#i turned their joints into balls bc it looks cool >:3 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

444tsumu · 4 years ago

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HAPPY 100 MARS!!!/&/&: AHHH! okay so i’d love a tier three if you didn’t mind! i wanted to know which 3 characters would smoke ouid and what you think smoking with them would be like? ily tysm!

▭ WHICH CHARACTERS SMOKE WEED?

includes matsukawa, hanamaki, suna

warnings drug use, explicit content, doing things under the influence, implied sexual content, slight nsfw.

authors note lol ik some people don’t like the whole “w*ed” and dr*g use hc but it’s all fiction and based on my own personal opinion (: i don’t mean to offend anyone lol i smoke too <3

This is a long one, beware <3 also it’s also my dream blunt rotation LMAO

𖥻 MATSUKAWA, ISSEI !

definitely the philosophical stoner

always has a question or an answer

depends on how much he’s smoked though

eyes get really red and he looks really hot

prefers backwoods over regular papers

always smoked regular papers though bc woods are bad for you (:

does that thing where they lick the paper and look at you at the same time

the hottest man smoking ever god please

always makes sure to have you sitting on his left so that he passes it to you first

loves smoking people out

doesn’t really care if you put in money or not

if issei is around, everyone is getting high

smokes makki’s unemployed ass out like everyday lmao

loves to hotbox

lights you up for the first time and tries to get you into another galaxy

“if you’re gonna get high, at least do it right”

definitely funny as fuck when he’s high

always definitely ready to fuck

very touchy when he’s high

will hold on to you for a long time and forget he’s doing it

but if you make him let go he genuinely feels the skin contact nearly rip off

calm down mattsun your possessiveness is showing

tries to explain all the different types to you but forgets mid sentence

literally cannot formulate a single structured thought

definitely leans in to make out with you more than once

loves shotgunning with you

already lazy but when he’s zooted he’s UNBEARABLE

he really does wanna fuck but ends up smoking too much with you because you played chicago and forgot

doesn’t really get hungry for food but munchies?

ate all of the snacks

has no remorse for his actions either

stares into the deep nothing for like 10 minutes

just to snap out of it and look around suspiciously

“do you guys hear that….?”

“…..no?”

“………..the paint is screaming at me?”

ok buddy don’t ruin this for everyone else

knows how to french & ghost inhale

has argued with makki many times over the earth being flat

doesn’t really think it’s flat

ends up believing it is after makki told him the world was actually dome shaped

has a grinder shaped like a dragon ball

not a peer pressuring kinda guy but thinks everyone should get high at least once

definitely gets iwa and oikawa to try

loves getting oikawa high cause he thinks the guy is fucking hilarious

laughs at everything

just a great guy, especially when he starts smoking

falls into a weed coma and doesn’t wake up for like 3 days though

treats it like it’s a regular hangover

definitely falls asleep with his entire body on top of you and no remorse for the weight

says “i’m fried” and isn’t embarrassed about it for whatever reason

he’s hot so no one judges him

𖥻 HANAMAKI, TAKAHIRO !

definitely a comedian when he’s high

always the funniest guy in the room

when him and mattsun are together though?

undefeated

him and issei both smoked for the first time together

after that though?

they became unstoppable

don’t get me started with after volleyball season ended

prefers bongs because he thinks he looks cooler lmao

everyone assumes makki is high but they don’t know he actually gets high

offers to smoke you out cause you’re hot lmao

makes fun of you when you cough

even though he still coughs

hates hotboxing because he can’t handle it

but refuses to pussy out so he’s always the first one to agree

in his own words

“my mother didn’t raise no bitch”

makki please

ideal smoking partner

is one of those people that fuck the passing rotation up because he refuses to pass it to anyone but you

secretly does it because he doesn’t want anyone else’s lips touching yours

prefers to smoke with just his close friends but doesn’t mind a session

doesn’t like shotgunning cause he starts thinking his breath smells bad

gives in anyways because he doesn’t want you doing it with anyone else

loves when you put your legs on him

the pressure gives him chills

makes jokes 24/7 because he likes hearing you laugh

can’t french inhale but mattsun taught him how to ghost inhale and he hasn’t stopped since

takes videos of himself cause he thinks he looks cool

realizes he looks like a fucking idiot but fuck it we ball

falls into a weed coma with his head on your lap and his phone unlocked and still on

does that thing where he lights it up with it in his mouth and looks really fucking hot while doing so

has a breaking bad rick & morty rolling tray and is really proud of it

gets really into music when he’s high

will sing along to all the songs while he’s packing the bong

as i repeat

looks hot while doing so

definitely a hungry high

orders food before you even get to ask

“makki, want some snacks?”

“oh nah it’s cool, i already ordered mcdonald’s”

“????? we just finished smoking????”

prefers smoking over drinking but will do both when he wants to go big or go home

eyes get really low

talks kinda slow but really deep and it’s fucking hot

laughs by throwing his head back and it’s really cute

gets cold when he’s high

it doesn’t matter the season

he gets fucking cold and it makes no sense

so he’ll need your body heat to warm himself up (;

𖥻 SUNA, RINTAROU !

a confused high

no doubt about it

this man never knows what the fuck is going on

ik everyone complains about the stoner!suna hc

but i think it’s fucking hot lmao

always has like 2 blunts rolled and on him at all times

is one of those people that will use any excuse to do it

“……(sighs) i’m gonna go take a smoke break.”

“suna we just got here??”

“exactly”

likes joints and edibles the best

not much of a hungry high or munchie high

but he hyperfixates on a certain food and will eat it until there is nothing left

ate an entire pack of gum in one sitting before

definitely watches cartoons the minute he starts to feel the buzz

rarely talks unless to pass it to you or make a single joke that has you about to pee yourself

he doesn’t say much but when he does?

the man leaves an impact

hates smoking with other people

doesn’t like when they fuck his blunt/joint up

hates smoking joints rolled by other people unless he watches them do it

always complains when you ask to smoke with him but secretly loves it

shotguns with you and acts like nothing just happened

hello sir how dare you make me fall inlove like that

forgets everything so don’t try to say anything important to him

zones out because he’s too busy imagining fucking

but then forgets about fucking and starts thinking about what’s on the tv

can’t hold a conversation but will go in-depth as to why spongebob squarepants was more than just a sponge

“no you need to listen to me, patrick star is much more than just his best friend—”

“….rin what the fuck are you talking about?”

“you’re asking me like i know? pass the blunt.”

definitely got into smoking in high school but didn’t actually do it like that until college

lies on his drug tests lmao

smokes after every win as a celebration and smokes after ever loss as a reliever

lmao seek help sir

definitely tries to get you to take your shirt off when he’s in the moment

swears it’s because he’s doing you a favor but really just loves how you look in his clothes when he’s high

doesn’t really know when to stop because he’s never greened out before

all his supplies is a simple shade of black

he’s a simple man

can do all the smoke tricks

but won’t do it in front of anyone cause he hates when people point it out

likes hotboxing because it gets him higher faster

is actually friends with the guy he gets weed from lmao

his perfect date with you was that one time you guys stood home and did nothing but smoke and watch family guy

tears up every time he thinks about it

has a picture of himself with two blunts in his mouth and his eyes really red and it’s really fucking hot

giggles even though he tries not to

uses pens when he can’t physically have weed on him

doesn’t really like it because the pen high makes him knock out after a few pulls

once rin falls into a weed coma???

don’t even think about trying to contact him cause that man might as well be dead

doesn’t wake up to save his own damn life

you can smack him and the most he’d do is probably groan and turn his head lmao

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dwarven-beard-spores · 7 years ago

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Chicago Hamilton Notes 06/06/16

So I saw Hamilton in Chicago last night, and HOLY SHIT IT WAS GOOD. So my observations and thoughts are below the cut. (There are a LOT)

Disclaimer that these are all subjective, and what i chose to include/exclude is based on what specifically caught my attention/memory and is informed by things I have previously read/seen.

Feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions! I would LOVE to talk about it :D

ACT 1

The performance was GREAT, everybody was fantastic, and the emotions in this show were so raw, more so than on the cast album. It was intense.

The set is beautiful, and even without context I would love to just run around on it. Every time it did something new I gasped. Very roughly, it’s a center with a turntable, and a balcony all around the sides and back. We talked about how it felt very Shakespearean.

The lighting is holy shit, there are so many layers to that and variations and wow I was impressed. I was in the balcony so I could see the lighting patterns really well.

Same with the choreography, like you could go to a dance recital with just the ensemble cast and be not disappointed at all. It’s so intricate, oh gods.

The sheer amount of PAPER in the musical is astounding. People are constantly writing letters and documents and flyers and pamphlets, and they are getting passed here and there and thrown and stored places, and idk how anyone keeps track of them all.

Aaron Burr Sir and My Shot were so great. One thing I didn’t know is that the Rev Set were pretty well established in the bar, they weren’t coming in when they did their initial introductions, they were chilling at a table, and like beatboxing for each other, and having a great time (until Burr spoils it)

Then My Shot happens, and it’s all going well, they form like four points of a circle and it looks really visually cool, until Ham goes “tell me where the ammunition is” and the spotlight just zooms in on him, so the lights and everyone around is just like “OH SHIT.” and it’s really awkward, until Laurens is like “yeah let’s roll with it.”

They take “sing it to the rooftops” out into the street, and Laurens has a GREAT time rousing the people, getting them to stand on the balconies and hang off the sets, and it’s super exciting.

Then everybody FREEZES on the turntable in the middle except for Ham, he’s in a front corner in a spot doing his “I imagine death” bit, so it looks very much like an internal monolog/anxiety, rather than something he’s confessing to his bros

And it stays like that until he goes “this is not a moment it’s the movement” and the moment that was frozen in time starts moving, and I cry at puns and layers of meaning

They get wasted in Story of Tonight, and Burr lurks in a corner, until stepping forward into this blazing diagonal of light to start Schuyler Sisters (all chill like, y’know)

It seems to be the next morning, because the Rev Set is out on the street handing out pamphlets. Laurens gives one to Angelica, and she reads it while Eiza and Peggy argue, and it starts her off on talking about revolution.

At the beginning, Peggy’s “and Peggy” is SO bratty, you wouldn’t believe, but at the end she is having SUCH a ball.

Seabury gets up, he’s standing on a box to give his speech, dressed in like scholar robes or smth. Ham is ready to Fight, and Mulligan and Laffayette totally want him to, but Burr holds him back.

So Laurens comes in, chats with an ensemble member and reads the scene, and then goes and grabs Burr and takes him back to distract him with a book or smth, and while he’s gone Ham goes in for the kill.

At first he stands next to Seabury, but Seabury moves his box to upstage Ham. It doesn’t work, and eventually Ham is on the box with him, right up in his face.

Burr notices eventually and is like “What? Oh fml.”

Up until this point everybody’s been all over that stage, there’s been so much bustle and movement. Then two redcoats sweep everybody off with their Message From the King and King George is on stage alone. And he’s TOTALLY STILL. Except for a few contained gestures, and a walk forward, he doesn’t fucking move. (Yet)

But he’s HILARIOUS, in his voice and the mannerisms he does do, everyone was laughing.

On “everybody” a bunch of nervous ensemble people come to join him in singing, and they are also very still.

32000 troops was accompanied by lighting that looked like water.

Gwash is just freakin’ INTENSE man. He is so angry and so determined. He’s got an army of like 6 ensemble members to be his meager forces at the beginning. (But it’s all better once Ham’s three friends come in lol)

And Burr? Burr is so freaking Done With Ham’s Shit. He’s really angry at the beginning of Winter’s Ball. But he pulls it together to flirt.

It may have been my imagination, but it sure seemed like Laurens was watching the people around him for Flirting Tips bc his gay ass doesn’t know how to be reliable with the ladies.

For Helpless, these square lanterns descend from the ceiling, and they’re gorgeous and I gasped. There are also tables of candles in the back.

Eliza is truly fantastic, she’s running around the room. And they made use of the turntable during the scene in the living room, which was really cool.

There was so much pain in Angelica’s voice during “if you really loved me you would share him.” :’(

Eliza is pretty concerned about Angelica nomming Ham, but he reassures her.

She gets a veil for the wedding, and they do the procession. Mulligan is the flower girl as per usual, he threw like 3 petals and looked so done with it XD

Then they smooched center stage, for quite a long time, until Laurens interrupted to bring us into Satisfied.

Angelica sounded so ANGRY during her opening toast. Like “may you always be satisfied” was like “you’d fucking BETTER be satisfied” O.o

They rewound the action, to the kiss, and then in chunks, like, notable tableaus. Went all the way back to “we’re reliable with the ladies” so they were doing that choreography for the “I remember that night” bit. It was further than I expected but worked really well.

There was this weird bit when she was introducing Ham and Eliza. So Ham and Eliza froze when Angelica did "number one" and "number two," and for at least one of those freezes there were a bunch of ensemble members who were like, posing Hamilton? Like moving his head and his joints while he was frozen? And I'm not entirely sure what it means but it was cool

In The Story Of Tonight Reprise, Laurens was just as draped on Burr as I’d hoped he would be.

And when Lafayette said “you are the worst, Burr,” it was RIGHT in front of him, DIRECTLY to his face. It was great.

Ham’s “oh shit” wasn’t just a tiny noise, it was like “oh SHIT.”

Wait for It was another really really still number. Burr and some ensemble members. It was really really powerful. But when Burr was like “I’m not standing still” it was like “yes you definitely are though.”

Stay Alive started with a single redcoat shooting at Hamilton and an ensemble member coming in to hold the bullet and show it’s path.

Idk the battle scenes were so intense, I was right there in the action but I can’t pick out that many things that actually happened.

Eaker was totally out there, out of control. A very frenzied “Wheeee!”

The Ten Duel Commandments was mostly done with Laurens and Lee on opposite points of the spinning turntable. Ham and Burr would meet in the middle.

During the “moment of adrenaline” there was a line of ensemble members between Laurens and Lee, all doing this fluttering motion over their heart that looked really striking.

They cross the circle at the same time to switch positions, then turn and fire from there.

Gwash is PISSED.

He takes Ham to the downstage right. They have most of their argument standing side by side and facing out into the audience. They switch places I think, but don’t really face each other until “CALL ME SON ONE MORE TIME.”

For That Would Be Enough, the set is mostly this once curved stone bench.

Eliza is Preggers, and at the beginning she wants Ham to touch her stomach and feel the baby, but he doesn’t until the end, when he reaches for her very tentatively.

This Eliza’s voice had the most round-sounding “around” ever, I love her voice so much.

Lafayette was smoking at guns and ships, and the choreography was really fast too.

He and Gwash talk about Hamilton by Washington’s desk. Washington writes a letter, which Lafayette then passes to an ensemble member, who passes it to another, and they go up around the balcony passing it until it finally gets to Hamilton. This is when Gwash is singing his slow bit, i believe.

History has its eyes on you was one of a few numbers where there were ensemble members all around the balconies and edges of the scene, just kinda chilling and watching.

Yorktown was also super intense. Mulligan killed it.

“We gotta go, gotta get the job done” was with the whole army lined up right near the front of the stage.

When the world is turned upside down, people come out with upside down chairs and furniture, and they make pedestals for the main players to stand on all dramatically at the end.

King George comes back, and he is slightly more animated this time as he loses his grip on sanity! He’s also in a front corner as opposed to center stage. Still so many laughs. “I’m so blue” is when he stamps his foot and the lighting goes blue. It’s great.

The staging for Dear Theodosia is really simple. It’s Burr at the very front of the stage, in a soft spotlight, holding the back of a chair which is facing towards the audience. He stands there and sings, and then sits down. Ham comes out with another chair and does the same thing.

For the most part, I was fully in the moment while watching the musical. But I couldn’t help but think at this point of the comic where Hamilton goes “LOOK AT MY SON” and hurls a baby in Burr’s face. Oops.

They are interrupted by Eliza (which is kinda cool, considering she’s the one who’s been really invested in kids) with a letter. This is the Laurens Interlude and it is very sad. She reads Hamilton the letter while Laurens stands next to him in a bluer spot and goes through The Story Of Tonight.

At the end Eliza asks “are you alright?” and Ham answers by saying “I’ve got so much work to do.”

By this time he’s in his green silk suit (I believe he changes right before Dear Theo).

The Levi Weeks trial is on the turntable, so even when the players are stationary they’re still moving. Ham does sit down when Burr tells him to, but gets up like two seconds after.

Angelica and Ham walk diagonally across the stage while she tells him that she’s going to London. He is a bit put out to find out she’s going with a husband, but does agree that no one can match him, and seems pleased with Angelica’s saying it.

Then the turntable takes her away, and brings Eliza forward at the same time.

Everyone clears out for Ham and Burr’s midnight conversation. Burr’s “no” was like “noooooo” and I laughed.

They pull out a chunk of the balcony!!! And it’s a set of stairs with a platform at the top, and they roll it to the center of the stage, so there’s stairs going up from the center onto the balcony! I gasped then too.

Annnnd, INTERMISSION.

ACT 2

It opens with Burr on the top of the stairs (I think. Or else he climbs there promptly while giving his introduction.) He’s at the top when he calls out “Thomas? THOMAS!” and TJeffs comes out from the top of the stairs as well.

His stage presence is so great, he is having a BALL. When he gives the audience a kiss it’s with his face out, he’s not blowing one. He just leans into it like “mwah!”

And he gets wheeled around on the staircase, which goes back into the balcony afterwards.

Madison shows up and is like “shit’s going down!” and Jefferson’s like “sure, but I’m the shit.”

And when Gwash and Hamilton show up, Hamilton zooms forward and cuts Gwash off to shake Jefferson’s hand first and introduce himself.

Then they cabinet battle! Someone comes with a case that has microphones in it, and the stage gets set up so there’s an upside down V with Gwash at the point and Tjeffs and Ham on this inside.

Jefferson finishes his things and then drops the microphone like it’s hot. Madison makes a show of picking it up with his hankercheif.

Ham’s body language while mocking Tjeffs is fantastic. He doesn’t do the same little hop Lin did during “Montechello,” but he did some disparaging wiggle that was really funny.

Gwash has to physically separate the two and tell Ham to chill out.

Take a break! Phillip is adorable, and it’s very clear that Eliza’s teaching him to play, and they’re really cute.

Eliza has to physically take the pen out of Ham’s hand before he’ll come to dinner.

Phillip is so nervous! And Eliza’s beatboxing for him, and gesturing to him like “you got this, come on,” and then he hits his stride and it’s so exciting.

Hamilton’s teeny “hi” remains one of the best things ever. And Angelica is barely there three seconds before getting dragged into their problems.

Say No To This has streetlights set up, and the outer ring of the turntable is going while Maria walks along it. She’s in Seductive Red (tm) and is circling the stationary desk where Ham is being angsty and tired.

The ensemble members going “No! NO!” are SO DONE WITH HAM’S SHIT. On every “no” they change poses, and every pose is one of despair/exasperation/just general Done-ness.

James Renolyds is a dirtbag, and calls Maria away with a slap to his leg. She and Ham share a longing glance before she goes.

The Room Where It Happens was amazing. When Burr is setting the scene, Ham, Tjeffs, and Madison are standing in a line, facing away from the audience. They set up a table with Tjeffs and Madison seated and still facing away. Ham pours everyone drinks. That’s what the meal itself looks like.

During “Thomas says” narration, Hamilton sure does simper for his help. It’s cool bc it’s maybe subjective based on the narrator, whoo!

Based on that post connecting Say No and The Room that had to deal with Ham borrowing strategy from Maria rather than Burr, it was interesting to have her red dress compared to Tjeff’s maroon suit… the warm colors contrasting against Ham’s green were a little similar.

Burr gets on the table to emphasize his point, and at one point he jumps and someone pulls the tablecloth out from under him. The table is mirrored! I haven’t explicated the meaning behind that either, but it was really cool and unexpected.

Everyone’s favorite, Schuyler defeated, was pretty chill. Eliza and Phillip were up on the balcony, Ham and Burr were center stage. Ham was pissed.

They set up the second cabinet battle the same way as the first, and it follows the same format. Gwash dramatically flips his coattails every time he sits down. (He’s in black, btw)

Ham does a very nice imitation of King Louis’s head.

Washington On Your Side was amazing. It started with just Tjeffs on stage complaining, and then Burr shows up and is like “I wanna complain about Hamilton too.” Madison doesn’t come on until it’s to remind everyone that he wrote the bill of rights.

They’re so sinister. And the way the number builds in intensity is just right.

During the song Tjeffs writes a letter, which makes it to Gwash’s desk for the beginning of One Last Time. When Hamilton comes in he is given the letter and reads it, and isn’t really paying that much attention to Washington until he announces he’s resigning.

They’re BOTH in black now, btw.

For the speech it works like this: Hamilton goes front and center and starts writing/reciting the speech. Gwash is in the back, right next to him but a stage behind. Then Ham starts walking backwards as George walks forward, until they’re next to each other in the middle. They pause, then George walks the rest of the way forward and Ham walks the rest of the way backward. As they do this, their voices match how far forward on stage they are, until George is carrying it by himself.

At this point, people are watching: Ham and Eliza and Phillip are there, clinging on to each other, Madison and Jefferson are there, groups of ensemble members.

George Washington’s stately walk away is matched by King George back. he’s completely lost it, and his gestures are so much wilder.

“looms quite as large” reeeeaaaaallly sounded like a dick joke when he said it.

Also his estimation of Adam’s height was like four feet tall maybe, and he lowered it upon further consideration.

Then he decided to stay and hang out! He pulled up a chair on the side of the stage and sat there to watch shit go down!

Hamilton’s retaliation to John Adams was a giant bundle of papers, which he dropped from the center of the balcony. When it landed the lights and sound followed like an explosion.

He goes to work at his desk, and is visited by Jefferson, Madison, and Burr, all in a line. They wave receipts in his face, and he grabs the letter from James Reynolds out of a drawer off to the side. Madison reads it while Jefferson hangs out near Hamilton to bother him, until “that was my wife who you decided to-“ when he dashes over there to read the letter for his own eyes.

Desperation is rolling off Hamilton like waves in this scene. He is just barely hanging on as it is, and he does not need this bullshit.

Burr’s cryptic answers are still cryptic… but in this performance they also sounded threatening.

Hurricane starts with hurricane lighting swirling all around Hamilton, he’s in the eye.

For most of the time he’s not alone onstage. He’s got ensemble members acting out the storm, and the scenes he’s talking about, and generally adding to the chaos.

There’s a brilliant moment, and I can’t remember the exact line right now, where the entire stage is lit neon green and purple. Like cartoon radioactivity. It’s only for a few seconds and never anywhere else in the musical. I got chills.

The Reynolds Pamphlet is CHAOS. Papers are going everywhere. Phillip gets shown the grisly details. Hamilton just stands in the center.

It clears away when Angelica arrives, then it’s her and Hamilton.

Then it comes back, and papers get thrown in the air and everywhere. Jefferson placed a sheet on Hamilton’s shoulder, which stuck. King George got into the action, he was having a ball.

HIS POOR WIFE.

Burn was just absolutely wrenching. The set? Was so simple and painful. A coal bin. A lantern just like the ones that had come down during Helpless. The stone bench from That Would Be Enough. Even thinking about it I’m tearing up. Eliza read the letters there, looking for her sign. She burned them in the lantern and tossed them in the coal bin. Wow it hurt.

Pain and resolve is what came off her in waves. Her VOICE.

And then Phillip shows up, all scholarly and ready to have threesomes.

The play is actually there; there are two actors in a harsh white square of light (stage) acting out some scene when Phillip comes in to get Eaker. They stop what they’re doing and watch the confrontation! Who’s on stage? It’s in flux! Then they’re like “screw this” and leave.

Phillip and Eaker are on opposite points of the turntable too. Phillip is center stage when he gets shot. He falls back in slow motion, and is caught by an ensemble member who lowers him onto a table. The table keeps spinning around slowly as Hamilton comes in to look for him.

*cries forever*

Eliza screams “NO!” after he dies. It hurt.

At one point, Hamilton reached for her hand, and she wouldn’t let him touch her.

Uptown was lit in a purple stone pattern, at least for some of it. Eliza and Hamilton weren’t alone, there were passersby all over the place.

Angelica says “she takes his hand” before Eliza actually does, which surprised me. It was almost like Eliza was listening to Angelica and then responding.

Can we get back to politics? Please?

Hamilton trying to mourn, in black, just sort of wandering through the enthusiastic crowd asking about his opinion was really striking.

Okay so the best part of The Election of 1800 for me was this realization. Something about the way Burr and Hamilton played the scene made me think of it in a whole new way… When Burr says “I learned that from you” it’s the absolute WORST thing he could have said. Because Hamilton is still dealing with the fact that his advice is what killed Phillip. He is realizing that his entire worldview may be flawed. And NOW Burr wants to take his advice? That can only end in disaster.

So his decision to support Jefferson is not just because of Burr’s politics (though they are pretty awful) but is also because he’s trying to save Burr from following his advice. (In the least tactful way possible).

MY HEART. (I need to write fic about this).

Also, Jefferson is just really disgusted with the way Burr’s like “I can’t wait to work with you!” Like, dang. Not only did you miss out on the presidency, but your “wait for it” strategy got you kicked out of being VP. No wonder Burr is pissed.

Speaking of pissed, he is SO out for blood in Your Obedient Servant.

The lights turn red and put him and four ensemble members in white diamonds of light that reminded me of playing cards.

He sits down at a desk and writes out a letter, which is then delivered to Hamilton.

Hamilton then sits down and starts writing his massive response, and it get delivered page by page by a different ensemble member each time.

When he’s writing his 30 years of disagreements, he just kind of scribbles across the page, and it made me laugh.

At the end, they both sign letters at the same time, and they get delivered in the order A. Ham (to Burr) and A. Burr (to Ham).

Best of Wives was short and sweet. Hamilton kissed Eliza’s arm.

This was set up much like the rest of the duels, with people going everywhere but the focus being the turntable.

During Burr’s “confession time” two ensemble members came up behind him and did the heart fluttery motion that meant “adrenaline” in Ten Duel Commandments, and it was a cool callback and also meant something different so I really liked it.

When Burr shot, someone came up to hold the bullet, just like in Stay Alive. The table stopped turning, but Hamilton moved a bit.

Laurens/Phillip, Hamilton’s mom, and George Washington all showed up on the balcony, but when Eliza showed up, she went right between Burr and Hamilton, so it looked as though she might be getting shot, or Ham would shoot her if he decided to fire.

Hamilton crumples into this tiny black ball when he’s shot, and he starts turning with the turntable. Two ensemble members sit next to him and act out rowing him back across the hudson.

He ends up climbing the stairs to get to the balcony where his dead loved ones were, while Burr ends up center stage.

Then WLWDWTYS happens and it’s so sad. Eliza comes into the spotlight, and the strength of her greif is overwhelming, especially in, like, “he gives me what you always wanted, he gives me more time.”

She ends it crying.

END

#hamilton #chicago hamilton #alexander hamilton #john laurens #aaron burr #hercules mulligan #marquis de lafayette #kadet speaking

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jamathon · 7 years ago

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Ask me! I'll answer honestly

1: How tall or short do you wish you were? lit 7′0″ 2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not) cat 3: Do you have a favorite clothing style? met gala type fancy for sure. 4: What was your favorite video game growing up? Just dance 5: What three things/people do you think of most each day? My gf, boulder, art,

6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say? "pwease no steppy” 7: What is your opinion on life? V weird. v cool 8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic] I tihnkkkk it was melancholic but i shud take it again bc it’s def changed 9: Are you ticklish? very 10: Are you allergic to anything? not that i know yet 11: What’s your sexuality? gay bi gay bi gay bi. 12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa? Tea 13: Are you a cat or dog person? cat 14: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson? whichever one is least lonely. probably merperson. 15: Do you have a favorite Youtuber? Alex bertie!! 16: How tall are you? 5′4 17: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? Kiwi 18: How much do you weigh? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!] likeee 125 19: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits? pass. 20: Do you like space or the ocean more? Ocean. 21: Are you religious? No 22: Pet peeves? A . Lot. im so impatient. 23: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal [opposite of nocturnal]? Diurnal! 24: Favorite constellation? uhhhh *panics and looks around kitchen* the big spoon 25: Favorite star? North bc i used to see it every night after work and i didn’t know it alr had a name so i named it after my gf as a romantic gesture hahhahaha 26: Do you like ball-jointed dolls? Yuh 27: Any phobias or fears? Afraid of loneliness 28: Do you think global warming is real? shut up. 29: Do you believe in reincarnation? Havent thought about it 30: Favorite movie? Scott pilgrim 31: Do you get scared easily? Yes 32: How many pets have you own in your lifetime? 1 33: Blog rate? [You’ll rate the blog of the one who’s asking.] my blogs a 10 even tho i still have the OG tumblr theme 34: What is a color that calms you? blue 35: Where would you like to travel and/or live? Iceland 36: Where were you born? baltimore 37: What is your eye color? hazel 38: Introvert or extrovert? both 39: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs? hahahhaha yesss 40: Hugs or kisses? bofa 41: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now? Would love to visit boulder i miss the mountains & weather a lot 42: Who is someone you love deeply? Rayven 43: Any piercings you want? septum tbh 44: Do you like tattoos and piercings? yes. v hot 45: Do you smoke or have you eiver done so? not anymore 46: Talk about your crush, if you have one! Rayven is my crush and also my gf she’s about to turn 21 which is exciting!! this feels like show n tell haha 47: What is a sound you really hate? fingernail scratching jeans 48: A sound you really love? keys jingling 49: Can you do a backflip? no 50: Can you do the splits? no 51: Favorite actor and/or actress? emma stone 52: Favorite movie?alr asked. scotty P. 53: How are you feeling right now? fine but restless bc of a tummy ache 54: What color would you like your hair to be right now? back to black acctuallly im tired of dying it 55: When did you feel happiest? idk 56: Something that calms you down? tumblr 57: Have any mental disorders? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!] havent had an evaluation in years so idk! 58: What does your URL mean? that’s my JAMATHON!!! To describe a good song. A word i tried to make happen. like fetch. except not original, just “jam” with “athon” added. 59: What three words describe you the most? Understanding. Funny. Intense. 60: Do you believe in evolution? Yes 61: What makes you unfollow a blog? If they dont post enuf memes 62: What makes you follow a blog? Memes 63: Favorite kind of person: Funny, outgoing, spontaneous 64: Favorite animal(s): Whales 65: Name three of your favorite blogs. eh idk 66: Favorite emoticon: the drooling one 67: Favorite meme: too many 68: What is your MBTI personality type? intp idk if that’s right 69: What is your star sign? capricorn 70: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog? no 71: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most? i like layers. probably my leather jacket w black pants and a my yellow shirt. it makes me feel cute 72: Post a selfie or two? too hard 73: Do you have platform shoes? yes 74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself? I used to be double jointed and could bend my finger back to touch my hand, unsure what happened but now i have 0 party tricks 75: Can you do a front flip? yeah probably 76: Do you like birds? So much!!!!!! 77: Do you like to swim? no!!!!!! 78: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you? swimming... 79: Something you wish didn’t exist: pollution 80: Some thing you wish did exist: cures 81: Piercings you have? ears 82: Something you really enjoy doing: playing music/drawing/taking pictures 83: Favorite person to talk to: rayven 84: What was your first impression of Tumblr? cupcakes 85: How many followers do you have? like 100 on this blog now hahaha 86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes? yes but will I? No. 87: Do your socks always match? No 88: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely? No 89: What are your birthstones? Turquoise 90: If you were an animal, which one would you be? Fox 91: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be? I want to be creative but when i think about it...a red rose. 92: A store you hate? The grocery store bc im there all the time 93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day? zero now but at the beginning of the year i was drinking around 4-5 a day. 94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds? fly 95: Do you like to wear camo? nah 96: Winter or summer? Used to be winter but nothing is good in the south. 97: How long can you hold your breath for? not long at all it gives me anxiety 98: Least favorite person? some of the people ive met in the past year have been atrocious. 99: Someone you look up to: My roommate Chris. 100: A store you love? I could spend all day in H&M 101: Favorite type of shoes? vans 102: Where do you live? ....atlanta 103: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why? Yes bc my girlfriend is and we always share food so like... i guess i eat meat on my own but that’s liike once a month haha 104: What is your favorite mineral or gem? hmmm...bismuth. 105: Do you drink milk? No 106: Do you like bugs? Not in the south. 107: Do you like spiders? NO. 108: Something you get paranoid about? Bugs. 109: Can you draw: NO. 110: Nosiest question you have ever been asked? people love prying idk at this point 111: A question you hate being asked? are u a boy or a girl has definitely gotten old 112: Ever been bitten by a spider? yes 113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach? yesssssss 114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days? depends 115: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now: my gf 116: Favorite cloud type: rain cloud 117: What color do you wish the sky was? orange. 118: Do you have freckles? yes 119: Favorite thing about a person: humor 120: Fruits or vegetables? veggies 121: Something you want to do right now: sleep but im restless :( 122: Is the ocean or sky prettier? hmmmm depends 123: Sweet or sour foods? sweet for sure. 124: Bright or dim lights? bright bc i need new glasses and cant see in dim light 125: Do you believe in a certain magical creature? dragons 126: Something you hate about Tumblr: nothing really 127: Something you love about Tumblr: takes my mind off everything 128: What do you think about the least? everything i shud be thinking about 129: What would you want written on your tombstone? something super funny that i cant think of rn 130: Who would you like to punch in the face right now? John cena bc i think he’d find it funny 131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself? Inability to fake happiness 132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures? sometimes! 133: Computer or TV? computer bc its both 134: Do you like roller coasters? no 135: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness? yes 136: Are your ears lobed or attached? lobed bruh 137: Do you believe in karma? idk 138: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are? strong 8.5! I don’t think im too shabby most of the time actually 139: What nicknames do you have/have had? kiwi 140: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends? yes named Kiki 141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink? plenty 142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others? Depends 143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help? Receiving 144: What makes you angry? people not being nice really irks me 145: How many languages do you speak fluently? 1 146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries? tag yourself im nonbinaries 147: Are you androgynous? i’d say 148: Favorite physical thing about yourself: lately it’s been my chest. it’s p hot 149: Favorite thing about your personality: I’m funny. 150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person. uhh idk 151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose? the uhhh one w swords 152: Do you like BuzzFeed? ya 153: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? [If you have one.] Tindeerrrrr hah 154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons? uh idk 155: Do you like to play with others’ hair? ya 156: What embarrasses you? a lot 157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious: when other people are noticably anxious 158: Biggest lie you have ever told: idk 159: How many people are you following? lots 160: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)? lots 161: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)? like 50 162: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)? like 3,000 ishhhh 163: Last time you cried and why: My birthday bc one of rayvens gifts was ....so ....fuckin..sweet 164: Do you have long or short hair? short 165: Longest your hair has ever been: long 166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religon? It’s annoying lmfao 167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created? Only bc im nosy 168: Do you like to wear makeup? no 169: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds? no 170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully? yup

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years ago

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How I spent 48 hours in Nashville

How I spent 48 hours in Nashville, TN

A few weeks ago I visited Music City for the first time. I was in Nashville attending a conference that was hosted at the iconic Gaylord Opryland Resort. Because of this, I really didn’t have a lot of time to play tourist. Most of my time was spent at the resort in meetings and giving presentations, but I did manage to sneak out and explore some of this iconic city.

This blog post is not meant to be a travel guide for Nashville. If you’re looking for some fun things to do in Nashville, read this post written by fellow family travel bloggers Caz and Craig from yTravelBlog.com.

Or, you can pick up a guide to Nashville here.

Gaylord Opryland Resort

Have you heard of the Gaylord Hotels brand? I had not, prior to this visit to Nashville.

Gaylord Hotels consists of four large hotels with convention centers (with another one being built, says Wikipedia). The Opryland Hotel was originally built to support the nearby Grand Ole Opry, a legendary concert venue for country music, and has since expanded to almost 3,000 rooms.

In other words, it’s FREAKIN HUGE!

When our taxi pulled up to the hotel I was shocked at the size of the property. The entrance felt like a Las Vegas hotel on the strip. We had to wait in the vehicle line up for 10 minutes just to get dropped off at the hotel entrance.

I want to make it known that I did not work with the Gaylord Opryland Resort on this trip to Nashville. I am not promoting the hotel and received no compensation to highlight it in this blog post. But I did spend a lot of time at this hotel, so I feel it’s worth mentioning because the resort is actually quite unique. It feels more like a shopping mall and theme park then a hotel.

As you can see from these photos, this hotel is a tourist destination all on its own.

Indoor waterfall beside one of the 15 restaurants in the resort.

Above and below: Indoor walkway above one of many gardens inside the hotel. It’s strange, you feel like you’re outside because of all the trees and high ceilings, but you’re actually inside an air controlled building. You kinda feel like you’re in a massive biodome.

Another restaurant and walkway inside the hotel. Although it looks like the above photo was captured from the outside of the hotel, every thing you see in the image is actually indoors. It’s quite the sight.

You can even take a riverboat tour around the hotel. How insane is that?

There is a mall on the Delta Island that has a fun New Orleans vibe.

Entrance to the Delta Island.

The resort is so big it needs floor plans posted throughout the property. You can even download an app for step-by-step directions. It took me 20 minutes to get from my hotel room to the convention center each day.

Martin’s BBQ Joint

You can’t go to Nashville and not indulge in some traditional Barbeque. While at the conference, I asked a few residents of Nashville where I should go to get the real deal.

Without hesitation, each person I spoke to recommended Martin’s BBQ Joint. So, it was decided. I joined a few others and we took an Uber to Downtown Nashville for some BBQ.

Our mission – stuff our faces with meat and beer. We succeeded.

When we entered the restaurant we were given the rundown on how things work at Martin’s BQQ Joint. It’s a little different than typical restaurants. Instead of being seated at table and served, you stand in a windy line-up with your menu in hand and wait your turn to order your food and drinks at a cashier.

I’m not a big fan of this style of service, but when in Rome.

I ordered 1.5 lbs of BBQ spare ribs with a loaded baked potato and side of Hushpuppies. We also shared an order of fried catfish fillets. It was a LOT of food. I was close, but failed to finish my food (**hangs head in shame**).

The ribs were so tender that the meat literally fell off the bone. The cashier recommended I get the dry ribs instead of the ribs smothered in BBQ sauce. It was the right choice. The platter comes with several dipping sauces, so there was no need to have the meat covered with BBQ sauce.

The fried catfish was okay – it tasted like chicken. The hushpuppies were disappointing – they were basically a ball of fried bread (very dry). Overall it was a good experience, but I think I went in with unrealistic expectations.

Apologies for the above orange-ish images – the lighting inside the restaurant wasn’t very good and I only had my phone with me.

Above – this is the line-up just to get inside Martin’s BBQ Joint. It wrapped around the building. I tried to capture the neon sign with the long line-up, but the photo didn’t turn out the way I thought (I may have been in a BBQ rib coma at the time).

Broadway Street

I was told every first time visitor to Nashville should walk up and down Broadway Street, at least once. I received mixed reviews about Broadway Street. Some people said it was the best place to spend an evening. Others said it was dirty, loud and overrated.

Of course, I had to see for myself.

I love the old brick architecture and neon on Broadway. It certainly has lots of character.

Broadway Street is very touristy. I don’t mind touristy areas, especially if it’s my first time visiting a new city. The street is lined with honky tonk bars, rooftop restaurants, cowboy boot shops and tacky souvenir retail stores.

It was fun to experience Broadway but I’m not sure I would spend more than one night on the strip – it gets old quick. There are drunk tourists everywhere, so you have to be open to some colorful language and loud talking.

Did you know that Nashville is the bachelorette capital? Apparently there are more bachelorette parties in Nashville than in Las Vegas.

Almost every bar on Broadway has live music, which is quite impressive. And the musicians are all very good. It’s crazy to think how many incredible musicians are in Nashville at any given moment.

Neon, neon every where. I love all the neon on Broadway.

Rooftop Views from Acme Feed & Seed

I was told to head to the rooftop bar of Acme Feed & Seed, an eclectic 3-level restaurant located in a heritage building that overlooks the Cumberland River.

Unfortunately the rooftop patio was full when we visited, but I did manage to grab a few photos.

Nissan Stadium – home of the Tennessee Titans NFL team.

Honky Tonk Central

No trip to Nashville is complete without listening to live country music at a honky tonk bar. Honkey Tonk Central was highly recommended but there are plenty of bars to choose from.

We spent a few hours drinking Jack Daniels and listening to live music. I’m not really a fan of county music, but it was a good time.

I don’t know who this girl is, but she was awesome. Such a big voice for such a small girl.

The Nashville Predators made it to the Stanley Cup Finals this year and Broadway Street was transformed into an outdoor celebration site (more than usual, that is). The street was blocked off to vehicle traffic and thousands of fans poured into downtown Nashville to watch the live hockey games.

I remember thinking to myself, that looks like such a fun place to be. It was pretty cool to see the stadium in person and re-live those Stanley Cup Finals memories.

Rooftop bars and live music

As night took over, we headed to the rooftop bars on Broadway. It’s great that there are so many bars so close together. We went on a pub crawl and visited four different bars.

It’s a fun atmosphere, even on a Tuesday night!

Final Thoughts

Nashville is a unique city. I enjoyed my time there, but it didn’t grab me like other American cities have (especially Boston and Chicago – my favorite US cities). However, I only had a few days in the city and I was there on a work trip, so my experience is quite limited.

I’m not much of a county music fan, so most of what makes Nashville great is lost on me. I had no interest in visiting the music museums or attending a show at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s just not my cup of tea.

But, if country music is your thing, you’ll love Nashville.

~~~~~~~~

Have you visited Nashville? What did you think?

Share your thoughts and travel tips in the comments section below.

Read next: 25 Awesome Day Trips from Vancouver

How I spent 48 hours in Nashville is a post from: Traveling Canucks

A few photos that will make you want to visit Boston

25 Awesome Day Trips from Vancouver, BC

The Blarney Castle in Ireland – is it worth visiting?

This year, make the most of your long weekends. Here’s how.

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thebusmansholiday · 8 years ago

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Beijing - Shanghai - Xi’an - Urumqi

Beijing

Exiting Ping'an subway station on the look out for our hotel, that unmistakable sound of a man coughing up some gob and spitting it out on the pavement in front of us, and I knew I was back in China....

Struggling with serious jet lag on the first few days, wondering around the sights of the Chinese capital in the unseasonal blistering heat was a struggle at times. Deciding to walk through the Forbidden City in the midday sun was a big mistake, the masses just keep pouring into the former emperors palaces, armed with selfie sticks and umbrella hats.

The heavenly temple gardens just before sunset were the perfect escape from the crowds, it's a must visit if you are ever in Beijing, and do it in spring if possible, when the trees are blossoming and locals gather to play music in small brass bands or crowd around tables playing board games. What you notice about the many public parks in the city is that the elderly population make full use of them, with large groups decked out in tracksuits going through aerobic sessions to music pumping from mini ghetto blasters.

Now, onto food... The back street 'Hutong' alleys of Beijing are full of little food stalls, and the abundance of choice can be a tad overwhelming. Trying to order from a Chinese only menu is also a daunting experience at times. If the menu has pictures then we can eat there, if not we try pointing at what someone else is already eating and rudely point at their food, usually noodle soup with a little side salad of spinach(?) spring onion and peanuts.

Little round sweet pastries from peoples front windows, turned shop front, are a delicious cheap (¥1) treat for afters. You can never go hungry in this city, no matter what time of day, a cheap late brunch option is never far away. Our favourite in Beijing is the Breakfast wrap: corn bread mix spread onto a hot plate with an egg cracked on top, filled with salad, crispy noodle and some spring onion and coriander sprinkled on top then folded over into a wrap.

Also, small deep fried pastries filled with spinach and spring onion (Again, it might not be spinach) being a popular choice for us to keep energy levels up during our marathon walking sessions. With the iphone app measuring the amount of steps we are undertaking, it has become a bit of an obsession to walk everywhere rather than take a short hop on the metro. Our record in Beijing was 32,858.

'When in Peking'... we tried Peking duck at 'Liqun Roast Duck' a cool hidden backstreet location which served us an absolute feast of food. All the duck is shredded up for you by the chief carver on a table next to you, so you can just get stuck in and don't have to fiddle around with it. Little rice pancakes come on a plate for you to make your own little duck wrap combinations with all the different sides that come with the set menu for two. Deep fried aubergine, mushrooms, cucumber, spicy potatoes, spinach(again) peanuts. It was well worth the ¥340 (£38) price.

We took a coach trip to the great wall on our final day. It is spectacular viewing, seeing it wind through the mountain tops and a true wonder at just how the hell they managed to construct it all the way back in 700 BC. Only problem is, with a coach trip you are given only 3 hours to walk up to it, walk along it, and walk back to the coach park before the coach driver and guide want to get back to town for supper. You could spend far longer up there, but a coach trip seems the only option available for day trips from Beijing.

Our final meal in the city and we were very curious about the famous Wangpangzi Donkey burger chain. Sorry, but I have to try, for you the reader. Served in a crispy bread bap, with spring onion and fresh chillies, it was really delicious! 2 for a quid makes it a very satisfying dinner.

19/04/17 BEIJING TO SHANGHAI G115 train departing at 09.22 Duration: 5hrs 40mins £60 (approx) second class seat

It was great to be back on the People's Railway. The high speed network here is rapidly expanding and makes a mockery of the uk's struggle to try to shade 30 minutes off the London to Birmingham route. Here it actually serves a useful purpose: to move the vast, always on the move population between the sprawling metropolises.

We were en route to Shanghai, a near 900 mile journey that can be done in under 5 hours, and we hoped a slightly slower, mid morning Wednesday 'G-train' would be relatively quiet, but the herds of wheely suitcases just kept on rolling down the isles filling up the luggage racks around us. Luckily the G-Train offers ample leg room to stretch out, but any chance of nodding off for a midday nap were dashed when we realised the 'adults' sat around us liked to play loud video games on their mobiles.

Shanghai is much cleaner and a bit more orderly than the manic streets of Beijing. It has a much more western feel, big shiny sky scrappers and more chain stores on offer. Despite this, it retains a real buzz of life that we were to see throughout China.

The Chinese live outside, front windows are turned into makeshift takeaway food joints, parks become outside gyms where people of all ages unashamedly stretch out their limbs placing them over heads, up onto monkey bars (very flexible people) and really unwind after the daily stresses of city life. It seems no one eats at home, everyone utilises the cheap local restaurants, dumpling soup kitchens and filled steam bun stands for their breakfast lunch and dinner.

After the expenses of the great wall tour we needed to start reigning in our spending if we were to stay within budget. For such a long period away it would be too easy for spending to spiral out of control. Me and Louisa had a very strict long term economic plan and it centred around cheap food. In Shanghai it was all about the dumpling soup. For a quid we could get a big bowl of ten veggie or pork filled dumplings in a hot spicy soup. Also, Steamed buns, which were becoming a staple of the trip, filled with curried cabbage was our favourite of the many varieties you can find on most streets.

It was great to meet up with Chairman Matt (as he is known locally) and some of the other Shanghai expats in the evening. We were treated to a feast of food at 'Grandmothers Home' restaurant on our final night in the city. We were then taken back in time to the late 90's /early 00's at 'Ellens', a dive bar where a few rebellious local youth like to down shots to pumping tunes. The staircase up to this venue is bricked up for some reason, leaving the elevator as the only escape from the 3rd floor venue. (Keith Lard, of phoenix nights fame, would have a fit!) With a busy restaurant on the floor above, using the same elevator, it was a long wait for our group of 6 to leave and move onto the next watering hole.

21/04/17 SHANGHAI TO XI'AN Z92 Train departing at 18.44 Duration: 14hrs 45mins Soft Sleeper - £52

The Z92 sleeper train pulled out of the main Shanghai railway station at sunset. Being a Friday it was packed with people heading home for the weekend. Luckily for us, no one took up the other bunk beds in our 4 bed compartment and we were able to spread out and enjoy a romantic chicken and mushroom pot noodle dinner for two. Served with tomatoes, and bread for dipping in the left over soup.

The most distinctive feature of Xi'an, and you see it as soon as you arrive at the main railway station, is the iconic perimeter wall that surrounds the old central part of the city. The wall dates back six centuries and extends for more than 14km and you can walk all the way around the top of it. At 12 meters high it makes for a pleasant stroll to take in the sights of the city. We walked the whole lot and in doing so smashed our daily steps record for the trip with a score of 37,564 (21.3 km) taking our 7 day average up to an impressive 24,000.

At night, along with the drum and bell towers, the wall is lit up with rows of red lanterns and spotlights that reflect attractively in the waters of the surrounding moat. You really get a feel for the old ancient, mystical China when in Xi'an. You also start to see a more diverse ethnic mix in the population. Xi'an is the start/end point of the ancient silk road, and as well as being a famous trading route for goods, over time traders from the predominantly muslim middle east and central asia have ended up settling here.

The Muslim quarter of the city is characterised by it's minuet domes and it's famous nightly food market, which is a real pull for two hungry travellers on the look out for a cheap meal. The hand stretched noodles are famous and the men cutting them up and whipping them on the ground draws crowds. We are cajoled by an eager host into a nearby noodle cafe to try some of them. Without choosing, ours are covered in a peanut butter sauce, and a sprinkling of veg and chilli on top.

Again, like in Beijing and Shanghai, the public parks here are heaving with locals stretching, running, playing table tennis, dominoes. The Xi'an 'peoples parks' are particularly charming as they border the outside of the medieval perimeter wall.

23/04/17 XI'AN TO URUMQI Z105 Train departing at 11.02 Duration: 24hrs 13mins Soft Sleeper £75

Two local Xi'an lads heading west for the week shared our 4 person berth. They looked like they were on a 'business' trip of some sort. Maybe someone at the Xinjiang end of the business wasn't playing ball? Lo spotted the armani jeans and high heeled leather ankle boots, along with a rolling stones live in Zurich 1817(?) t shirt. Also, a faded England football cap, worn with the bent visa as if on his way to tear up some quiet Belgian town at euro 2000.

The first hour of a 25 hour journey was a struggle to settle in. Our cabin was in a bit of a state from the night before, the occupants from Jinan to Xi'an had left half empty pot noodles and an overflowing bin for us. The Chinese carriage attendants didn't seem too bothered about it, and there was no way Chinese Danny Dyer, a toothpick in mouth kinda guy, or his pot bellied mate were clearing it up.

We enquired with our new friends where they were heading, and a glance at the time table showed they would be leaving us around 1am which offered hope of some space and a bit of peace and quiet overnight. This is customary chit chat on long sleeper journeys. People act polite in asking where each other is going, inside you are all just hoping the others are f***ing off soon so you can have the compartment to yourself. We had it easy on the Shanghai to Xi'an leg, no one to share with, a delightful introduction to long haul train journeys for Lo.

Things got a bit confused at Lanzhou station around sunset. Me and Lo are outside stretching our legs haggling for some apples from one of the platform food sellers. We come back to find we have been joined by another room mate for the night. That makes it 5 people sharing a 4 bed compartment? Confusion all round for a while, especially from our new Lanzhou buddy who's not sure where to put his stuff. He is a big lad, chubby baby faced, no older than 20, carrying a bag of sweets and watching videos out loud on his extra large samsung mobile. This is obviously alarming, coming up to bed time. But what really concerns us is his heavy breathing, especially as he struggles up to his top bunk berth. He is going to be a big snorer and me and Lo know it. Along with Danny, a heavy smoker, it could be a long night ahead...

It turns out Danny's mate doesn't even have a ticket for this bit, he is supposed to be a carriage down, slumming it in hard sleeper (third class) but has just been hanging out with us for the day at no extra cost. As we make up our beds for the night, making it clear to all that we are wanting some sleep, Danny's mate finally leaves us for his actual seat, and all is quiet for about 5 mins before the crescendo of gargling throat noise begins from the beds opposite.

Danny left us at Jiuaguan station at 1am, the door slamming shut behind him woke up the big lad on the top bunk, and we had a brief spell of quiet as he rolled onto his side into the recovery position and began breathing a bit easier.

That was now the aim of the game for me and Lo. Every time he rolled on to his back and started bellowing out his struggling diaphragm rhythms, we had to try and wake him up. I tried a loud clap of the hands, this woke him up but didn't force him to turn over. Lo would scream "for f*cks sake, please stop!" again, this woke him up in a mild state of bemusement and for a few seconds we would have peace before he started up again. Lo eventually lost it and grabbed his arm and shook him. I switched on my bedside light and as he looked down at me wondering what the hell was going on, I begged him "please just stop that noise!" and hand signalled for him to turn over. I don't think he spoke a word of the queens but he got the message and we finally got some sleep before he left us at 6am at Hami Station, a small town on the ancient silk road famous for it's sweet melons.

The rolling desert landscape seemed like it would go on forever until out of nowhere appears this huge ugly looking metropolis in the distance. Exiting Urumqi South station and we knew we had arrived in Central Asia. The world's Uyghur Muslim population is around 8 million. 7.5 million of them live here, in the Xianjing Uyghur Autonomous Province of China, known to Uyghur's as East Turkestan. It's the largest but least populated of the 23 Chinese provinces.

Trouble has been brewing here in the provincial capital in recent years, a growing separatist movement claims that the region, which they view as their homeland and refer to as "East Turkestan", is not part of China, but was invaded by China in 1949 and has been under Chinese occupation since then. China asserts that the region has been part of China since ancient times, and now calls it Xinjiang Province. Xinjiang, literally meaning "New Territory" or, officially, "old territory returned to the motherland". As such, tensions are high in Urumqi, and after a few bloody terrorist car bomb attacks in recent years, there is a heavy military presence on exiting the station.

Our hotel in the centre of town, had two security guards armed with riot shields at the entrance, a tad unnerving, especially as you had to wonder what good the rather elderly looking dads army guards would do if a another riot did break out on the streets.

Urumqi provided cooler temperatures than we had experienced since Beijing, and 4 nights here with not much in the way of tourist sights to see, we bunkered down in our executive suite hotel room and recharged, ahead of our journey into deepest Central Asia. The executive suit came at no extra cost after Lo demanded we get a room that didn't smell of smoke. This suite still smelt a bit and despite it being a clearly signed non smoking room, it still had an ashtray either side of the bed and one in the bathroom. But it was huge, so we took it.

The hotel £2 all you can eat breakfast buffet, was putting too much of a dent in our daily budget, so we had to turn it into a breakfast and a lunch buffet. Trick was to turn up just before it finished at 11, take our sweet time eating as many eggs boiled in tea (it's a thing in China) as we could stomach, and filling up a small bag of bread and jam spreads as we went up for seconds and thirds.

To the south of the city was the rather tacky looking, 1980's built grand bazaar. It was supposed to recreate the feel of the once bustling silk road markets that would have flourished here before the Chinese turned the city into a concrete jungle. A walk around the Bazaar felt more like a stroll around the elephant and castle shopping centre, but without the DVD sellers (which is quite ironic) and instead, sacks of spices and nuts for sale.

Some great food is to be had around the side streets of the bazaar. We tried our first plate of 'pollo' (mutton and rice) an Uyghur staple, and a decent pot of tea to wash it down. The most common food stall's here serve the famous naan like bread. Large furnace ovens are constantly churning them out, and they are delicious plain (great for dipping in yogurt), with almonds and red beans, or sweeter ones with raisins and sugar inside.

The regional museum killed an hour, the walk up to it about 2 hours. Urumqi is probably the most unfriendly city for pedestrians I have ever been to. Gridlocked, six lane highways everywhere, pavements often disappear without warning or are turned into car parks, pedestrian crossing lights often don't work, and some of the most bizarre raised walkway constructs you will see in a 21st century city. The people's park and hongshan park are the only escapes from the chaos.

We boarded the Saturday night K9595 train from Urumqi South bound for the Khazakstan border and eventually, after 33 hours, we would arrive Almaty.

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