#stellar fishing ground peak

[alldaynikki]

Daily Wishes for 01-27-2025

Today's daily wish for Silver Petals takes us back to the Astral Swan in the Abandoned District.

The fastest way to get to the Astral Swan is if you've already found the Stellar Fishing Ground Peak Warp Spire. Once you warp there, look towards the pond to the southeast, and you'll spot the large Astral Swan.

Take a picture of the Astral Swan in order to get your Silver Petals for the day.

While you're there, go ahead and groom the Astral Swan for an Astral Feather. You can get ONE A DAY, so make sure to come back daily to gather from the Astral Swan.

Below the peak is the Stellar Fishing Ground Pier where you can fish for Tulletail once a day, as well.

[mcharactersposts]

The Ultimate Guide to Shark Fishing Charters Naples Florida

Naples is well-known amongst fishing enthusiasts for its abundance of shark species just offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. For anglers looking for an adrenaline-filled day catching these apex predators of the sea, Naples offers world-class shark fishing charters Naples Florida to target trophy sharks like bull, hammerhead, blacktip, lemon, and more. This complete guide will provide everything you need to know about the top shark fishing charters available in Naples.

The Best Shark Fishing Charters Naples Florida

When choosing a Naples shark fishing charter, you’ll want an experienced captain and crew with extensive knowledge of local waters and shark behavior. The following charters have stellar reputations for finding and catching sharks consistently:

Fish Hunter Charters

Captain Anthony of Fish Hunter Charters has over 20 years of experience guiding shark fishing trips in Naples. He knows where sharks feed and when they are most active. Fish Hunter targets sharks ranging from 5 to over 10 feet long using chum, live bait, and top-quality tackle. An 8-hour trip includes license, bait, tackle, ice, and equipment.

Ace Fisher Charters

Captain Noah and their first mate, Abel of Ace Fisher Charters, focus solely on shark fishing adventures. They use chum, live bait, kites, rigs specially made for targeting large sharks, and more to regularly put you onto 4-6 foot sharks like blacktips, spinners, and bull sharks. Ace Fisher offers eight and 12-hour trips dedicated to shark fishing from late spring through fall when big sharks are abundant.

Get Tight Sport fishing Charters

Captain Steve has guided shark fishing trips for over 30 years in the Naples area. The Get Tight offers full-day best charter fishing Naples Florida from 8 to 12 hours focused on catching sharks in the 5–10-foot range. From great whites and tigers to bulls and hammerheads, you can target the Naples offshore shark species of your choice under the guidance of this expert team.

Shark Fishing Techniques

The most successful Naples shark charters use a combination of techniques to increase your chances at multiple hookups:

Chum Slicks: Chum is ground or chopped fish parts poured into the water to leave a trail of shark-attracting scent. Naples captains use chum to bring sharks near the boat.

Live Bait: Sharks are drawn to struggling baitfish on a line. Live bait like pinfish, blue runners, or mullet is extremely effective for triggering a shark to bite.

Kite Fishing: Kite fishing suspends live bait under a kite and away from the boat to entice sharks from a wider area to feed. Many Naples charters rely on kite fishing to hook huge sharks.

Circle Hooks: All reputable shark best fishing charter Naples Florida exclusively use circle hooks, which are designed not to gut hook sharks, allowing catch-and-release. Circle hooks also increase hookups in a shark’s tough mouth.

Heavy Tackle: Shark fishing requires heavy-duty tackle, including large conventional or spinning reels spooled with 80lb-150lb test monofilament or braided line matched to stiff offshore rods. Naples captains supply all necessary shark fishing gear.

Fighting Belts/Harnesses: Once you have a shark on the line, you must be strapped into a fighting belt or harness on the boat to battle a large, powerful shark safely. The crew handles everything needed to subdue your catch.

When to Target Sharks in Naples

As temperature-regulating fish, sharks become more active in warmer water, peaking in Naples from late spring through fall. Due to baitfish availability, August and September are prime months to target the largest sharks. Shark fishing continues year round in Naples, just with less action during winter months.

Must Know Shark Fishing Regulations

When fishing for sharks out of Naples, there are essential regulations all anglers must follow:

Fishing License—All shark fishing participants 16 years of age and older must have a valid Florida saltwater fishing license. Some charters include the license with the trip.

Circle Hooks: Using non-offset, non-stainless steel circle hooks is mandated when shark fishing in Florida state waters to prevent gut hooking.

Federal Shark Endorsement: At least one person per vessel must have a NOAA federal shark endorsement to recreationally fish for sharks in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Bag Limits: Strict shark bag limits include one shark per person per day with additional species restrictions. Shark fishing charters comply with all limits.

Dehooking Devices—Releasing sharks requires proper dehooking tools like bolt cutters. All reputable charters carry the correct gear to minimize harm.

Tackle Requirements—Specific tackle, such as non-offset circle hooks, is required by law when targeting sharks. Your captain will have all proper terminal tackle onboard.

Booking Your Naples Shark Fishing Adventure When you’re ready to check an intense shark fishing charter in Naples, Florida, off your bucket list, be sure to book well in advance during peak seasons for availability. Multi-day trips are also possible for maximum shark action. Contact any of the top recommended Naples shark fishing charters here to schedule your trip today!

[riverdrifter]

River Plays: Pikmin 4 - Part 1: Catching Up

Since it's come to my attention that I cannot play games normally and have to write down my every experience and thought, I'm just going to jump right into journaling regardless of how late I am into the game! I'm finishing up my current day, then we can get into what I've completed so far.

☀️ Day 24 - Serene Shores

This area caused me to rage quit the last time I played this, because I went in overstimulated and the way the water was ignoring how Ice Pikmin are supposed to work was making me want to cry. But my friend told me I'm really going to like this area, so I'm going back in with a fresh mind. After completing the last day with little stress, I feel a lot more confident.

I get the little golf ball out of the way, as well as harvesting some flowers. At the point I've started writing this, I've cleared the enemies on the way up to the peak of the sandcastle, and I'm puzzling out how to conquer the base boss. Clearly, I can't attack it normally due to its impenetrable shell. So I'm using my items to figure out a different way...

Update: I FINALLY beat it after just, relentlessly throwing Reds at it during the phase where you're trying to pull its tail to the ground, because the whistle means nothing during this fight apparently and you can bust your lungs blowing it all you want but your Pikmin might as well be on another planet. It worked! It took a lot of trial and error, but it worked! So my base is now at the Sand Keep.

The rest of the day was just dandori as usual.

Exploration Results Rescues: 19 -> 19 Pup Drive: 1 -> 1

« Sparklium Discovered » - Orbital Communication Sphere ✧ 40 - Fish-Bed Snack ✧ 80 - Stellar Extrusion ✧ 40 - Nuggets x20 ✧ 100 Total: 9277 -> 9537

« Status Report: Serene Shores » Rescues: 1/??? Treasure: 8/??? Onions: 1/??? Progress: 14% -> 16% New Pikmin: 3 Yellow, 44 Blue Lost Pikmin: 5 Red, 1 Yellow Total: 567 Raw Material: 45 -> 77

❀*❧

NOW we can get into the exhaustive note-taking of everything I've completed so far.

❇️ Missions

[ Main Missions ] Rescue All Castaways - 13/??? Rescue Olimar 📌 - Definitely saving this for last. I know you get the end credits if you do this, and I really want to 100% the game. Secure Energy Source - Clear! Rescue the Rescue Corps - Clear!

[ Side Missions ] Cure the Leaflings 2 - 6/9 (Nice) Set the World Abloom - 0/300 Friend to All Pikmin - 55/300 Investigate Areas 3 - 2/3 You vs. Planet 3 - 358/1,000 Precious Scientists - 3/9 Researching Onions 3 - 4/6 Find the Missing Students - 0/3 Cave Delving 3 - 10/15 All the Little Darlings 3 - 67/75 Leafling Meet and Greet - 6/10 Beat Dandori Challenge 2 - 1/3 Dandori Battle Training 2 - 2/3 Appraisal Frenzy 2 - 92/100 Fusing Onions 3 - 3/4 Train a Rescue Pup - 19/??? An Ode to Science - 18/???

💳 ID Badges

With these, I'll also be listing what I think their name pun is, as it looks like all of the NPCs introduced in this game have dog breed names, and there's not a lot written on this outside of a Reddit thread that I found. I'll be marking the connections I didn't make myself and crediting them in the footnotes.

[ Rescue Corps ] Rescue Corps Officer: Atlas Rescue Corps Rescue Pup: Oatchi 🐶 Rescue Corps Captain: Shepherd (German Shepherd) ☀️ Rescue Corps Officer: Collin (Collie) ♡ 🔧 Rescue Corps Officer: Russ (Jack Russel) Rescue Corps Officer: Dingo (Dingo) 🌙 Rescue Corps Officer: Yonny (Papillon) ☺ Rescue Corps Officer: Bernard (St. Bernard)

[ Olimar ] Still Missing

[ Civilian Castaways] 📔 Treasure Appraiser: Schnauz (Schnauzer) 📗 Animal Enthusiast: Dalmo (Dalmation) 🤛 General Contractor: Corgwin (Corgi) ⏱️ Space Explorer: Jin (Jindo) ✗ 🪞 Universal Stylist: Puddle (Poodle) Research Task Force Lead: Chet (Shetland Sheepdog) Research Task Force Recruit: François (Anglo-Français de Petite Vénerie or literally any French breed I guess) ✗ Research Task Force Recruit: Pitunia (Pitbull) Research Task Force Recruit: Sy (Siberian Husky) Uncharted Planet Tourist: Mika (Mi-Ki) ✗ Florist: Kingsly (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) Professional Spelunker: Dash (Dachshund) Unemployed: Patch (Pachón Navarro) ✗

Credit Legend ♡ Credit to my mom ☺ Credit to Reddit user ToadBrigade5 ✗ Had to Google it

🛡️ Gear and Skills

[ Rescue Gear ] Charging Horn Idle Counter Headlamp Treasure Gauge Tuff Stuff Air Armor Rush Boots Triple Threat Brace Boots

[ Pup Gear ] Scorch Guard Air Armor+ Thermal Defense Tuff Stuff+

(As you can see, I've prioritized getting the defensive gear for Oatchi.)

[ Pup Skills ] Buff Lv. 3 Chomp Lv. 3 Rush Lv. 2 Doggy-Paddle Lv. 3 Jump Pluck Lv. 1 Dig Lv. 2 Heal Lv. 1 Command Lv. 3

📒 Rescue Journal

[ Tips and Tricks ] #1-9; #11-12

[ Captain's Diary] #1-7

[ Shepherd Family History ] #1-3

📖 Voyage Log

#1-10: Complete! #11-20: 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 #21-30: 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 #31-40: 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 40 #41-50: 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 #51-60: 56, 57, 59, 60 #61-70: 62, 63, 64, 65, 66 #71-80: 71, 72, 74, 80

🗝️ Treasure Catalog

> ??? Universal Rubber Cutie / Planetary Rubber Cutie / Stately Rubber Cutie / ??? > ??? Sweet Stumble-Not / ??? / Deceptive Snack / Cookie of Nibbled Circles / Cookie of Prosperity / ??? ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / S.S. Chocolate > ??? ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / Sticky Jewel / Hoop of Healing ??? / Hoop of Fortune > Recreation Recollection Series Tandem Trainer / Sphere of Fuzzy Feelings / Orbital Communication Sphere / Orb of Destruction > ??? ??? / Disk of Joyous Wisdom / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? > ??? ??? / Floral Instigator / ??? / ??? / Perforated Raft / ??? > ??? Memory Fragment (Top Left) / ??? / Memory Fragment (Top...Probably?) / Memory Fragment (Top Right) ??? / ??? ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / Memory Fragment (Bottom Right) > ??? ??? / Flaky Temptation / ??? / ??? > ??? ??? / Sphere of Family / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? ??? / ??? / Sphere of Support / ??? > ??? Sunseed Berry / Cupid's Grenade / Searing Acidshock / Velvety Dreamdrop / Astringent Clump / Wayward Moon > ??? Lesser Mock Bottom / Mock Bottom / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? > ??? ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / Disguised Delicacy Blonde Imposter > ??? ??? / Citrus Lump / Face Wrinkler / ??? / ??? > ??? ??? / ??? / ??? / Stellar Extrusion / ??? / ??? Fire-Breathing Feast > ??? Dusty Bed / ??? / ??? / Fishy Bed > ??? ??? / ??? / Daughter Doll Head / Mooching Vase / Mama Doll Head / Empty Vase > ??? ??? / ??? / ??? / Fish-Bed Snack / ??? > ??? Harmonic Synthesizer / Spouse Alert / Path Creator / Time Marker / Wind Detector / ??? ??? / Mechanical Harp (Memory Song) / ??? / ??? / ??? / Shake-a-Smile ??? > Great Adventure Series Double Dragon-Eyed Scope / Temporal Mechanism / Director of Destiny / Detective's Truth Seeker > ??? Unlimited Locomotive / Middle-Management Tank Car / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? Back-at-the-Beginning Track / ??? > ??? ??? / ??? / Brush of Wisdom / ??? / ??? / ??? ??? > ??? ??? / Decorative Goo / Illumination Goo / ??? / ??? / Ambiguous Goo ??? / Refreshing Goo / ??? > ??? ??? / ??? / Ancient Statue Head / ??? / ??? / ??? ??? / Expression Hider / ??? > ??? Heat Sensor / Internal-Clock Measurer / ??? / ??? > ??? Octoplus / ??? / ??? / ??? > ??? ??? / Noble Bident / ??? > ??? Micromanagement Station / ??? / ??? / ??? / Masterpiece Plank / ??? ??? / ??? / Stone of Advancement / ??? > ??? ??? / ??? / Personal-Injury Plank / ??? > ??? ??? / ??? / Anxious Sprout / Crew-Cut Gourd / Child of the Earth / Daughter of the Earth Mysterious Carrage / Snack Bean / ??? > ??? ??? / ??? / Satellite Shield / ??? / ??? / ??? ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? > ??? Unfloatable Boat / ??? / ??? / Sweat-Soaked Blue Bird / Skin of the Phoenix / ??? Aspiration-Ritual Ball / Aspiration-Ritual Pole / ??? > ??? ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? / ??? ??? / ??? / Gold Nugget > ??? ??? / ??? / Chance Totem / ??? / Talisman of Life (Crane) / Talisman of Life (Cherry Blossom) Talisman of Life (Moon) / ??? / ???

📗 Piklopedia

💭 Other Goals & Specifics

[ Dandori Training ] Dandori Day Care - Platinum Hotshock Canyon - Bronze Rockaway Cellars - Bronze

[ Dandori Battle ] Trial Run - Gold Battle in a Box - Gold Dandori Castle - Silver

[ Area Progress ] ✿ Sun-Speckled Terrace - 100% ✿ Blossoming Arcadia - 100% Serene Shores - 16% Hero's Hideaway - 0%

[ Night Missions ] ✿ Sun-Speckled Terrace ---✿ 1. Ancient Arches ---✿ 2. Rugged Scaffold ---✿ 3. Meandering Slope ✿ Blossoming Arcadia ---✿ 1. Fragrant Ravine ---✿ 2. Sunwashed Plateau ---✿ 3. Misshapen Pond Serene Shores --- 1. Blossoming Dunes --- 3. The Sand Keep

❀*❧

That's all I can really handle in one sitting, so even though I only did one ingame day this session, I feel good that I'm caught up so it'll be much easier to take notes from here on out. Next time I promise I'll actually have gameplay to read about!

[the-coconut-asado]

Oh Stumptown my Stumptown!

Portland likes to keep it weird. Officially. You could even buy the tee shirt if tee shirts weren’t so predictable.   

From a poster invitation to “Hear my TED Talk about DIY and Impending Doom” to the Big Legrowlski (sic) night club that hangs carpets on the walls -  not to balance the sound for the band but because they really bring the room together -  the City has an off-beat vibe that feels authentic even while it gets you scratching your head. And where else would you queue round the block for a voodoo-doll shaped doughnut with a pretzel stick through its ‘heart’?

You probably won’t be surprised when I tell you that Portland is  the Hipster Capital of the World. You know it’s hipster because it sells more coffee and has more microbreweries per head than anywhere else in the US.

We came for the food because People That Know told us to. It’s not simply that everything is delicious but that chefs, cooks, carts and food enthusiasts are trying to do different. It’s like Masterchef has landed in Twin Peaks. Entrepreneurs are making ice cream out of chickpeas and it works. A pastry chef has re-interpreted her favourite childhood book on a plate and you rejoice in the complex flavours of her tiny reconstructed bunny. So who’s the bunny boiler now?

One thing that puzzled me is why the City changed its name from the original Stumptown (pretty weird) to Portland (the Holiday Inn of city names). Devon, a local lawyer who we chatted to most mornings in Baristas Cafe, explained that Portland was never officially called Stumptown.  It became its nickname due to all the trees they had to cut down to build it, leaving the eponymous stumps in their wake. Stumptown is also the name of their iconic coffee brand, which I always assumed was NYC’s greatest invention. This is one of the many ways in which travel expands your mind.

Devon embodied something else about Portland: its friendliness. Even the passport officers are anxious that you have a good time. Full disclosure,  it wasn’t just Devon that we sought out each morning - it was Pepper, his cute little dog. I would eat Barista’s fresh, flaky rhubarb hand pie just to drop crumbs that Pepper would breakfast on. 

Devon put us onto a couple of great places to eat - one we made it to, one we didn’t. But more of that later.

Where to begin to describe this steel guitar food odyssey? Let me take you through our many highlights from the  mountain of food we consumed. Set it to the soundtrack of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Thing.

Our first evening, tired and hungry, we stuck to our guns and found Andina, the City’s Peruvian eatery. When you are both tired and hungry it’s easy to get seduced by posters boasting ‘Meatball Monday’ and forget your mission, but our persistence paid off. That legendary Portlandia hospitality squeezed us into a nook where there really wasn’t a free table, and we dined greedily on humitas, ceviche, lamb shank and seafood, washed down with Oregon’s finest home-grown Pinot Gris. I didn’t quibble that they brought something different from my order. In my fractured Spanish ‘Arroz con Pato’ probably did sound like ‘Seafood Risotto’  - and the risotto was obviously going to be delicious before fork met lip, so I didn’t send it back.

Next day, which coincidentally was Taco Tuesday, we hit the street food. 

Portland is big on street food (see: hipster capital of the world). Most food vendors have carts - permanent fixtures where the chef builds enough of a following over months or years to be able to open a small restaurant. Nong’s Khao Man Gai was just one of these. They do one dish - a Vietnamese poached chicken with a secret chilli sauce, accompanied by rice cooked in the chicken broth. You can also have a version with shrimp, pork or Tofu. We bought a bottle of the sauce to bring home. Life’s too short.

It’s not all carts - there are a fair few trucks too. 

One which specialised in cheese toasties challenged “ Come and relive the taste of your childhood. But if your childhood sucked, we’ll share the memory of ours”. Have you eaten a cheese toastie recently? I mean really felt the embrace of  a sandwich of molten cheese and fried bread? Maybe your childhood did suck after all.

That evening it was the turn of The Hairy Lobster restaurant, and that bunny dessert I mentioned earlier. Little Bunny Foo Foo to give it it’s full name. A delicate carrot cake, covered in cheesecake mousse, accompanied by a ginger crumb, caramel sauce and a marshmallow rabbit. 

Despite it’s show-stopping appearance and fusion of flavours, it was their roast squash with curry sauce and pumpkin seed praline that was the stand-out dish for me. The Lobster picnic for our main was pretty damn good too.

Friday brings me to Devon’s first recommendation, Pok Pok,  a teeny Thai eatery in the suburbs. Getting there had the added advantage of passing through a neighbourhood full of rambling old houses in the Amityville Horror style. I recalled the first time I had heard of Portland was from a TV thriller full of witches and jabberwocks called Grimm. They had definitely filmed it’s eerily beautiful moments around here.

If I had to single out a food highlight in a week of next-to-no food lows, I would choose Pok Pok. It gave me my first food coma in a long while. Something about it’s smoked aubergine, pork belly curry, marinated chicken with two dips, sublime mango with sticky rice and that rhubarb blush cocktail… I sense I am sharing my food coma with you now. Their signature dish is hot spicy chicken wings. The couple on the table next to us were too full to finish theirs so offered them to us. Maybe it was the wings that tipped me over the edge. I’ll never know.

And so to our last day, and the big daddy of Portland nights out: Jake’s Crawfish. Over 100 years old, walking into Jake’s is like walking into one of Sinatra’s memories. It has a justifiably stellar reputation, and seems to have maintained it for a century. I ate Steel-head trout for the first time, fished on their doorstep from Oregon’s Columbia River, coated with a horseradish crust, and preceded by half a dozen of the plumpest oysters I have ever eaten.

I haven’t yet mentioned Portland’s biggest hipster foodie habit: brunch. No matter what day of the week, the restaurants that brunch are always full. For most of our trip, we were waking up too early to really do brunch justice. Those rhubarb hand pies at Baristas had satisfied our hunger by around 8AM so a mid-morning banquet wasn’t really on. One day, however, we made it to Tasty & Alder in the Pearl DIstrict of the city and managed to sneak in a table for two before the queues built up. Worth it for their Green Frittata with salsa verde (who ever thought of doing that before?) and lightest, fluffiest American biscuits. We never made it to Devon’s second recommendation: Burmasphere, his friend’s Burmese cart on the other side of the river. And now we have an excuse to return.

When it came to rustling up some recipes that take me straight back to Portland weird, I whittled my list down to three: my version of Tasty & Alders’ green frittata with feta and salsa verde; a less labour-intensive version of Andina’s Arroz con Pato, made with chicken or guinea fowl; and in the spirit of weird, though by no means original, a cake inspired by Churros con Chocolate. The best possible end to a Taco Tuesday.

I messaged a friend of mine that had moved to Portland a few years back and asked why she had ever left. “ Too much rain and not enough art.” she said.  

You missed the point Sweetie. Great Food IS great art. And if you can’t stand the rain, get into the kitchen.

Green Frittata with Feta and Salsa Verde

A great little brunchy-lunch dish packed with flavour for the carb-conscious. If you want to add some carbs, slices of toasted sourdough will go down a treat. Serves 4

Ingredients

8 large free-range eggs

1tblspn, double cream

100g asparagus spears, chopped into 2 cm chunks

100g shelled garden peas or petit pois

50g feta cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa verde:

Small pack of flat-leaf parsley (around 15-20g)

½ a small pack of mint leaves

3 tbsp. Capers

7 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp dijon mustard

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

How to make:

Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil, then add the peas. After a couple of minutes, add the chopped asparagus and continue simmering for another 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Put to one side.

Next, make the salsa verde. Put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender, season generously with pepper and go easier on the salt (anchovies and capers are already pretty salty). Then, add the olive oil and blend again. Don’t over blend at each step - it's nice to keep the texture a little rough.

Put a skillet on the stove and melt a knob of butter. Beat the eggs, add the cream and season. Lightly saute the green vegetables in the butter for a minute or two. 

 then pour the eggs over and crumble the feta cheese over the top. Cook for a couple of minutes until the bottom is starting to brown.

 pop under the grill to continue cooking, until the top is a light golden colour and the frittata has firmed up with a slight wobble (keep a close eye on this, probably takes 2-3 minutes).

Cut the frittata into 4 wedges and serve with a dollop of salsa verde on top.

Arroz con Gallina Picante

I never did get to eat Arroz con Pato in Andina, but while I adore the rich flavour of duck, devoting two or three days to confitting it before finishing the dish is only for the dedicated dinner party cook. This version with a spicy chicken and a feta-enriched herb sauce (based on a Melissa Clark recipe)  goes down just as well - or the richer Guinea Fowl, which I have used here. And Peruvian aji amarillo is now more available by mail order - substitute ordinary chile powder if not. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized chicken or guinea fowl, jointed into 2 breasts, 2 drumsticks and 2 thighs (discard the back or freeze to make stock at a later date)

For the marinade:

6 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp paste made with aji amarillo powder and olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp sriracha sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

½ a large bunch coriander leaves, broken up

2 jalapeno chilies, chopped

75g feta cheese, crumbled

1 garlic clove, crushed

Juice of 1-2 limes

2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

½ tsp dijon mustard

½ tbsp aji amarillo paste (see marinade earlier for method)

1 tsp honey

1 tsp ground cumin

½ cup extra virgin olive oil.

For the Peruvian Rice:

3 tbsp sunflower oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, finely chopped

3 heaped tsp aji amarillo paste (see marinade earlier for method)

½ large bunch fresh coriander, broken up and blended till smooth with a tblspn water

500g fresh chicken stock

300g bottle of beer or lager

2 x small green chillies, chopped finely

500g basmati rice

1 red pepper, chopped into small chunks

100g fresh garden peas or petit pois

How to make

First, make the marinade. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, cover the fowl of your choice in it, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the sauce: put all the ingredients into a blender, and blend till smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate, taking out about 15 minutes ahead of eating to bring to room temperature.

For the rice. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic and saute until starting to turn golden. Add the blended coriander and chili paste  and cook for a couple of minutes until the paste has thickened slightly and smells delicious.

Pour the beer into the saucepan, cook for a few minutes then add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, season, then take off the heat, cover and put to one side.

Heat the oven to 200C. Pat  the chicken or guinea fowl pieces dry, then pop onto a shallow baking tray, season and drizzle with olive oil. Put the tray into the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes.

While the meat roasts, finish the rice. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium sized saucepan, add the peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the rice and stir into the oil and peppers until it starts to crackle a little at the bottom. Add the peas and chilies and stir again, then add the stock, beer and onion garlic mix. Stir, season if needed, then cover and simmer on a low heat for 25 mins.

Fluff up the rice and spoon onto plates. Top with the chicken or guinea fowl pieces, and crown with a dollop of sauce.

Churros Bundt Cake with Dipping Chocolate Sauce

I love churros, and I love a Bundt cake. If you want all the flavours but none of the faffing or frying, then give this a try. The cake will keep, covered in a tin. Just remember to reheat the chocolate sauce for dipping or pouring each time. Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 ¾ cups plain flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp. Salt

170g unsalted butter

130g caster sugar

50g soft brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 375g punnet of sour cream

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar ‘glaze’

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tsp caster sugar

For the chocolate sauce:

½ cup cocoa powder

Pinch chilli flakes

100g dark chocolate (70%)

1 cup double cream

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

How to make

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and flour a large bundt cake pan (make sure to get into all the nooks and crannies).

Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl (ideally using an electric stand mixer) until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and continue to mix between each addition, finishing with the egg yolk. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat again until just incorporated.  Mix all the dry ingredients, add them to the butter and egg mix and fold in until smooth. 

Pour the cake batter into the bundt tin and bake for around 50-55 minutes until a skewer inserted near the middle comes out clean (I usually check the cake after 45 mins). Invert the cake onto a rack to cool.

Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and paint all over the surface of the cake. Dust the cinnamon sugar over the buttered cake, making sure you pat it in places to stick.

To make the chocolate sauce. Pop all the ingredients into a saucepan, then cook, stirring constantly, on a low heat until the chocolate has melted, everything is smooth and custardy. Let it bubble slightly then turn off the heat.

Serve slices of the churros cake with warm chocolate sauce poured over. There are some who prefer their chocolate sauce served cold. That’s fine too.

[vytraveldiary2]

Iceland Day 4 - From Hofn to Seyðisfjörður

We woke up to a breakfast laid out by the host. Icelandic hotel breakfasts are usually not as hearty as the ones found in American hotels, but our breakfast was still enjoyable and there were eggs that were available for us to cook ourselves. Dinning with us was a couple from Colorado and couple from the UK (whom we had also bumped in to at the lava field yesterday and will also be staying in the same town that we are planning to stay in tonight). We then headed out on our road trip to East Iceland.

Our route involves mainly driving along the coastline. Michael did a great job with driving the whole route while Vy was able to relax and enjoy the stellar views of the ocean and waves hitting the shoreline and fjords. The drive was especially beautiful today, as it was the sunniest day that we had witnessed in Iceland so far, allowing us to see details of the mountain ranges. (Although the clouds were still oddly low hanging). We made a quick stop at Hvalnes Nature Reserve Beach, hoping to spot some wildlife. We unfortunately only found a few birds that we had already observed elsewhere, but was excited to spot some succulents miraculously growing out of the pebbled lined shore. However, we did soon pass by some white reindeer grazing on the side of the road later on. We passed through a little town of Djúpivogur, which is known by tourists for its row of egg sculptures.

For lunch, we decided to stop at Sveinsstekkdsfoss waterfall for a picnic. We accidentally turned off the Ring Road too early, which turned out to be fortunous as we found ourselves hopping across rocks and little streams to reach an area directly across the water from where the waterfall fed into the water. It was the absolute perfect picnic spot for lunch. After lunch we took the correct path to the waterfall, which allowed us to see the waterfall from above. As we drove along Ring Road, we spotted a baby sheep wandering along the side of the road. We stopped by, and it started baa-night at us, as if it was scared and wanted help. However, everytime Michael tried to approach it in attempts to return it to the other side of the fence where other animals were grazing, it tried to bolt into the middle of the road. Scared that we would cause it to become roadkill, we decided to give up and leave the baby sheep alone. Hopefully the farm’s owners will realize that one of its sheep is on the wrong side of the fence the next time they come to check on the animals. Until then, mission interact with a baby sheep has been completed. The next I spy mission is to find a live fish swimming in a body of water.

As the road winded along the shore, it brought us closer and closer to the snow capped mountains. We reached Egilsstaðir, the biggest city in East Iceland. We visited its library and got some snacks at Bonus. We then headed off to Seyðisfjörður, which turned out to be a mountainous road that first quickly ascended and brought us directly into the mountain snowcaps, and then decended into the town. We did a pit stop at the peak of the drive in order to see the ice/snow cap on the mountains up close, being careful to make sure that we were stepping on solid ground and not hidden frozen lakes. During the descent of the drive, we were greeted with the cutest little town with colorful houses enclosed by snowy mountain ranges. We then stopped by Gufufoss (yet another waterfall) right before entering the town.

We checked into our hostel, which was a charmingly decorated accommodation that was a converted hospital. Then it was time to explore the town, which from initial glance looked like the most adorable town ever. The homes were painted in cute colors, and each home had a waterfront and/or mountain range view. The weather was very mild (possibly due to the mountain ranges enclosing the town and shielding it from winds. This is a very small town, containing just one grocery store and school. There were only 2 restaurants open while we were there (2 additional restaurants open during off season). We stopped by the only pharmacy in town, and the pharmacist there said that she does around 150 scripts a week and is able to get any meds that she might need with one day delivery from their sister branch in Egilsstaðir. We wanted to learn more about healthcare services in this town that doesn’t appear to have a hospital, but was unable to find a clinic to visit. The town must be very self sustainable, as it seems like the roads leading to it can be quite treacherous in wintertime. The hostel worker explained to us that there were some areas within the town itself that was at high avalanche/mudslide risk, and oftentimes during the winter the residents there are unable to leave to travel to other parts of the town.

We then did a mini hike, which took us directly to the Budararfoss waterfall and great views of the mountain, lake, and town below. Then it was time for grocery store shopping and dinner in the hostel’s cute dining nook overlooking mountain views.

[venusianbacon]

Late To The Party: Back To The Moon

And here I thought the Crystal Gem’s problems were over for the time being. The Ruby squad from Hit the Diamond makes a return to muck up a well-deserved rest for our heroes.  

As I sit here thinking about this episode, it seems like this was a big event like the fight against Jasper, but it really isn’t.  A lot of the moments consist of Ruby interacting with Amethyst posing as Jasper and that’s the gist of what’s going on.  The Rubies clearly fawn over Jasper and we hear what had happened to Pink Diamond through their viewpoint.  In that moment it’s a bit tense with the Crystal Gems’ reaction but it’s quickly glossed over.  Just an inkling of world building that could have been expanded upon.  (I’ve watched all the episodes and I’m not sure if this was the first time this was brought up.)

Everything ends with Steven getting rid of the Rubies via an airlock on the moon base but is dragged along with them in the confines of space.  (I’m not sure about how scientifically sound this was.  Last time I checked, Neil Armstrong didn’t get sucked out of the pod on the moon and end up floating endlessly in space.  Pretty sure the gravity of the moon would have held Steven to the ground.)

Not a whole lot to say about this episode in general. There are a lot of funny moments, like Pearl’s over acting and Amethyst’s bad improvisation as Jasper; it’s just oddly placed right after a huge arc.  I think the season should have ended with Jasper’s defeat and include this in the next season somewhere.  Clearly I have no idea how writing a series works and should find a career elsewhere.

I may have mentioned it before but I’ll reiterate that Charlyne Yi’s voice acting all the Rubies is amazing.  She does a stellar job making each Ruby sound distinct.  Very few people are able to do such a feat and I’m still impressed by her. Guess this means I’m going to have to look out for her voice in other series’.  Probably in OK KO but I haven’t watched a single episode as of yet.   In due time perhaps.  The only thing I know about OK KO is that the creator helped created Steven Universe, seen some gif’s and fanart in the wild World Wide Web, and that’s about it.  Making time for another series to follow feels like a chore to me.  Perhaps in a moment where my curiosity peaks I’ll take a gander but right now I have bigger fish to fry.

[sciencespies]

Astronomers are using black hole echoes to help map the Universe

https://sciencespies.com/space/astronomers-are-using-black-hole-echoes-to-help-map-the-universe/

Astronomers are using black hole echoes to help map the Universe

From our single vantage point in the cosmos, it’s really hard to understand three-dimensional space.

We can easily map stars into constellations in relation to each other, but knowing which are closer and which are further away is a lot harder to measure.

One way to determine the distance to objects in space is by using standard candles – objects of known intrinsic brightness. Astronomers measure the difference between how bright the object actually is, and how bright it appears to us light-years away, and use that difference to calculate how far the light has travelled.

These candles include pulsing stars whose intrinsic brightness is linked to the timing of their pulses, and supernovae with a limited peak brightness range.

Now, astronomers have demonstrated the viability of what seems to be the most unlikely tool in the Universe for this set – supermassive black holes. Or, at least, the echoes of them.

“Measuring cosmic distances is a fundamental challenge in astronomy, so the possibility of having an extra trick up one’s sleeve is very exciting,” said astronomer Yue Shen of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

You may be feeling a bit of puzzlement here. While it’s true that we know (more or less) how bright black holes are, that’s of no help whatsoever – because they’re, well, the opposite of bright.

They give off no discernible radiation at all; they’re effectively invisible.

There are as many as a billion stellar-mass black holes in the Milky Way; we’ve only identified a few handfuls.

Supermassive black holes that reside in the hearts of galaxies, however, are a very different kettle of fish.

No, we still can’t see them; but if they’re active, the material around them shines very brightly indeed. And it’s the way light behaves in this immediate environment can be used to work out its intrinsic brightness.

An active supermassive black hole is one that is feeding on material, and this material is structured around the black hole in a known architecture. At the centre is the supermassive black hole itself, a beast of a thing that can be millions to tens of billions of times the mass of the Sun.

Around this swirls a disc of material, gravitationally siphoning into the black hole, a bit like water circling and falling into a drain. This is the accretion disc, and the intense gravitational and frictional forces therein heat the material and cause it to glow brightly. But that’s not what astronomers have measured.

(ALMA [ESO/NAOJ/NRAO])

Outside the accretion disc is a larger cloud, a doughnut-shaped ring of dust called the torus. The whole structure is put together like the illustration above. It’s that outer torus that is the key to a technique known as echo mapping, or reverberation mapping.

Every now and again, the region of the accretion disc closest to an active supermassive black hole flares brightly in mostly optical and ultraviolet wavelengths – and when it reaches the torus, it “echoes”.

The optical and ultraviolet light is absorbed by the dusty cloud, which heats and emits that thermal energy as mid-infrared light.

Accretion discs can be huge; it can take years for the light to reach the torus and be re-emitted. But since we know the speed of light, astronomers can use the time between the flare and the echo to calculate the distance between the inner edge of the accretion disc and the torus.

This is where it gets really clever. We know the inner edge of the accretion disc is insanely hot. And we know that the disc grows cooler as we move outwards from the black hole.

When the temperature drops to around 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,200 degrees Fahrenheit), that’s when dust clouds can form.

So, the distance between the torus and the inner edge of the accretion disc is directly proportional to that insanely hot temperature.

If we know the distance, we can calculate the temperature – and once we know the temperature, we can calculate how much light that region is emitting. Boom. Intrinsic brightness. That link is called the R-L relation (for radius and luminosity).

Well, obviously it’s not as simple as “boom”. You need to be watching a black hole very carefully over long timeframes to detect the optical/ultraviolet flash and mid-infrared echo.

A team of astronomers led by Qian Yang of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign combed nearly two decades’ worth of data collected by ground-based optical telescopes to look for the optical flash.

Then they studied data collected between 2010 and 2019 by NASA’s Near Earth Object Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer looking for corresponding infrared flares.

They identified 587 supermassive black holes with an optical flash and a mid-infrared echo – the largest single survey of its kind.

And although there is still room to refine the data – the infrared surveys didn’t span the full infrared range, which means there’s a fair amount of uncertainty in the distance calculations – they did confirm that the R-L relation scales, and that the echo behaves the same way across supermassive black holes of all the sizes in their sample.

The work to refine the measurements will be ongoing.

The team is working on improving their models to better constrain the behaviour of the dust, and how it emits infrared light. And, of course, ongoing surveys with better technology will continue to provide higher quality observations.

“The beauty of the echo mapping technique is that these supermassive black holes aren’t going away anytime soon,” Yang said. “So we can measure the dust echoes over and over again for the same system to improve the distance measurement.”

The research has been published in The Astrophysical Journal.

#Space

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Three Excellent PC Games You Missed This Month

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/three-excellent-pc-games-you-missed-this-month/

Three Excellent PC Games You Missed This Month

August had Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Control and Astral Chain. All great games that can suck your life away. But as the year ticks along, plenty of great, smaller games with stellar ideas and executions come out, especially on PC, and they won’t eat up dozens of hours if you’re looking for something fresh. But they’re easy to miss.

There are a lot of games out there, and we sure do play a lot of them. We’ve picked three standout games from August that which really sparked our interest and really captured our attention. They’re games that might usually fly under most people’s radar, but still great experiences in their own right, so if any of them sound up your alley, know that they have our hearty recommendation.

A Short Hike (PC)

If A Short Hike has a central theme, it’s that kindness is rewarded. In other words, be nice to those you meet and nice things will also come your way. It’s a lovely little game that will either make you feel better about the world or provide you with a brief escape from these dark, chaotic times.

You play as Claire, a teen bird who is camping at a national park managed by her aunt while she awaits a very important phone call. Trouble is, reception is non-existent so Claire must hike to higher ground, all the way to the summit of the tallest mountain peak in the park. Though she may be a bird, Claire can’t ascend during flight; she can only glide in a gentle descent, making said hike somewhat more circuitous than you might expect. She can climb though, and so much of her time is spent exploring the woods, lakes, and beaches of the park in search of the golden feather collectibles that boost her stamina and allow her to scramble up ever higher surfaces.

On her trek, Claire meets a cast of adorable animals who are likewise visiting the park, many of whom ask her for a favor–to find something valuable to them or maybe to just hang out for a little bit. These cheerful encounters work hand in hand with Claire’s exploration, sometimes rewarding her with the items she needs to journey further afield, other times encouraging her to slow down and breathe in the clean mountain air.

Running, climbing, gliding–and occasionally digging, watering and fishing–through the park’s sprawling, looping network of obvious and not-so-obvious pathways is a heart-warming experience. Revealing new corners of the pleasingly chunky, vividly colored, lo-fi parkland is a constant delight matched by the satisfaction of having performed good deeds for good creatures every step of the way.

Finding phone reception is a MacGuffin that actually pays off in a sincere and touching conclusion, after which you’re free to continue wandering the park to your heart’s desire. A Short Hike is honestly a misnomer. It’s more like a day trip that you’ll want to never end.

It’s Like: Breath of the Wild’s climbing and gliding mechanics dropped into a walking simulator with the cast of Animal Crossing.

You can find A Short Hike on Steam and Itch.io

Anodyne 2: Return To Dust (PC)

In Anodyne 2, dust is a catch-all metaphor. For repressed grief, for ennui, for illness, for denial, for confusion. For whatever is dragging us down, holding us back, stopping us from moving on. Dust is depicted as a plague, its nano particles clogging up the internal thoroughfares–both mental and physical–of those it has infected. As Nova, a so-called nano cleaner, you are tasked with eradicating such dust and healing the afflicted, and perhaps yourself in the process.

The first Anodyne (released in 2013) told its tales of personal trauma via a reimagining of an NES-era action-RPG. In this far more ambitious sequel the nostalgic palette is broader, expanding its sources of inspiration to encompass not just The Legend of Zelda but late ‘80s PC RPGs like the Ultima series, SNES era JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, and even the early forays into 3D platforming on the N64 and PlayStation. One moment you’re driving across the lo-fi dunes of a bleak desert, later you’re in a top-down pixel-art Ren Fair castle while in between you’ve starred in a wrestling show and run the gauntlet of a survival horror chase through the isometric maze of your apartment building. To call Anodyne 2 eclectic is perhaps an understatement.

Genre mashups can often have a hard time holding it all together. They can suffer from too many incompatible parts pulling in different directions. But Anodyne 2 finds a throughline in Nova. It’s her slow journey of self-discovery, even more so than the myriad side stories she intersects in her dust-busting capacity, that brings every perspective shift or gameplay refresh into focus.

Things can get ugly at times–in a graphical fidelity sense and in terms of the raw emotions at stake–but despite the stylistic detours and tonal swings, Anodyne 2 retains an unfaltering commitment to exploring the very real, very relatable struggles of day to day human life. By turns dark, funny, confronting, empathetic and inexplicable, it’s a defiantly weird game that will keep surprising you until the end.

It’s Like: The Legend of Zelda and Banjo-Kazooie pay a visit to the Psychonauts.

You can find Anodyne 2: Return To Dust on Steam and Itch.io

Eliza (PC)

Eliza, the new game from developer Zachtronics, best known for procedural puzzle games like Infinifactory and Opus Magnum, is a tight, thought-provoking visual novel that connects the dots of our disconnected world, tracing a path through the alienation of social media, big data, the gig economy, startup culture, privacy, gentrification and more.

Developed in the 1960s, ELIZA was a real-world, early attempt at programming a computer to speak with a user in what felt like natural language. It wasn’t an AI–it was more like a bot; it couldn’t learn, but rather called upon canned responses based on keywords and patterns entered by the user. ELIZA’s designer even wrote a script that mocked the popular conception of a psychotherapist, specifically the technique of reflecting a patient’s answer back at them in the form of a question. “And why do you think that you’re ripe for parody?”

Here, Eliza speculates a future version of the program that now operates as a therapist, harvesting data from its users in an effort to learn how to help them and make the world a better place, at least in theory, at least. Evelyn she isn’t so sure. She’s the former chief engineer at Skandha, the company responsible for Eliza, who left her job three years ago and has spent the intervening years battling depression.

Evelyn has returned to Skandha, almost incognito, to work as a “proxy,” people employed to read Eliza’s words to clients in order to give the appearance of the human touch. Proxies can’t deviate from the Eliza script, much like the gameplay. Evelyn’s story is a series of conversations in which dialogue options, where there are any, mostly exist to give you a moment to reflect on the issues being examined. In the final chapter, Evelyn is faced with a few choices that affect the outcome, but until that point many of the things you can have her say are deliberately non-committal.

It works though, because the game’s writer, Matthew Seiji Burns, is genuinely interested in understanding not just where AI is taking us, but how and why it’s taking us there, and maybe whether we should pause to consider whether there are other destinations we–that’s “we” as in the human race, not the technocrat class–might prefer.

It’s Like: If the movie Her was a visual novel that really made you think.

You can find Eliza on Steam.

Source : Gamesport

[illyrianwingspans]

The House of Beasts, Part 2

Part 2! Like I said, updates may be a little slow, but at least I have all my main ideas and plot points in mind, so it should move along pretty easily. Thanks for all the love!

Summary: Prythian University, the grounds where frat houses wage wars and throw the best parties yet. Feyre, an art student and girlfriend to the Head of House of the Spring House, discovers secrets everyone’s been keeping from her for the last year and a half. An ACOTAR/ACOMAF AU, which begins as Feylin then evolves into Feysand. Begins as ACOTAR, includes AU of Under the Mountain, but will focus more on Acomaf.

Word Count: 2393 words

Once again, thank you all for withholding any hate and supplying only constructive criticism (I really need it!) and sending any requests, suggestions, etc.  

Disclaimer: All characters and some direct and or modified quotes belong to Sarah J Maas, as well as some of the plot points. I take no credit for them whatsoever

Part 2: Coffees

“I think this is the part where you thank me for saving your ass,” the man said, leaning against the white brick wall. “I’ll wait for you to take your time drooling, though. I know I’m dreamy.”

Blood flushed my cheeks. “Prick. I was going to thank you but I guess not anymore.” 

Dreamy he was, but I wasn’t going to tell him. His hair seemed unreal: black but almost blue in the moonlight as if he’d died it. And his eyes, I swam in their deep blue, almost questioning if he wore contacts because I’d never seen such beauty like them before. My eyes wandered across his face, his sharp, jutting cheekbones and sharp jawline. Then down to his broad shoulders and heavy-sculpted arms that filled in his navy button down. The few buttons near the top of his chest were undone, leaving the warm, terra-cotta skin to peak out from underneath. Everything about him radiated grace and ease, yet there was something powerful and ethereal to him as well.

No matter how gorgeous he was, he was still a god damn prick. I pivoted on my heel to walk away, but he kept close behind me, his footsteps crunching against the dead, dry leaves.

“Don’t walk away, darling. I was just being funny,” he continued, but my footsteps didn’t relent. The pool was trashed, as it always was around this time of the night for a party, beer cans mixing in with all the leaves and brush that had been swept into it. The heavy thuds of his feet rang out against the cement as he relentlessly trailed me to the patio, blabbering on the whole time how he just wanted to talk to me, when I plunked myself on a chair.

“Sit. Talk. Then leave. I’m really not in the mood right now.”

“Then I’ll make it worth your time,” he smirked, sitting in the chair next to me. “Who brought you here?”

I shrugged. “My friends. They had to drag me.” Lies. But I wasn’t just about to spill everything about myself, saviour or not. “I’m not really a party person. Well,” I trailed off, remembering back to my high school days when I’d get so drunk I thought the floor was the ceiling. I smiled. “Not this kind of party, I guess.”

“Me neither,” he agreed, leaning back in his chair. His whole demeanour seemed relaxed, at peace. His build was buff but not overly wide, like a jock. Everything about him resonated poise and class. Comfort. “Believe me, darling, you should stop by my parties back at the house. They’re better than this thumping hissy fit.”

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Call me darling. It’s weird.”

“I find it rather suiting, darling. You don’t like it?”

I frowned. “No, I don’t. I don’t even know you. Or your name. What’s your name?” The stranger looked over his shoulder and with sudden impulse, quickly got to his feet and strode off the deck to the side exit. “Seems as though it’s time for me to go. Sorry for the impromptu exit, darling, but I guess we’ll continue this conversation another time.”

Pushing away from the chair, I got to my feet to stop him. “Wait! What’s your—”

But before I could finish the sentence, he was gone. And I was alone.

+ + +

The door slammed behind me, my coat and my bag thrown across the floor. Why did he have to throw parties?

As nimbly as I could, I slid out of my clothes, cursing that I ever even bought a goddamn pair of skinny jeans, and was ready to slip between the sheets clad in one of Tamlin’s old t-shirts and my underwear. In fact, I’d just reached the bed when the door opened.

Instantly, my head whipped up, alarmed by the sudden intrusion, to realize that it was Tamlin.

Albeit, a stumbling drunk Tamlin.

If only I would’ve been quicker to climb into bed and turn the lights off. If only I would have just locked the door and made him sleep somewhere else. But no, of course, I needed to be standing before him with my bare shivering legs exposed as he sauntered towards me, backing me into the wall, both hands on either side of me. Trapping me.

“You look so sexy,” he whispered into my ear. I cringed at the reek of alcohol on his breath. “Where’ve you been?”

“You know I don’t like those parties, Tam,” I argued quietly, crossing my arms. He was too close. “You know today was special. And yet you did this anyways.”

“Loosen up, Feyre,” he murmured, trailing a hand along my thigh. “I was just having a little fun. You should’ve joined.”

“Good God, it’s like running around in circles with you,” I grumbled under my breath, making to walk away, but he held me in place. I stared at him for a second, incredulous.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, Feyre,” he murmured, then pressed his lips to my neck, biting and sucking. Every inch of my skin was repulsed by his touch.

I knew that I loved him. That I cared for him and that he cared for me. But in that moment, I really was not in the mood for any of what he was going for. I wanted to sleep and to get away from the sounds of the party that had not stopped down below. I loved Tamlin, but in that moment, I resented him.

“Let me go,” I ordered. “You’re drunk and disorderly, and I want you out of my room.”

“Feyre—”

“No! Get out of my room!” I pointed to the door.

His face contorted with fury, but he stormed away, slamming the door behind him.

I climbed into bed. And I collapsed into sobs.

+ + +

The next morning, I was awoken by coffee and waffles in bed and a bouquet of roses by my window, Tamlin showering me with kisses, professing how sorry he was and how he was stupid and how he never should’ve thrown the party in the first place.

I forgave him, of course. Tamlin always made up for his flaws even if they did aggravate me at times.

“I’m so sorry,” he’d murmured, pressing kisses to my shoulder, my neck. “You know that there’s tension between the houses right now. There’s this…war, almost. Like a stupid rivalry. It’s really growing out of control, and everyone just wanted to forget about it and celebrate a little. I should’ve just let them on their own.”

I’d held his face in my hand and stared into his gaze unflinchingly. “Of course I understand, Tam. You know the politics between the Houses better than any of us. Do what needs to be done.” I kissed him softly, a hand twined through his golden hair. “You have my full support, no matter what.”

We rolled around in the sheets for a while, making up for the fact that it was our anniversary and we hadn’t even spent any time together with all the raucous that had shaken this house the previous night. By the time we’d finished our meal in bed, it was already around noon and my shift was about to start at the Good Bean.

Thank goodness that the walk (more like heavy jog) wasn’t too far from the Spring House, and I found myself too soon in my usual black and burgundy uniform. Preparing over-priced sugary drinks had become one of my specialties, though things got extra interesting whenever a non-fat half-caf-soy-caramel latte came along every now and then.

Bustles of people weaved in and out throughout the day, most if not all were students studying for upcoming midterms in a few weeks. Whenever there came a lull in customers, though, I’d fish out my textbook from my school bag and do some sneaky studying behind the counter where no one could see. My grades weren’t amazing or anything, I was definitely not a stellar student, but I pulled my weight in maintaining a steady-enough GPA. It was better than last year’s, anyway.

For some reason though, around four o’clock, all conversations throughout the café seemed to drop. Instead, quipped whispers were shared, and people pointed to the man who’d walked through the doors only moments ago. And there, dressed in an immaculate black suit, was the man I’d encountered last night at the party.

Why was he dressed in a perfectly tailored crisp suit? I had no clue, yet I was in no position to deny the fact that it looked absolutely lavishing on him.

He eased over to the counter, a certain graceful swagger in his step, and his mouth curled into a delicious smirk when his midnight blue, almost purple, eyes fell upon me. All he said was, “You.”

“You.” I replied.

“Obviously you work here, so I think you’re asking yourself what I’m doing here?”

“Well, um, I—” I stuttered over my words, and he gave a low chuckle.

“I’m just teasing you, darling. I just want a coffee. Black.” A five dollar bill was extended across the counter, but I shook my head.

“It’s on the house. As a thank you. For last night,” I apprehended, offering the barest of smiles.

A certain kind of light sparkled across his features, and his head cocked to the side, his smirk transformed to an amazed grin. “Thank you.”

I nodded my head, heat flooding my cheeks, and set myself to work, though there wasn’t much to be done besides pressing the dispense button. A loud buzzing sound went off, and as I looked over the machines, I saw that the man peeked down at his screen, then sighed.

“The bitch is at it again,” he muttered to himself before taking a deep breath and answering the call.

“Amarantha,” he said, not so pleasantly, his face twisting into a scowl. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Amarantha? I thought. Who was Amarantha?

There was a steady stream of obnoxiously loud conversation emerging from his cell phone, almost so loud it matched the whine of the steamer. Every once and a while, the man would roll his eyes or his shoulders would tense. He seemed troubled almost with the crease between his eyebrows. Sliding his coffee across the counter, I took a pen out from my bag and scribbled on a napkin. Everything ok?

He gave me another one of his signature smirks, held his phone between his cheek and his shoulder, then wrote back, Just great, darling. Thanks for the coffee

The bell at the main counter rang and I rushed back over, greeting another guest, working the machines, everything a repeated process that never seemed to cease. It went on for another hour, girls and boys coming and going as they pleased, all different personalities and lives and stories that trailed each and every one of them, all intertwined and connected in very peculiar ways.

At the end of the day though, when I fished through my bag, I found the napkin. Our brief conversation had been preserved, my barest scrawl almost embarrassing to his delicate loops of cursive. Though, underneath, was a ten digit number, a short sentence, and a name.

Call if you ever need anything, Rhysand Orpheus

It was the most peculiar name if I’d seen any, but it had that characteristic ring to it that you never found often. A smile tucked to my face, I walked back to the House with a sort of giddiness. It had been a good day.

+ + +

That night, Tamlin, Lucien and I ate at the dinner table in the Spring House, seeing as though it was unoccupied and the House was particularly quiet for some reason or other. They ate Chinese takeout and made small talk, Lucien and Tamlin discussing about their courses that they took together, a bunch of political jabber I’d never particularly been interested in.

The whole while, I thought about Rhysand, our encounter last night and at the coffee shop this afternoon. I wondered who he was and why he was at Prythian University, what he was studying, where he was staying (which House did he belong to?). But most of all, I thought of his phone conversation with that woman, the one who’s supposedly a bitch, the one who’d put Rhysand in his instant drab mood, Amarantha.

The conversation around the table had gone quiet, so I gulped down a sip of my water, and asked quietly yet casually, “Do any of you know of a woman named Amarantha?”

Lucien dropped his fork, and Tamlin stared at me, swallowing audibly. There were a few moments of silence before it was Lucien who answered. “She’s… bad. Evil. A blight to the University.”

Tamlin shot him a look, full of disapproval. “No, Lucien, she’s nothing. None of your concern, Feyre. Believe me.”

My eyebrows furrowed, ignoring Tamlin and focusing on Lucien. “What do you mean, evil? Why hasn’t she been reported? What has she done?” All she could think was why, why Rhysand would be associated with Amarantha, why they hadn’t gotten her kicked out if she were that bad.

Tamlin’s fist came down against the wood, hard, so hard that my food almost toppled over. My gaze snapped to his, only to meet a face contorted with pure scorn. “Drop it.” He demanded.

Lucien’s head hung low, poking at his food, though it was obvious that this meal was over, after the fit of rage that Tamlin had displayed. It happened. Every now and then he seemed to…snap. But it was just the stress. I knew it. He knew it. Lucien knew it. Tamlin was just under so much pressure, every now and then, it just seemed to get to him.

I let it go. If Tamlin thought I was safe, then I must’ve been.

+ + +

That night, when Tamlin was getting ready for bed in the washroom, I fished the napkin out of my bag and quickly tucked it into the back corner of my sock drawer, praying that Tamlin wouldn’t find it. It wasn’t that he would go ballistic, but I knew that he was always a bit jealous. Well, a lot. And sometimes it was cute kind of, that he would get all territorial, but other times, it was a little less cute and more scary, though that almost never occurred. But, I knew, that if he found that number and those words, it would really test his patience, the last thing I wanted to do. No matter what happened to the napkin, though, I’d already entered Rhysand’s contact info into my phone.

Once we were curled in bed, his body against mine, the closeness of his skin the most comforting in the world, I released a heavy sigh, all those questions I’d been asking myself fluttering around my head. Rhysand, Amarantha, Rhysand, Amarantha.

Maybe I’d find out the truth tomorrow. Maybe it would never resurface. I had to accept the facts, though, one way or another, or else I knew that they would drive me crazy for the rest of the year.

[anestiefel]

Best International Beach Vacations for Any Budget: From $10,000 to $1,000

For $10,000: 7 Days in Vietnam at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

Beach at the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay/Oyster

Vietnam’s gorgeous Ninh Van Bay may not not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of a luxurious beach getaway. However, if you’re looking for a true escape from the ordinary, this is your place. Once you’re here, you’ll feel like you’re on a remote island.

Oh, and expect to pay for the privilege. Ninh Van Bay is an exclusive hideaway for the well-heeled, rich, and famous — and it’s only accessible by boat. Spend your days exploring sandy coves, admiring the rugged rock formations, or taking in the backdrop of lush mountains. The shallow turquoise waters are great for quick dips or testing your balance in a kayak or SUP, while the golden-sand beach is a sweet spot to hang out and take in sparkling bay views. Believe it or not, twinkling with lights and a sky full of stars, Ninh Van Bay is almost just as beautiful at night.

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

The Water Pool Villa at the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay/Oyster

Six Senses has an upstanding reputation for being a leading wellness and luxury resort brand. Their Ninh Van Bay property is the perfect permutation of rustic and luxury without being showy. The resort is built into the lush green hill, giving guests a true feeling of being a part of the surrounding natural beauty. The 58 thatched-roof villas are stylish and chic with a rustic lean and come with kitchenettes, AC, stunning views, and a breezy open-air design — plus, one of our favorite bathrooms features: a wooden bathtub.

Included in the budget: We budgeted out our nightly stay based on the average price of Beachfront Pool Villa. You’ll get a dual-level thatch-roofed villa, private plunge pool, stunning views, and direct access to the beach. A daily breakfast buffet is included in the room rate, but we’ve also added the full board dining option, so your lunch and dinner at the resort’s three restaurants plus one drink per meal is included as well. We’ve also counted the cost of roundtrip bus and boat transfers from the airport — and you still have enough money left to use on treatments at the renowned spa, excursions, unique experiences like dining in a cave, and Vietnamese cooking classes.

For $8,000: 7 Days in the Maldives at Kandolhu

Beach at the Kandolhu Maldives/Oyster

Believe the hype: Maldives is gorgeous. It’s absolutely earned its place on the tops of travel bucket lists everywhere. The North Ari Atoll is known for its fish-filled coral reefs and we’ve picked a spot for you that’s within an hour’s boat ride from over 30 dive sites. Kandolhu Island is small, but near perfect, rimmed with a sugar sand beach on all sides and surrounded by crystal clear turquoise waters. You can expect to see baby reef sharks in the shallow waters off the island, while going a little further out is rewarded with a bunch of different tropical reef fish. If you want a deeper look, trade your snorkel for scuba and get certified right at the resort. If you’re planning on taking an excursion to a local island (which we highly recommend), please be sure to pack appropriate and respectful clothing as Maldives is a conservative country.

Kandolhu Maldives

The Kandolhu Maldives/Oyster

Yeah, there’s a lot of hype around the undeniably stunning (and pricey) Gili Lankanfushi resort, but we love the quiet and intimate feel at Kandolhu. It’s also closer to the airport, which is a definite plus after a long day (or days) of flying across the globe. Like most resorts in Maldives, Kandolhu is on its own private island — in this case, it’s so small it’ll only take you a few minutes to walk from end to end. With only 30 villas in total, privacy isn’t an issue, leaving you with enough space from other guests to feel like you’ve got the island to yourself. Eat at four gourmet restaurants, borrow a book from the library to read on the white powder-sand beach, or strap on a snorkel and check out what’s swimming around the fantastic house reef.

Included in the budget: The budget includes nights in a west-facing Beach Villa sporting an outdoor bathroom with large jetted tub, in-room wine fridge, king bed, and a furnished terrace. We’ve also included the roundtrip price for seaplane flights and transport from Male airport, flights from home, and the resort’s Ultimate Inclusions package which has you covered for all meals plus over 30 international wines. Most activities offered at the resort are included.

For $5,000: 4 Days at Four Seasons in Nevis

Beach at the Four Seasons Resort Nevis/Oyster

Nevis is one-half of the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. It’s a small island with a population of about 12,000, and, while tourism is big here, it hasn’t quite reached the high levels you’re used to seeing in places like the Bahamas or even Turks and Caicos. Besides, if you haven’t noticed the motif, we’re very into islands that you reach by taking a boat. If you’re not trying to fly halfway around the world to get your hands on that secluded, faraway island vibe, then head for Nevis. The beaches are calm, beautiful, and perfect for unwinding, relaxing, and forgetting about your busy life back home for a few days. If you are the type of traveler who likes to get off property and explore, head for a casual soak at the hot springs, hike up a volcano, catch wind on a sailing trip, or hop on a bike and see where the path takes you.

Four Seasons Nevis

The Ocean Pool at the Four Seasons Resort Nevis/Oyster

Prepare to have your breath taken away as your transfer boat pulls into the dock area of the Four Seasons Nevis. It’s truly postcard perfect: a romantic beachfront, well-manicured grounds, and the resort are all backed by the lush Nevis Peak. Late 2019 unveiled a heavily refreshed look that replaced classic dark wood and deep colors with white-painted wood and beachy shades like coral, sand, and seafoam. Rooms are full of natural light, contemporary beach decor, and huge flat-screen TVs. The property is expansive with a spa (ask to receive your treatment inside one of the gingerbread cottages) featuring daily group exercise classes and a pool circuit, nine tennis courts that sport three different types of turf, two pools, and three restaurants.

Included in the budget: We’ve used rates for an Ocean View Room and added roundtrip transfers from St. Kitts airport — but that’s it. You’ll have about $1500 to cover your meals, drinks, and hopefully a spa treatment and at least one day of renting out a beach cabana. Bonus: If you’re flying in from NYC, flights are cheaper, so you’ve got a little extra wiggle room in the budget to play around once you’re at the resort. We recommend trying out their new rum tasting experience, signing up for a hot sauce making class, and feasting on their Lobster Night set menu.

For $3,500: 10 Days at Ramon’s Village Resort in Belize

Beach at the Ramon’s Village Resort/Oyster

Been there and done that in Mexico? Then take the plunge and head just a little further south into Belize. This place is absolutely stunning. Don’t believe us? The water is so gorgeous here that Belize Blue was named the Pantone Color of the Year in 2020, and rumor has it that Belize’s island of San Pedro is the la isla bonita that Madonna was singing about back in the day. However, don’t expect too many frills. Much of Belize’s beauty lies in the fact that it’s low-key and rustic — both factors that make it great for that laid-back beach vacation we always say we want to take but never do. Some must-do activities while you’re here include snorkeling, cage-free swimming with sharks, visiting the tiny and magical island of Caye Caulker, hopping aboard a sunset cruise, and, if you’re a diver, a visit to the famous Blue Hole.

Ramon’s Village Resort

The Pool at the Ramon’s Village Resort/Oyster

Ramon’s Village Resort has one of the widest stretches of beachfront on San Pedro and it’s the only resort that’s close to the action in town. Rooms are located in thatched-roof duplexes and have AC but no TVs (however, you can watch the sunset from your balcony). Polynesian tiki decor runs resort-wide and adds to the island vibe. The on-site restaurant serves all meals and a bar offers up coffee drinks, smoothies, and juice by the pool. There’s also a reputable and affordable dive shop located on the end of the hotel dock for anyone who wants to get out into the warm turquoise waters.

Included in the budget: We’ve included the cost of the hotel room and return domestic flights from Belize City to San Pedro in our budget. The rest of the budget is for meals, drinks, and some activities.

For $2500: 5 Days in Aruba at Barcelo Aruba

View at the Barcelo Aruba/Oyster

Travelers looking for a break from the typical tropical vibe and constant humidity that comes with most Caribbean beach vacations should head to Aruba. Somewhat of an outlier for the region, this small island has an arid climate and is covered in succulents. Don’t worry, this desert island still has palm trees, fantastic beaches, and plenty of stuff to keep you busy should you ever tire of catching sun on the sand. For starters, the frequent tradewinds are great for kitesurfing and windsurfing, hiking and ATV rides in Arikok National Park are adventurous land activities, and there’s a fun pirate ship snorkel tour that visits a shipwreck. Shopping and restaurants are abundant in the downtown area. Check out colorful murals and sculptures throughout the artsy neighborhood of St. Nicolas, and you can learn a but about the island’s Dutch colonial history at its museums. There’s also an ostrich farm, flamingos, and a good ol’ rum tour. The best part? Aruba is outside of the hurricane belt, so you can visit year-round.

Barcelo Aruba

The Pool at the Barcelo Aruba/Oyster

Barcelos Aruba is an upscale all-inclusive whose biggest boon is its stellar location right on the stunning sand of Palm Beach. The only downside is that you’ll likely have to work some strategies to secure your beach chairs. Rooms are spacious and simple but sophisticated with tile floors, dark wood furniture, and white walls. You’ll get AC, a balcony, and comfy beds. There are seven restaurants on-site and three well-placed bars: one at the pool, one on the beach, and one in the lobby. The lagoon-style pool (and its swim-up bar) is a popular spot during the day, while nights are pretty relaxed. If you want to bump up your experience, spend a little more to upgrade to the resort’s Royal level. You’ll get free Wi-Fi, a special check-in lounge, access to top shelf liquor at the beach bar, and free room service.

Included in the budget: Since Barcelo Aruba is an all-inclusive property, there’s not much you have to worry about once you walk through the doors. You’ll get all your meals, drinks (including domestic beer, wine, and well liquor), and free rein of the resort’s pool and beach area. However, any money you spend at the casino will cost you extra.

For $1000: 3 Days in Mexico at Royal Hideaway Playacar

Beach at Royal Hideaway Playacar/Oyster

It’s no secret that we love Mexico, especially Riviera Maya, so of course we’ve worked out a way to have a luxe Mexican beach vacation without breaking the bank. Take a long weekend and head south of the border where you’ll have a quick escape full of warm water, sandy beaches, and excellent eats. Playa del Carmen is a bustling beach town with a long pedestrian-only promenade, tons of bars and restaurants, and a big, beautiful beachfront. It’s true that it’s very heavy on tourists, but there’s also some great unique activities, like an immersive dinner at the Frida Kahlo Museum that uses dishes and video mapping to tell the story of the artist’s life, or a beer walking tour with local guides. The resort we’ve picked is just an 11-minute drive from the action on Quinta Avenida (note: we didn’t include this transfer in the budget).

Royal Hideaway Playacar

The Main Pool at Royal Hideaway Playacar/Oyster

In Riviera Maya, it can feel like all-inclusive resorts are a dime a dozen, but Royal Hideaway Playacar stands out in the crowd. This adults-only beachfront property has a beautiful and calm beachfront setting and an excellent food and beverage program featuring six reservations-only gourmet restaurants, a Chef Table experience, and included top-shelf alcohol. Live in luxury as you move between the beach, the spa, three bars, and six pools. For a more active experience hop on the free non-motorized water sports, sweat it out in the gym, or get competitive in the daily activities.

Included in the budget: Since the budget for this trip is so low, there’s not a lot of extra money to play with this time. However, as this is an all-inclusive, most of your bases are covered. The budget includes room rate, all meals, all drinks (top shelf, baby!), and transfers. Searching for dates that fall on the lower end of the room rate or flight price range will give you more wiggle room, or you can just park it by the pool with a stack of books and unlimited cocktails.

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from Oyster.com https://www.oyster.com/articles/best-international-beach-vacations-for-any-budget/ Publish First on IFTTT

[alldaynikki]

Daily Tip - Fishing Tulletail

Once every day in the Abandoned District, you can fish for Tulletail. This is the only chance you have daily to catch a 11kg fish needed for course #008 Behold, the Fish King! that you can find in your courses under Burst of Inspiration - 05 Stylists Who Don't Fish Aren't Stylists.

If you don't know where Tulletail is located, you can open your map and go to the Collections button in the bottom left corner of the screen. This option lets you track where the thing you're looking to collect is on the map so that you are able to track it. Once you've collected a certain amount of the collectable, you're able to get a precise location of where it is on the map, instead of just the area it's located in. This will make your collection process much easier.

Tulletail can be found on the same island that the Astral Swan is on. The Astral Swan is up on a cliff near the Stellar Fishing Ground Peak warp spire, while the Tulletail can be fished below from the pier. If you go south from the spire, you can jump down directly onto the pier after you're done collecting feathers from the Astral Swan.

I like to enjoy fishing here at night, because the water sparkles and glows blue, making it look beautiful. Enjoy your collecting and good luck!

[wikitopx]

Chalong, a subdistrict located in South Phuket, has a muddy shoreline which is more popular for yachting and as a boat lagoon.

Its most stellar feature is the wide jetty built in 2001 replacing the old, wooden rundown pier. Though its coast is more suitable for boating and yachting activities, Chalong has a lot of tourist attractions on the mainland that draw millions of visitors to its shores. Read on to learn about the best things to do in Chalong!

1. Wat Chalong

Wat Chalong, also called Chalong Temple and Wat Chaiyathararam, is the most important temple among the 29 Buddhist temples found in Phuket. Though it is the largest and most visited among all the temples, you won’t see its name in the road signs. It is located in Chalong Sub district in Mueang Phuket.

Tourists and locals alike visit the temple to pay homage and revere its ancient beauty. It was built in the 19th-century by two respected monks, Luang Pho Cha and Luang Pho Chuang. Recently, a Chedi was constructed on the Wat Chalong grounds. It contains a bone splinter of Buddha. The interiors of the temple are decorated with painted images of Buddha’s life history and it includes a display of various golden statues. The temple has 3 stories which you can climb to the top and get a beautiful view of the entire scenery below.

2. Phuket Zoo

The Phuket Zoo is a display of all the exotic flora and fauna of Chalong. It is a wonderful place to visit especially if you are traveling with kids because it is an interactive zoo where you can touch or play with the animals. There are several types of species of birds, fish and land animals like monkeys, elephants and crocodiles. The zoo has a breeding program so every year new animals are acquired, propagated and exchanged with other zoos.

The tropical scenery makes the zoo very inviting for a day walking tour under the shade of giant trees while you cross little bridges that connect the sections of the entire zoo. There are also life-sized statues of dragons, animals and cartoon characters where you can take your mandatory picture taking. Entertainment comes in the form of various animal shows featured at certain times of the day and all thru the week. For refreshments, ice cream and cold drinks are sold in several parts of the zoo.

3. Phuket Bird Park

It features hundreds of species of birds from all over the world. The beautiful garden has a natural waterfall and lush foliage that serves as the nesting ground of the birds. Visitors will enjoy roaming the forest like surroundings. They are entertained and educated by the amazing bird shows on their huge stage. There is also a souvenir shop inside the park where you can buy tokens like t-shirts, mugs, caps, magnets, postcards and other gift items to remind you of your visit to the bird park.

4. Dolphin Bay Phuket

The Nemo Dolphin Bay Phuket is not your ordinary dolphinarium. Visitors from all over the world come to this resort attraction not just to watch the amazing dolphin shows. They can also touch, have pictures and dive along with the dolphins. The resort also offers a unique feature called Dolphin Therapy. These are special classes they offer to children with developmental disorders. This special method of rehabilitation of the children’s medical and psychological disorders involves the active participation of the dolphins with the guidance of expert psychologists.

5. Phuket Botanic Garden

The Phuket Botanic Garden is the only garden you will find in south Phuket and it is located nearby Wat Chalong Temple. It features a collection of various plant species gathered from South East Asia and all over the world. There are several tastefully designed landscaped gardens complete with miniature waterfalls and koi ponds. It is easy to navigate around the gardens because there are numerous signs that will show you the way.

6. Amazing Bukit Safari

The Amazing Bukit Safari is an eco-adventure tour right inside Phuket town. There are other animals featured in the property like monkeys and water buffalos. It also features a number of animal shows. There is the exciting snake show which features a variety of poisonous snakes. You can touch and take a picture with a Cobra! There is another show wherein the trained monkeys perform their tricks. There is a baby elephant show that features the animal playing a harmonica which is just one of his many tricks. Another feature of the safari is a cooking demonstration where you also get a taste of the local Thai cuisine.

7. Big Buddha

The Big Buddha, also called Tian Tian Buddha by the locals, is one of the most respected and important monuments of Chalong. The massive bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni is found sitting on the top of Nakkerd Hills, which is situated between Kata and Chalong. It can be seen from far distances like Karon Beach and Phuket Town. You will have to climb a long stairway of 268 steps to reach the foot of the Buddha where you are blessed with a sweeping view of Chalong Bay, Karon, Kata and the entire Phuket town. The Buddha, which was erected in 1993, took 12 years to complete. Opposite the Buddha is the hidden Po Lin Monastery which gained popularity upon the erection of the image.

8. Coral Island

Coral Island is among the most popular and beautiful islands, ideal for a getaway that you could access thru Chalong Bay. To get to the island, you will have to ride a Long Tail boat or speedboat from Chalong Pier.

You could swim, dive, snorkel, parasail, sea walk, ride the banana boat and much more. Book a reservation with one of the many hotels that are on the island. Usually the resort has their own beachfront where you can have some privacy to enjoy the waters.

9. Radar Hill Viewpoint

This is the highest viewpoint that sits on the second highest peak of Phuket Island. The journey to the viewpoint is long and far, around 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the nearest hotel in Phuket. If you are bringing your own vehicle, you have to gas up for the trip. You will find gas stations on Chao Fa West road and several interesting stops along the way.

You will pass Wat Silsupahram, the temple residence of the Luang Pu Supah, the oldest living monk who ever lived (he died at the age of 118 years old in September 1, 2013). Down the road is the military run weather station. It is forbidden to take pictures there. Keep going down the road and you will reach Villa Zolitude. The Radar Hill is 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from there. Once you reach the peak, you are rewarded with a splendid panoramic view of Chalong Bay, the neighboring islands, Patong and the Andaman Sea.

10. Try their Chalong Bay Rum

Chalong Rum is one of the local products Chalong is proud of. This world-renowned, award winning rum is produced in the Chalong Rum Distillery. The rum is handcrafted using the century’s old art in the French distillation process using Thailand’s rich sugarcane and an old-style copper still that was imported from France.

The distillery offers a tour of the facilities, so you can see first-hand how this alcoholic beverage is crafted. You are given a refreshing mojito to enjoy while enjoying the tour. They also offer a cocktail workshop so you can learn how to make delicious concoctions with the use of Chalong Rum. You can take the recipes home with you. The distillery also features a bar and boutique where you can enjoy a wide range of their cocktails and alcoholic beverages along with their sumptuous homemade tapas.

Read also: Top 10 things to do in Surin, Thailand

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-chalong-thailand-704922.html

[zeroviraluniverse-blog]

How Your Credit Card Can Save You $50 Every Time You Fly

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/how-your-credit-card-can-save-you-50-every-time-you-fly/

How Your Credit Card Can Save You $50 Every Time You Fly

Pi Day isn’t until March 14, but there’s another pie-centric holiday on the calendar. Pie Day falls on January 23, and we’re sharing our picks for the best pie in every state. Whether you prefer a classic apple or go for more unusual flavors (raspberry rhubarb jalapeño, anyone?), celebrate Pie Day with one of these delectable options.

1. ALABAMA // PIE LAB

Location: Greensboro, Alabama

This trendy community space serves fried chicken salads and various wraps and paninis, but the highlight are their pies, made with exceptionally buttery crusts. Have a slice of coconut cream or chocolate chess pie while you enjoy good conversation and a friendly vibe. And if you have a hankering for a real taste of home, chef Seaborn Whatley says they’ll even try to duplicate an old family favorite if you happen to have your grandmother’s recipe book on hand.

2. ALASKA // BEAR TOOTH THEATREPUB

Location: Anchorage, Alaska

The Bear Tooth Theatrepub is more than a dine-in movie theater—it’s also a restaurant, draft brewery, and concert venue all in one. But after you’ve finished off some fresh Alaskan fish tacos, save room for the caramel turtle fudge ice cream pie. Made with an Oreo cookie crust, the pie manages to perfectly balance chocolate fudge, vanilla ice cream, and smooth caramel.

3. ARIZONA // PIEFECTION

Location: Mesa, Arizona

This pie-only bakery focuses on top-notch ingredients such as fresh whipped cream, wild blueberries, and bars of authentic Belgian chocolate. The country apple pie, made with cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg (and can be made gluten-free with a day’s notice), is a real standout. Or, cool off from the Arizona heat with a slice of lemon meringue, topped with beautifully toasted, swirled meringue.

4. ARKANSAS // FRANKE’S

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Opened nearly a century ago in 1919, Franke’s boasts three locations in Little Rock today. The cafeteria is popular for its burgers and candied sweet potatoes, and for its selection of outstanding pies, such as egg custard, chocolate cream, and sweet potato coconut.

5. CALIFORNIA // THE MADONNA INN BAKERY

Courtesy of The Madonna Inn Bakery

Location: San Luis Obispo, California

The whimsical Madonna Inn has provided rooms to travelers on California’s Central Coast since 1958, and the hotel’s bakery, situated inside the Copper Cafe, is an essential sweet stop along Highway 101. The magnificent pies come in flavors such as caramel Dutch apple, apricot, cherry, and cream cheese.

6. COLORADO // 3.14 SWEET & SAVORY PI BAR

Courtesy of 3.14 Sweet & Savory Pi Bar

Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado

3.14 Sweet & Savory Pi Bar is a fun bakery that pays homage to everyone’s favorite mathematical constant. Pies here are creatively named; a few standouts are the Nutty Professor (peanut butter chocolate pie), I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts (coconut cream), and Wicked Southern Dutchman (Dutch apple pie with Kentucky bourbon).

7. CONNECTICUT // SIXPENCE PIE COMPANY

Location: Southington and New Haven, Connecticut

Two friends who loved baking started Sixpence Pie Company at a local farmer’s market, and have since opened two brick-and-mortar stores. Besides savory shepherd’s pie and chicken pot pies, you’ll find seasonal sweet pies and a mouthwatering sugar and spice pie, made with banana and Nutella.

8. DELAWARE // CANNON’S CUSTOM CAKES & BAKERY

Location: Newark, Delaware

Since 1985, Cannon’s Bakery has provided elaborate custom cakes for parties and special occasions, the result of mother-of-five Leah Cannon’s well-known prowess at making cakes for friends and family. But you don’t need a wedding or graduation as an excuse to take home one of the shop’s delicious pies; pick up a pecan or apple pie, or a seasonal sugar-lattice fruit pie.

9. FLORIDA // JOE’S STONE CRAB

Location: Miami Beach, Florida

Back in 1913, Joe Weiss moved from New York to Miami to try to improve his asthma. The lunch counter he opened has morphed into a Miami Beach landmark that serves stellar seafood and perfect pies. Although key lime pie is the classic choice here, the chocolate pecan and apple pies are also marvelous.

10. GEORGIA // SUGAR SHACK

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

At this cozy coffee shop in a shopping center, you’ll find dessert cases filled with tantalizing full and mini pies. The apple crumb and peach crumb pies are light and energizing, and the chocolate pecan pie has a richness that will make you feel sublime.

11. HAWAII // LEODA’S KITCHEN AND PIE SHOP

Location: Lahaina, Hawaii

Located on the west side of Maui, Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop serves what it calls “glorified grandma comfort food.” The macadamia nut chocolate praline and coconut cream pies are certainly comforting, in the way that only sugar and grandmas can be.

12. IDAHO // BIG CITY COFFEE AND CAFE

Courtesy of Big City Coffee and Cafe

Location: Boise, Idaho

Big City Coffee in the Linen District blurs the line between pies and scones with its spectacular cherry pie scone. The enormous creation is loaded with fruit and has a uniquely flaky, granular crust.

13. ILLINOIS // BANG BANG PIE & BISCUITS

Courtesy of Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Stop at Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits in Logan Square or Ravenswood for a tart apple cherry crumble pie or the best lemon pistachio pie of your life. Made with a shortbread crust, the pie contains lemon curd, buttermilk custard, and candied pistachios. The store also offers baking classes so you can learn to make your own pie creations at home.

14. INDIANA // MOM’S HOMEMADE PIES

Location: Kokomo, Indiana

Mom’s Homemade Pies takes its name seriously. You won’t find any mixers, which means that all the pie crust here is tender and silky. The gooseberry pie is loaded with fruit and the butterscotch cream pie will make you nostalgic for a simpler, sweeter time.

15. IOWA // DELUXE

Location: Iowa City, Iowa

Deluxe is an adorable French bakery located just one mile from the Iowa River. The bakers here use fresh, organic local apples to make an excellent double butter crust apple pie, and the strawberry rhubarb pie is also noteworthy for its subtle balance of sweet and tart.

16. KANSAS // THE UPPER CRUST PIE BAKERY

Courtesy of The Upper Crust Pie Bakery

Location: Overland Park, Kansas

Opened by two sisters and their mom, this neighborhood bakery delights visitors with its authentically Midwestern approach to pies. Although most people love the peach raspberry and coconut custard pies, don’t overlook the yummy brown sugar buttermilk pie.

17. KENTUCKY // ANNIE MAY’S SWEET CAFE

Courtesy of Annie May’s Sweet Cafe

Location: Louisville, Kentucky

All of the treats at this allergy-friendly bakery are free of soy, gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts. But what the pies lack in allergens, they make up for in bold flavor. The store’s glorious fruit pies are simple, pure, and absolutely delicious.

18. LOUISIANA // COWBELL

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

This restaurant’s name might make you think of the old Saturday Night Live skit, but once you dine at this dog-friendly eatery, you’ll definitely say that you need more Cowbell. To chase the skirt steak or carne asada tacos, order the apple pie. It’s served with crème anglaise and caramel, making for a tantalizing gustatory experience.

19. MAINE // TWO FAT CATS BAKERY

Location: Portland, Maine

Two Fat Cats Bakery is a truly special place devoted to baking pies (and other desserts) from scratch. Bakers hand roll every pie, use authentic New England ingredients, and advertise fruit pies based on the harvest months. For wild Maine blueberries, order the divine blueberry rhubarb pie in May or June. For this time of year? The Lemon Shaker or Bourbon Pecan pies will do the trick.

20. MARYLAND // RENATA’S TASTY BITES

Location: Columbia, Maryland

After moving from Croatia to the States, Renata Alanovic opened this delightful store in Columbia. Customers love her handmade sweet and savory pies and pastries, especially the wonderful cherry and pecan pies, all with extra embellishments on the crust.

21. MASSACHUSETTS // MIKE’S PASTRY

Location: Multiple locations, Massachusetts

With locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, Mike’s Pastry has a strong presence in the greater Bean Town area. Grab a few Nutella cannoli and chow down on a slice of authentic Boston cream pie while you admire the ricotta pie’s flawlessly golden top.

22. MICHIGAN // SISTER PIE

Location: Detroit, Michigan

Sister Pie treats pie with the utmost respect. Bakers make the crust by hand with unbleached flour and French butter, and they source local ingredients at peak ripeness for pie fillings. The salted maple and honey lemon meringue pies will blow your mind.

23. MINNESOTA // THE BUTTERED TIN

Courtesy of The Buttered Tin

Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

This cafe and bakery in Lowertown serves coffee and pie that hit the spot when you need an extra boost to get through the day. You’ll find different crusts made of butter, graham cracker, or sugar dough, and flavors range from a tart green apple to pumpkin chiffon.

24. MISSISSIPPI // WALKER’S DRIVE-IN

Location: Jackson, Mississippi

If you’re in the Fondren arts district, you must head to Walker’s Drive-In for a slice of the fried pie of the day. Depending on the day, you might enjoy an upside down blueberry pie or a chocolate pecan pie, served with bourbon vanilla ice cream.

25. MISSOURI // IT’S EASY AS PIE

Location: Fenton, Missouri

If you find it hard to pick just one flavor of pie to eat, It’s Easy As Pie has you covered. Order their Cutie Pies for a dozen assorted mini pies that will make your tastebuds ecstatic. Or get a whole bananas foster pie, which contains creme brûlée infused with dark rum.

26. MONTANA // BLACK CAT BAKE SHOP

Location: Missoula, Montana

This charming family-owned bakery is popular for its stollen (a German fruit and nut loaf) and stupendous pies. The huckleberry pie earns raves for its effortless balance of sweet and tart flavors.

27. NEBRASKA // MODERN LOVE

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

Three words: vegan comfort food. After you chow down on latkes, seitan gyros, or wild mushroom schnitzel, get ready for some of the best pie of your life. The apple ginger pie is served with a coconut whip, and the blood orange coconut cream pie is made with a snickerdoodle crust.

28. NEVADA // WET HEN CAFE

Location: Reno, Nevada

Wet Hen Cafe is located in a nondescript strip mall, but don’t overlook this homespun spot. Generously stuffed with apple slices, the apple pie is huge, heavenly, and served with cinnamon sauce.

29. NEW HAMPSHIRE // CHEZ VACHON

Location: Manchester, New Hampshire

This superb restaurant serves heaping plates of poutine as well as a huge selection of fruit and cream pies. Highlights include the pistachio cream and cranberry walnut cheesecake pies.

30. NEW JERSEY // THE PIE STORE

Courtesy of The Pie Store

Location: Upper Montclair, New Jersey

Anglophiles love The Pie Store for its impressive selection of British groceries. You’ll find plenty of savory pies (shepherd’s pie, chicken and mushroom) as well as spectacular sweet pies, like their key lime. They make their fruit pies, like the cran-apple or raspberry-blackberry-apple, with a double crust, or stop in Saturday or Sunday to get the weekend-only coconut custard and chocolate mousse pies.

31. NEW MEXICO // TUNE-UP CAFE

Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico

The husband-wife team at Tune-Up Cafe serves an eclectic mix of tamales, pupusas, and homemade, gluten-free pies. Order the pie of the day a la mode for a taste of blueberry, maple pecan, or strawberry rhubarb pie with vanilla bean ice cream.

32. NEW YORK // PIED PIPER PIES

Courtesy of Pied Piper Pies

Location: Highland Falls, New York

At Pied Piper Pies, the crust is flaky and the filling is satisfying. Whether you sample a quiche, pot pie, or sweet pie, you’ll be able to taste the care and love that goes into each creation. Pro tip? Get the Samoa or Snickers pies for a sweet blast of nostalgia.

33. NORTH CAROLINA // THE PIE HOLE

Location: Durham, North Carolina

With locations in southern California, Tokyo, and Durham, The Pie Hole has perfected the art of making pie. Toasted marshmallow creme, dark chocolate mousse, and a graham cracker crust comprise the stellar s’mores pie.

34. NORTH DAKOTA // MEZZALUNA

Location: Fargo, North Dakota

This upscale restaurant behind the Fargo Theatre is known for its filet mignon and insanely decadent desserts. The caramel apple pie is served with vanilla bean ice cream, but it’s small, so you’ll want to savor every bite (or order two).

35. OHIO // MAMA JO HOMESTYLE PIES

Location: Amherst and Medina, Ohio

If you don’t appreciate lard’s essential role in making the perfect pie crust, stay away from Mama Jo Homestyle Pies. For everyone else, enjoy a slice of Buckeye cream pie, which contains silky layers of chocolate and peanut butter mousse.

36. OKLAHOMA // THE MERCANTILE

Courtesy of The Mercantile

Location: Pawhuska, Oklahoma

Hands down, the best pie in the Sooner State can be found at The Mercantile. This store and cafe owned by Food Network superstar Ree Drummond (a.k.a. the Pioneer Woman) serves exceptional pecan pie made with toasted Oklahoma pecans, brown sugar custard, and bourbon vanilla whipped cream.

37. OREGON // PETUNIA’S PIES AND PASTRIES

Location: Portland, Oregon

This charmingly alliterative bakery makes small batches of vegan, gluten-free pastries using a blend of millet flour, almond meal, and flaxseeds. It’s hard to pick favorites, but some of the best pies here are the lattice top sour cherry and double crust blackberry peach.

38. PENNSYLVANIA // OAKMONT BAKERY

Courtesy of Oakmont Bakery

Location: Oakmont, Pennsylvania

For 30 years, Oakmont Bakery has been famous for its Paczki (Polish stuffed doughnuts), but the homemade pies are in a league all their own. The Dutch apple seems like a must-order in Pennsylvania, but the spiky tufts on the coconut meringue are impossible to pass up.

39. RHODE ISLAND // THE WAYLAND BAKERY

Location: Providence, Rhode Island

Pies at The Wayland Bakery come in eight-, nine-, or 10-inch pans, but when it comes to this 90-year-old bakery’s pies, bigger is better. Standout flavors include sugar-free apple, coconut custard, and lemon meringue.

40. SOUTH CAROLINA // HAROLD’S CABIN

Location: Charleston, South Carolina

Located in a quiet residential neighborhood, Harold’s Cabin is a restaurant and corner store with a small rooftop garden. Head there on a Saturday or Sunday for breakfast and enjoy sitting with other people who won’t judge you for partaking in buttermilk or cranberry apple pie first thing in the morning.

41. SOUTH DAKOTA // THE PURPLE PIE PLACE

Courtesy of The Purple Pie Place

Location: Custer, South Dakota

The Black Hills region is famous for two attractions: Mount Rushmore National Memorial and The Purple Pie Place. Customers rave about the freshness of the blueberry pie and the creative mix of flavors in the raspberry rhubarb jalapeño pie.

42. TENNESSEE // PAULETTE’S RESTAURANT

Location: Memphis, Tennessee

For four decades, Paulette’s Restaurant has been a destination for fine dining and celebratory meals along the Mississippi River. Although the key lime pie is killer, get the Kahlua-mocha parfait pie. Nicknamed the K-pie, this extravagant dessert’s crust is made with pecans and coconut.

43. TEXAS // PIE IN THE SKY PIE CO.

Courtesy of Pie In The Sky Pie Co.

Location: Conroe, Texas

Drive 40 miles north of Houston, and you’ll find Pie In The Sky Pie Co., a cafe and bakery that churns out a large selection of carefully curated pies. If you can handle the heat, get a slice of red hot apple pie, made with Red Hots cinnamon candies.

44. UTAH // THE DODO

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Named after the extinct Mauritian bird, The Dodo serves humongous, heavenly slices of pie. Flavor options for the towering slices of pie include Toll House, banana cream cheese, and chocolate almond mousse.

45. VERMONT // THE HARTLAND DINER

Location: Hartland, Vermont

Located on Route 5, this neighborhood diner is the perfect spot for a cup of joe and a slice of maple cream or chocolate cream pie. The servings are generous, including the giant dollop of whipped cream that practically hides the delicious pie underneath.

46. VIRGINIA // THE HORSESHOE

Courtesy of The Horseshoe

Location: South Hill, Virginia

If you’re seeking the simple elegance of Depression Era pies—full recipes made with limited ingredients such as milk, sugar, eggs, and butter— head to this diner that has been open since the ’30s. The former blacksmith shop now serves timelessly delicious buttermilk, brown sugar, and lemon chess pies.

47. WASHINGTON // SIMPLY SOULFUL

Location: Seattle, Washington

A family recipe for sweet potato pie inspired a mother and daughter to open Simply Soulful, a soul food and pie joint in Madison Valley. Sip espresso as you dig in to a sweet potato, apple, or mixed berry pie.

48. WEST VIRGINIA // OLIVER’S PIES

Courtesy of Oliver’s Pies

Location: Wheeling, West Virginia

Run by the Oliver family, Oliver’s Pies makes handmade pies with the utmost care. The Dutch apple and peach pies are stuffed with fruit, and the chocolate peanut butter cream pie is rich and velvety.

49. WISCONSIN // STOCKHOLM PIE AND GENERAL STORE

Courtesy of Stockholm Pie and General Store

Location: Stockholm, Wisconsin

Head to Stockholm Pie and General Store for an espresso bar, Wisconsin cheese, and pies galore. After chowing down on chicken pot pie, try the caramel apple crunch pie, which contains hand peeled and sliced apples, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel sauce.

50. WYOMING // THE PIE TIN

Location: Wheatland, Wyoming

You’ll find cakes, cookies, and quick breads at this bakery and catering company, but the pies are truly special. The pumpkin and pecan pies are stellar, as are the more unusual butterscotch and sour cream raisin pies.

[alldaynikki]

Daily Wishes for 01-22-2025

The daily to get Silver Petals takes us back to the Stellar Fishing Ground Peak warp spire in the Abandoned District.

You will need to groom the Astral Swan first.

After you've groomed the Astral Swan and received its feathers that are a once a day collection, you're able to switch into your Floral Gliding outfit to fly with the swan so that it doesn't have to fly alone. To fly with the Astral Swan, you'll need to approach it and press your action button.

FLYING TIP: Do NOT move while you are flying with the Astral Swan. You can look around, but try not to move Nikki, or it will bump you from the flight, and you will start to fall. The flight will end once you get back to the Stellar Fishing Ground Peak again.