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writer-panda · 4 years ago

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The Hit on the Groom and What Became of It - Chapter 4/I’ll never let you down (in an open casket)

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The Hit on the Groom and What Became of It - Chapter 4/I’ll never let you down (in an open casket)

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As she hanged up, Marinette rushed to the doors and let her mother in. The previous night she spent mostly on working with Kwamis to prepare. Most were in agreement that she needed to act and not leave her kitty’s fate to chance. Tikki protested for a bit, but in the end, she saw that there was no changing Marinette’s mind and joined in on scheming. Except she had no way of tracking Adrien. Not… until she received the call!

Except now her mother entered. Sabine greeted her daughter by giving her a bone-crushing hug.

“I was so worried! When the police called I couldn’t just sit there and wait!”

“Maman. It’s alright. I’m okay. See?” The girl did break away from the hug and smiled.

“I know. But I couldn’t help but worry.”

“Maman… Adrien’s been kidnapped.”

“I know.” Her mother’s expression didn’t reveal any emotions now.

“I… he’s been miserable ever since that wedding mess, and now this.”

“I know.” Again, nothing.

“He’s my friend.”

“Not the love of your life?” Sabine questioned with a bit of amusement in her voice.

“No. He doesn’t need another fangirl. He needs a friend. Someone who can support him. I… I wasn’t a good friend before this…” She didn’t reveal that she wasn’t a great partner either. Chat hid things well, but from time to time his shell cracked. She should’ve seen the signs. She could’ve done something. Or at least do something with Lila. She had connections and Lila deserved a lawsuit or five.

“Oh, sweety. You were a great friend. You are a great friend. I’m happy to see you’re not about to chase after some misguided love, but after friendship.”

“I know I’m only… wait, what?” Marinette.exe stopped working. If the problem keeps repeating itself, please contact customer service or the nearest Kwami.

“When I was fifteen, I dropped out of… school to explore the world on my own. It wasn’t until a few years later that I met your father.” Sabine said in a bit dreamy voice like she was reminiscing. “We had several adventures across Europe before finally settling down in Paris.”

“But… Papa’s a baker.” Marinette protested. “I thought he was always a baker, like his father.”

In response, her mother chuckled. “No. Your father had much more in common with your Nona than with his father. I met him when he was fighting in an underground cage-fighting club.”

“Whoa…” Marinette’s eyes widened. That was a story she never heard before. “So how did you two got together?”

“I will tell you some other time. The point is, I know that even if I took you to Paris with me, you would’ve run away to look for your friend.”

“Maman!” For a moment, the girl wanted to protest. But then she decided that there was no point. “Yes… you’re right. But I can’t just let it happen! If the police find him, he will end up back with his father!”

“I know. And what’ll you do about it?” Her mother had this mysterious smirk on her face.

“I guess… I need to be the one to find him. I will get him situated somewhere safe. Maybe stay with him for a bit. He’s smart. And a quick learner.” He mastered being a superhero faster than I did.

“Good. Then you have my blessing.”

“I can’t just abandon-” Marinette.exe stopped working again. Contacting the customer service might be in order. Technically, Sabine kept hinting about it. Practically, Marinette would miss a clue even if she was holding a gun to its head. “I have your what now?”

“You can go. Save him. Find yourself. And maybe kick some asses while you’re at it.”

“Most parents would be worried sick about their not-yet-adult children running off to an adventure.”

“You wanted to know how I met your father. The answer is I was the first to beat him in that cage.” Sabine’s smirk was replaced with a serious expression. “Of course I will worry, sweety. I’m your mother. But holding you back now will not help you. You’re a strong young woman and to be fair, I’m not sure how we could hold you down. You have steady access to the rooftop and two years of parkour training.”

“What now?”

“Did you honestly think we wouldn’t notice you sneaking off through the balcony?”

“And you didn’t even tell me?”

“It would be hypocritical of us.” Sabine defended. “And if the worse came to happen, I had several… souvenirs from our travel around the world.”

“Thank you, Maman. I promise I will come back; And call you often. Well, maybe not too often.” Marinette already dashed to start packing.

“Of course you will. And don’t get into too much trouble. I would hate to have to go and find you.” Sabine threatened with a bright smile on her face.

“I’ll try, Maman.” The girl was only half-listening now. She couldn’t waste any more time. She learned how to trace the call about one-and-a-half years ago when she was still a bit ‘stalker-ish’.

Sabine watched her daughter with amusement. So many memories returned to her now. Youth mostly well-spent if someone asked her. The ‘mostly’ part came to bite her just that moment as her phone pinged. She quickly checked the message and frowned.

“I’m sorry, my little cupcake, but I need to go check it. An old friend turns out to be in town.”

“I’ll call you later!” Marinette called from where she was furiously working on her laptop.

When Sabine left, the kwamis swarmed her immediately.

“Your mom is so cool!” one of them cooed.

“And she’s one bad-”

“Roaar!” Tikki scolded the tiger kwami.

“What’s the plan, pigtails?”

“Adrien’s call was made from within Gotham City. He’s still here for now. I also managed to track him to Burnley.”

“Didn’t that mercenary you called mention some Lawton?” Trixx offered.

“Yeah. I did try to search him up, but the only one with that name that I managed to find is Zoe Lawton. Wait. There is more!” She beamed up. “An old article in some Mexican newspaper.” She clicked on the link and read it aloud for her co-conspirators “Floyd Lawton, also known as Deadshot, was recently arrested after an assassination of a small group of smugglers. It is yet unknown if it was a hit or was it personal.” The article went on, but there was nothing more of interest.

“So the guy’s a mercenary too? That’s good. He’ll bring Adrien to you.”

“Not so fast. I remember hearing about him. Deadshot is one of the few mercenaries who try to keep some resemblance of a code. He’s also noted to be soft around children.”

“Isn’t Adrien almost an adult though?” Kaalki asked rather uncaring.

“Have you met the guy? He’s a literal ray of sunshine!” Plagg protested.

“So… he won’t deliver him and won’t return him.” Seeing that some Kwamis didn’t understand her logic, she clarified, “I don’t think that if he learns how Gabe treated his son he will be in any hurry to return him.”

“That makes sense.” The little being all nodded in agreement.

“So what’s the alternative?”

“He could adopt him,” Ziggy suggested.

“Please.” Marinette dismissed the idea. “He’s not Bruce Wayne.”

“He could smuggle him out of the country.”

“No. Everyone’s looking for him.” Roaar countered. “He would try to lay low somewhere.”

“Burley is large and full of potential safe houses.” Marinette started to think. “But there is also a large concentration of organized crime. Alone, we would have a hard time, but if we got them to help…”

“Is it wise to involve more criminals into your schemes Marinette?” Tikki asked skeptically.

“Don’t worry, sugarcube. To catch a bird you need wings. To catch a criminal you need crime.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

“What’s the worse that could happen? I will go there as Seamstress. I won’t even appear in person. Right, Trixx?”

“You can count on it.” The fox kwami grinned.

“But… but…” Tikki wanted to scream her head off. Why did the previous guardian choose a juvenile criminal for her holder. Marinette used to be such a sweet girl. Where did Tikki go wrong?

---------

It was dark when an eerie mist filled one of the less-than-legal clubs in Burnley. From among the smoke, a figure entered. She was wearing a godet-type black dress with a side-cut that reached to her belt. The dress was overlayed with a very visible deep-blue corset that pronounced her blue eyes. It had some intricate laces on it. She also wore a puffy-sleeved blazer (also black, but with a dark blue finish) with large and very pronounced cuffs. Around her neck was a white double jabot fixed to a choker with a large black gem surrounded by diamonds. Her long deep-blue hair was let loose and hung over her shoulder. A simple black-and-white domino mask hid her features.

As she marched, one of her legs shifted the fabric to reveal she was wearing dark-blue socks reaching above her knee and black leather boots. A knife was strapped to the right one and several leather strips around her thigh and knee suggested she had more weapons on her.

One of the men whistled.

“Looks like the entertainment arrived, boys!” Several cheered at that shout. At least until the man who dared to say it ended pinned to a wall with a rather large needle holding his jacket in place. It was also uncomfortably close to his jugular.

“I’m not entertainment.” The Seamstress hissed.

“Then you’re not invited.” Several men got up, many were holding now-empty bottled which they turned into impromptu weapons.

“You will help me find what was taken from me.” She demanded.

“Yeah? Or?” One of the men laughed before charging at her.

What followed next was perhaps the strangest carnage Gotham City has seen in years. The Seamstress danced between the attacks with almost unnatural grace and agility while stabbing the attackers in various places with large needles. None of the hits were life-threatening and most would heal within hours. The wounds were meant to incapacitate with minimal long-term damage.

By the time she reached the far end of the bar, almost every man was laid out on the ground groaning in pain or scrambling in fear.

“I am not asking. You will be rewarded for your obedience.” She then disappeared into the back alley. One brave/foolish enough who still had some fight left rushed after her, only to find the place completely empty.

On the rooftop, Marinette let out her breath. She didn’t use any miraculous for that one, but she kept Plagg’s ring on. Chat Noir wasn’t seen in some time, so it would’ve been easier to explain that the ring was stolen by a criminal. She would really need to thank her mother for all the training she forced on her ever since the Akumas started to appear, as well as the lessons during her childhood. Those were all only the most basic grunts tonight, but she got their attention. One of them would run to their boss. There, she could actually do what she planned.

--------

Just like she predicted, some of the less injured guys left the bar in hurry and drove their bikes to another part of the district. They disappeared into a three-story building. The windows were boarded, but some light seeped through on the top floor, so that is where she climbed. Indeed, by hanging on the edge of the window sill, she was able to hear the panicked screams inside.

“...and then she just disappeared! It was like that damn Bat, only much more terrifying. She was so small, and yet there was this… this… aura of power.”

Thank you Chloe for being queen B. Marinette stifled a laugh. Mimicking Chloe was the right choice.

“Probably another one of his useless brats.” The boss dismissed them. Marinette decided that it would make the best impression if she contradicted him right now.

She wondered for a moment how to enter the armored building. She could rip the boards away and enter that way, but she was aiming for ethereal, not brute. In the end, she pulled a pair of glasses and put them over her mask.

“Kaalki. Would you please help me break into headquarters of a criminal organization to scare them into serving me?”

“How many sugar cubes is it worth?”

“Ten. No more, no less.” Marinette had a small window of opportunity.

“You’ve got a deal.”

“Kaalki! Full gallop!” The light enveloped Marinette. When it died down, she was still in her outfit, only now the blue accents were brown instead. The gem on her neck held the symbol of a horse miraculous. “I love magical clothes. So easy to maintain the image.” Marinette muttered before a blue portal opened before her and she entered.

Inside, the five men (two who came to report, the boss, and his two guards) watched as the blue portal opened before them. The mist started to pour through it as well as through the boarded window. A figure calmly stepped inside.

“I didn’t expect the Gotham criminal organizations to be so… cliche.” She commented. Two needles sailed through the air and pinned the guards to the wall. Her horseshoe weapon waited patiently on her back should she need to use it.

“Who… who’re you?”

“Me? Oh. I’m The Seamstress. I had business in Gotham, but a fool dared to double-cross me. I need to find him.”

“Why… W-why shou-should w-we help… help you?” One of the guys from the bar asked.

“Oh. I’m not asking. I’m telling you that you’ll help me.” She informed. “I’m about to make you an offer you shouldn’t refuse.”

The boss was now shaking. Damn city with its damn overpowered supervillains. They think they can simply run things as they want. First Red Hood took out most of the top brass of the underworld and then this? Working on his father’s farm was sounding more and more appealing. Then there was the shouldn’t. The reference to the classic movie was not lost, but she said shouldn’t. Not can’t. Once more he remembered how Red Hood took over. Submit, or die. This was the same. She clearly wouldn’t hesitate. He liked to think he could see those things.

“I’m waiting.” The lady growled. “I’m not used to waiting.” Channeling Chloe is actually fun here.

“Fine. You can have my seat. I’m going back to dad’s farm. Just let me go and you can have them.” The boss stood from his seat and motioned for her.

Marinette.exe is not responding. Do you want to execute the process? Not yet.

She managed to keep enough cool to smile and take the seat, although she didn’t even register what was that.

She would panic later. For now, tracking Adrien. “I need to find where Floyd Lawton, also called Deadshot, is hiding with my… asset.”

“It… I will see to it, Boss… lady.” One of the guys from the bar nodded very fast before rushing out of the room.

“I… will bring you the list of current assets.” One of the guards informed and walked somewhere. They were used to aggressive takeovers. This was their third. Boss change, guards remain. This was honestly the first time the previous boss managed to escape with his life.

Meanwhile, Marinette finally realized what just happened. She really wanted to hit her head on the desk, but she was too afraid to show any signs of weakness. Why did she end up in this mess again?

----------

Sabine Cheng was waiting for her plane back when an airport guard approached her.

“Lady Cheng?” Sabine’s blood froze for a moment, but she refused to show any outward reaction at her past codename. “There is a man who wishes to discuss some… past debts.”

Damn it. And here she thought that bald bastard would forget about her. He had several more suitable people. He knew the risks of angering her.

Then again, she knew not to anger him either.

“Lead the way.” Her face was stone cold as she stood up.

Inside a comfortable private lodge sat a blad man in a suit more expensive than the yearly revenue of her bakery.

“Ah… Lady Cheng. I’m so happy you could’ve joined us.”

Sabine looked around and noticed that there was another man there, standing slightly in the shadows. A man she came to despise just as much as Luthor. Standing there was Gabriel Agreste.

“I can’t return the pleasure, Luthor.” She snarled, not letting her gaze drop from Agreste.

“Figured you’d say that.” The billionaire laughed. “But it doesn’t change that you came.”

“Be quick. I’ve got a plane to catch.”

“About that.” Lex smiled. “I’m afraid you won’t be on that plane. I need you to do something for me.”

“Sadly, my calendar is full for the foreseeable future.” She retorted coldly.

“Then you will clean it. Unless that is, you want me to tell my good friend the president about your little assignment for me twenty years ago. If I recall, your pardon didn’t cover that particular crime.” The man chuckled.

The only upside of this whole situation to Sabine was that Agreste finally realized exactly who she was. Or at least how dangerous she was. The deal she made ensured that Lady Cheng disappeared from everywhere but some people’s memory. To her dismay, Lex didn’t forget. And he still had that damning evidence.

She also knew exactly what was the job.

“I don’t do jobs involving kids, Luthor.” She seethed through gritted teeth. It wouldn’t matter, but she hoped it would at least give him a pause.

“Adrien Agreste was about to be married. I think that can calm your conscience. He was all but adult.” That despicable man dismissed her concern, as she predicted.

“I’m a little rusty. Don’t you have someone younger? Someone who would actually want to do this?” Sabine deadpanned. She kept true to the deal she made for her and her husband’s pardon and didn’t do any… extracurricular work.

“Alas, the fact you’re unwilling is why I need you. You see, the client, whoever they are, picked Agreste Jr. as a target in a… battle royale of sorts. It quickly stopped being about the ludicrous money reward. It’s now about proving who’s the best. And they won’t stop until they deliver him to that mysterious Seamstress.”

“So what do you want? I’m sure you could’ve bought some of them to drop the glory part.” She really didn’t want to do this.

“I offered to pay five times the price, but most of the competent ones want a shot at whatever that job is. A mysterious benefactor with no history, nonexistent in any database in the world, paying a small fortune for a simple job and offering further work? Doesn’t it sound familiar?” Lex reclined in his chair and smiled.

“One job only. I want everything you have on me. And ten times the bounty.” She noted his discomfort. “Don’t give me that look, Luthor. You can afford it. My daughter’s about to start a university.” Sabine turned to Gabriel. “I must thank you for the idea. Homeschooling really helps when one is gifted.”

“I’m sure we can come to an agreement,” Lex grumbled. If he didn’t know the quality of her works, he would’ve laughed at the price. Except he foolishly revealed that he was desperate.

“Oh, I’m sure we can.” Sabine smiled. She was like a cat that just caught a mouse.

#maribat #miraculous #ladybug #miraculous ladybug #mlb #mlb x dc #dc #DC comics #dcu #batman #Hit on the groom

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artificialqueens · 5 years ago

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1999, Chapter One (Jaida/Crystal) - Roza

summary: jaida is a foreign policy advisor to the government during the cold war and travels to france for diplomacy work. crystal has her hands tied behind her back but can’t help but enjoy every last day she has and live it to the fullest even if it means interfering with jaida’s own work.

author's note: mamma mia here I go again with another songfic based on history. part of me loves this concept because I am about to major in international relations after next year so I hope this will come off okay, was feeling extra inspired. thank you jankie candle for screaming about jaida’s hair.

AO3 Link / My Tumblr: @leljaaa / ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ

— *.✧

June 26th 1986.

Washington D.C., USA.

“So you’re being assigned to head to France I’ve heard,” Trinity grinned as Jaida lifted her head from her stack of paperwork, attempting to make it somewhat neat and organized as she nodded her head. The Milwaukee native hummed in response to the comment, neither confirming or denying if that was true.

Jaida flipped her long, curly hair with a grin painted across her lips as she admitted that she was indeed going to France, insighting that it was her first real and big task. “I am going over to try and talk to some other diplomats about the possibility of nuclear war, you know, the fun stuff,” she joked as Trinity rolled her eyes.

“Well, a lot has happened since you’ve been here working for the government unfortunately,” Trinity replied somber as the brunette finished up throwing the old documents in the garbage bin behind Jaida’s desk. “You’re gonna do great, maybe you’ll finally get inside those stupid men’s heads.”

“I will do what I have to, It’s my job after all,” Jaida explained softly before stapling the final stack of documents that had been placed on her desk before scoffing at the second sentiment knowing that she was most likely going to be the only woman of colour at that table.

"Men are fucking stupid, the fact they even have positions of power is incredible to me," Jaida mumbled under breath as she stacked her papers neatly on Trinity's desk as she heard her friend cackle loudly.

“What? I am not lying! I am the culmination of everything men in politics hate: young, black, educated and a woman.”

Trinity sighed, knowing that she could not exactly disagree with that sentiment at all. Jaida was young and passionate and had a drive and was extremely charming but yet would never be taken seriously even if she had graduated Princeton and had earned her position.

"Child just wait and see, if this talk doesn't go well then we'll be one step closer to nuclear war."

"Because we truly can't get any closer," the native Floridian huffed before she heard Jaida's recognizable laugh fill the space. The two spoke about how the American felt about living and being in Paris for the next few months and the twenty six year old only felt excitement.

"I'll be turning twenty-seven in Paris," Jaida squealed as she chuckled, telling Trinity about how badly she dreamed about being a designer before she got into the realm of politics and how her childhood destiny was to live near the Eiffel Tower and make a successful clothing brand.

"How basic," Trinity replied jokingly before Jaida smacked her shoulder. "You make most of your own clothes anyway, you've accomplished a bit of your childhood dream at least."

That was quite true, Jaida was used to making her own clothing and designs especially when she first moved to Washington D.C. and didn't yet have her government salary to live off of. It was an expensive city but eventually she earned enough money to travel and get by.

"It gives me something to do when I don't wanna think about politics and I look damn good always so I consider it a win, win situation," Jaida winked as she ran her hands down her purple dress.

"Well, have fun when you can; you never know how much time we might have left," Trinity added somber before lifting up the tone and asking for Jaida to bring her back a cute souvenir or flag for her wall at home in Orlando.

Jaida leaned against her desk, clearing her throat as she asked the brunette about how everything was going with her partner though they didn't say a word, only communicating in glances.

"She's good," Trinity finally said aloud as Jaida clapped happily, thankful to hear that her partner was safe and okay back in Florida considering all of the uncertainty and scare building around the AIDS Crisis.

"Good. I'll bring you and Detox something from Paris and that's a promise, I'll probably be stuck at the airport for a few hours anyway," Jaida manifested before she ran her hands through her hair smiling wide, still excited at the prospect of going to such a high profile conference.

"You'll do great for sure, you're the only one I would even pay any attention to."

Jaida rolled her eyes though she knew Trinity was being quite serious and was simply speaking the truth, as she always did.

"I am leaving early today to go and pack because my flight is in a few days but if you want to help me I am happily inviting you to help me decide what to bring," Jaida asked chipper though Trinity looked as if she wanted absolutely no part of that.

"I don't know—can I truly take three hours of looking through your closet for you to only pick the worst outfits?" Trinity pondered teasingly before Jaida scoffed, offended.

"No need to be so shady, I will give you alcohol if you come and help."

"Done deal."

Jaida grinned, if there was one thing that could possibly win over any woman who worked with fumbling men all day it was absolutely wine or hard liquor. "Great, you just knock on my door and I'll be home," she promised before Trinity nodded and leaned against her doorway asking if she wanted any more help.

"You've helped enough."

"Then I will see you in a few hours, I expect good alcohol," Trinity called out before closing Jaida's door firmly. The younger woman jumped a bit to the loud noise before turning her head back to her work.

She sunk in her chair, counting down the days on her small calendar that faced her desk knowing that she was going to be in France soon enough for better or for worse.

If everything goes to shit then at least I'll die nice and pretty in Paris.

— *.✧

June 28th 1986.

Paris, France

"I am finally home!"

Jackie's head turned the moment she heard her roommate's familiar voice, her eyes gently glanced up from the words of her novel up to Crystal who waved two thick stacks of money in front of her face before quickly shutting the door behind her.

"Oh Crystal…"

"Here you are," Crystal hummed as she tossed Jackie the stack of French Francs her way. The redhead stuffed her hands inside of her dyed purple fur coat before seeing Jackie's expression suddenly harden.

"I got it completely legal and it is not counterfeit do not give me that look," Crystal clarified as Jackie sighed heavily, not even wanting to ask any questions as she knew she'd receive absolutely no solid answers from her roommate.

Crystal threw off her jacket as she revealed her matching lilac ensemble before turning her attention towards their quaint kitchen. "Now you can finally take Gigi on a nice date finally," she added aloud before letting her hair flow down to her hips.

The Persian rolled her eyes, biting her tongue as her fingers sifted through the colourful, thick wad of cash. Jackie shook her head, assuming that the activities that Crystal had to do to earn this money were certainly not worth it.

"What did you do this time?" The Middle Eastern woman asked as she sat up against the couch in their apartment, Jackie reaching for the remote as she lowered the television set. "What did you do to almost get arrested this time?"

Crystal giggled before correcting Jackie that no police had been involved for this specific encounter.

"I sold some drugs for them to tell me some dirt on the Soviet Union and give us money of course," Crystal replied as if she was bored of the subject and it was just another day of work coming home from something miniscule like an office job. "Typical espionage things," the Mexican girl grinned as she shuffled in their kitchen as she looked for some kind of beverage.

"You seem angry for someone who is holding an entire tower of cash."

"You got yourself into this mess, not me," Jackie spat as the Persian let the cash fall onto the table with a hard thud before she turned her attention back to her book, attempting not to start an entire conversation and rant about how much danger Crystal was putting herself in everyday just for some cash.

"Do not educate me on the politics of the Soviet Union or NATO or I will throw this soda in your face and that's a promise," Crystal grumbled gently to her friend before taking a long sip of Cola. "I am doing this because I need the money and need to support us while you're out of a job."

Jackie couldn't argue with that.

Crystal jumped onto the brown couch with a wide grin as she offered the Persian some of her drink, Jackie declined as she returned to her books as always.

"You're so boring! You should come to the nightclub with me tonight, you can't expect me to let you just stay here rubbing your nose into your long and boring."

"They're not boring!"

"There's no pictures," Crystal whispered offended before the Persian chuckled amused at her antics though she was quite uneasy about even the idea of going to the club with Crystal made her wince.

"I don't know, I'd rather not spend money on overpriced alcohol and pass out on the streets of Paris with you."

"This war is gonna kill all of us soon eventually, we might as well party and swallow alcohol by the dozen while we still can," Crystal replied a bit too bright for something as serious as the looming threat of nuclear war.

"You have such an optimistic opinion when it comes to this stuff, I'm both impressed and mildly horrified."

Crystal shrugged, everyone seemed to think this entire decade was going to be the last in human history. Even if it was—which it might damn well be: why waste your time moping around at home? There were so many things to see and do and now was the time to finally break away from authority and party until you passed out.

"I'm not a politician, I just want to have fun with my roommate before everything goes downward is all," Crystal admitted as she finished up her can of sugary soda with a sigh of euphoria.

"Also Nicky really wants to see you," Crystal teased as she rubbed her shoulder against Jackie's intent on getting the Persian out of their apartment for at least a night.

"I don't exactly think I however need to see her."

The redhead gasped surprised that Jackie had seemed to move on so quickly from the French woman. "You two were so cute together, I will make this pair happen again even if I think Gigi is good fun and all," Crystal rambled before seeing the Persian cock a brow, crossing her arms.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," the redhead responded on the dot as she noticed Jackie's facial expression change almost immediately at the idea of Crystal trying to put her and Nicky together again in a romantic sense.

"Just trying to help out my fellow immigrant sister," the Mexican smirked as she pushed Jackie's hair back and out of her face. The Persian flushed, aggravated knowing that Crystal was not going to stop unless she agreed to go to the stupid nightclub.

"Fine, I'll go with you," Jackie finally said as Crystal squealed in excitement, immediately grabbing the Persian's hand as she dragged her to their closet needing to know what she was going to wear.

"I have people you need to impress," Crystal joked playfully though she was quite serious knowing that she had to do some dirty work to get her next paycheck.

Jackie smiled completely unamused, "I am not about to be roped into your stupid spy game and you better leave me out of it," the immigrant commented serious as Crystal rubbed her shoulders telling her to calm down.

"You're truly absolutely no fun."

"I'm serious, do not rope me into any kind of game, this is the last thing I need right now after leaving all of my family back home in Iran."

Crystal raised her hands in defeat as she promised the Persian that there would be no funny business. "You have my word," the redhead said smiling softly as she pulled out various dresses from the closet in front of them.

Though that word just might break to help the both of us. I might need your help for this…

"Now, let's see what you're gonna wear!"

— *.✧

June 29th 1986.

Paris, France

Jaida felt like she had stuck in the same room for almost three hours and judging by the watch around her wrist; she was not too far off with her original estimate.

The ministry was beautiful and was far more enjoyable to look at during a tour than it was to be an advisor inside that same building. The American sighed under her breath, making an attempt not to look completely bored and angered with how things were currently shaping up to be at the moment.

Child if I hear one more time about the World Cup during this meeting…

As expected, the woman had yet to even get a single sentence in though she supposed it was not too much of a surprise considering the room was filled namely with old, almost all white, over the ages of fifty five.

"Is anyone going to actually speak about the problem at hand or are we just going to ignore the threat of Nuclear War that's on everybody's shoulders?" Jaida finally spoke up as almost all of the advisors and diplomats in the room seemed impressed and offended she had even spoken up.

"What say the woman, do you have an idea to bring world peace?"

Jaida smiled, knowing deep within her heart that her snapping at a man in her own league over being a prick was not the best idea. Not yet .

"We have a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, enough ballistic missiles to end this entire planet and not to mention the complete disregard for human rights but go on, talk about your sport event that certainly won't exist after Gorbachev pushes that button."

The conversation quickly escalated to how it was both Soviet and American forces pushing this threat and how Jaida was being blinded by her own country's policies to only bring up the Soviet Union.

Well... they're at least on topic now.

Whoever said diplomacy was peaceful clearly had never seen any kind of meeting, summit or assembly in action.

Jaida couldn't say that they were wrong, it was every country that was poking at one another, they all had blame even if she had to swallow the fact that her own government was completely picking and choosing what issues to care about.

Another hour passed before they were dismissed for their own two hour break. They had at least made it to screaming about the topic and current issues going on in politics and not sports.

"Meeting is adjourned."

Jaida wanted to scream "Hallelujah," as she exited the room that had become stuffy and filled to the brim with nothing but tension and uncomfortable silence.

The advisors were beginning to at least agree upon the idea of a summit of some sorts though the details were scattered and messy.

She knew that she was completely the odd one out though she was determined to show she was not just some kind of diversity quota. The American immediately headed for the restroom knowing that holding everything in for almost four hours was truly not the brightest idea.

Nobody seems to care about the fact people are being harmed except me.

Jaida walked into one of the stalls as she tapped her fingertip's against her bare skin with a heavy sigh.

She at least certainly looked the best though it wasn't exactly a fair comparison when she had a black, tight, perfectly fitting dress with beautiful custom jewels around the waist as opposed to the dozens of black and white suits that filled the room.

The American washed her hands thoroughly as she noticed another woman beside her. She attempted not to stare knowing it was impolite and a bit too flamboyant during times like these with everything going around.

"You can say I'm pretty," the woman beside her finally spoke up as Jaida laughed, amused though her cheeks turned a bright red as she prayed that this wasn't some kind of intervention.

"Shy?" The redhead asked as she wore a tight and short floral print off the shoulder dress that perfectly seemed to hug her body. Jaida shook her head, managing to spew out that she really enjoyed the dress and fabric she currently had on.

"From someone who looks like a statue I'm so honoured," the mysterious woman winked as Jaida laughed nervously before adjusting her hair and giving in to the glances sent her way.

"I'm Jaida," the American finally spoke before holding out her hand for the other to take. She explained how she was currently in the meeting down at the Ministers cabinet as part of her job.

"Oh she's a diplomat is she?" the woman grinned before she accepted her hand. She shook it firmly before introducing herself as Crystal. "I'm not that educated and smart, I'm just here to get some work done for my uncle," she managed to get out confidently.

"Crystal," Jaida repeated with a slight smile printed across her lips as she noticed Crystal's own grin appear as she reapplied her dark red lipstick.

"How long are you in Paris for?" Crystal asked curious though she knew that this conversation was beginning to unravel far too many questions and ideas than expected.

The Mexican kicked herself for not thinking of a better storyline knowing that she had to steal what she had to before she was kicked out of the building.

I just need these stupid documents… maybe she can help me out here.

"A few months," Jaida admitted carefully not knowing how much trust to put into the woman who seemed certainly beautiful but also a bit younger and more free spirited than her.

"You should come visit my arrondissement," Crystal suggested casually as she began to like the idea of getting to know Jaida for every wrong reason. She was stunning and certainly seemed far more rich and poised than the Mexican who was simply here to snatch some documents and information.

"A native Parisian showing me around?"

The redhead laughed gently, "The Mexican who immigrated to Paris more than ten years ago more like," she corrected as Jaida gasped, her expression reading as if she had been almost relieved to hear that information.

"So someone from North America? Even better," Jaida replied as she explained she was the American foreign policy advisor for the federal government. Crystal did not understand a single word of what she had said except that she was for one thing important but also most likely filled with information she could use.

"When is your meeting finished?"

Jaida chuckled, "The evening, I'll be out of here just before ten at night." Crystal immediately pulled out a sticky note from her bra before asking to borrow the pen the American had attached to her legal pad.

"Meet me tomorrow and I promise I will show you a good time without all the tourists."

Something about this felt oddly staged and it made Jaida's stomach churn just a bit though it also felt wildly engaging and exciting.

The American nodded as she took the note between her fingers.

"You have a deal."

#rpdr fanfiction #jaida essence hall #crystal methyd #jackie cox #gigi goode #trinity taylor #nicky doll #crystal x jaida #gigi x jackie #jackie x nicky #song fic #lesbian au #historical au #eighties au #1999 #roza #s12

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nostalgiaispeace · 4 years ago

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1811.

Have you ever had a computer virus before? yeah

Are you dependent upon anyone? yes

Are there any book characters you’d like to portray? sure.

Who did you last text? my sis

Is there anything on your bed right now? blankets and pillows

When was the last time you went to the grocery store? last week i think What way would you like to die when it’s your time? idk

What are you most afraid of in the world? losing people i love

Have you ever been caving? i’ve been in a cave

Do you do well in math related things? no

What is your favorite fruit? blueberrise

If you had to choose, which sibling would you live with? my sister

Do you have any tattoos? yeah

Are you planning on getting any in the near future? No.

When was your last date? valentines day

When did you get Facebook? 2008

Are any of your family members in jail? no

What was your first pet’s name? Ginger

Are you good when it comes to computer issues? i’m alright

Are there any people at your job who absolutely hates you? -

What was the last book you read? Catching Fire

Have you ever read any books in one day? yes

What was the last thing you bought? dvds

What are your plans for tomorrow? nothing

Is there any jewelry you wear constantly? yes

Are your fingernails painted at the moment? no

Do you prefer cool, warm or neutral colors? warm

Have you ever taken art classes? no

What’s the most boring movie you’ve ever seen? idk

Do you know how to work a cash register? yes

Fact or fiction novels? both

Have you ever suffered from depression? yes

Do you think you’re a clingy person? no

Do you enjoy kisses on the cheek? sure

Have you ever been in a physical fight before? no

How often would you say you disagree with your parents? often i’m sure

What color shirt did you wear yesterday? black

Do you have a job? If so, do you like it? no

Have you ever been called a slut before? yeah

What’s something you’ve been craving? mexican food

Have you ever slept with your window open? yes

Can you play violin? no

What was the last desert you had? chooclate

Have you ever had a wild animal as a pet? no

Do you know anyone you talk to on Facebook but won’t talk to in person? yes

What color are your mother’s eyes? hazel

Do you have a best friend? If so, how long have you been best friends? yes. one since we were 13 and one since 2010

Do you cry easily? yes

Have you ever been into a court room? yes

How many necklaces would you say you own? a few

Do you plan on being strict towards your children? yes

Do you own any tie-dye shirts? yes

What would you say is your favorite day of the week? i don’t have one

Do you ever wear lipstick? no

Do you own a pool? no

Do you have a Tumblr account? obviously

Would you say you’re overweight? i’m average

How many colors are in your hair? one

Do you flirt with a lot of people? no

How many bank accounts do you have? 1

Have you ever been falsely accused of starting drama? Probably.

How old are you? 29

Do you attend church regularly? i wish

Have you ever found a song that describes your whole life? probably

What time did you wake up this morning? 10am

What time do you plan on waking up tomorrow morning? i’m sleeping in

What kind of car do you drive? a chevy cruze

What kind of car would you like to have? 1967 chevy impala

Have you ever been to Dairy Queen? If so, what’s your favorite thing to eat from there? yeah. a burger

How old did you turn on your last birthday? 29

Ever felt like falling apart? yes

Have you ever been in an ambulance? yes

Do you tend to worry a lot? yes

How old were you when you lost your first tooth? 7 i think

Do you remember your first time on the internet? yes

Which website do you email from? yahoo

Do you enjoy receiving souvenirs? yes

Do you get angry with people easily? lately yes

Do a lot of people dislike you or is it the other way around? people dislike me i’m sure

Have you ever had the flu? yes

What about strep throat? no

What would you say is the worst kind of emotional pain? um all kinda

Have you ever been to a psychologist? yes

What’s the worst part about school? waking up early

Do you normally have a lot of homework, if you’re still in school? -

When was your last vacation? idk

Would you ever consider going on a cruise? idk

What did you last buy from the store? food

Would you say you enjoy being single or in a relationship more? i mean i like being married so

Do you try to stay busy a lot? i suppose

What’s your favorite quote? "i am fucking crazy but i am free”

Do you lie a lot? no

Do you still act childish most of the time? probably

Did you ever enjoy gym class? no

What is your biggest insecurity? everything

Have you ever painted a room alone? no

Speaking of which, when did you last paint your room? when i was a teen

What does your favorite jacket / hoodie look like? it’s grey and my husbands lol

What’s for dinner tonight? we had mexican

Do you ever drink alcohol? yes

Have you ever had a terrible hangover? yes

Do you ever get migraines? no

Do you know how to garden? yeah

What was the last thing you plugged into an outlet? charger i’m sure

Do people consider you to be a funny person? i think so

Do you have any bad habits? well yeah

Do you like children? If not, why is this? yes

What is your favorite snack? string cheese

Do you own any gaming systems? yes

How old were your parents when they had you? my mom was 29. i think my dad was 25

Is there a big age difference between you and the person you like? just 5 years

Do you trashtalk people a lot? yeah lol

What is the most amusing thing on the internet, in your opinion? "woke” teens

Does the future excite you or scare you? scares me

Have you ever been to Disney World? If so, how many times have you been? no

Do you try to spend a lot of time with family? no

How often do you shower? i try to every day

What would you say is your favorite genre of music? metal

Do you need to clean your bedroom? yeah

What do you plan on doing with the rest of your life? idk

Do you enjoy Chinese food? yeah

Do you smile a lot? not really

What is your favorite movie from the nineties? Titanic

Which decade were you born in? 90s

Are you good at giving advice to people? >> I don’t know, I don’t usually do it.

How many huge secrets do you have? a few

How many people know these secrets? a few

How many times a day do you brush your teeth? twice

Do you ever floss? yes

Have you ever been in a long-term relationship? yes

Ever considered suicide? If so, did you try to commit suicide? yes and yes but you shouldn’t ask people this.

Is there anyone out there who makes you feel completely useless? yes

Do you like texting or calling people more? depends

What’s your favorite band? flyleaf

Do you have a lot of friends? no

Have you ever painted something and been impressed by it? no

Would you rather go out to eat or stay in? either is fine

When did you last babysit, if ever? when i was a teen

Do you have any younger siblings? yes

Have you ever thought of someone as useless? idk

Have you ever considered bleaching your hair? yes

Do you drink vitamin water? no

Do you ever straighten your hair? yeah

What’s the best way to end a conversation? idk

Are there any old movies you absolutely love? yes

Have you ever had a Big Mac before? yes

Do you think you attract the opposite sex at a reasonable rate? no

Where is your favorite place to travel? idk

What is your goal for the next few months? stay alive

Can you count to ten in another language other than your own? no

Do you own a lot of shoes? no

What is your favorite season and why? spring because the weather

Does photography interest you at all? naw

Have you ever played on a sports team before? If you have, what was that sport and when? yes when i was a kid i played baseball

Have you ever filed a lawsuit on someone? no

Do you think you’re a good singer? yes

Would you rather wear jeans or sweatpants? sweats

Do you think you have a good sense of style? no

Do you enjoy reading often? yes

Have you ever had a deadly illness? no

Ever had food-poisoning before? yes

Where did you last eat dinner at? my house

Have you ever shot a gun before? yes

#me #survey

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bestmayatours · 2 years ago

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What to expect during the Tulum Coba Cenote tour

There are various tour operators organizing tours to Tulum Coba Cenote. However, it is always best to be with a reputable local tour operator. If you are with one such tour operator during the Tulum Coba Cenote tour, you can expect to experience the following.

The places you will visit

During the tour, you can be at two most emblematic Maya archeological sites. Namely, you can be at the Tulum “City of Dawn” and Coba “Place of Turbulent Waters.” Finally, the tour will have a relaxing experience in a beautiful cenote and enjoy a delicious lunch with a lakeside view.

Transportation

Reputed tour operators will arrange for the best transportation in airconditioned cars or vans. The mode of transport depends on the number of vacationers in your group. They will pick you up from Puerto Morelos. The cars and vans are well-maintained and driven by professional drivers.

Best guides

A knowledgeable guide will always be with you. The guide has the best knowledge about Mayan history and culture and will explain to you in detail the importance of the places you visit. They will be speaking in English, so there will not be any language barrier. Moreover, they will not rush during the tour. So, you will have enough time to explore the places you visit.

No fees to pay

The tour cost includes all the fees that need to be paid during the tour. So, you do not have to pay any money during the tour. However, it is wise to have some cash in hand as there are no ATMs at those sites. You may require money to buy souvenirs and other items that you will love to carry back home.

Guided visit

You can expect a guided visit to Tulum and Coba’s archeological sites. These are the two most important Mayan ruins in Yucatan. When you are in Cobá, you can explore one of the largest Mayan cities that existed in the classic period.

Bicycle ride in Coba

The tour operator will arrange for cycles in Coba. You can ride in the ruins on a cycle and store your energy to explore the entire ruin.

Have Snorkel equipment and life jackets

The tour operators will make arrangements for snorkel equipment and life jackets when you are in the Cenotes. Swimming is a phenomenal experience. There are other activities like kayak, zip-line, rappelling, or night scuba plunging that you can enjoy.

Meal buffet

You can enjoy a Mexican lunch during the Tulum Coba Cenote tour. The tour operators will arrange for delicious cooking of Mexican dishes so that you have exposure to the best Mexican delicacies while you are amongst the Mayan ruins or have a lakeside view.

Snacks and water

You do not have to spend your money to buy snacks and buffets when you are with a reputable tour operator. They will arrange for snacks and water.

The highlight of this tour will be the exploration of the Mayan ruins while you have a comfortable and safe journey and stay.

If you desire to have such a Tulum Coba Cenote tour, it is best to contact Best Maya Tours. They are local and have the capability to arrange the best tours. Call them at +52 5544985184 to discuss your travel plan.

#Private Yucatan Highlights Tour #Tulum Coba Cenote Tour #Ek Balam Private Tour

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in-taylorland · 4 years ago

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River Cruise Vacations - The Year's Must-Try Travel Experience

The past year has witnessed the unveiling of cruise ships record-setting in size, ambition and extravagance, but among the most popular trends in cruise holidays forgoes big ships, island-hopping and sometimes, even the sea altogether.

This new fad is of course, river and small-ship cruising, where passengers traveling between destinations on smaller boats offering a more intimate setting, and enjoy itineraries that browse through the inland waterways of destinations like Eastern Europe, Egypt and China.

Avalon Waterways is the market leader in this brand of holiday, having earned many awards from industry authorities including Frommer's, Travel Weekly, Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler.

Cruise lines such as Avalon Waterways have long-enjoyed popularity and success among a niche market of travelers. But like the occasional foreign movie that finds box-office success with mainstream audiences, in 2010 the prevalence of river cruising is on the rise, gaining the interest from an increased variety of travelers as a must-try travel adventure.

What is the reason for all this newfound focus towards river cruising? A whole lot of it appears to stem from the general popularity of cruise holidays. More than 176 million North Americans have taken a cruise since 1980, and 50 million plan on taking a cruise sometime over the next few decades, based on figures from Cruise Lines International Association, Inc. (CLIA).

Most these travelers took what's sometimes known as a"deep water" cruise -- a big-ship cruise holiday that sails on sea waters and visits ports-of-call on Caribbean islands, the Mexican Riviera and the northeast shore, in addition to Canada and New England.

At first glance, both of these styles of cruises -- large ship and little boat -- look like they would interest vastly different groups of travelers. After all, a holiday that involves a week's worth of beaches, sunbathing, snorkeling and shopping for souvenirs on many Caribbean islands seems a far cry from a yearlong voyage through France across the Rhine River, leaving from Paris with trips to Claude Monet's gardens and the beaches in Normandy.

However, the rising popularity of small river and ship cruising appears to indicate a Venn Diagram -- large ship cruises on Side A, small boat cruises on Side B, and the intersection between growing bigger as Side A and Side B converge on an overlapping area populated by cruisers seeking to broaden their journeys by venturing to new nations, exploring new cultures and seeking new adventures all while enjoying a kind of vacation that they understand and love.

Even though it may seem like comparing apples to apples, it's easy to see the appeal of the two types of cruises, and why they overlap. Both provide more convenience than over-land traveling, and permit you to explore and sample multiple destinations in one trip while only having to unpack once. Cruise lines specializing in both have some of the highest customer feedback evaluations in history. Both provide great food and amazing entertainment. Both offer the opportunity to combine relaxation with insight into a destination's past (let's not forget that in addition to beaches, the Caribbean is rife with history and ecological beauty).

Travel Pillow - Try These Tips For A Stress Free And Comfortable Travel Experience

Many persons give a massive sigh once they hear of the term gravelingh and it's due to the numerous demanding and wearisome facets that various individuals have been through when traveling. Among the largest challenges is trying to get relaxed for the length of your journey so that you'll have the ability to arrive fresh, well rested and stress-free as opposed to tired, uncomfortable using a rigid, sore throat and shoulders.

The fantastic thing is that we can transform those negative facets of traveling into really great ones by preparing beforehand and after the advice clarified within this brief article.

By following these helpful hints and techniques, you're positive to have a fantastic and enjoyable travel experience beforehand and will under no conditions view traveling the exact same again.

Letfs start then.

Check in early and book an superb place - The location that you choose to be on can actually play a very vital part in your coziness. Whatever class you're in there will probably be a couple of seats with the capacity to make your experience a dreadful one. The seats you will really need to attempt and keep clear of would be those nearest to the bathroom or lavatories in addition to those which are near the aircraftfs wings.

Try to keep in mind that by arriving at the airport terminal early on you will have the ability to steer clear of those long queues at the check-in desk.

Whenever you can't arrive at the airport terminal early then you can always opt to perform an electronic check-in if it's presented.

Bring a fantastic travel pillow - It is really quite important in particular when you're in a somewhat long airline flight or trip. You can order various sorts of travel pillows just about everywhere now however always remember that not all are designed equivalent. Donft purchase the more expensive versions or even the low cost ones.

Instead, contact and try out the neck pillow if you're able to, make certain it provides you both comfort and support. Possessing the completely wrong travel pillow with you on journeys can lead to trouble sleeping during the entire period of this trip and even headaches or neck issues. We highly recommend you opt for an excellent memory foam travel pillow that contains an entirely removable and machine washable cover.

Bring things to amuse you - This is pretty self explanatory, have things that will amuse you for the duration of the trip, likely a fantastic book youfve been itching to go through, your MP3 or iPod or your mobile gaming consoles exactly like a Sony PSP or Nintendo DS to have you amused in the length of the trip.

Carry light - If you're going to be staying in another location for some period of time, be certain that you decide to check-in your luggage so you won't need to get tired about carrying that huge chunk of luggage along. When getting on the airplane make certain that you bring your precious items along. In the event that you're going on a brief excursion then be certain to not over pack/bring a lot of stuffand just simply bring what you really have to have.

Bring in/Pack some snacks - We all know how costly and sometimes awful in flight food can be so take some food to get you complete. Additionally, be certain you continue to maintain yourself replenished with water throughout the trip.

Wear comfortable clothes - Once more this is a no brainer. Youfll prefer to wear comfy clothing so that you'll be able to easily break. The clothes youfll prefer to wear should be anything comparable of consistency in addition to match to what you will put on when you're likely to fall asleep. Prevent being dressed in something much too slick or restricted though and be sure you have your jacket.

These specific advice can definitely help eliminate your anxiety for the length of your journey and make your experience a pleasurable and comfortable one.

#travel #travel experience #best travel experience #comfortable travel experience #travel pillow

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desertmossvintage · 4 years ago

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Vintage 1940's/50's Mexican Souvenir Embroidered Jacket (at Santa Fe, New Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYNszGFxx3/?igshid=1xnz71smwjx48

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thegrassisaalwaysgreener · 5 years ago

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Peru- Part 2

Tuesday October 1st, 2019 Since we were leaving bright and early for our flight to Cusco, Hotel Santa Cruz gave us to go breakfast bags- so nice of them! We were picked up by the tour company and brought to the airport. Our guide brought us through check in and all the way to the security area, which was very kind of him (and made me feel a bit like a child). Our flight from Lima to Cusco was about an hour and a half and the scenery as we were descending was super interesting. The area was very mountainous and rocky appearing. We were greeted at the airport by another guide from Tucan Travel who’s name I have forgotten (I thought I had everyone’s name written down but can’t seem to find them). This guide was awesome and told us all about the city en route to the accomodations. After we checked in to our hotel (Anden Inca), he took us on a walking tour of the main square (Plaza de Armas) and showed us some great spots to check out to visit, eat at and of course, where to shop. After being left by the guide, we wanted to hang out and decide what activities in Cusco we really wanted to do and when. We were planning to pick up the “big ticket” that was $130 soles each but got you into a multitude of activities in the Cusco region including museums, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Saqsaywaman. The cost of Saqsaywaman was 70 soles each anyways and we would be reimbursed for our Sacred Valley of the Inca tour, so it was a no brainer. We wandered around the town for a while, checking out the alpaca wool stores, main square and various markets. We had a delicious lunch of alpaca skewers/stir fry with veggies, salad and potatoes at Caja before grabbing our “big ticket” and getting more money out of the ATM. We walked back to the hotel to grab warmer clothes (aka a jacket and scarf since that is all we really packed). Since we were feeling mildly short of breath at rest, we took a cab (10 soles) up to one of the points of the city to check out Saqsaywaman (which sounds funny and can be spelt tons of different ways). This Pre-Incan, walled complex is built from large (up to 200 tones) stones that were carefully cut to fit together without mortar. This complex was believed to have been used for ceremonies but its exact use is unknown. This complex is massive and there are lots of local guides who are willing to take you on a tour for a small fee. Since neither Jill nor I are huge into exact history, we were happy to wander around ourselves and enjoy the intricate stonework and great views of the city. One of the coolest things we saw from this vantage point was a large stadium down in the city that was painted rainbow colours and stood out amongst the stone of the surrounding area. After seeing the majority of Saqsaywaman, we walked down the road to check out “Christo Blanco” (White Jesus). This 26 foot tall statue of Jesus was a gift from Arabic Palestinians, who sought refuge in Cusco after the Second World War This status of Jesus is similar to that of Rio’s Christ the Redeemer but on a smaller scale. There were many people selling souvenirs at the base of Christo Blanco and many tour buses came and went. We managed to find a cab to take us back down the hill to our hotel, where we took a bit of a break after a long day. I had been at altitude before, but being at 3400 m, all of a sudden, for a long period of time was different. We started taking our Diamox (which is supposed to help with altitude sickness) and stayed well hydrated but let me tell you, the SOBOE was real. After relaxing for a bit, Jill and I met up with our group in the breakfast room of our hotel to meet our tour leaders - Raoul and Richard. We were debriefed on the next few days and what we could expect. We were also given our small duffle bags that were to be brought with us for our trek. Some of us had to rent sleeping bags, extra air mattress and poles, so that was sorted out at this time as well. We were told our duffels had to be less than 5 kg (for the porters who would be carrying it all) and our sleeping bags weighed 2.2kg. This was going to be interesting to say the least. For anyone that knows me, knows I am not the best packer and like having many options when I travel. There would be no extra options on this trek. There was some information in our packages about the tour and about weight limits, but I didn’t recall it stating the exact size and was shocked that 5kg was all we could bring. After all, we were going for 4 days to hike into the Andes Mountains en route to Machu Picchu. When we did Kili, we had way more stuff- then again that was 4 more days of hiking. In any case, we were all quite stressed about what we would be bringing with us and what we would have to cut out (or put in our day packs). Once the meeting was finished, Jill and I went and did a rough pack, which was so sad. There were so many things we had to cut out of our packing due to weight. We had the bare minimum packed and ready to go (including many layers since it would be quite cold at night at- around 0-5 degrees). We headed down the road to the Aztec Inca Restaurant. This spot had just about any cuisine you could ask for-American, Mexican, Italian, Peruvian etc. We were two of the only patrons in the restaurant that was run by an older woman and her son. We each had a Mexican inspired dish (tacos and enchiladas) before wandering around in search of this cool dessert spot we had read about that had ice cream rolls. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t find said spot (and later found out it had been closed a month prior to our visit) and enjoyed checking out the stone streets and busy bars/restaurants of Cusco. I was even offered cocaine from a random on the street, which was a first. As a side note, we had been told that drugs were super common in Peru and that we could “get whatever we wanted”. Now, neither Jill nor I were looking for anything more than a glass of wine, but we learned in Mancora that men were solicited far more for drugs than women were. We didn’t believe that drugs were so readily available until we went around with Daniel and he was stopped every other block and offered drugs. End of story about drugs and back to dessert. We stopped at Qucharitas for our sweet tooth fix, which ended up being a fab dessert choice. Qucharitas had cold stone ice cream, crepes and all sorts of other delicious treats. Jill had a fruit crepe while I settled for coconut and chocolate ice cream with a churro cone. Both desserts were amazing and were probably the last desserts we would be having for a while. We headed back the hotel for a good nights sleep before our next big adventure!

Wednesday October 2, 2019 The Anden Inca hotel had a great continental breakfast, which we enjoyed before putting the majority of our belongings into the hotels’ storage room and hopping on the bus. We were heading towards the Sacred Valley of the Incas- a valley/river combo in between beautiful mountains that featured many Incan structures, temples and of course Machu Picchu. We would be travelling from Cusco through the Sacred Valley en route to our starting point for our trek. Our tour guides spoke to us about the valley, the Incas and all the history around the area. While I took many notes (on seemingly everything), I won’t bore you with too many details. Our first stop of the day was at Awana Kancha, where we learned the difference between Alpacas and Llamas and saw several different types of alpacas. We saw how they made the wool, used various herbs and spices to dye it and watched women weave beautiful clothing items. This “living museum of the Andes” also featured many different types of corn and quinoa, which are abundant in the Andes. While the history and information was really neat and helpful, I was most excited about feeding and petting the alpacas (well and taking selfies of course). After shopping and washroom breaks at Awana Kancha, we hopped back in the bus for another 35 minutes or so before arriving at the Pisaq Archeaological Park. Our guides explained that we would be driving through many different Incan cities that were all special in their own way with fabulous lookout points and views. Pisaq was very neat and had an urban centre, cemetery and ceremonial space in it. We got to walk through the ruins and learn about what kinds of activities were done in which parts of the ruins. We also saw some beautiful landscapes and the various levels of terraces that grew different types of crops. Despite the rain and cold, we had a great time exploring the ruins and learned a lot. Next stop the town of Pisac to check out the market. I was super excited about this because so far, all of the markets we had seen had been awesome with tons of great art, clothing and souvenirs. Most of the people still spoke Kechewa (or Quechua) which is an ancient language of the Incans. We had about 30 minutes to wander the market and were told to meet our group at a designated spot. After walking up and down the market and checking out many stalls (and losing 50 soles out of my pocket) we decided not to buy anything since we didn’t have any extra weight left in our bags. Half-hour later, the group was not in the designated meeting spot and we were mildly concerned about how we would find them as the market seemed like a maze and our Spanish was still dismal at best. After a bit more searching, we found them and laughed as they changed the meeting spot but didn’t tell everyone. We spent another 40 minutes in the bus before getting out in Urubamba for lunch at InkaLicious. The buffet was 35 soles a person and had many great salads, meats and veggies. The dessert options were pretty good too (of course). We were all stuffed and happy with our day and meal so far. Back in the bus we went for the short drive from Hullyamba (Or Urubamba) into Ollyantambo. Many of the names of the towns (as you can gather) are still in their original Incan name, which is super neat. Ollantaytambo meant “Resting Spot” as this is the last town before the Inca trail begins towards Machu Picchu. This town is nestled in between the Urubumba River and the large snow capped mountains. This town is known for its large archeological site that was home to many religious and military spots as well as rich agriculture. We explored these ancient ruins and learned all about its history. Many of the large (80 tonne) stones were brought from the other side of the valley over 9km away, in the Incan times. We visited the various temples (Sun, Earth, Wind, Fire) and learned about each of their significance. At the top of the ruin, the views of the town below and mountains around us were incredible. It is crazy to think that all of this was created hundreds of years ago by the Incans/PreIncans and all of the work they put into creating their homes/ceremonial spots. I definitely wouldn’t have been cut out to be an Incan back then. We were given our bags and directions on how to get to our hotel, as our bus wouldn’t fit well down the narrow, stone roads of the town. We stayed at the Tika Wasi Hotel which was very cute with nice comfortable rooms but poor acoustics (as we were realizing was a theme in Peruvian hotels). Jill and I hung out and enjoyed some down time before we met our group at Café Corozones for dinner. We sat at a table with some really cool people and learned a lot about them and their neat jobs (e.g working on American millionaires’ yachts). The altitude was definitely affecting my appetite so I had some chicken noodle soup before we wandered back to the hotel for our last comfy sleep for a few days.

Thursday October 3rd ,2019 Today was the first day of our Inca Trail Trek! We were up relatively late around 730 and had breakfast before leaving the hotel at 0815. We walked over to the main square and were picked up by a large coach bus. The bus seemed to go off-roading (along a railroad track and over a small river) through a small town where we would pick up the majority of our team and supplies. We met our whole group (which included the 12 of us trekkers, 2 guides, 1 chef and 14 Porters) and took a group photo before checking in and walking through the gate to the start of the trek. The Inca trail is three overlapping trails that all terminate at Machu Picchu. The trail itself is approx. 80 km from Ollantaytambo but the hike is around 40 km total. The highest elevation of the hike is the “Deadwomans pass” at 4200 meters. While we had a general overview of the trek, each day we would get briefed on what would happen the following day at dinner. Since this trail is very popular and sacred, there is a max of 500 people allowed on the trail each day, which includes the 300 or so porters/staff. The start of the trail begins just outside of Ollantaytambo/Chilca area along the Urubamba River. We snapped some great photos in front of the Inca Trail signs and with our welcoming crew of llamas. As we walked along the river, our guides taught us things about the trees we were walking past (munia, peach, avocado) as well as all the “cochinilla” (parasite on the cactus) that are used as die for alpaca wool along with pointing out the various mountains, glaciers and special spots. Today would be the only day that we would see donkeys/horses as porters along the way and was said to be very scenic. I was surprised to learn that there would be many rest stops with places to purchases snacks and water. Not that I had much hiking experience, but when we did Kili, it was basically just hikers and staff the whole time with nowhere to buy anything or anyone living in the small towns. Today we would be hiking for about 1.5 hours at a time. We were told this was an “Easy” day but I gave it a 6/10. There were lots of small hills that were not super challenging, but challenging enough at 2,600m. The weather was just perfect for hiking, warm-ish, sunny with a slight breeze. Each 1.5 hours or so we would stop for water and a snack if needed. The washrooms so far were similar to those we had seen in our travels- toilets without toilet seats. They were better than holes in the ground, which I was used to on my last trek. Of course, the porters were ahead of us and they would be at the lunch spot/camping spot with everything ready for us before we got there. Our lunch today was at 1400 and was delicious. We had soup, rice, veggies and chicken. Lunchtime was about an hour and it rained throughout our lunch. We found some free toilets (most were 1 sole to use) and we used them before heading out for the last part of our trek. We only had about 2 hours left and we stopped a few times for breaks, washrooms and shopping. I felt pretty short of breath today and was walking slow and steady (which may be the theme of my trek haha). I got to know a few of my fellow trekkers and really enjoyed this part of the day. To me, travelling is good for the soul because you not only get to see amazing things but meet awesome people you might not otherwise have had the opportunity to meet. We made it to camp at 1640 and happily saw that the porters had everything all set up already- these guys were amazing! Our campsite was called at Huayllabamba and was at 3000 meters. There were some ruins in our area so Jill, Tony and I walked up there. I guess I forgot to mention our amazing hiking friends! Jill and I were joined with some fabulous people. Tony, Rehka and Deepak were from England and were definitely the parents of the group. They are some of the loveliest people and I was excited to get to know them more. Emily was also from the UK and was there travelling alone but was bunking with Katherine from the island of Guernsey (closer to France but considered an island of the UK). Malcolm and Caroline were also from the UK and were big into tennis and hiking at home. The final duo in our group was Jess and Tom, the cutest young couple from Australia who were travelling for several weeks together all through South America. The group seemed awesome and I was really excited to finish the trek with them! Anyways, back to the ruins! We walked up to the ruins, which only took about 10 mins and had a neat view of the campsite and area around us. Despite being tired and sore I was super happy we made this small extra trek and enjoyed a different display of the area. By the time we got back, it was time to get to know our crew. We learned each of their names along with how long they had been a porter for and if they had any kids. Most of them did not speak English or Spanish but their native language of Ketachaw. The porters were anywhere from 22 to 60 years old which I thought was insane. These men were just amazingly tough and strong to do this weekly. They often leave their families for weeks at a time, as it is pricey and long to get home for days away. Many of them live in small towns around the town of Ollantaytambo and the Cusco area. We had some free time before dinner so I had a $10 soles “hot shower”, which would be the last of the trek. It wasn’t warm at all but nice to shower in the middle of nowhere on a trek after a long first day. After the shower, tea and hot chocolate were ready along with crackers/cookies. We all chatted and got to know one another before dinner. Dinner was extensive- soup with rice, pasta, stuffed chicken, a beef stew and pumpkin squash puree for dessert. This chef was awesome and definitely was accommodating as we had a few dietary restrictions on this trip. Raoul briefed us on the next day including our wake up time (0545 eek!) for our 0730 departure and what the hiking would consist of. The first day of the trek was great! We hiked just over 12 km in 6.5 hours, which included lunch and multiple breaks. Day two was going to be the most challenging day and we were excited to get to it!

Friday October 4, 2019 0545 definitely came early! I didn’t want to get up and out of my sleeping bag as it seemed freezing outside (it was a low of about 5 overnight) and my sleep wasn’t the best. The sleeping bags that we had were the mummy type and we had used our sleeping bag liners that made it even harder to move around in. I also didn’t realize we had a tube-like fleece blanket that went into the sleeping bag. I wish I had figured this out as it would’ve been nice in the cool night air. Sleeping in wool base layers with the multiple layers of the sleeping bag kept me comfy until I had to go to the washroom at 2130 (so annoying). We also had extra air mattress each which was pretty slippery. While the first night sleep wasn’t the best, I was excited to get the day started. We got our stuff packed up and we were ready to go for breakfast soon after wake up. Breakfast was a weird but yummy porridge, toast, eggs and fried rice. I made sure to pick up some extra water from the lady who was selling water ($10 soles for 1.5 litres which would be 1/3-1/2 the price in the city). We were out hiking with our poles at 0730 and knew that today might be a bit of a challenge, as we would be going over our first and highest pass of the trip. The first ¼ of the hike wasn’t too bad. There were many steady inclines with lots of flat spots. I did the majority of this first part alone in about 55 minutes or so which was kind of nice. I have been listening to a lot of podcasts and doing some mindfulness and found this to be super helpful while hiking (thanks Ben Bergeron). The quickest time for this ¼ was 40 mins and the longest was about 1:05 mins so I was happy to be in the middle. Our snack at this time were apples and a bounty bar which I saved for later. I’ve found that while I am hiking, I don’t get very hungry (probably because of the altitude) so keeping hydrated is key for me. The 2nd quarter of the trek I did with Emily and we kept a good pace. We stopped lots to takes short breaks and enjoy the view. Jill was a speedy gazelle and way ahead of us. After the 2nd quarter, we stopped for lunch where it was cool, breezy and rainy. Our lunch was a delicious mushroom soup with pasta, veggies, avocado and some sort of chicken and bean concoction. As with our previous meals- it was all great and sustaining. The last two hours towards the summit were pretty tricky but we stopped often for quick breaks, which helped a lot. It took us just under two hours to get to the top and of course it started raining when we got there. Alpacas/llamas greeted us at the top which was very welcomed. We climbed to the peak and took tons of photos before it really stared to pour. Those of us who were at the top made our way down and stopped for a quick toilet break just after the Dead Woman’s Pass (at 4200 m). It was quite slippery on the way down which made me super nervous with my clumsiness and knee surgery less than a year before. We enjoyed the scenery, conversation and watched the fog roll over the camp site and the rest of the area while we hiked. It took us just under 2 hours to get to camp and boy was I glad to be there! When we got to camp around 1645, we noticed that our site was in the middle of the camping area, which was slightly annoying. To get to either bathroom, you had to either climb up or down- super challenging when your legs are already exhausted and shaky from almost 2 hours of declines. The rest of the group came in on their own, a couple at a time and were greeted with cheers and high fives. We had our afternoon snack of tea, hot chocolate and crackers before enjoying some time in the tent relaxing. It was quite chilly out and I did not want to get out of the tent for supper (even though I knew it was a must). After another delicious dinner we were briefed on the plan for tomorrow. We had hiked a total of about 11 km in 8 hours and were all excited for a good nights sleep.

Saturday October 5, 2019 Today was going to be the “scenic” day of our trek. It was also going to be the longest so we were woken at about 0500. We were out by 0630 after a yummy breakfast of eggs, toast, coffee/hot chocolate and a type of sugar puff cereal (think Sugar Crisp but less sweet). We set off on the first part of the day, which was a steep pass that was going to take us about 2 hours. The 40 min or so walk up the stair-like stones was mildly challenging after a large breakfast, before we made a stop at the Runkurakay complex. I decided to be stubborn and chose to hike in my t-shirt (because my hot pink rain jacket bled onto my skin when it rained). Despite it being cool out, I figured I would be sweating really soon. I regretted my decision about 30 mins into the hike when I was already soaked and cold but chose to be stubborn and waited until the top of our last pass (almost 2 hours later) to throw on my light rain jacket. We waited for the group shivering and huddled together and then made our way down towards our camp spot. We stopped for a quick snack and bathroom break before walking the 1:00-1:30 mins to lunch (1h if you’re Jill, 1:15 or so if you’re me). As always tea was ready for us when we arrived at Phuyupatamarca (or the town in the clouds) and we enjoyed a great meal of soup, potatoes, pork chops, pasta and salad. We learned more about the ruins we were around as well as some of the significance of the culture and area. After lunch, we were given the option of a shorter route and a longer route that had another beautiful set of ruins to see. The longer route was about an hour longer but would be well worth it. Naturally, we decided on the longer route and enjoyed the shade and reprieve of some of the trees on the route towards our camping spot. The ruins that we visited were called Intipata and are very impressive. These ruins are often missed because you can’t see them fully from the path and are not the most common route but they are way bigger and expansive that you would think. They are home to many llamas (or alpacas, I still get them confused) as well as many different plant sources of nutrition and over 200 kinds of orchids (which is the most famous plant on the Inca Trail). After many photos and selfies with the llamas, we made our way to our campsite that seemed close but took us almost an hour to get to. There were many steps along the way and every time we thought we had found our campsite, we learned it was another groups. While today was our longest day, it was also the most relaxed (minus the cold and rain). Our knees and legs were pretty sore but the 17.5 or so km we managed to hike didn’t seem so bad. Since there was only the one steeper incline, it was mostly downhill/flat which I personally liked a lot better. Our tents in Winay-Wayna were set up quite close to the top edge of some rock levels which was a bit unnerving. People had to walk past us to get to one of the washroom as well but after the first few people, I stopped noticing. The bathrooms at this campsite were some of the worst (and smelliest) that we had seen. Throughout the hike, the bathrooms were mostly stalls with toilets without toilet seats on them or holes in the ground. We were getting an extra leg workout in by all of the squats we were doing. Dinner was delicious (as always it seemed) with quinoa soup, lomo saltado (traditional Peruvian beef dish), rice, noodles and veggies. At the end of the meal, we were given a delicious cake! It’s crazy that the chef had time (and the resources) to make a cake in the middle of the Inca Trail! Our crew came in for our last goodbyes- which were a bit awkward but cute nonetheless. We gave out our tip envelopes as a group (also awks) before being briefed on our last day of the trek.

Sunday October 6, 2019 Today was THE day. Or should I say, the morning. We were woken up rather early at 0330 so we could be up and out of our tents at 0350 to get in line at the check point. Groups were lined up earlier than we were but we still managed to hang out under the wood awning until the booth opened at 0530. We had been given breakfast bags to go with sandwiches, juice, fruit and a bar that we could munch on before we started our final hike. It was almost like a race when people got past the check point- which I think is kind of funny. It was barely daylight when we started the hike but thankfully, we didn’t have to use our headlamps because that would’ve added an extra level of danger for clumsy kids like me. The hike to the Sungate was about an hour and very pretty. It was quite undulating at times and involved some legit monkey steps about 10 mins before the Sungate. These steps required most people to use their hands and feet to climb up. There were about 30 in total and I was next level cranky after that. We made it to the Sungate at about 0635 to see that surprise, surprise, it was foggy. We couldn’t see Machu Picchu in the distance, making the whole thing mildly anti climactic (I was having dejavu from Kilimanjaro). Our group came together at the top to take some photos and enjoy a snack before hiking that last 45 mins or so towards Machu Picchu. Peruvians (and especially those in the MachuPicchu/Cusco Region) really believe in and respect the theory of the three “Gods”. These gods are the Condor, Puma and the Snake that represent Heaven, Present and the underworld. Half way between the Sungate and Machu Picchu, we found three levels of an altar that represented these Gods and had some great background history/folklore around them. This was considered the last stop before the city of Machu Picchu. Before we arrive at Machu Picchu (“Old Mountain”), it is probably important to make note of what it is and why it is so special. Machu Picchu is the most renowned Incan citadel/city that was initially built in the 15th century, high up in the Andes and then abandoned (due to the Spanish invasion). It was built in the Incan fashion of precisely shaped dry stonewalls that are held together without mortar. While its exact use back in Incan times is unknown, there are many different ceremonial spots along with terraces that may have been used by the ancient emperor Pacachuti. While this “Lost City of the Incas” had existed for thousands of years, it did not come to be known as the amazing place it is until the early 1900s. Hiram Bingham of the USA, discovered this ancient city with the help of an 11 year old Ketchwa boy, who he paid to show him up the Urubamba River to these amazing ruins. Initially, this beautiful Incan ruin was a jungle covered with bushes and trees. He had many people come to help clean it up to see what was really underneath. Many of the details of what was found are hearsay, as he wasn’t known as the most honest and truthful man (allegedly). Gold and silver were among some of the more valuable resources that were found once excavation began (among many skeletons of woman and children who were sacrificed in the name of tradition and culture). Machu Picchu is also considered a Unesco World Heritage site which means it attracts thousands of visitors per day. While they do limit permits on the trail, over 2500 people visit Machu Picchu every day, making this dangerous for long term survival of the beautiful site. It was not meant for the weight and foot traffic that it has attracted which makes it so much more important for everyone to do their job and abide by the restrictions set out. The Peruvian government does it’s best to help with the sustainability of this historic site but it is said that only 8% of the revenue from Machu Picchu goes back to the community, the rest going to Lima (not a confirmed fact, just tour guide hersay) We arrived at our first sight of Machu Picchu around 8 am and it was already pretty busy! Our group met up at the main entrance after taking some amazing photos en route (and a minor altercation with some large German men). We were able to get our passports stamped with the signature Machu Picchu Stamp (which is way cooler than I thought it would be). We got in the line for the washrooms and bag drop that was not super well organized or laid out and dropped off our bags. Visitors are only allowed to bring fanny packs/small back packs into the site. Our guides took us all around these beautiful, ancient ruins. We learned much more about its history and learned about each of the areas that we visited. While I loved being at this amazing spot, I have to say I was exhausted and wasn’t enjoying it as much as if I had slept more than a few hours the night before. After a few group photos and tons of photos from literally every angle we could, we were done our tour/visit. It started to get super busy around 1030 and so we made our way back the entrance to grab our stuff and hop on the bus. Our guides clearly have been around the block before- we made it to the line for the buses just as everyone else seemed to as well. They didn’t have it very well organized and the line for the bus wrapped around the whole entrance way into the entrance line. We were given our 12 soles tickets for the bus and made our way from Machu Picchu into the town of Aguas Calientes (coolest name ever). The bus ride was about 25 mins and we were dropped off in the centre of town around noon. We didn’t have to catch our train until 1445 so we headed to our lunch spot called Munaycha. Emily and I shared “nachos” and pizza along with some fresh cold beers and pisco sours. It was so nice to relax and sit on proper chairs and enjoy the company. After a few beers and pisco sours, we made our way through the town towards the train station, mildly intoxicated. Thank goodness Raoul knew the streets like the back of his hand, or else it wouldn’t have gone well. We rushed to the train, grabbed our tickets and found our seats on the nicest train I’d ever been on. The seats reclined and had tables in front of them and was super clean. Tony ordered us another round of beers and we laughed (a bit too loud at times and were shushed) and enjoyed the 1.5 hour train ride. In Ollantaytambo, we said goodbye to Richard before jumping on another bus that would take us into Cusco. We knew we had about a 2 hour drive so we made a pit stop at a store to grab water and more beer. The drive felt long but was pleasant with beautiful sights, great company and awesome music. By the time we made it back into Cusco, my tipsy feeling had worn off and now I was just exhausted. We said our goodbyes to Raoul, thanking him and giving him my hiking poles (that I vowed to never use again).The Anden Inca staff were amazing and already had our bags in our rooms. Our room for the next two nights was even better than the last one, with a nicer bathroom, cute ceilings and tons of extra room. After a much needed shower, we got ready to meet the group and go for dinner. Dinner was at the Aztec Inka place Jill and I had been to before as we had some picky eaters in the group and knew this place had a bit of everything. After burritos and water, I was super tired and headed home to bed early around 2130 after saying goodbye to the half of our group that would be leaving in the am.

Monday October 7, 2019 Today was definitely a sleep in day! Well for me at least (sorry Jildo). We had breakfast at the hotel and met with our jungle group (Catherine, Deepak, Rehka, Jill and myself). We were briefed on how the next few days would go including wake ups, airport transport times etc. After our breakfast meeting, Jill and I walked into town and checked out the Cathedral Basilica. The town was celebrating Santa Rosa day but then we found out the parade was actually for Our Lady of the Rosary day. We enjoyed the parade a bit before paying the $25 soles each to enter the beautiful church. I have to admit, I was most excited to see two things- 1. The last supper painting with the meal being a guinea pig and 2. Black Jesus. While photos were not allowed to be taken, I really enjoyed seeing these two interesting pieces and learning about them. After the Cathedral, we visited the Inca Museum (10 soles) which was way bigger and more interesting than I had anticipated. We saw awesome pre Incan artifacts and drawings along with many relics from the Incan times and even mummies. Jill and I had talked about getting massages, so we ended up finding one of the many people in the square selling them. Similar to many other massage places we had been to, we were lead down random hallways to get to the small massage room. We had to wait a while to get started- we think the lady had to find someone else to massage one of us. Our massages were decent (especially for 50 soles) and made me feel more relaxed and less sore for sure. Jill and I still needed to pick up some souvenirs so we headed back to the hotel to grab our backpacks to contain all of our goodies. We stopped at Las Frescas that served delicious poke bowls. They were massive, healthy and exactly what we were looking for. We sauntered around the main square, popping into various alpaca stores. We found an amazing market to browse and barter for scarves, blankets and other little souvenirs. I love a good market and barter sesh so we had a good afternoon and picked up some great stuff. We realized it was later on in the day than we had thought and had to pick up our laundry before the lady went home from the day. We packed up our stuff for the amazon and got everything organized. We were both so tired and not feeling so great so we bailed on dinner and picked up a few snacks (that ended up being totally unnecessary) for the Amazon before going to bed early.

Tuesday October 8, 2019 Today we were leaving Cusco (sadly). Jill and I both agreed that this was probably our favourite town of the trip with its neat landscapes, beautiful buildings and great culture. After breakfast and check out, we were met by our guide Paul from Tucan Travel who would take us through traffic (thanks to another Peruvian Holiday) to the airport. Paul gave us all the info we would need for the day and we were checked into the Latam flight in about 25 mins. We made sure to get out some more soles as there would be no other opportunities to get money out for the cash only Amazon EcoLodge. Most ATMS cost about 13-20 soles to get money out so make sure to take this into account if you’re short on cash in Peru. Security and boarding went well and soon we were on our delayed flight to Puerto Maldonado but safe and sound. The flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado is only an hour but the temperature difference when we got off the plane was evident. We were warned that the Amazon and surrounding area was very hot and humid but that because of El Niño (I think), the temperature can change drastically and quickly. We were told to make sure to only bring what we needed (in duffle bags of course) and to pack long pants for our walks as there was lots of bugs and plants that might cause issues in shorts. I definitely was feeling the heat the moment we got off the plane and wasn’t feeling well at all. We waited for our bags before hopping into the open air bus that would take us to the Eco Amazonia’s headquarters in Puerto. Puerto Maldanado has a population of about 80,000 is mostly a tourist place with one main square and is a port to many Amazonian trip. It is on the Madre de Dios River in the Madre de Dios region / Amazon basin. We were given 15 mins or so to get our stuff organized into our duffle bags for the trip before heading towards the port. We saw their version of the Golden Gate Bridge called Puente Billinghurst which is also the longest bridge in Peru at 750 meters long. We took a 1 hour speed canoe ride on the Madre de Dios River. We learned that we weren’t actually on the Amazon River (Duh) but on a tributary of the river that is over 1500 km from the actual Amazon River. We were staying at one of the many eco lodges in the area called Eco Amazonia. We were already told that there were restrictions on electricity (only really on from 1700-0700) and that there was no cell services/wifi among many other small details. None of these things would be an issue for the short time we were here- we would embrace the quiet and relaxation. We had a great buffet lunch after being briefed on the strict timeline of the next 36 hours. After our yummy meal, we were showed to our individual huts. This place was magical! It was quiet and serene, rustic and charming, all wrapped into one. Each of the huts were for 2-3 people and super cute. They had a small “mud” room with seats to leave your muddy stuff before entering the room. There were three twin beds in our room with a bathroom. The shower was a bit strange as it was open to the room in a way but was cute and just what we needed. The tops of the room were screens only so we could hear all of the fun nature noises. We got ready for our afternoon hike to Caiman Lake. The hike is really a short walk (1 km to the lake) but we stopped to learn about some of the types of trees, animals and birds in the area. Julio was our guide and carried a knife for safety reasons, which made him look extra bad ass. We saw many “Iron trees” en route to cocha caiman (caiman Lake) which was a bit smaller than I had anticipated. We learned about the caimans (similar to an alligator) and several of the 70 subtypes. Caimans can vary in length but some can grow up to 4+ meters. They are mostly nocturnal but do enjoy the sun and fish. They are shy by nature but can be aggressive when needed. We saw many of them in the water and even saw a few come up onto the land thanks to Julios baiting skills. We heard the boiler birds and saw some beautiful macaws flying around. After our walk back, we hung out and checked out the hammocks, pool and quiet areas of the lodge. Happy hour ended around 1800 and the deal was, as usual, 2 drinks for $20 soles (a steal since the drinks were 16-28 a piece). While the bartenders tried real hard, they were busy doing other jobs at the lodge and didn’t have a ton to offer in terms of alcohol and mixer. We were really sad they ran out of tonic, vodka and sparkling water but realized where we were and were thankful that they even had a bar. What was neat about this lodge, is that the staff play many roles. The tour guides would help in the kitchen and dining room as well as in the bar. It is a small staff who get some amazing things done each day. The manager Mauricio was amazing and very welcoming. After our happy hour drinks, we grabbed our long sleeves before heading to the entrance for our late night canoe ride. We were going with the group and Julio to check out some more caimans. It was significantly cooler and less buggy than we had anticipated. Jupiter, Saturn and Scorpio were out in full force which was super cool to see. Julio used his “caiman call” and laser sharp vision to point out many caimans on the way. Our boat ride was very relaxing and enjoyable. After the boat ride, dinner was ready in the dining room. We were served a quinoa soup with fried yuka, chicken, veggies and a lemon tart for dessert. We made sure to top up our water bottles as water and hot drinks were only available during meal times (0530-0730, 1330-1500 and 1900-1800). If you didn’t have water at other times, you had to buy it at the bar. We enjoyed some more drinks and chatted after our great dinner. We noticed that there were very few people enjoying the common area at this time. There had been many people hanging out playing pool and foosball before dinner but it was a ghost town after. We played pool and foosball until just before 2200. The main lights go off at 2200 so we made our way home for showers and bed.

Wednesday October 9, 2019 Despite going to bed early, we both slept until our wake up call at 0600 by Julio. We made it to breakfast for 0630 which was great! The options were extensive including omelets, cheese, fruit, homemade bread, ham and cakes along with a variety of juices. We ate quickly since we had to be ready for our long walk at 0700. We got our backpacks ready with water, sunscreen and bug spray and met the group. The first cool thing we saw on our stroll was the trumpeter bird who sang to us. We grabbed a photo with Tony and the trumpeter since he was staying in the bungalow named after this fun bird. On the walk, we stopped every 100 m or so to learn about various plants, bugs and animals in the area. There are 6 different types of monkeys on the nature reserve and we managed to see 3 of them on our walk (howler monkeys, brown capuchin and squirrel monkeys). We saw some cool non human friends like the amazon crested toad (with two fake eyes), a gross millipede, cute sloth and one large Goliath tarantula. Julio taught us about many of the different trees and plants, several of which have healing and medicinal properties. After about 3 hours, we made it to Largo Apuvictor which was our main destination. There was a lookout point which had a beautiful view of the brownish/murky water ��(we had come to realize was what all the water in this area looked like) and the vast jungle around us. We had snacks while waiting for our canoe ride. The canoe ride was lovely but we sadly didn’t see an anaconda (which was the ONLY reason I went on this walk). We saw some nice birds and a turtle while on our canoe ride. Some members of our large group had many questions and walked super slow, so we got ahead and walked a big quicker back to the lodge. We hopped in the “indoor” pool and cooled off before planning our afternoon. We were supposed to take another boat ride to Monkey Island, but our group decided to skip it and enjoy some R&R at the lodge. While the lodge was amazing, the strict schedule wasn’t exactly what we were looking for on vacation, especially after do the Inca Trail. We spent the afternoon drinking and lying in the hammocks. Mauricio personally delivered a round or two of drinks to us out by the hammocks that overlooked the river. We were served a yummy lunch (not that I can exactly remember what it was…) before enjoying more time out by the water in the hammocks. I swear, I could’ve lived in the hammocks. We played a bit more table tennis and foosball before our yummy meal of rice, meat, veggies, soup and a delicious chocolate cake. After dinner, we had some more drinks, including one of the grossest wines I’ve ever had and some members of the group indulged in tequila shots. As always, we had great conversation and so many laughs before showering and heading to bed for our last sleep in the amazon. The rooms were way cooler overnight especially with the marvelous fan that worked wonders.

Thursday October 10, 2019 The howler monkeys woke us up before our 0600 wake up call, which was actually welcome. The sound of all the birds, crickets and monkeys was magical to wake up to. We had a nice final breakfast before settling our fairly large tab (thanks to all of our bevvies). We tried to fill up our water bottles but the lodge had run out of water (uhoh for the next people arriving) so put our tip in the tip box, finished our packing before saying goodbye to Mauricio. Our last group photo in the Amazon was taken before we hopped on the speed canoe back to town. I soaked up some rays and had a bit of a snooze on the 1:45 min long boat ride. The staff brought us back to the office in the open air bus and then right back to the airport. I was pretty happy to be off the open area bus as the drivers in this area were pretty crazy and didn’t abide by any specific rules of the road. The airport check in was easy and we were happy to find air-conditioning on the other side of security. The small restaurant in the terminal didn’t have much to offer and the small convenience cart was very picky about their money being “clean”. Thankfully, we managed to get some water before our Latam flight back to Lima. We landed in Lima 1.5 hours later and were picked up again by a Tucan travel staff member. They dropped us off at the Hotel Santa Cruz about an hour later. As usual, the weather in Lima was dismally grey and cooler. After unpacking our stuff, we grabbed some delicious sandwiches and coffee across the street at Caffeteria. Kat and I decided to take an Uber to the local Indian/Inka market to pick up a few last minute souvenirs. I was very impressed with this market and of course, picked up more souvenirs that were probably unnecessary and may or may not fit in my bag. Our Uber got us back to the hotel for 1700, giving me plenty of time to shower and get ready for our evening activities. As a group, we decided to go to the Park of the Reserve halfway between where we were in Miraflores and downtown Lima to check out the Magic Water Circuit show. There were two different show times and we opted for the earlier one so we could go for a nice dinner after. This water show did not disappoint! There were several different fountains with various coloured lights and fun effects. The show itself was about 15 mins and was pretty neat. We made sure to have a great vantage point so we could see all of the fountains. We managed to find a taxi to take us back towards the hotel area. The hotel had made us a reservation at El Senorio de Sulco, near the water in Miraflores however when we arrived, they didn’t have a table for us. Our group was not happy about this but the restaurant made it all better by feeding us two pisco sours while we waited. We enjoyed several bottles of wine and a delicious meal before finishing off our night with some night caps at the hotel bar (our English friends were not good influences on our livers!)

Friday October 11, 2019 It was officially our last day of our trip! In so many ways, it had seemed as though we had been away forever but then in other ways, it flew by! We enjoyed our last buffet breakfast at Hotel Santa Cruz, before saying our “see you laters” to our new friends with the promise of a reunion in England. Jill and I had a few more places in Lima that we wanted to check out so we made sure we were packed and ready to go. The hotel was kind enough to let us leave our stuff there while we went to explore for our final day. We had been told that Huaca Pucllana (or Huaca Juliana) was a must see by a few people so we headed over there first thing in the am. This adobe (mud brick) pyramid was made out of 7 staggered platforms around 200-500 AD and was used as a ceremonial centre by the PreIncans, Wari people. While the pyramids were neat to see, I was over it about 15 mins into the 90 minute or so tour. You had to be on a guided tour, which was a bit annoying, especially since our tour guide was very difficult to understand. The copious amounts of booze we had the night before didn’t help either. One of the best parts of this visit were the alpacas and guinea pigs we got to see. After the ceremonial/playground adventure, we grabbed coffees while we wandered around downtown Miraflores before hopping into a cab to the Frias market in Baranco. Baranco is known as the hip/art district of Lima and we were excited to explore this area. The market was filled with cool stalls with different clothes, food, art and jewelry. They often have live music in the evenings as well but we were a bit early for that. We were also starving so we checked out a Peruvian/Chinese fusion restaurant for lunch and ordered WAY too much food for the two of us. The rice, noodles and wontons were all amazing and cheap (which was the best part!) Since we had enjoyed the Lima by Walking tours so much, we decided to check out the Barranco walking tour. We were to meet the group leader in the central square by the beautifully painted library at 1610. Starbucks was in the area, so we grabbed coffees and waited for the group. The center of Barranco was super cute with many pastel coloured buildings, beautiful gardens and flowers. It was a beautifully sunny and warm-ish day (shocking for Lima) so we were extra excited to spend our last afternoon outside in the nice weather. Barranco is known as the “bohemian” part of the city and is home to about 30,000 people. It is one of the 43 districts in Lima. People from Miraflores and the historical centre moved to this area or have a “summer house” in Barranco because of its artsy, eclectic and relaxed vibe along with its access to the ocean which is lacking along the coast of Lima. We learned a ton about the history of the area (that is interesting but I won’t bore anyone else with it) while wandering around, checking out the views of the ocean and beautiful graffiti. We saw the famous and romantic bridge of “sighs” where you make a wish and hold your breath while you cross. Legends say you only get this wish once in a lifetime so it’s important to make it a good one. The city was initially mostly Spanish with Andean and Incan influence for many years. At the end of the 19th century, many people from China and Japan emigrated to the area, so there is a neat mix of all the cultures. This is evident in the art, food and design of the homes. We made several stops for great photos and loved the views we had. The tour ended at the Dedalo gallery that was filled with several rooms of clothing, jewelry, toys and art. Most of the artists were local which was really neat to see. Jill and I decided to walk to Larcomar since it looked pretty close on the map. Famous last words! The walkway along the coast is anything but direct and both our bum ankles were feeling it by the time we made it to Larcomar. Despite being a bit sore, the views along the coast were amazing and I was glad we did the walk. Larcomar is a cool mall that was built into the cliffs of the Lima coast. It was several floors tall and had a beautiful view of the coast and water. The stores were mostly higher end but we enjoyed wandering around nonetheless. We were finally having a Paletta bar and so excited! The Paletta bar was basically a stuffed ice cream bar that we had seen all throughout the country. I got one with Nutella on the inside wrapped in Kinder surprise flavoured ice cream, dipped in chocolate and Jill got one with a form of blueberry jam inside and cheesecake flavoured ice cream. They were bomb and definitely worth the wait. After a bit of a mishap finding our Uber, we managed to make our way back to the hotel where we took up the lobby and sprawled out on the couches for a few hours. It was nice to have a place to hang out and get organized before our flight. We ate our last Peruvian meal at the hotel (which was gross wings and average nachos) and some beers before taking our final Uber to the airport. We left the hotel at 2330 and made it to airport at 0005 since it was late and there was no traffic. Check in and bag drop was super easy and we spent some time enjoying duty free and buying our last minute souvenirs (thanks to Jill, we had an extra checked duffle that we threw some stuff in).

Saturday October 12, 2019 Our AC Rouge flight was very uneventful- I slept the majority of the trip thanks to Gravol and went through the thousands of photos on my phone. I tried to enjoy the gross egg breakfast but was just so excited to be headed home. While I LOVE travelling, I was so happy to land at YYZ. Customs and security was a breeze and we made it through around 11 am. Jill and I said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I am so lucky and thankful to have such an amazing travel buddy with whom I mesh so well with. We always have a great time together, regardless what continent we are on and this trip was no different. While there are so many places in Peru we didn’t get to, we had a jammed packed 3 week adventure that I won’t soon forget!

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cheesywhiskers · 5 years ago

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Yesterday, our morning path took us through a stone tunnel, mossy and drippy inside, with an inexplicable bronze dead rat at one end.

The Dublin Festival of History happens to coincide with our visit to the city. We attended the first few hours of a seminar called "Say You Want a Revolution". It included seven presentations on various topics within the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921). For such a short war, there is extensive academic and historical research on it. It ended 700 years of British occupation and oppression, and the Irish are extremely proud of their victory. So we learned about imprisonment during the war (so many escapes were facilitated by the iconic file or prison key baked into cakes!), the minutiae of membership in the different Dublin battalions (the total fighting force was rarely over 300 men), the roles women took (bookkeeping, fundraising, intelligence gathering, baking and delivering those cakes with files in them, and in one hilarious case, lifting weapons left behind by British soldiers who got too drunk at the dancehall she worked at), and the global impact of the Revolution (Black Americans were inspired; Egyptians and Arabians worked with the Irish to throw off the yoke of their common oppressor). The event was held at a branch of the National Library and Archives, so we looked around a little afterward. It was a beautifully converted old building, with just a very small book collection, and the only photo I took of it is the selfie above, sorry.

When we left the library around 2, the grey skies had opened and it was raining. Not heavily, but more than a Seattle mist. We had raincoats, we were undaunted! To get lunch, we headed to a pub I'd found recommended in a book in the library, the Lord Edward. It's historic (they're all historic), and located in "the heart of Viking Dublin". It also doesn't serve lunch, so we ended up at a Mexican restaurant nearby, operated by people actually from Mexico. I had a terrible burrito. I bet their abuelitas are ashamed of those restaurateurs. And that concludes the nacho review portion of this post.

We were fed, and the rain still fell steadily. But we had sturdy boots, we were undaunted! We went to check out a remaining piece of the Dublin city wall, the proximity to which had been Lord Edward's recommending feature. This part of town is crowded with tourists, souvenir stores, sad looking horses pulling carriages through heavy motor traffic. The remaining piece of the Anglo-Norman wall (c1200 AD) was just a piece of wall, perhaps 10 meters long, 4 high, of construction not dissimilar to all the other old stone walls around town. It was at a busy intersection, and the rain was falling harder. The best part was the informational plaque (you know how we love a good informational plaque!). It had a depiction of the city in medieval times, and mentioned that the only remaining city gate was just a few streets away, behind a church. A similar map can be found here. The wall we stood at was around A10, and the gate is at B6.

The rain was heavier now. We had history to see and traffic to get away from, we were undaunted! The church and gate are both called St Audoen's. The gate is part of the the first wall that enclosed the city, the Hiberno-Norse wall (c1140 AD). You can walk around on the defensive ramparts, peering at traffic through the crenelations and imagining pouring boiling oil, or taking aim with a crossbow. It is currently being guarded by some handsome moss. The towers and area on top of the gate, as well as the gate itself and narrow alleyway through it, are all closed to visitors right now. We peered through holes in the fence, and speculated on how much skulduggery the alley had seen.

There were only a few hours left to burn before the burlesque show we had tickets to that night, so the plan was to find a pub to hang out in and read. We tromped back across the river, through the relentless rain. And then, I realized my rain jacket was not waterproof, but only water resistant. I had been feeling so cold and clammy because I was actually wet. I became daunted. Instead of a pub, we went to the outdoor supply store, and I bought a new rain jacket. We returned to the BnB to shower and nap and dry out.

The world was loud with the susurrations of tires through standing water when we returned to the streets that night. It was not quite a tropical Florida downpour, but not very far from it. We huddled in the bus stop enclosure, part of a miserable crowd, everyone's going-out-hairstyles slowly melting. The show venue, when we arrived, was a wonderful relief, bright and half full of chattering people wearing skull makeup and flower crowns. The theme of the show was the Mexican Day of the Dead, and its purpose (which I didn't really understand when I read the flier) was to commemorate lost loved ones. It was a weird show, the usual combination of sexy shimmy and performance art interspersed with the singing of sad songs and monologues about departed creative partners. I've never been weepy at a burlesque show before, and can't say I recommend it. The highlight was a dramatic performance depicting the mythical romance between the sun and the moon, set to a spare cover of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black". The "sun" was a giant gold balloon, the dancer wore diaphanous grey and a serious expression, and the performance felt like a ritual.

When we stumbled out at midnight, the sky was clear, and still puddles reflected the quiet streets.

#dublin #ireland

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burningarcadesandwich-6448f9e7 · 2 months ago

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage Felted Wool Jacket, handmade.

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geometricc · 9 months ago

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Est. Medium/Large Vintage Handmade Embroidered Mexican Souvenir Jacket.

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jsmensik · 7 years ago

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Mt Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States at 14,508 ft (elevation varies depending on where you read). The trail head starts at 8,360 feet and gains over 6,000 feet. This is a 22 mile round trip hike, and if done in one day is considered an extreme hike. Typically it takes hikers 12-16 hours to complete. Took me 14.5 hours. In order to do this hike in one day, you will need to do it partially in the dark! Many hikers choose to obtain an overnight pass, that allows them to camp in one of two campgrounds in the Whitney Zone. Hikers choose this method as it allows themselves to acclimate to the elevation change and decrease the possibility of altitude sickness. Why some get this and others don’t is unknown. Training at higher altitudes helps decrease the possibility. I did not get sick, I didn’t take medicine to prevent it, and the last time I hiked at 10,000 feet was the year before in Yosemite. Many on the trail I passed were impressed that I didn’t get sick doing this in one day. A few men noted it must be my genetics. I was a little too oxygen deprived to come back with a snappy response on that one. Anyways, I have no answer for you on this. I just went into the hike expecting to not get sick.

You will start your journey at the visitors center. Picking up passes your reserved early on or via the lottery are obtained here, not at Portal Store. The view of Mt Whitney to the left of the flag pole at the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center.

I had wanted to hike Mt Whitney for a while and knew I had to get a permit. Like many permitted hikes, it is not easy to get one! A lottery is held starting February 1 – March 15 of each year with remaining spaces open to web reservations on April 1st. I did not have one. I decided to take a risk on the same day lottery. This means if you want a Mt Whitney day hike pass, you need to show up for the 2 pm daily lottery. Do show up by 1:45 pm. What happens now depends on the number of people who drive to the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center (you need to be in person for daily lottery) and the number of cancellations. I drove from Phoenix… 7 hours! I arrived on Friday August 11th late that morning for the lottery. There was 5 others who were there, and enough cancelled reservations that we each got a pass! I was hiking on my own this time. The ranger said we were lucky as some days there are 20-30 people who show up and only 10 cancellations! Had that been the case, they would have had us all draw numbers from this can and number 1 gets the first permit, and so one till they run out.

You will get this permit that must be placed visibly on your pack and you also must carry the visitors permit paper they give you for day use with you at all times within the Whitney Zone. You also get a Wag Bag . You must carry out all your human waste.

Now that I had my permit, up I went to the trail head! This is about 13 miles away, turning south at the light in Lone Pine. Lone Pine has stores to fill up with food and definitely thrives off the hikers coming through. I decided to get a last meal at the Mexican restaurant in town. Fill up with water before you head up the campground and trail head (fill up at the visitors center). The water supply at the trail head had notices that it was contaminated with e coli and needed to be boiled first. You don’t want to boil 3 liters of water.

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There is plenty of parking, which is first come first serve and there is areas to camp overnight. You are not supposed to sleep in your car. This is an active bear area, and both nights one bear was in the area looking for food. You can not leave any food in your car, and you must store all food as well as your bear container in the bear boxes. Cars have been heavily damaged by bears trying to get to food left in cars.

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There is a store at the trail head, where you can stock up on some items as well as get a t-shirt or souvenir. They have a small grill, where you will want to get a cheeseburger or vegeburger once you are done–as long as you get back before they close!

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One of my favorite signs, but take heed! Make sure you have enough water on you and a filter. I did start out with 3 liters of water, which many suggested was good for the entire trip. However, I only had 250 ml once I got to the top of Mt Whitney. I am usually better at guesstimating this but it ended up okay still. Since there was a large snow pack this year, the 1600 feet of 99 switchbacks below the trail crest had a small stream running from it. This however was about 3 miles from the top, and about 2 hours away. The nearest water source other wise is at Trail Camp at the lake, which was about 1/2 mile further down. I had thought about getting extra of water in my nalgene on the way up but didn’t. Hindsight, I should have. There were many people who were asking for water on the way back down. I knew I was okay, having drank all the water, I felt hydrated .

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You can buy a map at the visitors center and you can also ask the map not suitable for navigation. It is nice to have the mileage and elevation as you go. If you hike a lot, you won’t have any trouble keeping and finding the trail.

I woke up at 3:45 am (having everything ready to go!) and set out on the trail at 4 am. By this time, I was watching head lamps dance up the hill in front of me. It was fun to watch lights ahead and behind you as you progressed up. What did I wear? I worn hiking pants, a t shirt and a long sleeve shirt. I had my light fleece jacket as well as my wind/water proof jacket. I did bring light gloves (made for hiking). It was definitely cool at 45-50 degrees starting out but soon I took off all but the short sleeve and long sleeve shirt. Jackets went away until I got to the top. It is very cold, and can be windy. My nose, like others, started to run. I never used the wind proof jacket, but it is so light weight I take it every where with me.

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The fun thing about starting in the dark for a few hours is that you get to attempt water crossings in the dark! Here is one in the dark with a picture I took on the way back in the day light for comparison.

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And the log one.

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There were many more, but it was getting lighter out! It was wonderful to watch the sunrise as well hiking up.

Once you pass the Lone Pine Lake turn off (you don’t hike by lake, but do note the sign), you see the Whitney Zone sign. The one picture is above the sign, looking down on Lone Pine Lake.

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Here, you start to see hikers slow down, take breaks and you get to talk to different groups. Along the way, people pass you, you repass them, it’s not about who gets up the fastest, but just getting up. Information states that only about 1/3 of people who attempt to get to the top make it! Take breaks and eat. I only brought bananas, apples, water, energy gel with caffeine, Pro Bars, and Cliff Bars. I had maybe 2,500 calories on me. I am not out to lose weight, but find that over eating doesn’t make me feel good. I made sure I ate something, even if only part of a bar, every 1-1.5 hours. Eating a little something always makes me feel better. Overeating can cause issues such as cramping. If you are hiking constantly, your blood is shifted to your legs and arms, not your stomach, so keep that in mind on what and how much you decide to eat. When you eat, blood flow does shift some to your stomach to work on that food!

The next major mile stone is Outpost camp, the first area to stop and camp overnight. There are fewer people camping here, but it is in the trees and has a creek running through it. It is much further away from Mt Whitney, so many rather camp over at Trail Camp.

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There was a lot of water on the way up, and in many places the trail had water running over it!

One of my favorite pictures on the way up! The sunrise hitting the peak and it’s reflection.

If you were unsure, this trail has a ton of switch backs. It feels like mostly switch backs however those are not the best pictures! Mirror Lake below.

This hike was absolutely beautiful! There was many pretty areas along the way. Snow pack feeds this creek below. The red on the snow is an algae that thrives on freezing water. Called chlamydomonas nivalis, it is something you don’t want to eat unless you want a laxative effect!

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Animals up here were limited to squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, and dear.

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From here, you are out of the tree line!! The Sierra Nevada sub-alpine zone is 9,500-12,000 feet in the southern range. Both Consultation Lake and Trail Camp are at about 12,000 feet.

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You can see the camp ground, which is pretty popular and very open to your neighbors. Trail Camp is at the base of the last large set of switch backs before the trail crest. In the picture with the tents, you can see Mt Whitney to the far right, and the trail on far left… it looks nicely sloped but don’t let that fool you, 1600 feet up 99 switchbacks!! It doesn’t look that bad does it?!? Just add ice in some areas and creek across parts of trail and you are set. I did, as well as most hikers, have trekking poles which I am thankful for! This takes a few hours to get up. During parts of this hike up it feels like you are not making progress. The mountains are so grand that everything seems tiny by their size.

Looking down at Trail Camp (picture with tents) after hiking the 99 switch backs and up 1600 feet. Elevation is now 13,600. Oxygen 59% level. I hadn’t mentioned oxygen level till now, but if you are interested in the decrease in oxygen level, here is a good source of information.

From here is the trail crest! Congratulations, I am at 13,600 feet! YAY!

Then the most soul sucking things occurs. You have to hike down about 150 feet to the Mt Whitney trail head. Serious, after climbing up, and thinking you only have 900 feet of elevation gain to go, any amount down is sad.

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You also see this sign. People have died from lightning strikes on top, so heed this warning! I was very excited to see I had only 1.9 miles left, however, this part of the trail is horrible! Some parts of it is clear, but it is mainly large rocks that you are stepping on and over. Trekking poles get stuck, feet get stuck, so be careful. It is also hard to see the trail in the distance as you are trying to figure out what route you will go to get up.

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Looking forward on trail to top

Looking back on trail

Depending on the time of year and snow fall, there can be snow up here still. There was a large snow field on the last part and prior hikers made a short cut that went straight up before the snow field. Hikers who didn’t pay attention and followed the trail into the snow turned back as the snow was icy and no one had crampons with them. Hikers had stacked little stacks of rocks to note temporary trail markers. The second picture is a picture of the snow field from earlier in the trail. You need to hike to the high point in the one photo to get to the top!

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There is honestly no better feeling than when you finally see the cabin on your way up.

The cabin is called the Smithsonian Institute Shelter completed in 1909. Scientist built it to study high altitude phenomena before high altitude flight was possible.

With a renewed sense of energy after seeing the cabin, you now make it to the top! Peak 14,508 depending on source. Oxygen level is 58%. Make sure you sign the visitors log!

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It took me 8 hours to make it to the top. You want to stay as long as you can to savor the view, but you know the oxygen is much thinner now, and you want that cheeseburger before the store closes. There was a forest fire in the distance as well. After about 30 minutes, I headed back.

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This was an amazing hike, and I made it back into the Whitney Portal Trail head at 6:30 pm–about 6 hours to get back. I, like many, were on a mission to get back so didn’t stop much. My calves were sore by this point, and unfortunately had a blister (I bought new boots today to resolve that!). This extreme day hike was surely worth everything minute though!

Back to the portal. Feeling good now! And then to the store for food. Not much could have tasted better than this after that hike!

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Mt Whitney in One Day! Mt Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States at 14,508 ft (elevation varies depending on where you read).

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