#Safari and Climb Prep

[keitoursandsafarisblog]

Tune in to discover the essential gear you need for Tanzania mountain climbing. Learn the best clothing, footwear, and accessories to enhance your Kilimanjaro mountain climbing experience.

Read More: https://www.keitoursandsafaris.com/blog/tanzania-mountain-climbing-packing-guide/

[artdecointeriordesign]

Unveiling the Splendor of Art Deco Interior Design in Delhi NCR

Are you on a quest for unmatched Art Deco Interior Design in Delhi and Noida? Look no further! Art Deco Interior stands out as a beacon of innovation, masterfully crafting modular kitchens that blend sophistication with practicality.

Top Interior Designers in Noida,

Art Deco Interior secures its place among Noida's elite Interior Designers. Dedicated to excellence, they transform spaces with their unique design philosophy, turning homes into bastions of elegance and innovation.

In search of Noida's premier Interior Designers for your abode? Look at ArtDeco Interior. Their detailed approach ensures every nook of your home seamlessly combines style with functionality, culminating in a living space that transcends design to become an authentic masterpiece.

Diverse Interior Designers & Decorators:

Beyond Interior Design, ArtDeco Interior is celebrated as a versatile decorator within Delhi NCR. This adaptability enables the creation of environments that are not just visually appealing but also genuinely pleasant to live in. Every element is thoughtfully selected to elevate the overall beauty.

Our Highlights:

Innovative Designs for Children's Bedrooms: Crafting Enchanting Spaces for the YoungDesigning a child's bedroom is a joyful venture that marries creativity with practicality, resulting in a realm where imagination reigns supreme. Here are some imaginative children's bedroom designs from Noida's Interior Designers to spark the creation of enchanting spaces.

Enchanted Realm:

Turn your child's room into an enchanted realm with magical touches like fairy lights, canopy beds, and mystical forest wallpapers. Use gentle, pastel hues and soft rugs to create a warm, inviting space where dreams soar.

Explorer's Territory:

Ignite your child's adventurous spirit with a bedroom inspired by their favorite explorations. Imagine treehouse bunk beds, indoor climbing walls, and safari-themed decorations. Choose earthy colors and natural textures to bring the spirit of adventure indoors.

Galactic Journey:

Launch into a galaxy far, far away with a space-themed bedroom that fuels curiosity about the cosmos. Adorn the walls with glow-in-the-dark stars, a spacecraft bed, and futuristic elements like metallic finishes and neon lights for a cosmic adventure.Modular kitchens have transformed our culinary spaces into areas of beauty and efficiency. Here are some cutting-edge modular kitchen designs to inspire your cooking sanctuary:

Streamlined Elegance:

Opt for streamlined elegance with a Modular Kitchen defined by smooth lines, reflective surfaces, and minimal cabinets. Choose handle-free units and built-in appliances for a sleek, sophisticated space that maximizes both style and space.

Clever Storage Solutions:

Utilize every square inch with ingenious storage solutions that keep clutter hidden and essentials accessible. Incorporate pull-out drawers, lazy Susans, and vertical storage options to enhance organization and maintain a tidy kitchen.

Efficient Work Zones:

Designate specific areas for prepping, cooking, and cleaning to streamline kitchen tasks and improve workflow. This organization minimizes unnecessary movement and creates a more efficient cooking environment.

[blizzardfluffykpop]

Senior Math

Summary: If there is one rule to high school, it’s you don’t miss PTG parties.

Do or Not Series

Slice of life and fluff

Word Count: 2,517

Kino [Hyunggu] X Reader

[Mentions: Seungkwan and Moonbin as best friends and Myungjun, Jinwoo, and Jinho as close friends]

The days grow longer, and I know summer is just around the corner. This summer is different since this is my last year in high school. It feels bittersweet to watch it all go, to start anew and leave my childhood behind. I doodle in my notebook during math class since senior math sucks. I should have taken college prep. But at least all the funny kids and my friends are in this class. That is the plus side, but when Mr. Davis yells that there are thirty problems for tonight. I want to curl up and die. Can graduation come any sooner? But at the same time, slow its roll? Like there is no happy medium, and oh god, isn’t prom coming up? I completely forgot about that function, a good thing that it’s not for another month.

I start working on them just as the bell rings, and I hear the books slam close around me. Good thing we get to come back up here for another period. Or I would have it out with Mr. Davis. Seungkwan and Moonbin meet me at my desk. “Let’s go bitches!” Seungkwan yells at least Mr. Davis is out. I don’t need detention. He might force me to stay extra days, and I am not cool with that. We laugh, link arms, and rush down to the best period of the day.

When we get our food Moonbin draws in closer to us, “Did you guys hear?” I let out a ‘hmm?’ and Seungkwan waits expectantly, “That PTG is throwing a party?” We gasp, “No way,...” There is only one group that can throw a party. And when they do, they set the whole school ablaze. “This year it’s only by invitation. Since what happened last year.” Oh yeah, a few people got a day in the cell for being drunk and or hosting a party with underage drinking. Seungkwan whispers hastily, “How did you hear?” Moonbin smirks, “Myungjun invited me, and he said I could invite you two, and that’s it.” We exchange a look, and I look down at my food. “I don’t know,...” Seungkwan nudges me, “Come on! It’s our last year! Let’s live it up!” While I’m not one for parties, I can’t say no to the two puppy dog eyes directed at me.

--

Moonbin picks up Seungkwan and me with the radio blasting, and Seungkwan goes, “What if I car surf?!” I gasp, “Well, what are you waiting for?!” He grins, and on cue, the Beach Boys come on. He climbs up through the passenger window and up to the roof. Moonbin and I laugh, and Seungkwan is screaming. Out of joy, I’m not sure, but he hops back in pretty quick. “(Y/n)! It’s your turn!” My eyes nearly pop out of my head, but I can’t help but shrug and roll the window down. I sit on the window hole and pull myself up onto the roof. When I feel the air under my arms nothing, and everything feels real at the same time. As I spin around and act like I’m riding the waves going down and low and up high. When he comes to a red light, I lay down on the roof and take in this feeling of euphoric anxiety. I’m a senior, and these are some of my last high school experiences. Soon these memories will all be distant and only exist in my dreams. I shake those thoughts off and slide back in through the open window. Moonbin goes, “Grab the wheel, Seungkwan, it’s my turn.” My eyes nearly pop out of my head, again, as Seungkwan takes over. He has a hang of it as Moonbin jumps up on top, and I can hear his laughter. He seems to be enjoying it more than us. “Do you know where PTG’s house is?” Seungkwan lets out a hum and goes, “Roughly?” Moonbin yells, “Turn right!” *let’s go surfing now everyone is learning how, come on and safari with me*. Seungkwan turns right, and we pull up to the house in a matter of moments. Moonbin flips off the car, and Seungkwan and I laugh, “You would think he’s drunk already.” I tell Seungkwan, and he laughs. We exit, link arms, and brace ourselves for a fun night.

Wooseok opens the door and invites us in, and the music is already thumping through my soul. We make our way in and find Myungjun and Jinwoo smoking and talking amongst themselves. The three of us grab a drink and join them. “I didn’t expect to see all three of you.” I roll my eyes, “Yes, Jinwoo, sometimes I like to enjoy myself.” He smirks, “I was talking about Seungkwan, but hey.” I shake my head and laugh as the five of us get up and walk around after they put out their cigarettes. We see Jinho, and he grins at us, “Ahh, my favorite five.” Seungkwan goes, “Have you seen Hyunggu?” He scrunches his nose before his eyes come alight. If there is one member to visit during a PTG party, it’s Hyunggu. Not only is he good at party games, but he’s also pretty attractive. It’s not that I have had a major crush on him since eighth grade and the whole group likes to tease me about it or anything. Ever since I let it slip in my Sophomore year, they have teased me about it.

--

Maybe it was from the times when I went over to his house to do a school project. And we stayed up the whole night talking and sharing music. I could never forget the feeling of him telling me his favorite song and turning it up on his speakers. Luckily his room was in the basement so his parents couldn’t care less if his music was loud. Or it was the way we snuck glances at each other as we texted each other in class. Or the way he carried himself, so freely yet reserved. You wouldn’t know he was loud and funny until he was around his friends. It was something I adored about him. After a while, we stopped texting each other, and things went back to how they used to be with me, watching him from afar and wondering what a relationship with him would entail. And him, looking handsome as ever, until one day we no longer shared classes. But I still catch glimpses of him in the hallways, and my heart beats a little faster each time.

--

Myungjun elbows me, and I nearly want to hurl him across the room. I wish I had detention with Mr. Davis to avoid this. No, those end by five, and this party didn’t start until seven. I follow the five of them up the stairs. When we reach his room, my jaw nearly drops to the floor. He has pink hair now,... No one should look that good in pink, but oh god, how he does. I close my jaw back up as I hear, “Now, what we’re gonna play tonight!” We all hoot and holler. There are at least twenty people in this bedroom. “Is seven minutes in heaven!” That’s when I see the post-it notes getting passed around. I shrug and write my name down at worst, I end up with someone I don’t know. Or I end up with an ex, but hopefully, I end up with one of my friends. At least I can talk to them and fake a few moans and hair ruffles to get a good laugh.

“ALRIGHT! All the names are in the bowl! Let’s see who we pull!” He pulls the names out and goes, “Myungjun! And!” We all give a drumroll, “Jinwoo!” Moonbin and I boo, “They’re already dating!” The two of them laugh, “Jealous?!” Everyone laughs as they go hand in hand into the closet. “Maybe I am,” Moonbin says, which makes Seungkwan and I laugh. “Good thing there’s a lot of closets in this house~.” Jinho tells us, and I blink at him, “You mean there is a chance that everyone is gonna go.” “Everyone who put their names in the hat.” I shrug, “Should have expected that. It’s been a while since I went to a PTG party.” Jinho smiles, “We all know who you’re hoping to be with~” I glare, “You guys are awful. We all know who you want, Jinho.” He squints, “Who?” We all let out, “Bomi.” He gasps, “Be quiet! She might hear you!” He waves his hands in front of himself. We roll our eyes, and Wooseok joins us on the bed, “Hey guys!” Seungkwan ruffles his hair, “Good evening, any luck?” He groans, “No, hopefully, my name gets pulled soon. I’m tired!” We laugh at him, and Hyunggu pulls out the next name, “Moonbin and Seungkwan!” I whine, and they shrug, they follow each other into a closet, and I lay back on the bed, “Well, now it’s just us three.” Jinho’s name gets called with Bomi’s immediately, “Just you two, actually!” He says with a skip in his step, "Lucky!" Both Wooseok and I whine.

When Moonbin and Seungkwan return they are shocked to see me still lying there, all by myself. Seeing as Wooseok got paired up with a name I didn’t quite catch. “What did you guys do?” I ask teasingly, “To be honest, we were playing, 'would you rather.'” I shake my head, “Yep, that’s my best friends. They have the opportunity to leave something in a closet behind, and they play ‘would you rather’.” They laugh, and Seungkwan goes, “Yeah, no, I’d much rather kiss a frog.” Moonbin ‘ribbits’ in return, and I laugh. Seungkwan rolls his eyes, “So how many people are left?” I shrug, “Like ten?” Bomi and Jinho never returned, and we can only assume what they are doing right now.

“And last but not least, is (Y/n) and I!” I gasp, “You heard that too?” They both smirk and nod. I get up my nerves shaking me to the core. And there is Hyunggu not too much further in front of me. He grabs my hand and leads me to the farthest door. When he shuts the door, he goes, “You know I always thought you were super attractive.” My chin drops to the floor for the second time tonight. “I always thought the same about you,...” The light that seeps in from under the door barely illuminates our shoes. But it’s not like I needed more detail. I already memorized his outfit, and god, he looks way too good in soft cardigans. I take a step closer and reach my hands up to his face, I cup his cheeks, and he grabs my arms and pulls me up against him. And like in my dreams, we’re making out. His lips are so soft against mine. My hands leave his cheeks, and I snake my hands underneath his cardigan and pull him closer. His hands find their way into my hair and play with it. I let out a little moan, and I feel him smirk against my mouth. I smirk back and push him back against the wall and bring my hands up to his shoulders. Holding him against me, and when the door to the closet opens, it feels like it’s too soon. No, this is just like my dreams. I wake up before we end up together. Because I know when I walk out of this closet, kissing Hyunggu will be no more than a figment of my imagination. Although it’s the best damn makeout session, I have ever had. I hear the gasps, “I told you he liked (Y/n)!” Seungkwan says and hits Moonbin upside the head. Did they bet on this? I wouldn't put it past them. We slowly untangle ourselves from each other. He smiles at me, and we walk out of the closet.

I hear moans from the farthest room on the left, and I realize that we assumed correctly about Bomi and Jinho. Good for them, I think to myself as I part from Hyunggu. What does this mean? Are we going to pursue something, or are we just going to let this memory fade to dust? I find myself laying my head against Seungkwan’s shoulder and sipping from a new solo cup. “Do you think he meant anything about that? Or was it just the heat of the moment?” Moonbin rubs my shoulder, “The only way to know is to ask.” I groan, “That’s not the answer I’m looking for.” Seungkwan groans, “It’s the only one we can provide.” I groan, “I know!”

--

That Monday, he comes strutting into Mr. Davis’ fifth-period class. I feel Moonbin kick me under the table, and I look up to yell at him. When I catch Hyunggu’s eyes and he waves, and I wave back. Ugh, this is suffering, but I’m happy about it. How does that make any sense? Mr. Davis dismisses him and tells him he’ll have the grades in by Wednesday. The pink blur makes my heart swoon as he walks out with a pip in his step. I need to do something about these feelings, does he like me or not? I need a daisy,… Which leads to me cutting out a daisy instead of doing homework and ripping off the paper petals. I end up on ‘he loves me’, and I take that as a sign of hope. When the bell rings, I link my arms with my two friends, and we head to lunch.

We sit at our table idly chatting about prom and the end of the school year. When I catch sight of the pink blur, yet this time, he’s standing across from where I’m sitting. I raise my eyebrows, and he smiles, “Hey,... Can I talk to you about the other day?” I shrug, and Seungkwan pats my thigh and wishes me luck. I follow him outside of the cafeteria, and he smiles. “I,... uh,... like you.” I gulp and rub the back of my neck nervously before I confess, “I like you too, Hyunggu.” His eyes light up, and he asks, “Would you want to go out with me?” I grin and nod, “Tomorrow at 7?” I nod again with a bigger smile on my face, and he walks me back over to my lunch table. When he leaves, the two of them look at me expectantly, and I tell them everything.

The date went fantastic we went to a café together before we went to a house show. We jumped around to the music and laughed between sets. And a week later, I asked him to prom. He was blushing like a bright red cherry, and my face was just as red as he agreed. During the first slow dance of the night, I asked him to be mine. Who would have known that Hyunggu liked me back and that we would end up dancing the night away in each other’s arms? Not me, but I'm so glad we're together now.

[gaydiekane]

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME DOING A CUT SO IF IT DOESNT WORK IM SO SORRY IM CLOGGING UR FEED ANYWAYS-

before we start~~

greyson- ahhh yeah they/them pronouns but originally greyson used he/him so if you see any stray he/hims that i forgot to change please lmk (comment with the sentence or smth it'd be greatly appreciated)

link to chapter 1

i do not own any of the characters or settings from the riordanverse, all rights go to richard russell riordan. i also don't own perry the platypus, that goes to dan povenmire

finally, this is only my current draft, so when this whole thing is done and completed this chapter could be entirely different. i'm also a cHiLd so my writing isn't that good please bear w me 💀 i also suck at titles if u have any other ideas lmk 💀💀

anywaysssss..

The Currently Unnamed Fic

Chapter 2 - i think this is now named An Intro to New Life but im not 100% sure?

The boy led me down the hill and to the Kansas house. There was a man and a few other people playing a card game. I mean, I thought they were people, but they looked like goat boys. Something was nagging at me in the back of my mind, like something about this was familiar, but I couldn't figure it out.

"Mr. D," the kid said, "we have a new camper. And- hold up," he turned to me, "what are your pronouns?"

"She/her."

He turned back to Mr. D. "She's fifteen!"

Mr. D placed his cards face down on the table. "Fifteen? Whoever your parent is is awfully stupid."

Some useful information, I suppose. And, parent? My mom said she was bad at math in school, and my dad. . .

"My mom mentioned something about my dad when she dropped me off here," I said.

"Well, you're not one of mine," Mr. D said, and averted his attention back to the game. "Owen-"

"Oliver."

"-would you mind showing her around?"

"Oh, I would love to, but," the kid, Oliver, flashed the book he was reading, "I've got some reading to do. And I'm also redirecting mortals, so. . . . Catch ya later," he said walking away.

"He could've just said he didn't want to," Mr. D said under his breath (but still loud enough for everyone to hear). "Uh, Garrett Smith! Can you show around the new kid?" he asked to the nearest kid in the strawberry field.

The kid looked around my age, maybe a bit older. They had curly strawberry blond hair and tan skin like they spent almost all of their time outside. "Sure thing, just let me put this-"

"Nonsense, Sandra over there will take care of whatever it is." Mr. D interrupted. "I've got a card game to finish, so if you would please, George Salazar, show around, er, what's your name?" He turned to me.

"Elizabeth Herman," I answered. "I go by Ellie, though."

"Yes, show Lizzy Henderson around."

"On it Mr. D," the kid said. I didn't trust that their name was Garrett Smith or George Salazar.

I left the table and met the kid at the bottom of the stairs. They greeted me with a bright smile. "Hey, I'm Greyson Summit," they said. "I wish I were George Salazar. Oh, to be on Broadway, instead picking strawberries for the god of wine," they said dreamily.

I returned a smile. "I'm Ellie. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, and don't worry," Greyson added, "you don't have to bow down to Mr. D. He doesn't do much."

I nodded my head. Like Perry the Platypus, I thought. "Why would I need to bow down to him?" I asked.

"Oh, right, I should explain," Greyson said. "That's Dionysus, the god of wine and all that. You said your mom said something about your dad, right? I'm assuming she meant he's a god too."

I felt like I had been hit by a brick. I probably was at some point if I didn't remember basic stuff from sixth grade English, but that's not the point.

"Wait, I think I've read about this place," I said.

Greyson got a confused look on their face. "Like, in The Lightning Thief?" I nodded my head. "Woah." They laughed. "Not to be dramatic, but you should probably be dead. Let's head to the east."

Greyson began walking off towards what I assumed was the east, leaving me the opposite of "no thoughts, head empty."

I ran to catch up with them.

"By the time we're done it should be time for lunch, then I'll show you the other side after," they were saying.

"Sounds like a plan," I said.

We made our way along the creek towards the east woods. Greyson wasn't the best tour guide. We would pass by something and they'd randomly point out what it was. At least it wasn't a safari. I nearly giggled at the thought.

"Volleyball court. Art's and crafts. Hermes kids doing. . . something. Oh no, there's fire again."

I watched as a couple kids tried to stomp out a small flame in the grass.

"Again?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Greyson. "Come on."

They tried to strike up small talk. Unfortunately, both of us were quite bad at making conversation. Maybe it was best we weren't as good at striking things up as those Hermes kids.

I tried thinking of some icebreakers and introduction questions while we walked around.

"What are your pronouns?" I asked.

"They/them," Greyson said. "I'm genderfluid, but it's easier to use they/them pronouns than correcting people all the time. But if it really bothers me sometime I'll correct you, just a heads up."

"Cool. Thanks for letting me know."

More silence.

"Your pronouns are she/her, right?" they asked.

I nodded.

"So. . . where are you from?" Greyson asked after a bit more silence.

"Arizona," I answered.

"Oh, cool," they responded.

More silence.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"Kansas."

Out of all the new and crazy info I'd gotten that day, that one won first place by far. "But I thought Kansas didn't exist?"

"What?"

I shrugged.

We made it to the rock wall. The heat emitting from it reminded me of Arizona summers. A girl dropped down nearby where we were standing.

"Beat ya!" she shouted up. She looked over at us. "Oh, hey Greyson. Who's this?"

The girl was short. Well, maybe short to me, I'm 5'8". She was maybe 5'4"? (Is that short?) She had dark brown skin and vitiligo. She also had brown eyes and dark brown coily hair.

"This is Ellie," Greyson said. "Do you think Kansas exists?"

She blinked. "What?"

"Do you think Kansas exists?" Greyson repeated.

"Yes, of course," the girl answered.

"Even before you met me?" they asked.

She paused, before answering, "Well, I hadn't given it much thought before."

"Damn, alright," Greyson said. "Ellie, this is Leila."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

Another girl dropped down from the wall. She had black hair with a split dye that was hot pink. Her hair was steaming, and her tan skin looked blistered in a couple spots. "You cheated!" She pointed at Leila accusingly.

"How do you cheat at a rock wall?" I asked.

"How can you think Kansas doesn't exist?!" Greyson asked me.

"Hold up, you didn't think Kansas existed?" the new girl asked me. "Wait, who are you?"

"I'm Ellie," I answered.

"Cool, I'm Chleo," she said. "Anyways, you thought Kansas didn't exist?"

"I thought it was made up for the plot of the Wizard of Oz!" I said. They all just looked at me. "How many people have you met that are from Kansas? What has ever happened in Kansas? What exists there?" I asked.

"Well, I know Greyson. . . ." Chleo said.

"The National World War I Museum is in Kansas City!" Greyson claimed. We all just stared at them. They put their hands up defensively.

"So. . . how do you cheat at rock wall climbing?" I asked again, hoping to drop the subject of Kansas.

"Oh I'm a daughter of Hecate," Leila said. She snapped her fingers and her and Chleo had switched places as Chleo went to rest her arm on Leila's shoulder. "The mist is easy to manipulate for me." She shrugged, ignoring Chleo on the ground.

"You bitch!" Chleo exclaimed from the floor. "Which also means, she cheated," Chleo said, getting up.

"No, I just used my resources!" said Leila. "They tell us to do that."

A horn sounded in the distance. "Come on Ellie, we have to line up for lunch," Greyson said. "We can go with the Hermes cabin, since they're here." He glanced above my head before walking towards a forming line of kids with mischievous looks on their faces, like I was told I had.

"Who's your godly parent?" I asked Greyson.

"My dad's Apollo," they said quietly. "We're not really supposed to talk in lines but lots of people do anyways."

We walked in silence to the dining pavilion. We went over the creek, passed by a huge arena, an archery range, the cabins. I knew there wouldn't be much left for Greyson to show me after lunch, but I knew continuing to let them show me around was better than to be friendless.

I was handed a plate of food and sat on the end of table eleven next to a kid with curly light brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked older than me.

"Oh, hey newbie!" he said. "I'm Austin."

"I'm Ellie," I said. "Nice to meet you Austin."

"Nice to meet you too Ellie," he said. "I'm the head of cabin eleven and one of the camp counselors this year. It doesn't matter too much, but I suppose it's good to know. Come on newbie, it's our turn at the fire." We all got up and walked over to the big bronze brazier in the middle of the pavilion.

I watched as Austin pushed a portion of his plate into the fire. "Hermes," he said.

I pushed a portion of brisket into the flames. "Hermes?" I said, though it came out as more of a question. Austin laughed and shook his head, and we went back to table eleven.

Back at the table I talked a bit more with Austin. He told me he has a twin sister, Kaite, and how he's from Michigan and moved to New Jersey a few years ago. He's turning nineteen this October and is really into crafting because he grew up doing it with his mother as a kid.

"What did you mean it didn't matter that you're head of cabin eleven?" I asked.

"Not that part, the part about being camp counselor," he said. "Camp counselors and cabin counselors are different. We call cabin counselors cabin heads to avoid confusion, but you'll hear both. Cabin heads just make sure none of their siblings are being absolutely stupid and lead them to their activities. Prep for inspection, all that. Camp counselors are more of like, the older sibling to everyone, they're all cabin heads, they do inspection, stuff like that. Kinda take charge. They're the people you go to if you need something. Some cabins have more than one counselor, by the way."

"What about Chiron?" I asked.

"Well, you'd go to him for super important stuff, like emergencies. A serious injury, an attack. Mr. D, well, just, never go D with an emergency. He'll most likely do nothing. Actually, he's good to go to if you have any questions regarding sexuality or gender identity." He paused for a moment, before continuing, "Camp leadership! Right!

"So once Percy and Annabeth -- you know who they are? -- Coolio, once they left everyone realized they forgot how to run the camp because they did everything and wars and all that jazz. Instead of trying to remember, they made new over-complicated systems to run the place. They work though. Until the older heroes came back. A couple summers ago the older campers came back to teach here." He pointed to the director's table. Along with Mr. D, I saw a few other adults chatting and eating. "Ever since they came back, us camp counselors have been kinda demoted. No one comes to us much anymore. Granted, they do know more, but it kinda sucks being demoted. Some of the cabin heads get replaced by the adults too, if they have an adult sibling here. But since they teach they're not around much for their cabin. It doesn't make too much sense." He shook his head.

"Maybe it's just that awkward telling a twenty year old what to do," I suggested. "Who are all the camp councelors?"

"There's me, Emma from the Aphrodite cabin, Ricky from the Apollo cabin, and Asia from the Iris cabin," Austin answered.

"You see? I just came to you for a question, you're not useless!" My words of encouragement didn't seem to make him all too much better. Though, I was never too good at encouraging others.

"I guess," he said. "That reminds me, after lunch is over I need to get you a copy of the Camp Half-Blood Confidential. And a shirt."

"The what now?"

"Years ago, after the last war, they were talking about what they would change about camp and all that, and Nico said the orientation video, which only he had seen. Everyone ended up watching it and they decided, 'Woah, this is terrible!' So they wrote a book."

They did what now? "That's stupid," I said. Who would write an important informational book for kids with dyslexia to read?

Austin looked at me questioningly. "What do-" He was cut off by a loud voice from elsewhere in the pavilion.

"Alright everyone," Mr. D stood up for announcements, "we have a new camper. Everyone say hi to Lizzy Henderson." There was a bit of hesitant applause before someone else from the director's table stood up.

"Maybe we should let her introduce herself," she said, giving a quick glare to Mr. D. He muttered something about how he did a fine job before the woman continued. Her gray eyes scanned the tables for the new face. "If you want to stand up so we can all see you..."

The blonde lady began to reminded me of a middle school English teacher. And I don't know how she didn't notice me, I was the only one not in bright orange. I should've stuck out like a sore thumb.

I stood and her eyes fell on me. Her smile wavered and she said something I couldn't make out to the man next to her, whose back was still facing me. She looked up again and continued, her smile returned. "How about you tell us your name, your age, and where you're from?" she asked.

Most eyes were on me, which bugged me because now I didn't know where to look. I decided to try keeping my eyes on the woman. "I'm Ellie Herman, I'm from Arizona, and I'm fifteen," I said.

I heard a few people start whispering around me. The lady furrowed her brows and looked back down at the man next to her, who then turned around to look at me. I noticed the man's black hair and sea green eyes, along with a nasty scar under his right eye, the same way I had imagined Luke's while reading the books. Then it hit me. The woman talking to me was Annabeth Chase, like, the Annabeth Chase.

"Do you know who your godly parent is yet?" Annabeth asked, sounding almost hopeful.

I shook my head. "No."

After a moment her smile returned. "Well, we're glad to have you here, Ellie." Annabeth turned to the rest of the campers. "Everyone welcome Ellie Herman, undetermined."

[astrogeoguy]

Solar Eclipse Special, and Plenty of Planets!

(Above: The Moon’s shadow darkens the sky around the eclipsed Sun. Look for a 360 degree sunset along the horizon during totality)

Stargazing News for this week (from August 20th) by Chris Vaughan. (Feel free to pass this along to friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics.) I post these with photos at http://astrogeoguy.tumblr.com/ where the old editions are archived. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! All times mentioned are in Eastern Standard Time. Please click this MailChimp link to subscribe to these emails. If you are a teacher or group leader interested in joining me in a guided field trip to the York University Observatory, visit www.astrogeo.ca.

(Above: Seconds before totality, the diamond ring effect appears. During totality the Sun’s large white corona appears and solar prominences will appear as pink/orange flashes around the Moon’s disk)

Solar Eclipse Basics

As viewed from the Earth’s surface, the Moon moves from west to east with respect to the distant background stars. In fact, over the course of an evening, it’s easy to observe the Moon traveling eastward compared to stars located near it in the sky. At one point in the Moon’s monthly orbit, it passes between the Earth and the Sun, becoming invisible due to the Sun’s glare. This is the definition of New Moon. 

If the Sun, Earth, and Moon were all orbiting in the same plane (imagine a model of them on a tabletop), every New Moon would temporarily block the Sun and cast a circular shadow on the Earth. At every Full Moon, the Earth would hide the Sun from the Moon as it passed through our shadow for a few hours, producing a Total Lunar Eclipse. So why do these events seem to be so rare? 

While the objects in the Solar System orbit the Sun in roughly the same plane, each body’s orbit is tilted by a small angle that carries it sometimes above and sometimes below the Solar System’s “tabletop”, like the rising and falling horses on a rotating carousel. The main reason eclipses occur infrequently is because the Moon’s orbit is tilted, or inclined, by about 5° from the Earth’s orbital plane. 

On infrequent, but predictable occasions, the moments of New Moon and Full Moon occur when the Moon is situated at the place where its orbit and the Earth’s orbit intersect, also known as a node. This is the geometry that creates eclipses. The Earth has a much larger diameter than the Moon, so an eclipse can still occur when the Moon is slightly below or above the node. That is why each eclipse is visible from a particular latitude on the Earth. When the Moon is near a node, it is either climbing slightly or descending slightly along the 5° slope. The effect of this is to add a slant to the eclipse track on the Earth. The Earth’s constant rotation during the eclipse serves to lengthen the eclipse track. That’s why the tracks of totality change in both latitude and longitude. 

For an unknown, but fortunate reason, the size of the Sun’s disk and the Moon’s disk observed from Earth are almost exactly the same, even though the Sun is about 400 times larger! If this were not so, we would not be treated to the splendor of a Total Solar Eclipse.

During a Total Solar Eclipse, the Moon’s round shadow sweeps across the Earth faster than the speediest fighter jet, completely blocking the Sun for observers along the track of the shadow for only a few minutes. The best eclipses have 250 km wide tracks and many minutes of totality. Along both sides of the track, observers see only part of the Sun obscured – the farther from the path of totality, the less of a “bite” is taken out of the Sun. This is called a Partial Solar Eclipse. 

Because the Moon’s orbit is elliptical, it is looms closer (perigee) and draws farther (apogee) from the Earth during every orbit, making the Moon subtend a slightly larger and smaller angle in the sky respectively. When the Moon is near apogee during a Total Solar Eclipse, it is too small to completely cover the Sun’s disk, and we observe an Annular Solar Eclipse. By the way, a solar eclipse is actually not an eclipse, but an occultation – when one body passes in front of, and obscures, the other. 

Astronomers use the term “contact” to describe the stages of a solar eclipse. First contact is said to occur when the leading edge of the Sun and Moon first touch. Only after this occurs, will one see the “bite” in the edge of the Sun. Fourth (or last) contact occurs at the end of the encounter, at the moment when the two disks separate, i.e., the “bite” disappears. 

Total Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017

On August 21, 2017, a Total Solar Eclipse will occur along a 114 km wide track running across the Continental USA from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. At most points along the track, totality will last more than two minutes, peaking at 2 minutes, 41.6 seconds just east of St. Louis, Missouri. Observers south and north of the track will see only a partial eclipse, the amount of sun covered varies depending on the distance north or south. Basically, northern South America and all of Central and North America will be treated to at least part of the eclipse. A nice annotated map is here. 

The time of totality, and the height of the Sun in the sky, depends on your longitude. The western states and provinces will see maximum eclipse around 10:18 am local time, and the Sun will be nicely positioned 40 degrees above the eastern horizon. In central Missouri, maximum eclipse occurs at 1:14 pm local time, with the Sun 63 degrees above the southern horizon. The eastern seaboard will see totality around 2:48 pm local time, with the Sun 61 degrees above the southwestern horizon. In each case, first contact occurs about 90 minutes earlier and last contact takes place 90 minutes later. The free Eclipse Safari app for iOS and Android can tell you when the eclipse will occur where you are, and when. It also includes live video streams from NASA and lots of tips about viewing the eclipse. I covered the app in detail in “How to Prep for Totality with New Eclipse Safari Mobile App” and I highly recommend it. 

Totality brings additional observing opportunities, but you’ll need to work quickly. The naked eye star Regulus, in Leo (the Lion), will be sitting less than one degree (about a finger’s width) to the upper left of the eclipsed Sun. Reddish Mars, though slightly dimmer at magnitude 1.77, will be 8 degrees (just under a fist diameter) to the right of the eclipse. Looking farther along the same line, very bright Venus will be located 34 degrees to the lower right (west) of the eclipse. Look 51 degrees in the opposite direction for bright Jupiter. For a challenge, you can hunt for Mercury, at visual magnitude 4.2, sitting only 10 degrees to the left of the eclipse. You can also look for a 360° sunset all around you – and the diamond ring and Baily’s Beads effects caused by sunlight sneaking past the moon’s limb. 

While a partial eclipse shape can be seen through thin cloud, clear skies are extremely important for enjoying totality during a solar eclipse. Be sure to check your local forecast the days and hours ahead, and be prepared to drive east or west along the track of totality to reach clear skies. Ensure that you don’t veer too far south or north. 

(Above: Safe viewing methods are necessary when ANY portion of the Sun’s disk is uncovered)

Observing the Solar Eclipse

It is NEVER safe to look at a Solar Eclipse without eye protection, with one exception. Observers during the few minutes of totality may turn their gaze upon the Moon-obscured Sun and see the glorious corona and red solar prominences that rise from the Sun’s photosphere. Outside of totality, part of the Sun’s disk is always exposed, and any amount of unprotected viewing is harmful to your eyes. Sunglasses are NOT enough to protect your eyes. They may make the sunlight dim enough to seem comfortable, but they do not filter out the harmful invisible ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation that damages eye tissue. Your retinas do not have pain receptors that will alert you to the damage you’re doing to them. 

Safe methods of observing solar eclipses include special eclipse glasses (commonly inserted into astronomy magazines published prior to major eclipses), #14 or darker welder’s glass, pinhole projection setups, and special telescope filters. NEVER pass unfiltered sunlight through a telescope or binoculars. Damage to vision will be instantaneous, the equipment will likely suffer damage, and there is risk of fire, too. 

Solar Eclipse Viewing Events

In the GTA, we will only see a partial solar eclipse, but about 76% of the sun will be covered at maximum eclipse. The local times for the eclipse are as follows: first contact at 1:10:33 pm, maximum coverage at 2:31:50 pm, and last contact at 3:48:52 pm.

(Above: For the Toronto area, the maximum partial eclipse will reach 76% coverage as shown here.)

Visit www.rascto.ca for a comprehensive list of solar eclipse viewing events all across the GTA.

The Ontario Science Centre, University of Toronto, York University, and McMaster, major libraries, and regional astronomy clubs are all hosting free public viewing sessions during eclipse time – many handing out eclipse glasses. 

Non-Eclipse Public Events

Taking advantage of dark moonless evening skies this week, the members of the RASC Toronto Centre will gather at Long Sault Conservation Area, north of Bowmanville on (only) the first clear evening from Monday to Thursday this week. You don’t need to be an RASC member, or own any equipment, to join them. Check here for details and watch the banner on their homepage or their Facebook page for the GO or NO-GO decision around 5 pm each day. 

Eastern GTA sky watchers are invited to join the RASC Toronto Centre and Durham Skies for stargazing at the edge of Lake Ontario in Millennium Square in Pickering on Friday evening, August 25th, from 6 pm to 11 pm. Details are here. Before heading out, check the RASCTC home page for a Go/No-Go call in case it's too cloudy to observe. 

Sun, Moon, and Planets

Tomorrow (Monday) the moon reaches its New Moon phase, triggering a total solar eclipse for North America! Meanwhile, after Monday’s eclipse, the Moon continues to journey eastward in its orbit – reappearing as a young crescent very low in the western sky after sunset on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday evening, and for the rest of the week, it rises later and waxes fuller, making it much easier to spot. 

On Thursday and Friday night, the still slim Moon will hop over Jupiter – sitting 8° to the planet’s right on Thursday and 5° to the upper left (and above the bright star Spica) the following evening. 

(Above: Jupiter at far right sets in the west in early evening, while Saturn at left lingers into the wee hours)

Jupiter is the very bright object low in the southwestern evening sky for two hours after sunset, setting about 10 pm local time. Looking south, Saturn is the medium-bright, yellowish object partway up the sky after the evening sky darkens. It sets in the west about 1 am local time. This summer, look for the easy to recognize star pattern called the Teapot sitting about two fist diameters to the lower left of Saturn. The stars of Scorpius (the Scorpion) flank Saturn on the lower right. The scorpion’s brightest star, reddish Antares is only a generous fist width to Saturn’s right (west). 

(Above: Uranus and Neptune are visible throughout the night, but finding them in the faint constellations of Pisces and Aquarius is a challenge)

Blue-green Uranus, in Pisces (the Fishes) rises shortly after 10 pm local time and is visible for the rest of the night in binoculars under a dark sky. Tiny blue Neptune, which is observable all night, is in the southeastern sky about two finger widths to the lower left of the medium-bright star Hydor in Aquarius (the Water-Bearer). After it rises in the eastern sky about 3:40 am local time, extremely bright Venus will catch your eye until dawn. This week, the planet continues to descend slowly sunwards. Sky charts for the visible planets are here. 

(Above: Venus continues to drop slowly sunward in the eastern pre-dawn sky, ending a long morning apparition)

Mercury and Mars are near the sun in solar conjunction, but may appear for observers in the path of totality during the total solar eclipse.

Keep looking up to enjoy the sky! I love getting questions so, if you have any, send me a note.

[dorotazabawa-blog]

After planning my most recent African adventure, I realized that my necessary preparation was quite different than previous trips. Instead of a typical safari experience where I could relax in a vehicle and watch wildlife, I would be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro! Having never climbed a mountain before (or even been to much of an elevation), I knew this journey was going to test me both mentally and physically.

For this adventure, I decided to add a fundraising factor into my plans. I focused on raising money for the Maasai Olympics, a great organization that focuses on enriching the Maasai communities as well as lion conservation.

I booked my trip about seven months before the climb, which allowed me a good amount of time to work out, buy the necessary gear and think many positive thoughts about getting to the top!

The Workouts

I was in a minor car accident six months before my training began and was dealing with back issues because of it. This made it even more critical to focus on strengthening my back and core. In addition, since the climb requires some long days of hiking, strong legs and a lot of cardio are necessary. While preparing for Mt. Kilimanjaro, I recommend focusing on these four major factors:

Cardio / Aerobic Fitness

The more “fit” you are, the more red-blood cells you will carry in your system. Red blood cells carry oxygen that will greatly help with your acclimatization in an oxygen-starved environment. Once you’re on the mountain, the guide carries a Pulse Ox monitor and will check your O2 saturation level frequently (typically in the morning and evening). I increased the intensity and frequency of my cardio as I got closer to the trip to keep my heart pumping. I started with 2-3 cardio sessions per week and increased to 3-4 times per week. There are a lot of different cardio activities to consider, including running, stair climbing, biking, swimming. Find something that works for you and switch it up. Since much of my prep time was during the winter, I rotated frequently between running on the treadmill and the Stairmaster at the gym. Once it got a little nicer out, I went hiking as well.

Strength

You will be hiking uphill and downhill for 5-10 miles/day for hours at a time at a slow pace. For this reason, it is important to have strong legs, as well as a strong core. Focus your leg strength training on squats, lunges, step aerobics and even biking. For your core, sit ups, plank push ups, and other core-focused exercises are key. The gym I go to offers a wide range of classes, and I found these to be especially helpful, as they offered new core exercise ideas and pushed me to work out even harder than I would on my own.

Hike

Mt. Kilimanjaro is one long hike. Hike as much as you can on longer routes while carrying your pack and wearing the boots you intend to use on the mountain. It is really important to get used to your gear and to break in your boots. I wore my boots hiking, but I also wore them around the house as well to make sure they were as comfortable as possible.

Mental Grit

Kili is a mental game more than anything else. The weather conditions can be tough at times. The summit can seem so far away. Between now and when you climb, do something that makes you uncomfortable for prolonged periods. Some options to consider are running a half marathon, swimming in cold water, etc. I’ve also heard that meditation can be quite helpful in pushing away negative thoughts and refocusing on the goal ahead: the summit!

I was happy to have an extended period of time to prep for Mt. Kilimanjaro so that by the time I arrived in Tanzania, I truly felt like my body and mind were ready to handle the journey ahead.

The Gear

There is a lot of gear that goes into your preparation for Mt. Kilimanjaro as well. We provide our clients with a guidebook containing specific details on gear, so I just wanted to mention a few pieces of gear that I am happy I got with plenty of time before my trek.

Hiking boots

I cannot stress just how important it is to get your hiking boots far in advance of your journey. It’s also key to go into a store instead of buying them online. One pair of boots might be perfect for someone and just not work for you. I tried on about five different pairs of boots and spent time walking around the store and on the simulated “hills” that they had in store. Try to purchase them from a store that allows you to wear them for a bit and still return them if they end up not fitting properly. Once you buy them, wear them a lot to guarantee they fit well and don’t cause blisters or leg pain.

Hiking socks/liners

I initially bought a few pairs of hiking socks without realizing the importance of sock liners. These were great if/when I had any issues where it felt like blisters might start to form. Once I put the sock liner on, it made it much easier to hike for longer distances.

Backpack

While a porter will carry the majority of your gear on the mountain, you will need a daypack to carry the items you need during the day. This is another really important item to try on in-store instead of buying online. You have to be sure it fits you properly and the staff can help you understand how to get the best fit for you. My daypack was 30L and came with a Camelback hydration pack in it, which was really nice during the long days of hiking. This will freeze at the colder temps/higher altitudes, but is nice to use when you can.

Snacks

Your guide will give you snacks throughout your hike, but at higher altitudes, it can become more difficult to eat. With that said, it’s helpful to bring some additional snacks with that you know you really enjoy eating. I brought some of my favorite trail mix, beef jerky, and some candy.

Warm layers

There are many different types of warm layers you’ll want for your hike, so I recommend really taking the time to think about what and how much you’ll want. Certain times of year are known to be colder than others, so the exact recommendations will vary on season. It is important to keep warm on the trail – since it’s a tough experience mentally, you’ll want to be sure you’ve done everything you can to be as prepared as possible.

This is just a small glimpse into what I did to prepare for Mt. Kilimanjaro. There are a lot of details, both big and small that you have to think about leading into this trip of a lifetime. We’re here to help along the way to get as prepared as possible for this adventure!

The post Preparing to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro appeared first on Travel Beyond.

[rorygraham18849-blog]

Charming Ski Pulls Back A Stone抯 Throw Coming From Geneva.

Steve Morton fell from a boat while discovering the rapids and gulches from Six Kilometer Creek near Hope, Alaska. This hill possesses numerous legends neighboring that. Merely Benexcercisesblog.Info a mile high, not much due to the requirements from the western side conditions. Your youngsters are actually visiting manage, participate in, sweat, receive filthy time and time again during the vacation. The Stone Hill Memorial Affiliation, which takes care of Stone Mountain Playground, says the playground performs specifically that purpose. Now, by exactly what he contacts the international dilemma on consuming water, Mr. Allgood, HALF A CENTURY aged and in respectable form, is prepping to climb up the largest hill in Africa, 19,340-foot-high Mt. Kilimanjaro Among his drills is adding 17 air travels from steps in his office building in Cincinnati in hiking shoes along with a backpack on his back. Reputed Destination Administration Providers offer great plans that supply lots of choices like Hatta mountain safari, Early morning desert safari along with Quad biking, Red Dune safari as well as a lot even more alternatives. In Eastern Chicken, near the boundary along with Iran as well as Armenia, the clouds are punctured by a snow-topped hill which rises 17,000 feets into the skies.

The lodge at the bottom from the hill supplies ski and also snowboard rentals, a place to get a bite to eat, a sporting activities store to buy ski equipment and obviously a storage locker space in order to get changed because a lot of the skiers are actually time tripers. This is a well-made hardtail mtb satisfied for a variety of different using atmospheres, from riding trails to just navigating around the neighborhood. Apart from its syrup and also cheeses, the Eco-friendly Mountain Condition is actually known for its own magnificent loss vegetation. In its own September 28, 2010 8-K file, Green Mountain asserted that the frame error was uncovered Among the planning from its own financial end results for its own fourth economic quarter." Most likely, the extra inaccuracies noted in the Nov 19, 2010 8-K file were actually found out during the course of the interior inspection after the SEC advised the provider from it casual questions. If the SEC decides to perform an official investigation, that declaration will come back to spook Green Mountain range. The block sections have a lime laundry coating that will be actually re-applied as well as the existing as well as brand new clapboard plus all various other slick parts are going to be coated white colored. Rather than being actually damaged for a minimal filthy charcoal operation, the Coal Waterway Wind task slated for the historical mountain chains would certainly offer sufficient tidy electricity for 150,000 residences, dozens long-lasting work, as well as numerous bucks in tax obligation revenues as well as local trade.

The Blair Mountain Scandal, though, merely might be one of the most strange demonstrated in city this week. This needs to be actually strong and also high yet not as well near to your home -a far-off hill or even mountain was looked at a good turtle in aged times. Zooming downhill on a dust route on your mountain bike gives a great adrenaline thrill, yet it could turn out to be your last.

[jessiewre]

Day 64

Sun 8th March

Safari day 2 - Ngorongongo & Serengeti National Parks

Now I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a safari jeep before, but they go a little something like this.

Drivers Front seats

- two actual front seats - with a fold out flap roof section. Not ideal for spotting animals as the seats are low down and the roof flap obscures the view ahead.

Main section

- two front seats - best view in my opinion when on safari, as you can stand up in the vehicle and see straight ahead of you plus you have a clear standing head space to get up and look out the roof. Good leg room.

- two middle seats - pretty good seats, again has an easy stand up angle.

- two back seats - my least favourite. Least amount of room, as often has a fridge in between the seats, plus standing up is awkward as the roof opening finishes above you. AND you have to be the first in and last out all the time.

So the next day, we all headed to the jeeps (after breakfast on separate tables again) and everyone gathered around as the drivers packed the jeeps and opened the doors. Then we noticed two new people hovering around that we didn’t recognise. Looked like the group numbers were increasing. Where were these new people going to sit??

Sean and Jane came over and started talking out of the side of their mouths:

‘Apparently they are joining our vehicle’ they said, looking concerned. They were not exactly pleased about this, as each vehicle now had a chef to carry too. I mentally fist pumped that we didn’t have to take them but was starting to feel a little awkward.

Wonderfully for Phil and I, our Romanian companions insisted we had the two front seats again. We couldn’t believe our luck. We told them several times we were happy to swap and take it in turns but they claimed they were all happy with their original seats FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP! Only if that was ok with us of course. Uh, yes, yes it was. How bloody fantastic!

Meanwhile, over in jeep number two (cough) we noticed the Irish couple seemed to be stuck in the two back seats for the second day in a row. Then we saw the CHEF was sat on the fridge in between them. The vehicle was packed.

Things were beginning to mount.

Well, we had a very long but amazing drive through the Ngorongongo National park and the Serengeti National Park (ya know, the one that Toto sings about in ‘Africa’ (tune)). The famous Ngorongongo crater (the one we were pushing Chet to visit) is inside this first park, but is officially separate with its own entrance going down to it - we were visiting this one towards the end of the tour.

So on the long drive, we saw thousands of wildebeests on migration, giraffes, more stunning landscapes and of course, we all chatted and laughed amongst ourselves like old friends (lucky too, cos at one point we went through empty savannah for over an hour and saw NOT EVEN ONE living creature. It was weird). And eventually we reached the campsite for the night.

Oh gad. This was one serious basic bitch of a campsite.

The tents looked older than the park itself. There were no cover sheets, like we’d had on the previous nights tent (this is extremely useful - essential you might say - to protect the tent from the elements, especially the rain. Oh yeah, and it was also raining). Plus the beds were just a thin mattress on the actual floor. As soon as we were out of the vehicle, everyone from our vehicle went to use the loo but I remembered, it was each person for themselves goddammit! So I hung back. I tried to make myself known to the campsite manager, who would take us to our tents, but it had to be your Jeep driver initiating this process apparently - I did not expect this red tape protocol in the middle of the Serengeti but sure, crack on guys 😬

Jeep 2’s driver was WAY more on the ball that ours, so he charged ahead with his group and I sort of lamely trotted behind trying to interject and make myself known and to get a tent that was not complete shite. Come to think of it, I’m not sure there was one that fitted that criteria, but still. A large tent I had my eye on went straight to Jeep 2’s newest couple (sweet injustice!) and the rest of them got a small tent. The rain began to get worse and I could see the Irish couples eyes shifting around, then asking if they too could have a big tent. He said no. He enjoyed saying no. Everyone asks this don’t they. They didn’t look too pleased with their tent but everyone was pretty tired and the weather wasn’t helping.

The campsite manager (he sounds so official when I say it like this, it was more like a 14 year old boy in a tracksuit and wellies) asked me how many tents my group needed and then pointed to the first three in sight. He didn’t look completely sure about it either. I wondered if he definitely was the campsite manager. Maybe he was a chef too, these people are jack of all trades from what I could see.

It was not a brilliant tent, but we chucked our stuff in and got on with it. Only one night eh.

I could see Sean and Jane exchanging cross words between themselves and hoped everything was alright before slinking out of view into our half-tent.

The chefs piled into the kitchen area and began the food prep. It was a mesmerising operation. The kitchen was a large tiled caged unit and each chef had their own area with various pots boiling, vegetables getting sliced, soups getting stirred. We went over with our Romanian pals and helped to bring stuff from there to our dining area, as well as watching these guys, maybe 15 of them, laughing and casually working away in this seemingly impossible space that was completely possible.

I went back to the jeep to grab something but it was gone and another driver told me that our driver had gone to collect something. In the Serengeti? Really?? Sure whatever. I walked back and decided to stop off to take some snaps of the kitchen. It looked so cool all lit up in the pitch black of the park.

As I left the kitchen, being the intelligent person I am I tried to take a shortcut across some concrete rather than the long way round on the path. Nice one Jess, thats gonna save you 4.5 seconds mate.

But just as I committed to take a step, my eyes caught up with my brain and I could see where my foot was going to land. It was not concrete. I felt almost in slow motion as I tried desperately to avoid it. This last-minute hesitation resulted in me half-pirouetting, while spasming out to the left, while jerking my arms to the right. It was, of course, too late. I could not avoid my fate and my right foot landed with a huge SPLASH in a giant & very deep puddle. Well luckily, there was a witness to the whole thing too 😐 and out of the dark I heard a friendly Romanian accent ‘Jyess, arre you o-kaay?’.

I hopped on the spot for a second trying to look as casual as possible. Looking casual while hopping is quite hard. Give it a try.

‘Yeah Miknei, totally fine, ha yeah! Phwa (exhale)! Big puddle that! All good though!’

We walked to the dining area together, well I sloshed there, squelching with each second step, and sat down with everyone ready for dinner. A cold chill began to set in on my foot.

‘You alright?’ said Phil

‘Yeah cool, god silly me stepped in a puddle didn’t I! Funny really’ I smiled and laughed.

Then as soon as everyone was talking amongst themselves,

‘Phil, my foot is cooooold’ I whispered ‘And the bloody jeep is not here! Thats where my only other shoes are!’.

Well Phil came up with the obvious solution, providing both warm footwear and comedy value. I headed back to the tent and Phil insisted on joining me for moral support (or did I insist? I can’t remember) and I climbed in and tied up Phils size 11 trainers to my size 5 feet. Oh, to have a dry foot must never be underrated, even in clown shoes.

We sat down waiting for dinner and the rain suddenly began to get quite heavy. One of the drivers ran in and went to every table to remind us that we MUST check our tents were properly zipped up. Oh sugar! The Romanian guys offered to check our three tents - legends - and came back to inform us ours had been open a bit! Thank goodness we’d had that reminder before the rain got worse!

Another evening of laughter and joviality commenced, and we loved our Romanian friends more and more. Again, the tables were separated by jeep and this time, Jeep 2 were on the other side of the room completely. We gave them a wave and I couldn’t help notice the atmosphere on their table looked pretty tame. We’d really got lucky with these Romanians.

After dinner, everyone headed to their tents and we went to see if our jeep was back to grab my walking boots and some water. Suddenly the Irish couple appeared looking anxious and the only person around for them to express their concerns to was our driver.

‘Our tent has flooded. Our beds are SOAKED’ she said.

She looked very unhappy but he looked fuming.

Our driver on the other hand looked bewildered.

Sean’s turn now.

‘It’s completely flooded, the mattresses are soaking! We are NOT sleeping in that tent!’

Our driver stayed silent and looked completely out of his depth (excuse the pun).

Oh gaaaaaad.

We tried to offer some support and told them to come and find us if we could help at all, then rushed back to our tent wondering how soaked our mattresses were after the initial downpour on our open tent...

Dammit one of our mattresses WAS pretty wet. But it was only on one side and we managed to deal with it sufficiently by turning it over. Phew. We crossed our fingers that the Irish couple had managed to get it all sorted and went to sleep. The feeling of discomfort was growing...

[inspiresafaris]

Safari in Uganda Guide Before Travel

Africa is really a big Green continent and I will focus basically on Uganda. 1) Start About a Year in Advance You will want to start planning an African safari early for several reasons. First, you will be surprised with just how much you are going to have to sort through just in information alone. Like I mentioned above, “Africa” is kinda a big place. Googling “African Safari” doesn”t really narrow anything down in the slightest. Second, people often find the best deals (price, lodging, etc) when planning in advance. 2) Determine What EXACT African Safari Budget I could not believe the wide array of safari options. It ranged from top-notch luxury to DIY (Camping). Before even picking a location, I needed to know what kind of money we were all willing to spend overall. How much is a safari trip to Africa? Luxury Safaris Some of the luxury resorts cost you just a mere $2000. Oh, you thought that was for the trip? No. PER. NIGHT. Many have personal plunge pools, butlers and giant jacuzzis which are prepped and steaming for you as you come in from a drive. However, if you have that kind of money, you might as well just go through an agency and have them plan the whole trip for you to save you the time and hassle….and the wine. And Here I can recommend Inspire African Safaris. You would be surprised with how many people want pampering on their wildlife adventure. The reality is, for most people, this is a once in a life-time trip so they are going to do it up right! Many people don”t include other stops, cities or sites and just do a safari so they are willing to spend more on the actual safari itself. #YOLO! (Is that still a saying??) But Truth is the best African Safari experience is really going Low to experience the real Life of Africans, Having a Safari with the Same liffe as you Live home does not really combat you for the best Safari memories. Middle Ground Most middle ground safari’s have everything that you NEED but maybe not a lot more. These trips can still be pricey for some but if you do enough digging, you can find one that works well for you and is still completely reasonably priced for what you get. Many of these types of lodges offer you selections on your package, which can make your trip cheaper as well, and when you check this website, There are safaris with prices on Middle ground which I recommend https://www.inspiresafaris.com Options might include: *Transportation to and from the lodge *In-house catering or self-catering *Number of day”s nights *Flexibility on start and end days *Pool *Number of game drives per day Knowing what you are willing to pay will make it much easier to quickly see the pros and cons of each option so that you can personally design the safari to meet your financial needs. 3) Narrow Down a Country As stated before googling “Where to Go on an African Safari” is just going to send you down a dizzying rabbit hole of endless hours of research. However, getting it narrowed down and searching for something like “Best safari in Uganda” is going to get you answers a lot faster. But HOW do you decide which country to go on for a safari??? Know Your African Seasons/ When Is The Best Time to Travel to Africa for Safari You don’t want to be on your trip of a life-time and be stuck inside every day because of pouring rain. On the other hand, some people prefer not to be in the blazing, sweltering sun. Therefore, know when rainy season, summer, high tourist seasons etc are so that you can choose a different country if need be. Remember, Africa is a HUGE continent, so these seasons will vary. One way to help narrow down your country is if you have specific dates already in mind, then you can start to cross off a few countries that the local season wouldn’t be ideal for safaris. Game Viewing Unless you are going specifically for something like The Great Migration, you can get a lot of the same game viewing in most places. Sure, some may have more lions than elephants, but chances are good that you may see them both regardless. By Determining Other Trip Destinations Finally, figure out if you want to do something else on your Africa trip besides just a Safari. If you want to go get washed down in Victoria Falls, Gorilla tracking, drink wine near Capetown or climb Kilimanjaro, Rwenzori then those specific places may determine what country you end up with. 4) Get Excited You are about to go on a trip of a lifetime! Get an extra-large camera card, iphone, and Strong Binoculars for all the BAJILLION pictures you are about to take, buy some sunscreen and get excited to do something you have always dreamed of!!! Read the full article

[nervousbananacloud-blog]

chandigarh tour and travels service

Chandigarh is an image of arranged urbanization and is a goal known in India for its nurseries, for example, Rose Garden and Rock Garden. The quiet and tranquil environment of Chandigarh is ensured by the broad stops and timberlands encompassing the city offering cover for different creature species.

Lake Sukhna, found south of The Rock Garden, is home to a wide assortment of flying creatures, including transient ones.

Best Places to visit in Chandigarh

Rock Garden

Rock Garden is one of Chandigarh's most visited goals.

The recreation center covers a territory of 25 sections of land, was structured as an open-air presentation lobby utilizing metropolitan and modern waste by Nek Chand, a previous street Inspector of Chandigarh. Nek Chand started the nursery covertly close to Lake Sukhna in 1957.

The site where the stone nursery stands today was a landfill, and from here Mr. Nek Chand gathered a lot of waste materials and in the long run displayed them into some amazing human structures and different structures.

This nursery has a few counterfeit cascades interconnected lakes and different figures produced using scrap, for example, plastic containers, car parts, dirt, coal, marbles, forks, outlines, tiles, jars, squander electrical and adornments like arm ornaments.

Lake Sukhna

Lake Sukhna is one of the most mainstream vacation destinations in Chandigarh. This lake offers a stunning exhibition, encompassed by the blue sky and the Shivalik mountain go.

 You can decide to take a pontoon ride, walk or simply take it easy.

On the off chance that you need and are searching for a spot to give some uninterrupted alone time, visit the impasse of the lake. To arrive at the endpoint, you go through an impressive tree-fixed road with a fairway on one side and staircases to a few passageways to the lake on another.

Sukhani Wildlife Sanctuary

Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary is a secured park that covers a region of 2600 hectares. It frames the piece of the catchment zone of Lake Sukhna falling into the Shivalik Hills. Notwithstanding Lake Sukhna there are around 150 little and huge different lakes that pull in transient winged creatures and gloat a rich populace of occupant flying creature species.

Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a wide assortment of well-evolved creatures, winged animals, reptiles, butterflies and microorganisms. sambar, spotted deer, wild hog, jackals, little Indian civet, wilderness feline, porcupine, langur hanuman, rhesus monkey, Indian rabbit, basic Fox, normal rodent and Squirrel are the unmistakable creatures present right now. There are in excess of 150 assortments of flying creatures including waterfowl which incorporate Peacock, red wilderness chicken, dim partridge, cuckoos, night containers, Golden Ears, Kingfisher, Swifts, hoopoe and different sparrows. There are assortments of reptiles including snakes like Cobra, Rat snake, Common Krait, Russell's snake, Indian Python, and Common Monitor, Turtle and so forth.

 Rose Garden

Rose Garden is the biggest of its sort in Asia and furthermore one of the most well-known vacation destinations in Chandigarh.

Spread over a zone of 30 sections of land, the recreation center displays the absolute rarest and most dazzling assortments of roses and is said to be home to 1600 assortments of blossoms. Roses were planted in impeccably prepped gardens and blossom beds. The recreation center turns into a scene during blossoming.

 The other incredible fascination of the nursery is spoken to by the wide assortment of trees and restorative plants including the bel, Behera, Harar, camphor and yellow Gulmohar.

Pinjore Garden

Pinjore Gardens is a lovely Mughal Garden made in the seventeenth century situated in the town of Pinjore. The nursery covers a huge territory of 100 sections of land.

The Pinjore Garden is a famous goal in Punjab for it all around looked after vegetation, reviving wellsprings and entrancing water bodies.

During Baisakhi, among April and June, the nursery fills in as the setting for the yearly Mango Festival.

The nursery has a wide region of delightful greenery, yet additionally a smaller than expected zoo, a Japanese nursery, and a cookout territory.

The best time to investigate the nurseries is at night.

Nirjhar Vatika

It is mainstream for its green condition with the fake cascade framing a little lake that draws in the consideration of guests for its excellence.

The extension over the lake was made with rocks.

You can go for a stroll around the nursery, lay on the greenery of the recreation center or appreciate an outing.

Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park

Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park is one of the biggest zoological stops in North India traversing a region of 505 sections of land. The open wide open around the zoo gives naturalists an incredible chance to intently watch nature and characteristic assets in the first structure.

The zoo incorporates around 1240 creatures living in excess of 100 fenced-in areas.

The stores of the Asian lion and the Tiger of Royal Bengal are the central matters of the fascination with this zoo. The perspective on the Royal Bengal Tiger turning unreservedly in its practically regular environment makes it a goal not to be missed.

The zoo has an enormous region committed to deer including Sambar, spotted deer, dark deer, and even wild hog deer. Lion Safari gives guests a rush of life. The Lion Safari is spread over a territory of 8 hectares.

Topiary Park

This park is mostly intended to have a ton of fun and have a fabulous time for youngsters. The plants have a place with the hedge and the climbing family has been inquisitively displayed as creatures, for example, elephants, bears and different creatures which make youngsters extremely glad. The significant extraordinary assortment of fancy plants and other embellishing plants makes it one of the most visited goals.

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[shirlleycoyle]

Zombie Capitalism

What if the zombie apocalypse, but in the era of accelerating privatization? Speculative fiction writer Tobias Bucknell gives a whole new meaning to ‘zombie capitalism’, to savage result. Enjoy. –the ed

The dogs started barking at the zombie in the pool long before Sheryl figured out what Zim and Garfield got the scent of. Zim, the German Shepherd, crashed through the picture window to scrabble out after it.

Sheryl yelled at the dogs to get back in the house as Garfield took off to join Zim at the chain fence around the pool.

Then she heard the zombie splashing about in the shallow end of the pool. It snarled when it saw her, and she couldn’t quite stifle a small scream as she realized a rotting corpse had pulled itself through a hole in the pool fence. It had trailed blood and innards all across the decorative brick path, then collapsed in a cloud of black ichor into the crystal clear blue water.

Sheryl ran back inside and got the Remington Seven from the rack by the door, loading it and working the bolt by feel as she jogged to the back of the house. By the time she returned to the pool the zombie flailed around in one of the corners, not able to pull itself out of the pool. A long, black tangle of intestines looped around the pool cleaner had tied it up.

“Jesus Christ.” Sheryl grabbed Zim. “Damn it dog, you stay here.”

She managed to get Zim’s collar, but Garfield had scrabbled off counter-clockwise around the fence to wiggle through the damn hole. He arrowed into the pool along the zombie gut trail like the damn beagle scenthound he was.

Garfield ran around to snarl at the zombie as Sheryl got Zim’s leash on him, clipped him to the fence, and then ran over to the gate.

“Garfield, get over here!”

She fumbled with the padlock for a second. Garfield shrieked as the zombie got clawed, bony fingers into him.

Sheryl kicked the gate open and fired at the zombie. A chunk of shoulder blew away. She swore and worked the bolt again.

The second shot blew the zombie’s head apart, bits of brain raining down into the pool. Sheryl pulled Garfield out of the water, carried him to the pickup, and got him into the passenger seat.

“Hilldale Vet Clinic,” she shouted into her phone.

She was halfway to the vet before she realized she’d left Zim clipped to the fence, and called Kathy next door.

“No worries,” Kathy said. “I’ll send Jaden over, he can plywood up the window and take Zim in.”

*

“I thought,” said Cory from the vet’s curved desk and two sleek computers, “that the National Guard had swept the town. What was the point of all those checkpoints around town? Fucking zombies.”

Somewhere in the back, Sheryl thought, Garfield lay on a table under anesthesia. And that young vet from Chicago that didn’t look like she could legally order a weak beer, or even drive a car, was trying to save him.

“Zombies, huh?” Cory said again.

Sheryl pulled her head out of her bloody hands she realized he was talking to her. “What?”

“National Guard isn’t doing a good job of keeping up,” Cory said.

“They left,” Sheryl said. She took a deep breath and blew her nose.

“They left? When’d they leave?” Cory looked horrified.

“It was on Channel Five,” Sheryl said. “You didn’t see it?”

“I’ve been working extra shifts,” Cory said. “Trying to get ahead on my payments for steel shutters.”

Sheryl had been seeing more and more of those go up. Bars on windows as well. She didn’t like the look. The HOA kept sending out letters pointing out that it violated the community guidelines, but they just kept popping up.

Zombies trumped HOA rules.

“UTD won against the government.” The judge on the case ruled that getting the military involved unfairly influenced the market. Ultra Tactical Dynamics, a company built just to provide zombie and zombie home defense produces, would lose all its business if the National Guard defeated the zombie hordes. And that was anti-capitalist and un-American.

Second amendment rights trumped governmental anti-zombie actions.

“These are fundamental American rights,” a blonde spokeswoman wearing aviator sunglasses told reporters at a press conference on the steps of the court, as Sheryl watched the news and chopped onions and carrots for a stew the previous night.

News reporters noted that the CDC wasn’t allowed to track zombie populations starting next week, and conservative senators had advanced a bill to prevent funding for a cure.

*

“You should buy UTD stock,” Zachariah told Sheryl at BreadWorx the next day. “The dividend is growing, and the stock is flying high after the decision.”

He’d been their financial advisor for three years now. Dale liked him. Zachariah was a high school buddy who came back to town after college with a business degree to take over his dad’s business selling insurance and retirement.

Dale couldn’t make the appointment, told Sheryl she needed to go. What she really wanted to do was stay home and grieve Garfield.

Damn, she’d loved that dog.

Fucking Dale. He was probably off drinking at lunch. Sheryl hated meeting Zachariah on her own. He never took his eyes off her chest. She’d insisted on meeting him for lunch somewhere public to avoid the claustrophobic feeling of doing this in his office.

“They stopped the plague in France,” Sheryl said, ripping off a piece of sourdough bread and dipping it in the potato soup. “What happens when this is all over?”

“We don’t need a whole socialist intervention,” Zachariah scoffed. “Got enough firepower right here for us regular folk to stop the horde. I saw Andy take out one of them in the hardware parking lot. Bang, right between the eyes. People got out of their cars to clap.”

Some of the boys were talking about building blinds out in the woods around town to sit and hunt zombies with their rifles.

Zachariah had a whole prospectus for Cheryl to look over. A glossy brochure full of charts that showed zombie outbreak growth, personal defense sales, and featured UTD’s unique ‘prep parties’ sales system that set up individuals as distributors to sell defense projects on down the line. Like Tupperware parties, but for lawn spikes, shutters, guns, and bitching swords.

Dale loved going to town UTD parties.

“Listen, you see these videos online?” Zachariah asked.

He pulled out his phone and showed her a clip of a three men in full camo gear on ATVs, all of them wearing night vision goggles.

“Watch this,” one of them giggled, and tossed a stick of dynamite out into the dark. When it exploded, dark gore and body parts rained out of the night and everyone laughed.

Local government all over the country lifted limits on what hunters could use on zombies. YouTube was chock full of men filming themselves firing on zombies with all the arms they’d been hoarding since the NRA first started posting about the government coming to take their weapons.

“Okay, look, if you don’t want to invest in UTD, how about something a little more exotic?” Zachariah leaned in and tapped the UTD brochures.

Cheryl sighed. “What’s that?”

“You remember Randy?”

“Chemistry Randy?”

Zachariah nodded. “He’s starting a safari experience for the city folk. You come out, do a few practice rounds on a shooting range, and then they load you into a open-topped bus with a wire cage and run you out into the countryside and you take potshots from the comfort of a vehicle.”

Fifty thousand seed capital to help him get two vehicles with chopped tops.

Who knows how much they’d make?

“It’s zombie capitalism,” Zachariah said with a big grin. “And business is good.”

“I’d have to talk to Dale,” Cheryl said. She could barely focus, her eyes were watering every few seconds and Zachariah was too focused on talking investing at her to notice that she’d been dabbing at her runny nose the whole time.

“He’s good for it,” Zachariah pushed. “He used to run the same business doing feral hog hunting. Same idea. You could hunt them with just about anything because they were spreading too quickly all over the country. We used to go out machine-gunning the things on weekends. Most legal fun you could ever have.”

It looked like so much fun, but the bottom fell out because people started importing feral hogs up to other areas where hunters were all excited to start the process all over again.

And then soon you had feral hogs ripping through farms like a horde of locusts. They’d breed like rabbits. Local authorities would lift hunting restrictions. People would film themselves hunting with machine guns, and then the whole thing would repeat.

“Zachariah, I really have to get going,” Cheryl said. “I have things to do still today.”

*

According to the radio, stocks were up. Lots of companies building new things to deal with the zombie apocalypse. Construction was up. Walls, moats, shatterproof windows, heavy doors. The hardware stores were doing well. Everyone was taking out second mortgages or maxing out their credit cards.

The economy was humming along because everything had to change for the new reality.

CEOs reported that things had never been better. The NASDAQ at new highs. S&P 500 hitting new records.

A shambling corpse stepped onto the road. Cheryl screamed and swerved. Never swerve, she thought, her car insurance agent told her that. Just hit it dead on and keep moving. Call the 1-800 number on the back when you got home.

Do not park the car in the garage, leave it at the end of the driveway.

Dale always mocked her fuel-efficient hybrid. Maybe he was right, maybe she needed a big pickup that could climb over a zombie and keep going.

*

The edge of their two acres needed spikes. And Cheryl needed Dale to dig a moat. She’d called about the steel shutters, but they were back ordered three weeks.

Funny, the magazines Dale had all featured heavy weaponry. But nothing about ditch-digging and defensive features.

Cheryl dug a hole near the Japanese maple at the property marker. Garfield’s favorite spot. He’d sit there and watch the road, waiting for them to come along the curve, then race his way out to the driveway to pace the car up to the garage.

She wept as she returned to the car and pulled the still form out from the trunk. Garfield’s body sagged in her arms as she walked out over to the grave and slid him in.

“You deserved better,” she said to her dog.

*

The zombies came through two weeks later. They wore brand new camo, and many of them had vests with the logo for Randy’s new zombie sightseeing company on them.

“Figures,” Cheryl muttered as she looked out her non-shuttered windows at the undead running across her lawn, ripping up the daisies and boxwoods. “DALE!”

Zim started barking up a storm downstairs. Dale shouted at the dog. Then the dog shrieked and Dale ran up the stairs, eyes wide.

“Safe,” he gasped.

She kept a shotgun by the bed, always at the ready, since Garfield died. Cheryl aimed it down the stairs and fired.

Dale came back with a smile and an AR-15.

Together they stood on the landing and gunned the creatures lurching up the stairs at them apart, one by one, until the walls dripped with gore, the banister fell over, and the stairs creaked with the weight of the dead.

When it was all over, Cheryl sat in the ruination of her carefully remodeled kitchen.

“We fucking crushed it,” Dale shouted, getting himself a bottle of bourbon and stepping over a corpse.

Cheryl shook her head. “Dale, I’m tired of this.”

Why did it have to be so hard? Why couldn’t they all work together? Why did everything have to be extracted? Lobbied for? Why was she sitting here surrounded by all these bodies, her dogs dead, when there had been perfectly good soldiers surrounding the town earlier?

Dale wouldn’t get it. He’d just won. And where was Cheryl going to go? Fucking Europe? She was an American. Her family was here. Her friends were here, her community was here.

Cheryl sighed and grabbed a mop. Tonight she’d clean. Tomorrow, she’d talk to the bank about a zombie disaster relief loan so they could start rebuilding the house, even though they were already up to their eyeballs in debt.

Maybe it was time to buy a little UTD stock.

Zombie Capitalism syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

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Living in harmony with lions

New Post has been published on https://tagasafarisafrica.com/africa-travel-news/living-in-harmony-with-lions/

Living in harmony with lions

Peaceful human-lion coexistence is crucial for the survival of these threatened big cats… by Claire Trickett

As the beloved Simba finally returns to big screens around the world, we’ll all be grabbing some popcorn (and tissues) for the long-awaited, and no doubt emotive, debut. To celebrate Simba’s triumphant return, we have tailormade the ultimate East African adventure. Our 10-day Meet the Powerful Kings of the Jungle safari introduces wildlife lovers to the likes of Simba, Nala and Mufasa, (to name a few) in their revered homeland, the vast and infinitely beautiful Serengeti/Mara ecosystem.

Of course, a production of such magnitude as The Lion King will generate a tremendous amount of worldwide hype, and thankfully Disney and the Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) are putting this widespread media attention to fantastic use with their global #ProtectThePride campaign in support of lion conservation.

Did you know that since the original release of The Lion King, Africa has lost half of its wild lion population? That is a sobering statistic and one that needs to be acted on. Fast. Which is why Disney has thrown its support behind the LRF, an initiative that aims to double the amount of lions by 2050. &Beyond has also joined forces with the LRF (along with likeminded ecotourism operators and partners: Conservation Travel Foundation by Ultimate Safaris, Singita and Wilderness Safaris) to launch the Lionscape Coalition, which supports the LRF and contributes to important projects such the KOPE Lion Project, a beneficiary of the LRF (more on that below).

So, as the Circle of Life plays out in cinemas, so too does the real-life and often vicious circle of life play out on the mighty plains of East Africa. Sadly, lions face many threats, the main one being conflict from the many rural communities that live alongside them. However, to truly understand this conflict, it is crucial to spend time with the Maasai tribes to promote understanding for the hardships they face.

Meeting the Maasai

One grey and particularly wet evening last June, I was on my way to what I thought was a bush sleepout in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. Instead, we arrived unexpectedly at a traditional Maasai village. As we pulled up to the kraal (a collection of African huts enclosed by a rustic fence made of sticks), we were greeted warmly by the haunting chants of the fearsome warriors, fully kitted out in their iconic Maasai attire.

“Karibu sana (welcome) to our home,” they flashed big smiles as we climbed out of our safari vehicles, all looking visibly confused. The big reveal was that this was to be our sleepout. Many of the mud huts had been vacated and ever so proudly prepped for our arrival and there was an air of pride as our new Maasai friends welcomed us into their homes and traditional way of life.

Our experience merits an entire story to itself, but suffice it to say that this was a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list moment that I’ll never forget. It was as exciting, educational and eye opening, as it was uncomfortable and uncertain. All night, around a blazing fire, we ate, drank, mingled, danced and laughed with the Maasai. We learned first-hand how they live in harmony with the wildlife. As the sun set, we watched a large herd of zebra grazing just beyond the fence line and at night, as we slept in the rustic mud and stick huts, we heard the distant cries of hyena.

Perhaps most importantly, we witnessed just how important livestock are to the Maasai people. The amount of cows and goats that each household possesses is a determination of Maasai wealth and status. Each day, young male herders from each family take the prized cows and goats out into the Mara to graze and drink, and at night, they return to the homestead. The livestock sleep in and around the huts, not outside the fence, but rather in the very heart of the homestead where they are considered ‘safe’ from nearby predators (namely the lion) seeking an easy meal.

A species under threat

The sobering reality is that Africa’s lion population has halved in the last 25 years. According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the continent’s lions are currently classified as ‘vulnerable’ to ‘critically endangered’ and the implications of this are dire. As an ‘umbrella’ species, a thriving lion population is a direct indicator of the health and ecological wellbeing of an ecosystem. Without these apex predators, the ecosystem suffers from an unhealthy imbalance.

Lions across Africa are currently threatened by habitat loss, illegal poaching/wildlife trade, as well as human-lion conflict. These big cats require expansive, well-balanced landscapes to ensure their long-term survival, however rising demands from increasing human populations are encroaching on this space, and ultimately, their survival.

Heading across the border from where we were in Kenya and into neighbouring Tanzania, the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding conservation area is celebrated for being one of Africa’s longest-standing experiments in multiple land use, whereby pastoral communities actually live in and amongst the conserved land and protected wildlife of a national park. Here, the Maasai people coexist, for the most part, in harmony with the wildlife, including lions. This coexistence, however, is greatly challenged by the ever presence of opportunistic predators that prey on their valuable livestock.

The good news is that lions are a resilient species. They still stand a chance, but the time to act is now. There are an estimated 20 000 wild lions roaming the earth and this number can increase if large tracts of land are created where lion populations can recover and local communities can flourish alongside them. Thankfully, to help combat this human/predator conflict in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) specifically, the KopeLion Project was developed by Swedish conservationist and biologist, Ingela Jansson.

Mama Simba

Affectionately known in the NCA by her Maasai nickname, ‘Mama Simba’ (simba being the Swahili word for lion), Ingela’s journey from young, impressionable backpacker to well-respected lion researcher is a story of determination. At the age of 20, Ingela travelled to Africa and the journey changed the way she saw the world.

Inspired to work with wildlife, Ingela returned to Sweden with what she refers to as a “naïve dream to become a biologist and find a job on the wild savanna in Africa.” She pursued a degree in biology, researching brown bear ecology and, armed with a degree but no actual referrals in Africa, she returned in search of her dream.

It was now 2005 and Ingela joined a friend for the East Africa leg of his Cape to Cape cycling tour, all the while searching for a job, but coming up empty handed. Eventually putting the cycling on hold, Ingela was offered a job with the Serengeti Lion Project, which was established in 1966 and is one of the world’s longest standing research projects on one animal population. Her new role as research assistant would involve the long-term monitoring of the lions in the area. Her dream had finally come true.

A life with lions

After three years assisting with lion research in the Serengeti and NCA, Ingela craved a more hands-on approach to lion conservation and decided to base herself in the NCA. Inspired by the vision and impact of the Lion Guardians in Kenya, Ingela launched KopeLion.

To give some background, the highly successful Lion Guardian model was developed in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, which at the time, was experiencing a plummeting lion population due to human conflict. Lions were preying on the Maasai livestock and, in turn, the Maasai warriors were killing the lions, mainly to protect their bovine livelihoods, but also as an age-old cultural ritual that demonstrates bravery and elevates young Maasai boys into manhood.

Applying this proven model to her own work in Tanzania, Ingela’s vision for KopeLion was born. KopeLion aims to promote successful and locally-driven coexistence in conservation. By communicating directly with the Maasai people, Ingela and her team discovered that the warriors didn’t actually intend to rid the area of lions, rather they just wanted to protect that which is most valuable to them, their cows and goats.

By implementing the successful Lion Guardian model, KopeLion seeks to inspire and enable local action, using both science and traditional knowledge, for the management and ongoing monitoring of sustainable human-lion coexistence in the NCA’s multiple-use landscape. The warriors revealed that they both admire and fear these powerful big cats, and they also expressed a need for employment, income and education. KopeLion was therefore designed to meet both needs, by providing long-term employment for the Maasai in the NCA by converting the lion hunters into dedicated lion protectors employed by KopeLion.

Corridor of tolerance

To ensure long-term viability and improved genetics of the NCA lion population, KopeLion expanded their team and area of work to act as a ‘corridor of tolerance’ between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Well known and respected warriors from the nearby villages were carefully selected and employed to act as ‘Ilchokuti’ (meaning guardian in the local Maa language). These 18 Ilchokuti are responsible for protecting any lions that enter their dedicated zones (50 to 100 km2 each) and ensuring that the predators can roam with greater safety from human conflicts and intervention between the Serengeti and the Crater.

Of course there was heavy scepticism among the Maasai when this programme was first introduced. “It was a real eye opener,” Mama Simba explains, “I had zero experience working with communities. All of my experience had been working directly with wildlife and I was totally unprepared for the challenges of working with people. Due to a troubled past between the communities, authorities and outsiders, it took many years for us to build up trust and develop lasting relationships with the Maasai communities, whose buy-in was crucial to the success of the project.” She admits, “One of the most encouraging discoveries was that it was incredibly easy to shift the mind-set from killing to protecting; protecting a lion is far more difficult, and ultimately braver, than simply killing it.”

A voice for the voiceless

Handpicked for their intimate knowledge of the landscape, their enthusiasm for lions, the trust and respect they have earned within their community, as well as their commitment and trustworthiness, the role of an Ilchokuti is no mean feat. They are responsible for mitigating all human-predator conflict on the ground and helping to monitor and protect lions in the area. First to leave the kraal each morning, they scour the area for any signs (spoor, scat, audio or visual) of a predator in the area. If a lion has in fact entered the Ilchokuti’s zone, he must immediately warn the herders and follow up on the tracks to identify exactly where the lion is. The Ilchokuti then positions himself between the lion and the livestock to ensure the safety of both.

As one experienced Ilchokuti, describes, “If there are any predations or conflicts in the area, the Ilchokuti is responsible for managing the dispute. The group is usually excited and angry because the lion has taken the most valuable thing in their culture, so if it becomes difficult for the Ilchokuti to manage the people, he will call for backup from the Ilchokuti in neighbouring zones, as well as the KopeLion team.” The Ilchokuti also help treat wounded livestock, mend and reinforce kraal fences, search for missing livestock, and help return grazing herds to the kraal should a herder become sick while out in the plains.

The success of this project relies ultimately on the ongoing partnership, collaboration and trust among the communities living in the NCA. Both the Maasai and the lions live off this land, so harmony among them is vital. However, conservation is not achievable unless the local people have a stake in it and can reap some of the rewards. The NCA therefore channels tourism funds into these communities to supply much-needed water, medical/veterinary assistance, schools, infrastructure, etc. and, in turn, the Maasai understand and acknowledge that, without the healthy presence of the mighty African lion, tourism would no longer thrive in their beloved homeland.

How our guests make a difference

&Beyond has a longstanding partnership with Ingela and the KopeLion project to help ensure that the Crater lion population will survive for future generations to admire. This partnership for coexistence in conservation is enabled simply by guests visiting &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. Their travel spend helps to provide much-needed financial support and in-kind services, such as vehicle repair, to KopeLion, and in return, KopeLion is working to ensure the long-term viability of the Crater lion population.

Guests also have the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with Ingela and her researchers/Ilchokuti to gain a deeper understanding of their day-to-day operations. This involves checking up on the camera traps, remote tracking of the lions, and learning how to identify individual lions. And perhaps most importantly, they can observe first-hand how the Maasai and predators are living in harmony, just as we did back in June.

Did you know?

To help further protect and bolster Africa’s threatened lion populations, our aforementioned Lionscape Coalition aims to support lion conservation projects through the renowned LRF, as well as to promote awareness for the protection of lions and foster much-needed support and donations.

We have aligned our combined efforts towards the protection of lions in the areas in which we each already operate and have a direct influence over (almost 7.5 million hectares in 10 African countries). Our objective is to improve the management of lion habitats across Africa and increase the amount of funding for lion conservation. Half of each member’s annual contribution goes to projects in countries where we already operate and the other half goes to lion conservation projects where tourism is not well developed and where lions receive far less protection. Our goal is to double the number of lions in Africa, thereby reversing the negative effects of the past quarter century. Together, we can help leave our world a better place and save the lion from extinction.

Visit &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and meet Mama Simba in person.

Post courtesy of AndBeyond

[itsworn]

A Cannonball Record Attempt in a 47-Year-Old Station Wagon: The C2C Express Part Three

Safety and logic are perhaps the greatest enemies of getting out and doing something worthwhile— at least that’s what I kept telling myself in a vain attempt to rationalize what I was about to do. After all, there was a chance this venture could end with me behind bars or—even worse—with my car on its roof in a ditch, but having gained approval from my superiors I pressed on regardless. A proper cannonball from the Red Ball to the Portofino is one of those bucket list type of items that is surrounded by legend making it all the more tantalizing to a collector of stories such as myself. This is the last true outlaw race there is in America and definitely the most epic—a sort of middle finger to the powers that be. The scofflaws and degenerates who have run this race before me have always been modern day folk heroes in my eyes, and the opportunity to be even remotely associated with their names was more than enough to lure me in.

While perhaps not the ideal vehicle for a trip of this magnitude—both in distance and in speed—maybe the quirky charm of my wagon would help with the police officers we were sure to encounter.

After a whirlwind three week span of prepping my 1972 AMC Sportabout wagon and subsequently road tripping it across the country to HOT ROD Drag Week, I was back in Atlanta where the car and my co-drivers to be were waiting to head north for the start of a modern day cannonball record attempt. Throughout the entirety of Drag Week, sleep is a luxury that is often forgone,so saying I was tired may be an understatement, yet early in the daylight hours, friends Justin G., Lee E., and I climbed into the Hornét with an nearly 900 mile drive to New York ahead of us.

The speedometer is 10% slow due to the larger-than-stock rear tires, and for the majority of the trip, the needle sat at 90 mph because 99 looks better on a ticket than 100.

After a quick stop at a local gas station to go over the fuel stop procedure with my friends who were eyeing the whole setup suspiciously, we hit the road as I took the first leg and answered a flurry of questions from my wide-eyed counterparts. A little while later, I let Lee take the helm of the car to get a feel for it on the freeway, and we got into Virginia by early afternoon before stopping at a rest center to swap drivers and stretch our legs. That’s when Justin took over, and we experienced our first hiccup. Only about five minutes into his stint, he may or may not have blown by a well-hidden cop while doing 88 mph in a 65 mph zone. The officer was not amused with our attempt to go back in time like Marty McFly and wrote a pretty hefty ticket as a result. So at least the first run in with law enforcement was out of the way, though I feared there would be more to follow in this foolish, yet somehow necessary, endeavor.

Our radar detector was on the fritz and therefore didn’t pick up any sign of this hidden officer in Virginia. He didn’t find us amusing and therefore issued Justin, who was driving at the time, a citation for speeding.

Graciously offering to switch places so he could have some time to recover from the experience, I jumped back in the driver’s seat and drove the rest of the way, crossing the bridge onto Long Island just after midnight. There, we filled up the fuel tanks for the first time since leaving Georgia as the gas station attendant watched us warily the entire time. We arrived at the hotel where the rest of the C2C Express competitors were staying around 1:00AM, and boy was it a ragamuffin group of cars if I’d ever seen one. I chatted with Charlie Safari, the organizer of the event, for a couple hours before heading to my room to try to get a little last-minute planning in as well as a few hours of sleep. Like a kid on Christmas Eve, though, I was far too excited to sleep nearly the entire night. I was up early the next day snapping photos of the contraptions that fellow competitors had assembled. We checked over the car one last time and picked up snacks and beverages for the long trip at a local Walmart before heading to the Red Ball Garage in Manhattan after lunch.

Loaded down with 64 gallons of fuel and enough snacks to carry us across the entirety of the continental United States, we staged the car in front of the Red Ball Garage ready to hit the open road.

I had decided on a 3:00PM departure time, hoping that would allow me to slip out of New York City between rush hours and land me in Los Angeles about 10:00 pm, assuming I made the journey in the amount of time I wanted. After snapping a few more photos in front of the garage, we took a minute to steel our nerves then punched a time card at exactly 2:56 pm before sprinting to the car and hitting the road. For a glorious two hundred feet we were cannonballing with the C2C Express before hitting the very first red light. Trying to sit patiently at a traffic light when racing a clock makes every agonizing second motionless feel like minutes. Getting out of the city at 3:00PM proved to be an absolute nightmare, but once we were through the Lincoln Tunnel nearly 30 minutes later,we had a much more open road in front of us.

A popular police countermeasure for cannonballing teams to use is a passenger keeping an eye on the horizon with a pair of binoculars. This allows cars to be identified well before the driver can with the naked eye so the average speed can be kept higher.

It took a good 20 minutes or so for me to gather the nerve to lay some real speed down, but once I resolved myself, we really started laying tracks. As the traffic thinned, the average speed of my plucky little wagon steadily climbed, and we made up for any time lost leaving New York. The engine was humming, Justin was in the passenger seat with binoculars looking out for what we’ll call “smokies”, and we had the wide-open American interstate system in front of us! Across Pennsylvania we may very well have averaged triple digit speeds, and miraculously duplicated the feat through Ohio, a state that is notorious for catching speeders. Once we entered Indiana, we were coming up on our first fuel stop, and despite having gotten a ticket before the event started, Justin sounded like he was game for a go behind the wheel. Just past Indianapolis, we pulled off the freeway for the first time in over 750 miles to fill up the car. Lee and I each swiped a credit card on the front and back of a fuel pump and double-stuffed the factory tank as well as one of the fuel cells while Justin cleaned the windshield and checked the oil. Ten minutes later and 57 gallons of unleaded gasoline heavier, we were back on the road with Justin driving, Lee on lookout, and myself stretched out across the backseat completely exhausted, mentally and physically.

The rear of the car left very little room for luggage with twin 22 gallon fuel cells taking up most of the cargo area, but if your car isn’t necessarily fast, you might as well make it have endurance—tortoise and the hair comes to mind.

I had set an alarm to wake me two hours from the time we left the gas station, and when I awoke from that much needed na,p I found Justin driving at a leisurely 65 mph. Apparently that ticket spooked him than I thought. That, combined with some road construction slowdowns and narrowly-avoided speed traps made Justin loose some of his enthusiasm for the adventure. So I got him to pull over and jumped back behind the wheel, immediately hovering the needle of the speedometer back around a hundred. From there, we drove straight through the night, encountering more construction while having to play cat and mouse with several police officers. Still, the average speed continued to rise as we approached our second planned fuel stop west of Oklahoma City. Dawn broke in the rearview mirror and upon asking Lee if he was willing to drive as fast as I had been, he honestly admitted he probably wasn’t up for that inherently risky task. Luckily, I’m able to function on virtually no sleep at all, so after the second fuel, we were back on the road with me still in control of the Green Hornét.

After driving all night, the sun rising behind the car was a welcome sight, even though it meant we would encounter more cars on the road than we did in the hours before.

Our next fuel stop would be the last, and we were now slated to cross Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona—wide open landscapes with laser straight asphalt where we would further be able to increase our time. Small sections were slimmed down to one lane for construction, and more than a few semis cut us off as we all jockeyed for position, but overall our progress was incredibly quick, allowing us to lay down our fastest top speed of the trip yet. The sun rose higher in the sky as we blazed across the desert, and I noticed a gradual increase in engine temperature just when our average speed hit 84 mph. I was mildly concerned, but at the same time, I figured it was a result of working the engine harder than I had before. However, by the time we made our final fuel stop, it was evident that there was a bigger issue to blame. Pulling into a truck stop just outside Flagstaff, Arizona for our final fuel stop, I could hear a strange noise coming from the front of the car. Upon further inspection, I could see that the electric fan I had installed to conserve a few precious horsepower had gotten into an altercation with the radiator, causing more than a few leaks in several rows of the core that were letting coolant drip onto the concrete below. After a few brief moments of panic, I ran inside to buy seven gallons of water and a concoction from Bar’s Leaks that optimistically promised to seal my coolant leaks while Justin and Lee filled up the fuel. I ripped the cap off, letting coolant spew everywhere, and dumped the stop leak, a hope and a prayer, and a gallon of water in the radiator, then tore out of the gas station.

The 258ci AMC inline six was an absolute mess after the radiator lost its integrity and began spewing coolant under the hood as we sped across the desert. Lucky for us, it’s a resilient little power plant.

That final stop took about five minutes longer than the previous two as a result of that debacle, but we were still on pace to break the classic car record of 34 hours and 17 minutes. Forgoing any sympathy I held for the poor little straight six under the hood, I pinned the throttle to the floor as we buzzed across the desert, keeping the car just shy of that triple digit barrier. As we drove, the needle of the temperature gauge steadily climbed until it was pegged on the “H”. There it remained for almost an hour until steam suddenly and violently poured from every seam of the hood, forcing my mechanical sympathy to finally take over as I pulled the tired car over to the shoulder. A quick inspection revealed a radiator with even more leaks than before, forcing us to question if the car would be able to finish the trip, even at a leisurely pace. Refusing to quit, we added four gallons of water to the almost bone-dry cooling system as the radiator bubbled and hissed in an attempt to get us to leave it alone.

When you’re in the middle of the desert, this is generally the last thing you want to see, and it was a crushing blow to the entire team as we realized there was no way we would be setting any records that day.

We limped the car to a gas station up the road where it puked its guts out again, much to our dismay. We bought every gallon of water off their shelves and, after letting the car cool, we topped the coolant off and gingerly drove to the nearest auto parts store to decide a plan of action. Any chance of beating the record we had set out to had disappeared, much like the car’s ability to hold water, but we still wanted to finish and at least beat one of our competitors. Somehow, the stop leak took hold as we removed the broken electric fan and reinstalled the mechanical fan that I had fortuitously kept in the car, just in case. I bought the boys a high quality meal from an adjacent Burger King and let Lee take over behind the wheel, now that running all out was pointless. Once we had established that the car wasn’t going to overheat again I passed out in the back seat for a couple more hours, and woke up as we crossed into California.

This many hours cooped up inside the cramped passenger compartment of a small station wagon could make anyone go insane; luckily, whoever wasn’t driving or spotting was generally passed out in the backseat.

A little while later, I got back behind the wheel so I could be the one to cross the finish line as LA got ever closer. We arrived at the Portofino to a warm welcome from several of the other competitors who were celebrating with some cold beverages at 12:49 am. This gave us an (alleged) overall time of 36 hours and 53 minutes from coast to coast. Nothing about it was easy, and it’s even more difficult to sum it up in a succinct and digestible way. We drove more than 2,800 miles in just over a day and a half, crossing the entire country in a 47-year-old station wagon- a feat most would never think to attempt. We didn’t quite meet the lofty goal I had laid out beforehand, but we were nevertheless able to check off one of those elusive bucket list items without kicking said bucket ourselves. We joined a short list of names that have run a proper coast-to-coast rally against the clock, gaining a very exclusive membership to a “Fraternity of Lunatics,” as the overall record holder Ed Bolian refers to it. Overall, we came in 5th out of 16 cars that ran with the C2C Express this year, and I personally learned a lot about what I’m capable of and have an ever-growing respect for the reliability of that straight six that refuses to die. Who knows, the Green Hornt and I may just have to make another attempt at that record next year. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Despite the cooling system being patched together using the smallest of band-aids, the car finished the trip in just under 37 hours making it the fastest AMC to ever take part in a cannonball style event, and no, it is not the only one to do it.

One of our fellow competitors, Zack Millard, snapped this shot of us rolling through Arizona after our cooling system decided it didn’t want to be cool anymore.

To make things even more ridiculous than they already were, our team wore Hawaiian shirts on the trip. From left to right we have Justin G., myself, and Lee E.

To read about this history of the Cannonball Run click here 

To read about Jacob prepping for this record attempt click here

The post A Cannonball Record Attempt in a 47-Year-Old Station Wagon: The C2C Express Part Three appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/cannonball-record-attempt-47-year-old-station-wagon-c2c-express-part-three/ via IFTTT

[marketerarena-blog]

How to Train for a Multi-stage Cycling Tour: Phase VI

If you finished phase V of our 6-month multi-stage biking training program-- designed to prep bikers for the Nedbank Tour de Tuli, a four-day, ~ 200-mile mtb excursion through Botswana, Zimbabwe, as well as South Africa-- obtain prepared for phase VI. ( In case you need it, here's phase I, stage II and also phase III, stage IV, and phase V of the cycling trip training program.)

" In training stage VI, it's important to preserve training high quality and also not take it as well very easy ahead of time," claims program designer Ryan Hodierne, a sporting activities researcher as well as biomechanist with the Sports Science Centre at Singapore Sports Institute, as well as member of the High Performance Advisory Committee to the South African Sports Confederation and also Olympic Committee. "Your training lots will certainly go down substantially, yet the training pattern will certainly continue to be unchanged. Periods come to be more of a focus to spark that enthusiasm to obtain going-- though not sufficient to take away from built-up energy shops. This is likewise the time you'll be most susceptible and also at risk to sickness, so stay hydrated, remainder whenever you can, and consume well. Via the last weeks, validate event-day approach, sets, and also tools, making sure all remains in excellent order and also all set to go."

Your extra selection sessions currently take the kind of a 30-minute stretch (as opposed to go across training).

Note: The last week of this training cycle only consist of 3 days. A familiarization trip the day before the event begin is recommended with intensity remaining low.

* This program could also be made use of to educate for a comparable multi-stage mountain biking occasion.

Goal: Maintain training quality as well as prepare for the occasion

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Flight 3 Session: Intervals (8/10 strength) Sport: MTB/road: Complete 15-minute warmup, then cycle for 1 min at difficult rate, 2 minutes at moderate rate, 3 minutes simple, 2 mins moderate, and also 1 minute hard. Repeat 3x. Cool for 15 minutes.

Rest day

Session 4 * Optional * Full-body stretch Duration: 30 minutes

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Flight 2 Session: Endurance (6/10 intensity) Sport: MTB/road/trainer on level account. Trip at greater cadence than normal; maintain the initiative simple. Duration: 2 hours

Ride 3 Session: Intervals (7/10 intensity( Sport: MTB/road: Complete 15-minute warmup, then cycle for 4 minutes at a modest speed, 2 minutes hard, 5 mins very easy, 3 minutes moderate, as well as 1 min hard. Repeat 5x. Cool off for 30 minutes. Duration: 2 hours

Relax Day

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Link " . data-track-label =" https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/25-best-cycling-roads-in-america-w202763/" > The 25 Best Cycling Roads in America 2 weeks out Week 3: 7 complete training hrs Trip 1 Session: Tour-day simulation( 6/10 strength) Sport: MTB off-road on different terrain with hydration pack, treats, and also spare equipment Duration: 2 hrsRide 2 Session: Intervals (8/10 intensity) Sport: MTB/road/trainer: Complete 30-minute warmup, then cycle for 2 mins hard, 3 minutes easy. Repeat 6x. Cool off for 30 mins. Period: 1.5 hours

Ride 3 Session: Moderate (7/10 strength) Sport: MTB/road on undulating account. Trip descents hard, flats at modest strength, and climbs easy. Duration: 2 hrs

Flight 4 Session: Social flight (5/10 strength) Sport: MTB on easy surface at chatting rate. Validate tour-day prep and strategy. Duration: 1.5 hours

Session 4 * Optional * Full-body stretch Duration: 30 mins

Ride 3 Session: Easy/day prior to race (5/10 strength) Sport: MTB to obtain familiarized with program as well as terrain. Guarantee your bike is established up correctly. Period: 1 hour

[danielanduranb]

Easy Guide to Plan a Perfect Honeymoon in Sri Lanka

Your first-ever holiday after the wedding has immense significance, something that will create long-lasting memories irrespective of the fact whether it was a great trip (which it usually is) or a total disaster. The later, however, is mostly the result of improper planning and research, and thus, honeymoon planning should be given equal importance as wedding planning. We’re discussing how to plan a perfect honeymoon trip in Sri Lanka in this blog since this gorgeous country is ideal for the newlyweds and their first romantic trip together. Embedded in the massive Indian Ocean like a jewel, Sri Lanka is a great getaway for honeymooners. Since this island-country is small, it is also makes one of the cheapest honeymoon destinations in Asia and the couples taking out a week’s time to spend a holiday together can enjoy the diversity at its best here. Here’s a detailed guide to planning a perfect honeymoon trip to Sri Lanka for you.

Recommended Holiday: Check Out Ultimate International Holiday Tour Packages

Chalk Out a Plan of Where to Go

Even though Sri Lanka is a small country with a total area of 65,610 sq km but an unplanned or poorly researched trip is enough to ruin your mood completely. Therefore, as the first step of planning for an international destination, it is ideal to read about its major attractions and travel experiences of other tourists as well. You cannot afford to stay aloof about a destination that you have managed to reach after spending ample moolah and hours in flight. This is why you need to chalk out a honeymoon itinerary with precision.

Both North and South Sri Lanka have best destinations for couples that are equally alluring and missing any of the two regions will only be regretted by you later. Therefore the trick is to include important destinations from both the parts. You will love the beaches in South Sri Lanka, whereas in North Sri Lanka, the rich culture is going to win your heart and in Central Sri Lanka, the lush greenery will make you fall in love with the country.

Places of interest that you can add in your travel itinerary in Sri Lanka on your honeymoon:

North Sri Lanka

Dambulla

Trincomalee

Jaffna

Anuradhapura

Central Sri Lanka

Kandy

Nuwara Eliya

Ella

South Sri Lanka

Hikkaduwa & Bentota Beach

Colombo

Arugam Bay

Galle

Matara

Also Read: Popular Tourist Getaways in Sri Lanka for Amazing Holiday Experience

Choose the Activities You are likely to Enjoy

Remember heading right after the wedding can be exhausting as by now, the preparations and jitters would have extracted all your energy. Therefore, you have to be mindful as to which activities are within your capacity and capability. Sri Lanka is replete a wide array of activities for tourists like kite-surfing, white water rafting, camping amidst wildlife, climbing Adam’s Peak, tea plucking experience, ayurvedic treatment, turtle watching, or simply indulging in pampering oneself at an exclusive luxury resort but you should have a fair sense of what fits your capability since it is not ideal to tire yourself out. Select only those activities that according to you are doable or might need a tad more efforts only for the sake of getting a new experience and some thrill, of course.

Top activities in Sri Lanka that you can add to your things to do list:

Climb Sigiriya in Sigiriya

Walk with Elephants in Kandy

Tea Tasting in Nuwara Eliya

Surfing in Arugam Bay

Wildlife Safari in Yala National Park

Explore Lesser Known Island of Neduntivu

Whale Watching in Dondra Head

Watersports at Madhu River

Ayurveda Spa in Bentota

Dolphin Watching in Mirissa

Train Ride to Ella

Hot Air Ballooning

Also Read: Top Romantic Escapes in Asia for Nature and Adventure Lovers

Set a Ratio When Planning Your Day

Photo: https://goo.gl/ioCpEo

A honeymoon is your time to enjoy each other’s company at a gorgeous luxury escapes, everything else is secondary. Therefore, you really don’t have to spend the entire day in one adventure activity or the other. Sri Lanka gives you ample options for adventure activities as well as recreational ones, the wise thing would be to set a ratio, where your maximum time should be dedicated to relaxing and making conversations; and only one or two activities out of sightseeing tour, adventure sport, wildlife safari and any other time-consuming allurement should be scheduled in a day.

Also Read: Top Beaches in the World Famous for Some Unique Reasons

Choose Hotels Carefully

Your accommodations in Sri Lanka will be the most important element in making your honeymoon a success. Rest assured, Sri Lanka is replete with great honeymoon hotels especially on its southern coastal belt. So, yes, you have the chance to relish a stay in one of those honeymoon beach hotels & resorts that have a sea view on offer along with several state-of-the-art facilities, especially for honeymooners. From keeping the best room booked to offering pillow menus to serving finest wine and champagne to organizing romantic candle-light dinners, your hotel has a large role to play to make your honeymoon in Sri Lanka memorable. The Ultimate Sri Lankan honeymoon itinerary must include a stay in a luxury resort that too on one of the romantic beaches in the country.

Some of the top hotels for honeymoon couples in Sri Lanka that will make your vacation here even more special:

Thaproban Pavilion Resort and Spa

Palm Paradise Cabanas

Hotel Mermaid & Club

Saman Villas

Habarana Village by Cinnamon

Kandy Samadhi Centre

Mirissa Hills

Ceylon Tea Trails – Relais & Chateaux

Amanwella

Uga Ulagalla

Jungle Beach by Uga Escapes

Heritance Tea Factory

Vivanta by Taj – Bentota

Jetwing Lighthouse

Also Read: Most Famous Beach Resorts and Hotels in Sri Lanka

Don’t miss out on Local Cuisine and Luscious Cocktails/ Mocktails

Sri Lanka boasts a scrumptious cuisine that reflects the influence of Indian, Dutch and Indonesian cuisines making it a must-try while holidaying here. You know what else is there that shouldn’t go unmissed in Sri Lanka? The tropical cocktails/mocktails, which add to your already oh-so-perfect beach holiday in the country. Since the country is diverse, you will not be limited to seafood, there is a large variety out there for you to devour. Your ideal honeymoon in Sri Lanka should include tasting the local cuisine for that authentic experience of the country.

Sri Lankan dishes to include in your must-try list:

Jaffna Crab Curry

Gotu Kola Mallum Sambola

Fish Ambul Thiyal

Kukul Mas Curry

Lamprais

Sri Lankan Egg Hoppers

Kottu

Dhal Curry

Wambatu Moju

Parippu

Polos

Asmi

Also Read: Top Beaches and Seaside Getaways in the World

Candlelight Dinner by the Stunning Landscape

There are fewer things that separate a honeymoon holiday in Sri Lanka from any other kind of vacation, and amongst those things is the concept of candlelight dinner. There is hardly any necessity of one such dinner when a bunch of friends or a family is on a holiday together but a romantic dinner in dim light of the candle/s can be the most beautiful memory for a honeymoon couple in Sri Lanka. The island-country boasts being replete with astonishing mountains, cascading waterfalls, striking coastline, and greenery everywhere that make an ideal romantic place to relish dining together.

Also Read: Famous Attractions in Sri Lanka for Family Holidays

Book with a Trusted Travel Partner

While planning your honeymoon in Sri Lanka is no rocket science, choosing a trustworthy travel partner can be an added benefit. Since you would have already exhausted yourself with the wedding preps, it is a good idea to leave the worry of your Sri Lanka honeymoon planning on someone else who by the way is experienced. A honeymoon should be your time to relax, and thus, you need a travel agent who on your behalf arranges everything. The travel companies like Tour My India not only cater to your needs during your trip but they with their expertise add more to your experience. You might know about the best places to see in Sri Lanka but your travel agent would know the lesser known but must-visit destination as well, and that indeed creates a big difference. Besides, these agents will also take care of your visa, hotel bookings as well as cheapest flight booking and meals and transport arrangements, in total, you are covered for everything. Therefore, in order to plan a perfect and hassle-free Sri Lanka honeymoon, choosing to book with a trusted travel company is a wise thing to do.

Also Read: Popular Honeymoon Holiday Destinations in Asia

There you go, this is the most comprehensible guide for you to plan the best honeymoon holiday in Sri Lanka. If you liked this blog, please like and share it, if you think that we missed out on any important information or tip, suggest them to us in the comment section below. In case, you wish to seek our assistance in planning a trip to Sri Lanka, give a call at +919212553108 or drop an email at info@tourmyindia.com. Our team of experts will offer the best Sri lanka Honeymoon packages to make your first trip unforgettable.

The post Easy Guide to Plan a Perfect Honeymoon in Sri Lanka appeared first on Tour My India.

from Tour My India

[youreghanamissme]

Mole, March, and Moving Out

3/1/2018

It's March, and in about three weeks' time, I am out of here. It's still surreal. In this past week I have been up close and personal with elephants, bought my ticket back to California (April 18—hit me up!), and started to zone out when thinking about the void of what awaits me back in America: unemployment, no health insurance, political turmoil, tax hikes, an unavoidable consequence of crippling debt in every “adulting” maneuver, moving back in with my elderly parents, no prospects...

But at least I'll have access to Netflix, better beer, and hot cheetos to numb myself.

Of course, this is all the business of Future-Diana. Present-Diana has to figure out how to move out (read: get rid of all my empty wine and vodka bottles and holey undergarments at site), close my accounts, say goodbye, and not waste precious bodily fluids on tears when they can be excreted as sweat to contend with this persistent sweltering heat. Might I add: hot season means existing with multiple heat rashes all over one's body, two of which is unfortunately (and perhaps cosmically) located right where one's inner thighs rub and chafe; it is a stretch of time where the sanguine promise of mangoes is met with concessions to an unrelenting desire to lay butt-naked under the fan for all hours of each day. But I digress.

Let's talk about elephants. These majestic, larger-than-my-life creatures were truly a sight to behold. I still can't get over it. It almost feels like a dream. Mole National Park was a slice of some other country and that 1% life; it defied all the normal tropes of hot season, not that being in a high-end resort didn't help with the illusion. It didn't feel sizzling at all; if anything, it rained on our way there! And the area was a homeland of plentiful greenery and forestry. We saw a plethora of different antelope species, birds on birds on birds, a warthog, baboons frolicking away from our direction, and of course, elephants.

Mole National Park is probably the only worthwhile thing that the Northern region has to offer. Upper East has its holy crocodiles and woven baskets/hats. Upper West has its holy hippos. Everywhere else has beaches on beaches on beaches, UNESCO slave castles, monkey sanctuaries, waterfalls, that city aEsThEtIqUe, and (cheaper) fruit diversity. But hey—at least we got Mole National Park! Most volunteers save up for this experience because it is not cheap. Getting into the park, accommodations, safari, tour guides, etc. And it doesn't help that if you want to visit the oldest mosque in Ghana (and one of the oldest in West Africa)—Larabanga—you might get shafted by hustling locals (I don't blame 'em for trying to make a buck, but they have been known to be aggressive with foreigners... for good reason. Not their fault the mosque is a historical landmark). It’s been standing since 1421!! That's incredible. We didn't go to Larabanga since we've seen plenty of mosques, and I had no plans to go and pray inside. It wasn't worth it to us, but I can appreciate its magnitude. We had our eyes on The Prize: ~safari vaca~

I didn't take a lot of photos on the safari since my phone camera is two steps away from tragic. Of the few snaps I did manage, you can perhaps squint and see the silhouette of an antelope or two with the aid of my commentary. We woke up early and climbed into the safari jeep along with a handful of other guests. The majority of them were Britons. Honestly, I spent most of the weekend eavesdropping on people's mundane conversations just so I could listen to them speak in their lovely accents—English, Canadian, Belgian. Yes, please! I would be more than happy to listen to someone read the Bible, as long as they do it in a Scottish accent. This little Belgian nugget asked her mum how elephants celebrated their birthdays, and I near died with glee. The one thing I couldn't get enough of, no doubt, were the elephants.

There is an antelope in here. Seriously. Can you spot it?

Loxodonta africana (African Elephant) Did you know...

There are only two distinct species of elephant left in the world: The African elephant and the Asian elephant

The word “elephant” comes from the Greek word “elephas” which means “ivory”

Elephant behavior is associated with a unique animal intelligence that displays grief, altruism, compassion, self-awareness, play, art and music!

Elephants have two gaits – a walk and a faster gait that is similar to running. They cannot jump, trot or gallop, however they can swim and use their trunk as a snorkel.

The elephant’s gestation period is 22 months – longer than any other land animal in the world

All facts (and more info!) from Africa Geographic

Over an hour spent searching for elephants, and not one revealed itself to us. But it was still lovely to drink Ethiopian coffee and munch on some shortbread cookies during break. We stopped at a river and climbed onto some sort of roofed wooden post overlooking a crocodile hole that could be seen indifferently camouflaged at the bank. After snack the driver Abu gave us all a little piece of bitter bark from a special tree whose name I've long forgotten. The chemicals released from the bark relieved indigestion and malaria symptoms; it could even be brewed into tea! But its novelty wore off the second the acrid zing hit my taste buds. As we headed back to the resort a little crestfallen and elephant-starved, there he was! Right at the entrance! Ahhh, I was elated. Even more so than when the lunch buffet the day before had bottomless olives and feta.

Everyone took an excessive amount of photos while trying to give him his space. He was glorious. The resort also had two man-made watering holes that attracted many of the park's dehydrated inhabitants. That's how many of us gazed on bathing elephants—some of them whole families, with mama and her babies—like voyeurs.

The whole experience was incredible. The accommodations, the views, the food—truly a delight and wayyy beyond what I'm used to in my village but also in my typical lower middle-class life. It was a nice sprinkling of parm on top of this lasagna of a Peace Corps service in Ghana.

Alas, I still have a few good weeks left of service, and I still have a project or two to wrap up. My beekeeping project is finally ready to enter phase 2: honey harvesting. I'm hoping to prep all the materials by this weekend. It's been nearly a year, but we had to restart completely when a parasite infestation decimated our colonies. In the mean time, the local instructor has gouged the prices on me from our original quotes a year ago, much to my disappointment. But at the end of the day, Cedis are Cedis are Cedis, and as long as it helps the beekeepers, I'm content.

My counterpart has been elusive lately, which makes the last month particularly difficult as I attempt to wrap things up with a nice lil' bow. But it's for good reason. He's gotten another job as an evening review teacher with the local nuggets, so that's more income for him! But on top of teaching at the private primary school in the morns, teaching in the PM, and farming the rest of the time, that means there's no time for Peace Corps projects. It sucks, but I'm not going to fight it. The silver lining: I can appreciate all the times he was available and attentive at the start of my service much more, something I took for granted as some PCV's had to deal with an absentee CP from the get-go. He's also been my rock; all my other attempted CP relationships collapsed as people moved away or lost interest. So cheers to you Jacob!

One of the defining traits of PC service is the ephemeral qualities of some relationships and the everlasting bond of others. It's illuminating how, at the end of the day, we're all we've got, but there are people in the gallery looking out for us too.