.

Seeing the reflection of the sun and sky in a puddle on the boat deck.

More scuba diving. Seeing a funny fish with some feather headdress in black and white. A spotted eagle ray. Diving though narrow passageways.

Drinks with the divers. Just a bit of socialising. It was good for me not to be alone all the time.

A gorgeous sunset and the last full moon of the year.

Loving kindness meditation.

A very good cup of coffee after lots of Nescafé fails.

A consoling online therapy session. It's nice to have another mum figure in my life.

My first full month of meditation milestone.

Feel Good on Netflix. I'm attracted to Mae Martin. But I obviously identify with her girlfriend in the series.

Music trivia quiz at Sundowners! KC and Alex were very good. Also, I love them as a couple. They seem to really enjoy their life! And I bonded a little with the other Alex, a girl from Texas who works at a space agency and has racoons living under her house. I love her assertiveness and taste in jewellery.

Freediving! Getting my certificate. Successfully "saving" my instructor from drowning twice. A barracuda hanging out with me. All the sexy/tan/heavily tattooed diving folks on the boat. And they were all so nice and friendly. Marlene from Montreal gave us rambutans. Lisa from the UK was extremely lovely. What an awesome community. I mustn't forget Marc and Walter the cat! And the diving is just gorgeous. I love the feeling down there. Just hanging on to a line. The efficiency of wimming with long fins.

A green kolibri just whirring around outside the terrace where I had my Sunday breakfast.

Extra foamy foam on my cappuccino. Cocoa powder. Good scrambled egg with veggies, avocado, cheese and hot sauce.

A tiny little discount on my rambutans.

Getting the plane seats I wanted without having to switch or pay for anything. And finding out that I don't have to pay for checked luggage! What a relief.

I got to know some divers at Chillie's (Ash and her dad Marc) and we all went out for dinner. I had such an interesting conversation with Marc, an older artist and furniture designer who'd recently lost his wife. We talked about life, design, the power of thoughts and breath, karma and so much more. Connecting with Brandon, Ash and Alex over drinks on my last night on the island.

The last Roatan sunset was a good one, too.

Leftover pizza for my airport oddyssee.

Finding out that my belly fits under the fold out table in the airplane by now. Loving this.

Watching old movies. I especially enjoyed 28 Days. I'm having a Sandra Bullock moment.

Annika picking me up from the airport on the coldest day of the year. Everything was frozen and covered in frost or ice. Crunchy steps. She's even brought a hat and gloves for me. We ended up driving around for almost three hours because it turned out I had the wrong keys and needed to get a Covid test for the hospital visit.

Moving in at home. Taking care of my mum. Driving and cooking for the first time in a while. Helping her with everything. Feeling effective and useful.

My mum feels so much better at home. Seeing her on the first day in the hospital was scary.

IKEA veggie hot dogs with Lena and Christian.

Chocolate, herbal tea and truffle mustard from Lena. And Sash gave me another big box of Zotter chocolate for Christmas.

Seeing the Friendzone for dinner.

Cuddling with Do. She visited me on my second day back in Germany.

Meditation with visualization. Visualising a garden in summer. Cats, planting seeds, the sunlight feeling warm on my skin. The smell of the soil. Buzzing insects.

Crosswords and sudoku to pass the time.

Thai massage. Ing triggering a smiling reflex when she hit exactly the right spots.

Making Haluschki for my mum. Baking cheese biscuits.

It was so good to see Becky and Manu and finally talk again after such a long time. Then I picked up Doris from school. We went to Erding, walked around a few stores and had Indian food for dinner. Then we cuddled and held hands at the cinema.

A new puffy bag.

Spending the evenings talking to my mum. Asking questions, listening to stories about her past.

Semolina dessert with cherry jam.

Meeting Lena for long walks along the river.

Visiting Dory at home for the first time. I got so many unexpected Christmas presents and loved every single one of them. We tried out a few toys, had breakfast at the bakery and watched Nous finirons ensemble while eating Nidar Smash.

A quick visit at Sash's parents' house on New Year's Eve. Maya fed me her homemade Russian food. We half-watched a classic movie and toasted with champagne at midnight.

[pabifaye]

Un bon café #droppinproject #coffee #cafe @how_i_coffee #colorful #colorsplash #travellers#voyageur #colorsplash#beach #aventurier #adventure #nicepic #senegal #trip#travelling #freedom #liberte #senegal#trip #sun #sunset #sunsets#or #colorsplash #travellers #nasa #mars #nescafé #cafetouba #touba #restaurant

[wingingitonwheels]

Two and a half weeks: Part 2 (Moving on follows this one)

Wednesday 23 March - continued

I knew nothing about Arequipa, or the two previous destinations prior to arriving as the original route I’d planned had been across the top of the Andes. But the sudden change of plans with the arrival of Mark and the rainy season gave way to more opportunities for contrasting landscapes and culture. Chile has a great tourist marketing board, and it’s well known that it is the longest country with the most diverse climates. north to south, in the world. However, there can’t be much in it between Chile and Argentina. But bring in Bolivia and Peru, and for a hemisphere, the opportunity to experience geology, wildlife, climate variation in a couple of months is fantastic. I crossed 3 time zones, and right up to the last day in Lima, struggled to get my head round sunrise and sunset times, as it changed so rapidly, depending on the combination of South to North and East to West.

Riding to Arequipa was like riding head long into a furnace. The city is at 2400m elevation, and is approached through a dusty desert, whose roads are jammed with lorries going who knows where, and littered with inconceivable amounts of fly tipping and rubbish thrown from vehicles. The signs saying that it’s illegal to dump waste seem farcical, and that Peru’s people are protesting about who knows what. I remember as a child thinking I would not want to hurt any creature because I’d not put rubbish where it should go, but what message would work to persuade Peruvians

to clean up their country and take pride? It takes one small change to make a bigger change but how do you connect with a nation to make it happen?

On reaching the city, we experienced our first real exposure to driving hell! As with all cities I’d been to in South America, I expected the road surfaces to be poorer and the driving to be erratic, but Arequipa revealed a new level of crazy. Zebra crossings were meaningless, no right of way at any junction or roundabout, and who gets there first is the game played, and the bigger your vehicle, the more of a bully you could be. If we’d been able to film our journey to the bike store, it would have been more entertaining than watching The Wacky Races or Herbie goes to Monte Carlo, but somehow we made it. Mark had noticed an inordinate number of Beetles in Peru, and wherever one was seen, whether we were driving or not, a photo was required. I think my obsession with dogs was a little safer.

This city, dating back to 1500s was our favourite in Peru. Whilst there was some tourism present in the form of locals selling their wares from arches in the old monastery, we weren’t hassled for tours, or bothered as we drank coffee in the main square cafes. That we could find real coffee at all was a miracle. I don’t know about you, but I had a perception that Peru was known for amongst other things, it’s coffee. But until this city, at any meal, at best we’d get coffee essence and at worst, a sachet of Nescafé coffee granules. So the mighty Google was consulted to find out more.

Peru does grow coffee beans, but it’s biggest exports are Ore, slag and ash, followed by precious minerals. It is also the world’s largest producer of cocaine, probably not one to shout about. This has probably and continues to be possible due to the succession of corrupt presidents Peru has elected. Every single living president in Peru has been convicted of serious crime, so perhaps it is not surprising both the litter and what we saw in the coming days from a nation who is fed up of its government and has lost faith in law and order. Coffee is around 8th position and only $850,000. But if they grow it, why is it not everywhere in Peru?

Back to Arequipa. It is the food capital and second city of Peru. Here, for the first time in the country, we saw relative wealth, and clear division between those that have and those that don’t. In this region, women still dressed traditionally with their colourful skirts and bowler hats, and in a line up, you wouldn’t be able to separate a Peruvian and Bolivian woman, other than the Peruvian would be more likely to smile. There was little western influence, and this was what we expected would be the norm in all future towns and cities. The old buildings were maintained so well, they could have been built a few years ago. But heading out towards our next destination, the biggest, most ugly monstrosity of a compound, nestling in the folds of the roads as we headed north. At least you couldn’t see it from the city.

The most memorable part of this stop was our meal at Zigzags: a gastronomic feast, which ranked in my top 3 ever and in terms of company and overall experience, number 1. I think Mark felt the same. And it cost the same as a meal down our local pub…totally unattainable for anyone other than those in the upper income bracket for Peru, but we did enjoy it. Local smoked trout, Amazonian fish and a medley of desserts, topped with Peruvian white wine with a few Pisco Chasers. What’s not to love?

Thursday 24 March - to Chivay

The initial plan formed the day before had been to drive to the outer city limits and ride from there. However, the road we were taking seemed like an American freight train, and a continuous flow of lorries and no hard shoulder as the road twisted between the mountains. It took until we turned off at 100km on a minor road for the opportunity to ride, by which time, there wasn’t much light left for the day. I kept Mark company with my amazing wit and singing, and I’m sure he’ll agree, that 5 hour journey for 160km went very quickly.

We hit what would be our highest elevation for the trip, at 5000m. I’d like to say the view of the 6 volcanoes that formed a ring round the highest viewpoint were epic, but alas, fog and rain, and very cold. We continued on and the road suddenly began to descend, even more spectacularly twisty than the descent to Moquegua, and a green and alpine vista, much like some areas of the Swiss Alps, only here, they were volcanoes with jade terraces running towards one of the deepest river gorges in the world, in the valley known as the Colca region. With this area never having been on any plan, we were totally taken by surprise. “Wow, this is really steep! Do you think you could ride this?” Well, in my mind, it has tarmac. “Of course yes!” We both decided that I’d I went away from this region without riding the climb that would also deliver my highest elevation for the trip, I would deeply regret it. We found an eco lodge called Killiwasi overlooking the gorge, so hidden behind an unpaved side street I had no idea how they existed, and booked two nights. I was so far off my original plan by this point that Peru had now become a tour rather than point to point. That was cool! I hadn’t seen Mark for over two months and it would be another two months or more till I would see him again after he left.

…/sort of continued…Moving on next

[clatteriing]

n. 1. the latter part of day and early part of the night. 2. the period from sunset to bedtime. 3. any concluding or declining period, as in / when the sun sinks below Ebrie lagoon / when the boulangerie runs out of bread / when the boy wheels his Nescafé cart with its one squeaky wheel / when drowsy babies unfurl / on mothers’ backs / at busy bus stops / when the first flush of bats / darkens the sky / battering the clouds / to a leathery pulp / fuchsia tongues tucked behind glittering teeth / when monuments bow their heads / & weary prows list / when mosquitoes jewel our ankles with blood / when the aftertaste in the air is citronella & smog / when the musk from your body / rises / warm & unmistakable / a scent swarming everywhere / holding everything aloft / even the vagrant stars

Evening by Cara Waterfall

[kennyandjulia]

Guest post from Diana!

We had lots of great adventures during my visit at Christmas-time. In Chaing Mai, one of my surprise favorites was our day spent with the elephants! We all got into it and had a blast, cutting down some sugar cane, making food balls from rice, banana, and tamarind, feeding them and bathing them. The Karin tribe people who hosted us were super friendly. 

The day before that we went to the highest point in Thailand for a hike through a cloud forest and some beautiful views in the Alpine meadows. Near our hotel, there was a huge mall with lots of Christmas and New Years decorations and live music everywhere outside. Taking the red trucks for transportation was easy with Kenny speaking to the drivers in Thai! He even negotiated prices for us! 

Our time in Bangkok was eye opening and highlighted by our bike tour with a ride on a long boat down the river and a meal at a local restaurant right on the river. We saw how people lived in shacks all along the river and through the canals. They had lots of pop up businesses selling produce, sticky rice in bamboo, and “coffee”.  The coffee served was instant Nescafé with dried creamer, yum! 

We also had a week in the islands and saw Koh Tao and Koh Samui, resting by the pool one day, watching a beautiful sunset, snorkeling, diving, and even doing a 4 wheel Jeep tour. Did I mention the food? It was fabulous everywhere! But I do have to admit I got tired of rice! I’m so grateful that I could spend that time with Kenny and Julia, it was precious!

[davidakira]

#Food preparation for 陈斯薇 #englishmuffins #avocado #lettuce #dialysis #Nepro #Abbott #organic #beetcabbage #Tea #Nestle #Nescafé #decaf #coffee #huayenkitchen #cookingwithAkira #vegan #whatvegansdo #veganfoodshare #homecooking #healthyfood (at Sunset Towers)