#what to do in peru besides machu picchu

[wanderlustphotosblog]

15 Spectacular Things to do in Peru for Visitors

Between its rich culture, incredible cuisine, and breathtaking landscapes, the country of Peru has been captivating travelers for centuries. Before you plan your trip, review my list of the top 15 things to do in Peru.

What else can I say about Peru other than it is a country filled with both beauty and wonder? So much so that it can be difficult to narrow down the top things to do in Peru when visiting. No matter what, any list has to start with Machu Picchu. It is one of the world’s most breathtaking landmarks and one of just seven “Wonders of the World”. If you’d like to see this spectacular sight, you can…

[dalt20]

Tooning In 17 Douglas Booth part 2 of 7

DL:Yeah! So can you tell me a little bit about Glenn Leopard like you did with Jeffrey Scott?

DB:Leopard? Hahaha! Leopold! We had fun writing scripts together - I'd never worked with a writing partner before, but we would just tell each other stories and do our bad voice-actor impressions of the characters - and keep going - telling each other which ideas we liked and which we thought were terrible, trying to make each other laugh - and then writing it down - taking turns with that - and coming up with what we would usually feel was a brilliant script! Glenn had been a rock 'n roller prior to coming to H-B - his band was called "Gun Hill Road" (after a street in the Bronx) - and they had a nice run before he moved over to cartoons! He was very quick with ideas, jokes, and irrelevant asides, and we both got very good at throwing pushpins across the length of the office, to stick in our bulletin board - which may have been our most notable achievement!

DL:Leopard,I was thinking of Leopold! With his last name, who can't make a mistake like that?

DB:But of course! Leopold the Leopard - could have been an H-B cartoon!

DL:Haha! i know right! He was pure HB material as he stayed with the company until 2001! A true company man he was.

DB:Absolutely! His wife, as I remember, was the head of the ink and paint department, as well.

DL:Wow! Really?

DB:Yup! Nice lady!

DL:Any stories on the two?

DB:Not that I remember, though I'm sure there are many!

DL:Well after he left Hanna Barbera, he started to write for a German company called BKN, you probably worked with them right? P.S. they're also known by Bohbot Entertainment.

DB:Hmmm... not sure. I believe I worked on shows that Allen Bohbot, the founder, was involved with, maybe through DIC (?) - but, in terms of the European spin-off, when I just googled all that, none of the shows they produced looked familiar - though I would have loved to have worked on a new version of Zorro!

DL:Yeah Glenn worked on it, you could’ve too!

DB:All they had to do was ask!

DL:If you were around in 2006. Besides, Glenn was one of your friends.

DB:Who knows? There are probably thousands of shows that "slipped through my fingers" - but I certainly enjoyed working on the ones that didn't!

DL:Yeah well back to your career, The Flintstones Comedy Show for NBC. You were the story editor.

DB:As I remember, I story-edited episodes of "The Bedrock Cops", which was one element of that show.

DL:Explain to me the concept of the segment.

DB:Hahaha! Fred and Barney were cops - sort of "Car 54, Where Are You" goofy law enforcement officials, only in prehistoric Bedrock - with fun and silly adventures - nothing approaching "real crime", but lots of slapstick comedy and fun.

DL:oh, well when i think of Fred and Barney I don't really think cops but ok.

DB:No - but it was essentially the two buddies having the kind of funny adventures you'd imagine they'd have... that is, if they were, in fact, good-natured cops!

DL:Oh so why in 1980, did you Hanna Barbera the first time?

DB:? I think you missed a word or two…

DL:Why and left.

DB:At the end of 1980, I took my two week vacation and flew to Cusco, Peru - then took the train to "Kilometer 88" which was the jumping off point for a 5 day backpacking hike in the mountains, ending up at Mac. oops - Machu Picchu - which was really, really fun! However, when I got back to the U.S., I only then found out that Andy Heyward and I were both "budget cuts" in the writing department - and were thus free to pursue our diverse destinies! I guess things were slow and they decided they needed to economize!

DL:Wow! So they favor Glenn and Jeff over you two,huh?

DB:Can you imagine? No accounting for taste! 🙂

DL:I can, so how was finding work while Andy was on his own odyssey in 1981

DB:I got to broaden my horizons! I gained a lot of experience and knowledge from my time at HB and got to reach out to other studios, etc. As I remember, my next major gig was at Filmation, working on HeMan and the Masters of the Universe, as well as doing some development work for them that never quite made it to the air.

DL:well on IMDb after The Flintstones Comedy Show, you worked on Spider Man for Marvel Productions and NBC.

DB:Right - not sure of the timing for all this. I did write an episode of one of the versions of Spider-Man (and, years later, for another version of that show) - this first one was the version that Dennis Marks story-edited, and was, I think, my only professional encounter with Stan Lee. As well as the plate glass coffee table in their lobby that I always managed to bang into when I was walking past!

DL:Lol, that's awesome. Can you tell me about that encounter with the "business man" Lee?

DB:All I remember is that he was very friendly and nice - I think Dennis was mainly running the meeting, but I did think it was cool that Stan was sitting in on it, "supervising"!

DL:Lol! Wait Dennis is from Hanna Barbera too!

DB:Yes - that's where I knew him from.

DL:Any stories on him?

DB:Not that I can think of. At HB I knew him as a comedy writer, so it was a surprise to find him running the Spider-Man show - but I think he and Stan really hit it off and collaborated on a number of projects (none of which I know anything about - lol)!

DL:He stayed at Marvel, until 1986 when he returned to the studio.

DB:Ah!

DL:so, if you can remember, would you like to talk about an episode of the 1981 Spider man series?

DB:Well - not much that I remember. Believe I wrote one episode, called "The Vulture has Landed" - featuring a superhero named... you guessed it - "The Vulture". Apart from being happy to be working on Spider-Man, that's about all I can remember! That and the plate glass coffee table banging my shins every time I went into the studio!

(Actually the comic book character, The Vulture is a villain not a superhero.)

DL:That gotta hurt!

DB:That's why I remember it so well!

DL:Your return to Hanna Barbera in 1982?

DB:I worked as a freelancer on a few different shows - not on staff.

DL:Oh! understand. How did it feel sending scripts to your former co-workers?

DB:Fine! That's pretty much the same way it worked in-house - the only difference is that my office was off-premises (with better access to a refrigerator)! We're all pretty much co-workers, as writers, with people changing roles and studios, but, many times, working with a familiar array of "the usual suspects".

DL:Oh! Wow!

DB:Although, of course, a lot more time needs to be spent "hustling" when one is working freelance!

DL:So about Spider Man, how do you write the web crawler?

DB:Well, we all know what he's like and what he does - at that point, from the comics - so the idea would be to start imagining oneself as Spidey and working to craft an adventure that would work for him, and then see how he would respond!

DL:Yeah, I mean everyone knows Spider Man right? So, you wrote an episode of The Little Rascals animated series. Rascal’s Revenge, process for the episode?

DB:Hahaha! I know I did - and I did like the original Little Rascals, back when I was a "little rascal" myself - but I don't remember anything about that episode at the moment!

DL:Oh ok, so did you watch the original shorts on television?

DB:Yes!

DL:You wrote the episode with Tedd Anatsi and Patsy Cameron. Who are those two?

DB:Hmmm. They were a writing team - maybe husband and wife? And... maybe they were the story-editors?

DL:Ah ok, do you have any memory of writing with them?

DB:No, I don't believe we co-wrote it - but, er, who knows? If that's what it says on IMDB, well, I believe it's incorrect - unless, say, either they had written the story and I was asked to write the script - or vice versa?

DL:Yeah probably fixed your script as story editors. Yeah probably fixed your script as story editors.

DB:Makes sense - though "fixed" depends upon the eye of the beholder - hahahaha!

DL:Haha! How was trying to make old 30s comedy shorts to appeal to 80s kids?

DB:Well, they certainly appealed to "50's kids" - so not too hard! A fun gang comedy - and the new version would have come with a bible, which would have done most of the heavy lifting for the transposition from the 30's to the 80's - so that's where the foundation would come from - and, from there - it would be "just like any other show" - where you read the bible and any scripts that are available, as well as remembering the feeling of fun from the originals - all of which would then allow you to start to "think like a Little Rascal" and start brainstorming stories and character action, while hanging out with "the gang" in your imagination and seeing what popped up!

DL:Very interesting! So The Smurfs for NBC and SEPP International.

DB:I think IMDB gave me too much credit for that show - as I remember, I wrote an episode for Smurfs and several for Johann and Peewee - which featured the Smurfs. I think Len Janson and Chuck Menville were the story-editors for The Smurfs, and Glenn Leopold was story-editor for Johann and Peewee, which I think were based on illustrated books by Peyo, the original creator.

DL:IMDb said that you wrote 39 episodes of the show in 1982!

DB:Whoa! Yeah, simply not true! Gasp - you mean IMDB isn't infallible? Oh well - mostly they're pretty good!

DL:Yeah, I know! Okay! So Monchichis for ABC, what was that?

DB:Hmmm. Bryce Malek and Dick Robbins were the story-editors. Fun, woodland fantasy creatures - I suspect there was a major comedic villain who wanted to do terrible things to them - and they had to figure out fun and imaginative ways to foil these nefarious plots! I know I wrote two episodes - and enjoyed doing it. One was called "Sky City'' - I think - which seems self-explanatory - but which is also a sort of a nod to the Native American city of Acoma (in New Mexico) - which also goes by the nickname of "Sky City", and is a cool place I've visited on several occasions. Bryce had been the guy in the accounting department at HB who used to walk around and give us our checks, but he was also a writer, and, as he was writing spec scripts, I seem to remember that Glenn and I used to give him notes! And then, he partnered with Dick Robbins, who was a veteran writer - and they became a great team - and, of course, went on to become the story-editors of the first couple of seasons of Transformers! Apart from all that, sorry, I don't remember much more about Monchichis - just that it was a good-natured and light-hearted fantasy/action/comedy that was fun to write.

DL:Ok. Well time for He Man! and you are working for Filmation.

DB:Right!

DL:He Man for Filmation and Syndication/Group W

DB:I was on staff there for a bit - my office was actually the coffee room - so I got to see most of the people on the floor!

DL:How was Lou Scheimer? The head honcho?

DB:I didn't have much contact with him - just "hi, how are you?" - the person who was in charge of the writers was Arthur Nadel.

DL:Tell me about Arthur Nadel. Robby London said he was a great guy.

DB:Yes, he was! Deadpan, but funny. He had a series of initials he'd use, to make comments on your script - like NSG (not so good) - DB (do better) - not sure what other ones, but there were a good many! The best moment I had in his office was when he was raking me over the coals for an outline which he thought was terrible - not letting me get a word in edgewise - until he was finished, and I (grinning broadly) - told him that I was not the writer of that episode! He thought that was pretty funny, as well!

DL:Once I remember he gave Robby London an A, and Robby thought it was a grade and Arthur had to break it to him saying it was just his signature. That he wrote that A to show that he read it.

DBThat's hilarious - and sounds totally in character!

[judesommer]

[ JUDE SOMMER. 36. FEMALE. SHE/HER] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 3 YEARS ] and are originally from [ SAN FRANCISCO, CA ]. They are a [ PARK RANGER ] and in their downtime love [ TRAVELING ] and [ JOURNALING ]. They look a lot like [ JENNY SLATE ] and live [ IN REDCLIFF ]

LINKS

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ABOUT JUDE

birthday:

may 13, 1985

sexuality:

bisexual

astrology:

taurus ☀, leo ☾, aquarius ↑

traits:

stubborn, friendly, calculated, adventurous, passionate, affectionate, resentful, closed-off, insightful, independent, quick-witted, resilient, private, self-assured, motivated, clumsy

aesthetic:

redwood trees, sundresses, farmer’s markets, sage green, curly hair, scribbled notebooks, airplane windows, mountain tops, old poetry, field of poppies, hiking boots, afternoon wine, hidden details, firecracker, canine cuddles, haunted

BIOGRAPHY

[ tw: drugs, abuse, abortion - brief mentions ]

jude cecilia sommer grew up san francisco with two other siblings and found her peace in poetry and towering trees. her only good childhood memories always revolved around walking through the redwood forests and feeling so small in a world so large. it made her world, her worries, her pain seem so insignificantly small. it was her safe haven.

her parents divorced when she was fairly young and her father was quick to move on to a different life of his own. jude, nor her siblings, every really fit so well in that new life, and soon enough, her father became a mere stranger. just a simple phone call on a birthday and an empty card. he remarried and had more children, but they never felt like family to jude.

she was raised by her mother, but the word raised was a term best used loosely. her mother was dependent on just about one too many things - men, drugs, her children, the list goes on.

in the earlier years of her youth, she remembered the hostile environment she and her siblings grew up in due to their mother’s abusive boyfriend. he’d take his anger out on all of them, her eldest brother especially, and their mother continued to stand by him. her excuse was that he paid their bills and kept food on their tables. they had to be grateful.

it was then at a very young that jude experienced resentment. though she hated the man in their house, she hated their mother more for allowing them to live this way. jude grew up angry.

there was a moment of peace in the sommer household the day the awful boyfriend decided to leave their mother. despite their mother struggling with her drug addiction, there was a moment where the weight of the world didn’t feel as heavy on jude’s shoulders. but it was short-lived, fleeting just like every other happy memory.

her mother found a new boyfriend to take care of them. he felt different than the others - nice, for starters, but jude was no fool. she knew the man was shady and did illegal business to keep food on their table. he later even got her eldest brother involved in that life.

jude wanted nothing to do with her mother and the chaos she brought. she went on a different path and self-funded her way through college. she focused on the one thing that brought her peace - the trees, parks, and nature. she went to school to study environment and parks in hopes of being a park ranger.

finally, jude had a life of her own. she made new friends, people who knew nothing of her past- and she kept it that way. jude even spent a few summers studying abroad in japan, catching the travel bug pretty early on. some of her fondest memories comes from her time in japan and she still practices japanese till this day.

jude worked hard and endlessly, always saving her money so she could do the things she wanted in life. she’d travel, backpack and stay in hostiles, all the while creating travel journals and documenting her time and studies in the places explored. japan, machu picchu in peru, iceland were among her favorite places.

jude was in a serious relationship when she was in college and it felt like love. then again, what did the girl know about love? they often traveled together and study abroad in the same places.

once she graduated, she took some time off to hike the pacific northwest trails alone. it was the most grueling, exhilarating, and beautiful experience. it felt liberating and she felt stronger than ever. it made her feel like she truly broke away from the mold of her family.

still riding that high, she and her boyfriend decided to elope. it felt right in the time.

jude became a park ranger and worked for the state of california and all the state parks as she focused on paying off her student loans.

not long after, she discovered her eldest brother had gone to prison. though she loved him dearly, she kept this under wraps just like everything else about her past. not even her husband knew. she’d find time on the weekends whenever her husband was working to visit her brother. she felt sympathy for him, knowing he wasn’t lucky enough to break from that mold like she had.

a year or so into her marriage, jude discovered she was pregnant. the concept of being a mother terrified her to her very core. she and her husband had talked about having children only a few times, mostly because jude would change the subject. he wanted a family and jude didn’t want to become her mother. without telling him of her pregnancy, jude made the decision to have an abortion.

but nothing stays secret forever. her husband eventually discovered she had an abortion and he was heartbroken. of course he wanted a family, but he also wanted a wife that was willing to confide in him about those things. she never told him her fears, doubts, or her past. she was practically a friend living beside him. jude tried to defend herself, but there was no defending it. her husband couldn’t move on from her decision and the disconnect between the two caused a huge wedge between them. they decided to divorce.

jude realized then her own protective decision was already pushing her on a similar path to her mother, but she refused to become her. jude, independent as ever, didn’t need anyone but herself. even though it caused a lot of heartache, jude doesn’t regret the abortion or the decision to split.

realizing the bay area no longer felt like home to her, jude decided to move to southern california to be closer to the prison her brother was in. she rented a small house in the silver lake area and moved to working at state parks outside of los angeles. it didn’t have the same feeling of towering trees, but the amazing hikes made it worthwhile.

her brother was eventually released from prison and currently lives with her until he can get back on his feet. it’s nice to have him away from san francisco and even nicer to have him not behind bars.

their mother later got clean from drugs and now lives life as a single woman, on some sort of spiritual journey. she tries to have a place in her children’s life, but jude hardly allows it. jude’s brother often tries to convince jude into forgiving their mother, but it never happens fully. she will go visit with him for holidays, and though she goes in holding her tongue, it almost always ends up in a fight between jude and her mother. both can never be quiet for too long and her mother will never own up to her mistakes. it drives jude mad.

though jude had endured a lot throughout her years, she continues to find peace in nature, travel, and journals. she focuses on the little things in life and finds joy where she can. all the while presenting herself like the moon in the sky, only half there for people to see.

HEADCANONS

jude truly doesn’t share much about her past, but doesn’t come off as secretive either. but even her closest friends might learn something new every day about her that they would normally know long before with anyone else.

she rents a small two bedroom home in the redcliff neighborhood and has decorated it to her liking. it’s important for her to feel at home.

jude has an australian shepheard dog named wickett - then name coming from a star wars character.

she enjoys spending her weekends at the farmer’s market, eating fruit, and day drinking wine.

jude is always hiking, journaling/writing, and reading books she has already read a thousand times. she’s a creature of habit.

she hasn’t been in a real relationship since her husband, only hookups and casual flings.

jude is jewish, but her family never paid much attention to religion. they celebrate the holidays and would attend service one day out of the year or so.

she has several scars on her legs and two on her arms from hiking the PNW trails.

she’s into cheesy and weird things - science fiction, conspiracy theories, paranormal stuff. she says, “it makes life exciting.”

to be added ....

[frequenciii]

10 random questions.

rules: answer 10 random questions and tag 10 simmers!

thanks for the tag @ladybugsimblr 💕

1. if you could travel one place in the world where would you travel?

i’ve been slowly planning a trip to peru to see machu picchu, but i’ll probably end up going to europe first lol

2. what do you do in your free time away from sims?

sims is my free time jkfadflj but if i’m feeling burnt out i usually binge hella netflix and books

3. what other games do you play besides the sims?

gta5 is the only other video game, but i’m a dork that loves to solve sudoku puzzles on my phone lol

4. how tall are you?

5′5″ tbh i wish i was a bit taller lol, like 2-3 more inches please!

5. one random interest of yours?

ya know, i was trying to think of one but came to the conclusion that i’m boring-

6. current favorite bands or artists?

i’ve been cycling through empress of, amber mark, and after hours by the weeknd (which is *mwah* lol) 

7. something you’re looking forward to?

TRAVELING but probably won’t be doing that anytime soon..

8. current favorite films?

netflix made the mistake of adding romeo must die lol i can’t stop watching it, it reminds me of my childhood

9. what food could you not live without?

definetly bread.

10. favorite series (book or movie series)?

book series is percy jackson and movies probs harry potter lol

i’m gonna tag: @rivervieww, @dreamer-moon, @simgerale, @oatmilk-sims, @orchidagogo

[dopescotlandwarrior]

Someone Like You

Chapter One

July 2006 The makeshift curtain at the community center lifts to a collective awe from the audience of parents and siblings. Two little girls, age seven, are dressed as fairies and sing a song while they shake their wands at the people watching. Ellen and Brian smile and giggle at each other because the girls are so cute. Jaime crosses his arms and looks at his feet, waiting for it to be over.

September 2008 Ellen pressed lunch bags into the girl’s hands and kissed them on the top of their heads. “First day of third grade, how exciting girls! Oh, Claire honey, you have to give this form to your teacher.” Ellen unzipped the backpack and stuck the letter inside. She watched the girls walk to the bus stop talking animatedly and sighed at how fast they were growing up.

November 2008 My dearest Ellen I hope this letter finds you very well indeed. This is short notice, I realize that, but I have taken an assignment in Peru which will keep me away for at least two years. Now that Claire is nine years old I think she is sturdy enough to live with me. If you agree, I will be taking her from your charge right after Hogmanay. Please share your thoughts with me, honest and direct, as you always are. I am so deeply in your debt for providing stability and a home for that tiny girl. I do not wish to impose any further. I anxiously await your response.

January 2009 Two young girls clung to each other at the Edinburgh airport while Lamb and Ellen tried to pull them apart. Lamb was quite upset and shaken by the incident and wondered if he would be a suitable guardian for this little girl. Ellen pulled the girls away and spoke to them about manners and behaving in public. She kissed Claire’s cheeks and encouraged her to go to Lamb.

December 2011 Lamb and his charge walked through the crowded airport looking for baggage. Claire was searching for Jenny in the crowd of people waiting for arrivals. She felt someone yank on her pigtails and turned around to Jaime Fraser laughing. “C’mon dork, they’re over there.” Lamb was at baggage sweating profusely and pulling the only two bags they had between them. He desperately needed whisky and a nap.

December 2012 “I am so grateful to Lamb for sending me back to Scotland for the holidays but I am quite unprepared for the freezing temperatures. I was keeping Jenny awake with my shivering so I grabbed the blanket off the couch and sat on the staircase trying to get warm. I didn’t want to complain. I was so happy to be here, so I shivered in silence. Jaime got up and walked down to the kitchen bringing a plate of food back to his room. He grabbed my arm and pulled me along. I stood in his dark room shivering and not knowing why I was here.

“Get in bed lass.” He handed me a cookie and lit the fire in his room. Then he pulled the blankets up and turned his back on me to sleep. The fire warmed the room and I watched the flames dance me to sleep. I slipped out of Jaime’s room before dawn and went back to Jenny’s bed.

“On the eve of my departure back to Lamb I sat on the stairs trying to avoid waking Jenny. I was freezing of course, and I couldn’t stop crying. I was making myself a nuisance. I hunkered down in the blanket and sniffled until I heard a door open. Jaime walked past me on his midnight raid for food and grabbed my arm again on his way back. This time he gave me a piece of cake, lit the fire, and tucked me in before turning his back. Again, although so grateful, I slipped out of his room before dawn.

December 2014 The house feels warmer this year and I haven’t shivered in my sleep for the past two weeks. Lamb is so kind to send me back year after year. If I didn’t have Lallybroch to look forward to all year I would go insane probably. My skin is itchy from the hayride we went of today. I don’t mind. Jaime sat next to me the whole time so it’s worth it.

December 2016 Uncle Lamb is finally preparing to release his research on the Inca invasion and cultural effect on the indigenous tribes of Peru. He was upbeat and full of energy for the past several months as many archeologists came to our camp to weigh in on his findings. I continued to do my lessons, assist at the dig, and mostly look forward to leaving. I was sure the days grew longer, tortuously so, as the day of our departure neared. This was my last pack out from Peru. Uncle Lamb would deplane in London to arrange our living quarters while I went on to Scotland. I would finally go to a public school in England never to see Machu Picchu again. I was deliriously happy.

It took a day to reach an airport and it was always a crapshoot whether or not the plane would actually show up, or leave as scheduled. I ran to the ladies room and the first large mirror I had seen in a year. How disappointing. I fancied myself prettier now, strikingly beautiful in fact. My reflection mocked me. Where were my long slim limbs, exotic hair, perfect face? I must have stared at my face for an hour when Lamb came crashing into the bathroom making my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I guess the plane showed up and decided to fly us to civilization. I got in line and called Jenny.

As the plane filled slowly I stood in front of the mirror in the lavatory studying my face, my dirty skin and nails, and my torn clothes. Someone pounded on the door until I came out so I sat next to Lamb and waited for my last exit from Peru. Lamb’s face was the color of his field jacket, beige, and he was mopping his sweating face with a towel. He told me to go to sleep and he would see me in the morning. I curled up in my seat and watched him as long as I could before I fell asleep. I had dreams of Lallybroch and running through the fields with Jenny while Jaime sat on the grass with arms crossed looking down. Rupert stood in front of me and pointed at someone behind me. I jerked my head up and saw the worried face of the stewardess, right before big hands hauled me out of my seat and pushed me to the front of the plane. I was snapped into a seat and flight attendants stood next to me the rest of the way to London. People practically ran off the plane and the captain asked who was waiting for me in Scotland. He took my phone and left.

I didn’t see Uncle Lamb get off the plane and I tried to tell the captain he was supposed to get off in London. They weren’t paying attention and I was getting quite upset. The captain pulled me into the cockpit and handed me a phone. I heard Jenny’s da tell me Uncle Lamb had died during the night and I was to continue to Scotland. They would be waiting for me. I looked up at the captain and saw his compassion. The flight attendants stayed beside me and then handed me to the Frasers. I never saw Lamb’s body and for years I would dream he was alive living in the jungle and would call me up one day and say surprise!

When I finally got back to Lallybroch I wasn’t excited anymore, I just felt numb. Sleep would not come for me that first night. I sat on the staircase and huddled against the cold. Jaime got up and raided the refrigerator really late. He mumbled to me as he brought his food to bed and closed his door. The next night the scene was repeated but I was shivering with the chill in the house. When Jaime passed me going back to his room he grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

I stood in his dark room shivering. “Get in bed lass.” He offered me some food and lit the fire in his room. He covered me with the quilt and turned his back to me. I felt every move he made that night. I listened to his rhythmic breathing until the sun came up signaling it was time to leave. I slipped out of his room and curled up in Jenny’s bed.

All of my friends were at the Fraser’s house over the next two weeks and they helped me overlook the dread I was feeling. Namely, what would happen to me now? Where was I supposed to go? Jaime was always with his best friend Ian, Rupert and Angus were there as well. They either stayed in Jaime’s room or dragged him away for the day. The only time I spent any time in the same room with Jaime was Hogmanay and he didn’t speak with me.

The party was fun but my anxiety had become almost unmanageable. Jenny was starting school again in a few days and her parents had said nothing to me about staying with them or enrolling in school. Finally, the day after Hogmanay, Jenny’s parents asked us to come downstairs and talk to them. I waited with my fingers crossed. Ellen Fraser smiled at me and told me what was to happen now.

“What was left of your parent’s estate was invested and protected by your Uncle for all of these years sweetheart. He has stipulated in his will the money is to keep you at a boarding school in Switzerland until you graduate with provisions for food and clothing. On the day of your graduation the remaining assets, and the property in Boston will be transferred to you to use as you wish.”

I was stunned. Switzerland? What did I know about Switzerland, except it was cold? I just stared at Ellen Fraser and said nothing. She seemed so happy that Lamb had planned this so carefully and I would be taken care of. I should be happy too but the tears I felt coming could not be held back. I asked to be excused and ran to Jenny’s room where we tried to piece together what life in a boarding school would be like.

“It willna be so bad, dinna fash yerself, Claire! You’ll meet girls yer age, fancy lasses. You’ll learn to be fancy like them!” She giggled so hard it hit my funny bone and I giggled with her. There was a knock on the door and Jenny opened it to Rupert smiling like an idiot. “What?”

Rupert looked past Jenny and asked, “what er ye lasses laughin about, what’s so funny here?” A large hand came down on Ruper’s shoulder and pulled him away with force. He could be heard protesting the interruption of his courtship.

Jenny closed the door and laughed until she bent over holding her stomach. “Ye could always stay in Scotland and marry Rupert!”

I stared at the door wondering why Jaime wanted to drag Rupert away?

The next two days were filled with shopping at the most extravagant level I had ever been a part of. Ellen took Jenny and me to all the shops armed with a list of necessities the school provided. The list had details right down to how many pajamas, stockings, underwear, outside clothes, party dresses, ball gowns, shoes of every variety, riding wear and boots, loungewear, robes, and coats. It was fun at first and exhausting by the second day. Suitcases were purchased, a day bag for books because backpacks were forbidden. When the list was complete we piled into the car hoping never to shop again so when Ellen pulled into a technology store Jenny and I looked at her confused. An hour later I scrambled into the back seat holding the greatest treasure of my entire life. A laptop computer loaded with all the mandatory software for office skills, drafting, graphic design, illustration, and the best of all, internet browsers. I held it like the treasure it was and couldn’t wait to play around with it.

The following weekend I stood with Jenny at the Edinburgh airport wearing one of my new dresses, shoes, and coat. I shook from head to toe.

“Yer shakin so hard my own teeth are rattlin. Dinna fash, yer goin on an adventure!” Jenny looked at me with such compassion. I didn’t cry nor could I speak from fear of what was next. Both of Jenny’s parents tried to reassure me and I couldn’t speak to them either. I knew when I let go of Jenny’s hand I would be alone with strangers waiting for me in Switzerland and a school full of fancy girls that would hate me. If not for the people in line behind me waiting to board I don’t think I could have convinced my feet to move forward. My mind tortured me with every conceivable terror awaiting me until I felt myself let go. We were landing in Switzerland, my fate was sealed, now I had to live it, and that was that.

[danastours-blog]

Top 7 Places to visit in Peru and More

Travel, Treks, and picnics are words that paint a picture of experiencing excitement, adventure, and happiness. Different people have different agendas of traveling. For some, it’s new experiences, while others it’s discovering a new culture, traditions, lifestyles,  and places. Whatever be the reason, it is always a good idea to take some time off your busy routine and travel.

“Traveling: It first renders you speechless, later it turns you into a storyteller”.

In the 7 continents of the world, there are infinite places that you can visit. It is always a challenge to narrow down as to where your next trip should be. This article is a detailed description of why your next trip should be in the adventurous and scenic Peru. It also covers all the best places to visit in Peru. You will surely be mesmerized by the colonial architecture and floating islands among other mind-blowing attractions this place has in store for you.

The Peruvian Expedition:

Peru is geographically located in western South America. Peru is renowned as a megadiverse country, which makes it a well-trod tourist attraction. The cultural heritage of Peru is as intriguing as you can expect it to be. Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines are living testimony of the expertise of the ancient Peruvians.

The beaches in Peru are well-maintained and you can enjoy a dip, dive deep and snorkel in the azure waters. For the mountain-lovers, this place does not fail to treat well also.  You can go trekking, whitewater rafting or even mountain biking around the Colca Canyon which is one of the deepest in the world.

The food diversity is also equally satisfying, including a rich bounty of seafood. It has a fascinating 55 varieties of corn alone. Needless to say about the scrumptious meal of steak you can savour along with the indigenous drinks.

With so many things put to perfection, what more do you expect in a vacation? Whether it is with family, friends or a solo trip, Peru is an ideal destination for all.

Places to Un-miss When in Peru:

1. Machu Picchu:“The lost city of the Incas” - Machu Picchu is breathtakingly beautiful. It is situated 300 meters above the Urubamba river. First documented in the 1500s by Spanish soldiers, it was later in the early 1900s that it was rediscovered. You must visit this place to know why the Inca people choose this place as their home. There are multiple options when it comes to reaching Machu Picchu. You can opt for the train route from Cusco or Ollantaytambo depending on your trip itinerary. You can also opt for a 20-minute bus ride from Aguas Calientes. For the adventurer, you can opt for a hike up the Inca trail with a reliable tour planner. Your Peru trip is definitely incomplete if you do not pay a quality visit to Machu Picchu.

2. Nazca Lines: These are the collection of giant geoglyphs spread over many kilometers. These lines are dated to nearly 2000 years old and are a gift of the Nazca culture to Peru. Imagine the astounding reality of these lines as even after 80 years of research they still remain a mystery. An aerial view of these lines is the best way to experience these lines.There are nearly 300 such geometric lines and more than 70 depictions of animals and plants put together. You have to see it to believe it. This marvel was created in an age where there was hardly any means of communication and No Internet! These Nazca lines are truly enigmatic and deserve a lot of your attention.

3. Lake Titicaca:Time to experience serenity on your vacation with the visit to this highest navigable lake on the planet; Lake Titicaca. It is both scenic and relaxing. It will transport you to a different world with the simple life of the people who reside here in small villages. The center of attraction on this day trip are the Uros floating islands. They sustain small communities dwelling in a humble lifestyle.The gateway to Lake Titicaca is in Puno which is one of the secret places to visit in Peru. There are facilities for accommodation there. You can plan to visit the main islands Isla Taquile and Isla Amantani.

4. Rainbow Mountain: 

Imagine a mountain with layers of turquoise, lavender, green and gold! You would say it’s a bluff. But, this is a reality of the rainbow mountains in Peru. This geological wonder is a result of the weathering and minerals formation on this land. It is very close to Ausangate mountain, which is considered as a deity in the Inca culture. These rainbow mountains are a photographer’s dream and offer Instagram-worthy sights to behold. A trekker’s paradise, quite literally, one must be prepared for the high altitude climb that is 16,000 feet above sea-level. If you are not a big fan of a day hike, you can optionally ride a horse to indulge in the mysticism of this place. You can hope to enjoy the company of cute Llamas and Alpacas on your way up. This place was snow-capped for a long time in history up to 2015.

5. Sacred Valley: The sacred valley is quite close to Cusco and is home to many Inca ruins. The main attractions here are the Pisac ruins and the Pisac markets which are open on Sundays. There are also smaller markets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Besides, your trip to the sacred valley must include the ruins and fortress at Ollantaytambo. A visit to Maras Moray & Salineras that was used as an agricultural testing area by the Incas during their times and the salt mines are also among the must things to do in Peru.

6. Manu National Park: 

You can begin your trip to Manu national park by starting from Cusco and visiting the Pre Inca tombs of Ninamarca. Further, visit the colonial town of Paucartambo, and descend through the cloud forest to reach your destination.The Manu national park is home to a myriad of species of birds, insects, and mammals. It is definitely worth spending a night in this park and experiencing the adventure. Your trip here can also include canoeing by the tropical river of Kosñipata and a boat ride in the crystalline waters of Pongo de Koñeq.  

7. Plaza De Armas - Lima: After spending some time in the lap of nature and exploring spell-bound history, a UNESCO world heritage site should be on your list. Built-in the 18th century, Plaza De Armas is among the best places to visit in Lima. Other places that you can cover while you are here are the cathedral on the east side and Government Palace (Palacio del Gobierno) on the north side. You can also pay a visit to Archbishop's Palace and the Casa del Oidor. 

Epilogue:

Peru is truly wondrous and you just can’t get enough of it. The natural beauty and bio-diversity keep you captured all throughout your journey. Having covered these major places you can always take a drift and enjoy the sight of sea lions and Humboldt penguins along coastal Peru. 

To make the most of your Peruvian adventure you can book a flexible package with reliable tour organizers like Dana’s tours who offer you the most on a budget tour. Their organization is top-notch and you’ll experience the rich culture, cuisine, and sights of Peru in the best way possible.

[purplewitch156]

Sequel Teaser!

As today is Tom’s birthday and we’re welcoming in a brand new year, I wanted to share a scene from Of Your Making’s sequel. I’m still piecing together the first draft, but it will be ready sometime in 2019.

Happy New Year, everyone!

xxpurplewitch156

p.s. I got the line in, @thechoi-choi

p.p.s. Apologies for the extra spaces. My theme smushs the text otherwise.

Tom didn’t need to check his watch nor the garishly tacky cuckoo clock mounted behind the sofa, which roared like a lion every time the hands struck twelve (a late Christmas present from one of Harry’s school friends, Luna Lovegood), to know that they were very nearly late. He marched to the foot of the stairs.

“Harry, we need to go.”

“If you’d tell me where we’re going, I’d know what to pack,” Harry shouted back.

“Nice try,” Tom replied, amused. “But I’m still not telling you. Just grab something and get down here.”

A string of grumbles that sounded like curses drifted down the stairs. Tom smirked. He was enjoying this far too much.

Tomorrow Harry would turn nineteen and Tom had been planning an extravagant celebration for months.

“He’s never been out of the country,” said Granger during a lunch in June. They had been gathered in the backyard of the cottage he and Harry shared. While Harry played with a toddling Teddy Lupin in the distance, he, Granger and Weasley sat around the tea service under a leafy cherry tree. “I think he’d like that.”

Against his wishes, Tom had eventually chosen to confide in Weasley and Granger about his desire to shepherd Harry away. It was impossible to expect everyone in Harry’s life to not ask pestering questions when Tom stated that they’d be away for the occasion, so he enlisted help. Harry’s oldest friends jumped to Tom’s aid energetically, spreading in whispers that it was to be a surprise until the very last minute.

Since moving in with Harry shortly after Christmas, Tom quickly discovered that living with Harry also meant living with a horde of red-heads, a snot-dripping one year-old, and a constant stream of impromptu guests, though Harry would say he was over exaggerating.

“How much time are you taking off?” Granger asked.

“Three weeks,” said Tom, pouring himself another cup of tea.

Robards had been surprisingly relaxed about his two highest ranked Aurors taking such a long leave of absence.

“We won’t be on call,” Tom had told him firmly.

“Of course not,” said Robards. “You’d think I’d drag you two back here over a few murder cases? I do have other Aurors, Riddle. Enjoy yourselves.”

There had been a twinkling gleam in Robards’ eyes that felt far too knowing, as if the Head Auror suspected that the surprise birthday get-away was merely the setting for a much larger surprise.

Weasley sat back in his chair. “You know, I don’t even think Harry’s been on a vacation. He’s never mentioned one.” He suddenly snickered. “I’ll bet five galleons the hotel is burned down by a chimaera. That’s just his luck.”

Granger kicked him under the table.

“I’m not taking him to Greece,” Tom replied as Weasley rubbed his shin ruefully.

Granger looked around at him, excited. “You’ve picked a place?”

Tom nodded.

Granger and Weasley both stared at him expectantly and Tom found himself admitting, “Peru.”

“Oh!” Granger cried delighted as Weasley said, with a grin, “So it’ll be a Vipertooth.”

“Ron, they aren’t going to be attacked by anything,” said Granger, annoyed.

Weasley snorted. “Do you know the same Harry I do?”

Granger ignored him. She turned back to Tom. “It sounds wonderful. He’s going to love it.”

“Love what?”

All three of their heads whipped around. Harry stood before them with Teddy against one hip. The child’s usual sandy-blond hair was now exactly the same as Harry’s, even sticking up in the back. Over the last few weeks, his metamorphmagus skills had been expanding rapidly. It made taking him shopping in the Muggle village of Ottery St. Catchpole a trying task. Tom noticed, startled, that the boy had chosen to mimic his eyes today. He looked exactly as one would expect their offspring to look like, if he and Harry ever chose to do something like that, which he hoped to Salazar would never be the case. If anyone else caught the unsettling resemblance, they let it pass without comment.

“Love what?” Harry repeated, looking at them expectantly.

“That book Hermione’s been reading,” said Weasley after a beat. He turned to Granger, snapping his fingers. “Toadstools of the … what was it?”

“Southern Hemisphere,” Granger quickly supplied.

Harry’s right eyebrow rose. “Sounds riveting.”

“Oh, it is,” said Granger, emphatic. “Neville couldn’t stop talking about it. I had to give it a try.”

“Kay,” said Harry, eying them all suspiciously. “I’m going to wash Teddy up before Andromeda comes.”

And hopefully get the boy looking more like himself, Tom thought, still unnerved.

Besides Granger, Weasley, Robards and Shacklebolt, no one knew who Tom really was. Or, if he was going to be precise, who he used to be. To the rest of the world he was Thomas Thorne, a skilled and efficient Auror who happened to be dating his co-worker. To quote the Daily Prophet: Thomas Thorne, Harry Potter’s Chosen One.

Andromeda visited the cottage at least every other week, bringing Teddy for play dates. She had lost a great deal during the war — her husband, her daughter, her son-in-law, but she had Teddy and she had Harry. Tom was rather impressed with how well she was coping. Though he had never spoken to the third Black sister, as she estranged herself shortly before Bella joined his Death Eater ranks all those years ago, he found the woman’s company surprisingly pleasant. It amused him how often he caught himself being surprised. After all, realizing he loved Harry Potter should have been the surprise to end all surprises. Funny how it was just the starting point to an endless stream.  

As Harry and Teddy disappeared into the house, Weasley turned to Tom and gave him a thumbs up. “Doesn’t suspect a thing.”

Granger rolled her eyes, both humored and exasperated. “Toadstools? Really?”

Weasley shrugged. “What was I supposed to say?”

“You’re hopeless,” said Granger, but she was charmed.

And again, to Tom’s surprise, with each visit of Harry’s two closest friends, he too found himself charmed. Granger’s brain was a scholar’s dream and Weasley — for all his laid-back humor — was the bloke who’d wade into flesh-eating waters if it would save one of his companions.

Tom had never had something like that. He’d never had friends or confidants. He’d never understood the appeal. Not until Harry. And though he did not think of Granger or Weasley in such a light, he also did not mind them as he’d once thought he would.

Unlike, for instance, this lion clock. Waiting for Harry to appear, Tom stood before it, counting its golden, ticking seconds. Harry’s insistence on hanging it up had been met by Tom’s retaliation of turning their bedroom as Slytherin green as wizarding possible. The sudden sounds of Harry’s feet on the stairs had Tom turning.

“Okay,” Harry said, setting his suitcase down. “I’m ready. Unless I need goulashes.”

Tom eyed the trunk. “You’ve packed everything, haven’t you?”

“Yep. Unless, you know, I need goulashes. Do I need goulashes?” Harry asked, still trying to wriggle the truth of their vacation spot out of Tom even though he was seconds from finding out himself.

Biting back a laugh, Tom flicked his wand and the trunk shrunk down to the size of walnut. Another light twitch and it zoomed into his pocket, safely tucked away next to his own luggage. Harry took his offered hand, wearing the same excited grin he’d had when Tom first told him of the holiday. From his other pocket, he extracted the portkey the hotel had sent by owl the week prior.

“We’re not Apparating?” said Harry, surprised.

“It’s too far. I don’t expect you’d enjoy spending the first day recuperating from splinching.” Neither would he, matter of fact. He checked his watch as Harry placed his forefinger against the rather plain looking medallion. The only thing remotely interesting on its face was a small etched figure of a —

“Is that a dragon?” Harry asked, scrutinizing the coin. He grew even more excited. “Are we going to —” But he was cut off as the portkey glowed bright blue. With a sharp jerk behind the navel, he and Harry zoomed across the Atlantic. A second later, Tom’s feet hit solid ground and Harry stumbled against him, his elbow banging into his rib cage. They had left their sitting room in Ottery St. Catchpole and now stood in the floo foyer of a dazzling hotel.

At once, Harry turned on the spot, taking in his surroundings. A floor to ceiling window took up an entire wall, opposite the set of floos. Harry’s mouth dropped open. He stepped closer to the glass.

“Where…”

“Peru,” said Tom, stepping up beside him and taking in the stunning view. Like a bird’s nest, the hotel resided in the upper crook of a mountain. “In the Andes. Twelve ridges over is Machu Picchu, but this is a wizarding hotel so we are overlooking Ligero de Valle, an even more ancient civilization.” As he spoke, a buggy drawn by flying horse took off from the wizarding city that gleamed before them, speeding its passengers to the neighboring mountaintop where more of the city sprawled, built precariously along the ridges. He cut his eyes to Harry. “Do you like it?”

When Tom had been choosing which scenic place to take Harry, there had been only one requirement: that it be as stunning as he. As Harry turned to him, radiant with happiness, he knew he’d come close.

[emritcheson]

Is Mortimer Beckett and The Book of Gold Really That Bad?

(Full disclosure: this post contains mild spoilers for discussion’s sake.)

So I am a big fan of the Delicious series and the many spin-offs that have launched from its universe, now formally known as GameHouse Original Stories.  Yes, they sometimes seem like they’re hyper-marketed at that Hallmark Channel crowd, but they are the cream of the crop of modern casual games, I promise.  That said, not every game that comes out of GameHouse Studios is a masterpiece.  But just because it’s not a masterpiece doesn’t mean there isn’t good to be found or fun to be had.

Enter Mortimer Beckett and The Book of Gold, released in 2017.  For those unaware, Mortimer Beckett was not originally a GameHouse IP, instead starring in his own series of hidden object games developed by Paprikari from 2007 to 2012.  I played the first in the series, Secrets of Spooky Manor, and dabbled with others, but I am by no means an aficionado on Mortimer Beckett lore.  Actually, I’m not big into the hidden object genre period.  I can tell you, though, that this game feels very different to the traditional Mortimer Beckett series.  Paprikari still worked as the developer for Book of Gold, but the overall style and flavor is extremely influenced by GameHouse.

I can only assume GameHouse acquired permission to use Mortimer’s character around the same time they acquired Sally from GamesCafe’s Sally’s Salon series.  These were two fairly well-known faces in casual gaming for many years, and for those characters to suddenly be picked up by a new company and breathed new life was a strange move to witness.

Not to say it was a bad one.  I was an am a dedicated Sally fan and Sally’s Salon - Beauty Secrets blew my expectations out of the water.

Book of Gold on the other hand...well, that’s why we’re here.

Before I even played the game, the first things I noticed were the consistently negative ratings it received across distributing websites.  Now all things considered, I wasn’t expecting perfection, but these scores were abysmally low.  I thought, “it can’t be as bad as that, right?”

And after playing through the whole thing in one night, I will proudly go on record to say that this game does not deserve these low ratings.

Buuut it’s not perfect, either.

So let’s talk.

First, the elephant in the room - the gameplay itself.  As previously stated, Mortimer Beckett is a hidden object series.  GameHouse is best known for their time management games that occasionally have hidden object mini games sprinkled through the levels.  Mini games and main gameplay mechanics are two very different things, mind you.

That said, I think the translation of the gameplay went very well.  Better than I was expecting, at least.  You’re given a scene in which you must find pieces of different objects that will help you in your current situation.  Then, once those pieces are put together, you can use those objects in the scene to complete small puzzles.  Even with my limited hidden object experience, I can tell that this style of finding pieces of things is quite unique.  

In fact, this was my biggest complaint back in Secrets of Spooky Manor: the pieces that some objects broke into seemed arbitrary and unnatural, making it harder to find what I was looking for.  In Book of Gold, the objects are broken up where they naturally have different “sections” (for example, if you’re looking for a screwdriver, it would be in two separate pieces: the handle and the bit) and gameplay is smoother as a result.

There are also three different kinds of challenge levels throughout the game in which you have to complete certain tasks within a time limit.  These provide a nice sprinkle of adrenaline rush as the main levels have no time limit and you’re welcome to stare at and contemplate them as long as you wish.  So all in all, the gameplay is pretty solid.

Let’s discuss the plot.  Mortimer Beckett moves to Snuggford after inheriting a museum from his Uncle Jerome (a staple character of the series until now, I understand).  In his last letter, Uncle Jerome mentions something called the Book of Gold which apparently possesses mystical qualities, and warns Mortimer to keep it safe.

Even as someone with very little preexisting attachment to this character, I found Mortimer very charming and enjoyable, in that “I don’t really know what I’m doing but I’m going to make the best of it anyway, and probably embarrass myself in the process” kind of way.  It was also refreshing simply to play as a guy, as GameHouse Original Stories pretty much exclusively feature women protagonists.

Speaking of which, while this is happening, Kate O’Malley (Delicious Emily’s sister-in-law) is having something of a life crisis and desperately looking for some kind of adventure to get her out of her “boring” hometown.

This is good for two reasons.  One: Kate is a character seen very little of in the Delicious series.  Other than she’s Patrick’s sister and she used to work as a perfume salesgirl, we didn’t know much about her until Book of Gold.  The writers really gave her some agency this time around, where previously she felt kind of cardboard.  And two: Snuggford is often viewed as a very idyllic small town with emphasis on supporting local businesses and fostering community with others.  It’s oddly refreshing to see a protagonist character have a negative view of this place.

Anyway, the two run into each other, shenanigans ensue, and an adventure does indeed begin.

Now if GameHouse is known for anything besides time management gameplay, it’s their heterosexual romantic subplots.  And as much as I was hoping for a platonic partnership this time around, I have to say I ended up liking Kate and Mortimer more than I expected.  It is a bit tropey and shoved down your throat at times, but I think their personalities play off each other quite nicely - Mortimer the somewhat bumbling scholar and Kate the confident risk-taker.  In the end I was genuinely rooting for them.

The story itself as a whole is...fine.  Not amazing, not terrible, but fine.  It has good intentions but, as I said, falls into tropes and shenanigans rather than raising the stakes.  And when the stakes are raised, it fails to explain why and generally lacks urgency.

The best parts of the story in my opinion are the more character-driven scenes.  Stemming from Kate’s desire for adventure, there is an underlying emotional theme about whether or not you’re satisfied with your life and where you are in it.  I think this is handled better than the immediate plot, but could still use some tweaks.  Overall, the writing has the same wonkiness I would expect from any story that hasn’t truly found its groove yet, but it does enough to keep you intrigued.

I absolutely cannot knock GameHouse for trying to do something new, especially in this cash cow of a universe they’ve built for themselves.  They’ve been using basically the same formula for the past ten years or so, and it makes sense that they would want to branch out into other things while still attracting their core audience.

Unfortunately, this game has some very apparent growing pains.

My biggest issue without a doubt is the art.  It’s inconsistent, there’s no other word for it.  Some sprites are completely 2-D, others are completely rendered in 3-D.  Sometimes it’s 2.5-D.  Sometimes it’s 2-D heads stitched onto 3-D bodies.  Some characters look very disproportionate when standing next to others.  Not to mention a lot of reused assets from other games.  I can’t show it for spoiler reasons, but there is a scene near the very end of the game where the character cutting-and-pasting is so painfully obvious and so sloppily done that I almost had to close my computer and take a lap around the house to compose myself.

Also, this game has far less music than I expected.  Despite a swingin’ noir-style theme song written by Adam Gubman, most cutscenes carry out with only generic background white noise for company.  And let me tell you, when a dramatic scene is going down and the only thing you can hear is the muffled voice of an airport intercom?  It feels wrong.  And also lends to that lack of urgency I mentioned earlier.

And as much as I hate to, we have to talk about the “exotic” themes.

For the most part, I would describe GameHouse as having “lukewarm sensitivity” to cultures that are not North American or European.  They have good intentions and for the most part their characters are pretty well rounded, but their research still leaves a little bit to be desired.  I think the Inuit tribe from Delicious - Emily’s Hopes and Fears is the best example of what I’m talking about.

However, I would not put Book of Gold in that same sensitivity tier.  During the third chapter, Mortimer and Kate travel to South America (it’s never specifically stated but since Machu Picchu is clearly visible in one of the scenes, it’s pretty safe to say they’re in Peru) and end up getting lost in the jungle.  Kate is more or less kidnapped by a group of natives, whose leader speaks what can only be described as “cave man English” and invites her to join his harem.  When she refuses, he threatens to kill her if she doesn’t complete the puzzles set before her.  Then, when Kate manages to escape, the tribe leader leans over to one of his guards and says, “Those tourists are so gullible,” indicated that it was all an act.  I still have no idea what to think about this entire section.

There’s also a great deal of Arabian influence in the second half of the game, as the main villain claims to be a sheikh, but I would say that it’s more there for visual interest than anything else.  The side characters you meet in this arc aren’t particularly memorable, and aside from avoiding a sandstorm and racing camels at one point, the desert setting is just kind of...there.  It’s not as bad as it could have been, but it certainly wasn’t doing the game as a whole many favors, either.

To wrap this up with a bow, if you disliked this game simply because it was different and not the “signature GameHouse experience” you’ve come to expect, I feel sorry for you.  If you disliked this game because it doesn’t feel as polished as it could have been and the graphics are a bit of a train wreck?  Yeah, I get you.  But I still found this game enjoyable despite its flaws.  And if you’ve been avoiding this game because the bad ratings scared you off, pull on your big girl panties and manage your expectations.

I really hope that GameHouse sees Book of Gold as a learning experience and not a failure, because I think there’s some genuine potential here.  With some tweaks and polish (and clearer art direction), I would happily accept another game like this.

[megers67]

My Relationship with my Ancestry

It’s not a great title for what this post is about, but I can’t think of anything else right now.

I may have mentioned on here before that I technically have native Peruvian ancestry. Now, this is to say that I do NOT in any way claim this in a way to make me seem cooler or to claim that I am Native American in any appreciable way. I was never raised to have any cultural ties with those ethnic groups (hell, I don’t even know what specific one) nor do I look anything other than a typical European-descended White girl. I say this because it is simply a fact.

So why am I saying that?

Because an opportunity fell into my lap and I’m going to Peru in December 2020 and it’s giving me a lot of conflicting thoughts and emotions that I’m trying to sort through. To understand why, I’m going to go into my family history and this opportunity. I’ll put it under a Read More since I’m on the computer now and can do that (because mobile is dumb and I can’t do it there). Normally for longer posts, I’d do some formatting so there are bold parts to make reading easier on the eyes, but I can’t be assed to do that this time. This is to get my feelings out here and MAYBE insight if anyone has any for my very highly specific situation.

I should start with my dad. He was born in Peru but grew up in New York City, joined the Navy, and settled down in Texas with my mom. His mom was the one who was born and raised in Peru and had come the US for college. I... honestly don’t know much about her. In fact, I only met her at her funeral.

She emotionally and verbally abused my dad throughout his childhood and I suspect that there was also potentially physical abuse too. She was a paranoid schizophrenic and didn’t have healthy coping mechanisms at that time from what VERY little my dad told me. He doesn’t like talking about it. He did mention that when his parents fought, his mother would put him in between her and his dad as a shield. That does a lot to a kid. He has a younger brother, my uncle, who my dad protected from the worst of it. So by the time they were adults and I was born, my dad didn’t want to have any ties to her but my uncle maintained a relationship.

Actually, side note while I’m talking about my uncle, the thing that pissed me off about my uncle (besides his pretty sexist views on domestic roles but that’s a whole different discussion) was that he was trying for years to get my dad to reconnect with their mother despite my dad telling him no. I distinctly remember being shown a picture of her playing piano while my younger cousins (who were even younger in the picture) playing around her. I was asked if I knew who this was. I did not. After being told that it was my grandmother, he asked me if I wanted to know her. No. She hurt my dad. If she hurt my dad so much that HE doesn’t want to reconnect, I want nothing to do with her, myself. 

I went to her funeral to support my dad who was, understandably having a really hard time with the mess of different conflicting emotions going in.

So for the longest time, when I thought of my ancestry beyond her, it still made me think of her and the pain she caused my dad. Like... obviously I knew that what was happening with her had nothing to do with the cultural past. At least not the stuff that ended up making the biggest impact (it seems that her mental illness wasn’t adequately being treated until at least much much later in her life if ever). But it was impossible to think about it relating to me personally without knowing that, for it to get to me, went through her. So my only way of being interested in say, Incan stuff was to completely separate it from any association with myself.

But it’s been a few years since she died and I think I’ve slowly been getting a sort of closure on the whole thing. This year in particular, I was getting a lot done on that front without realizing it. 

In the Spring, the results from my 23andMe came in and confirmed that I was about 12% Native Peruvian. My dad’s dad’s side was always into genealogy and we have this really big book of everyone that updates every few years ago and goes back to at LEAST the 1700s. Then both my mom’s parents decided to try a genealogy service my aunt’s friend was wanting to get off the ground. My dad’s mother was the only missing piece and with that 23andMe result, it was kind of an epiphany that this IS indeed a part of me, for better or for worse. 

Then last fall in my archaeology class, Incan examples came up quite a bit so that was reinforced. Also that same semester, I did a campus visit to DC and went to the National Museum of the American Indian. I didn’t realize it until I got there that they had an entire (well-made actually) special exhibit on the Inca. Then at Christmas time, apparently llamas were popular this year and I was seeing them EVERYWHERE. I don’t really believe in signs, but clearly it’s something that I’m subconsciously looking for or I’m finally noticing what’s already all around me. Like I’m ready to confront all of this.

Which all brings me to this trip. My aunt, specifically my mom’s sister, had always wanted to see Machu Picchu and found a family vacation package to go where the more people who went, the better deal it was. She offered to my mom and their siblings and one of my uncles with his wife are going, my grandparents, and my mom with my dad. My mom extended the invitation to my siblings and I and... I realized that with the amount of time I have to save up, it’s actually not that bad. I can actually go. My sister expressed interest as well and I hope she can go as well, but at least I’d be there with my dad. 

While the rest of the family are going because “hey cool vacay” my dad and I are obviously going for more personal reasons, similar ones, though he is obviously much closer to the whole thing than I am. I’ll be able to be there. Be in the footsteps of my ancestors. It won’t be just some abstract thing anymore. It will be real and in front of me.

And I’m kind of scared?

I’m not at all scared of my well-being of course. That is no issue. But I’m afraid of what it would dredge up in me.

I have so many questions. Can I really call this part of my history if I’ve never been a part of it? I’ve had the luxury to have all of the privilege associated to being White because... I mean I am in every way. But that doesn’t change the fact that, at least genetically, I do have that Native ancestry in me and not an entirely insignificant amount either. Did I miss out on that because of what my grandmother did? Does that disqualify me, then? What right do I have to any of this? Am I just another White girl clinging onto whatever minuscule speck diversity I have to seem cool? 

As an anthropologist, I’m very aware of my positionality. I know nothing and culturally I don’t belong and likely never will even if I fully embrace this trip. But personally? Where do I stand? 

I guess I have to wait nearly two years to find out.

[vaexpeditionsperu]

Inca Trail - A Few Things to Know!

Do you love trekking and enjoying nature around you? Have you ever dreamed of visiting Machu Picchu? Then Peru Inca trail holidays are one of the best options for you! Situated around the famous South American city of Peru, the Inca trail is known as one of the best short treks in the world where you can get indulged in an incredible experience. Most of the trek is spread across the magnificent area of the Machu Picchu sanctuary, which is jam-packed with rich vegetation and wildlife along with some exotic species around. Trekkers who have been to this trail have mentioned that the entire trekking journey takes around three to four days for completion when you walk constantly at a steady pace. While trekking the Inca trail, you will get to cover three different mountain passes along the way, which further makes this trekking experience a mystical one.

So are you planning to travel the Peru Inca trail for your next trekking adventure? Then have a look at the post below to learn more about how to have an adventurous trekking experience!

Things to Know About Inca Trail

Apart from the Inca trail, there are a number of other trail options that take you to Machu Picchu. But Inca trail hike is possibly the most famous and most opted among the other trails to reach Machu Picchu. The Inca trail predominantly begins about 82 km away from the Cusco and at an altitude of around 2800 meters. The entire trail covers the same paths that the Inca used and is filled with Incan sites, that is why the name Inca trail. The trekking trip at the Inca trail takes about four days to complete. The length of the entire trail is about 45 km. At the end of the fourth day, you are expected to be at Machu Picchu by sunrise. So you can take delight in exploring the popular sites of attraction around you.

However, besides the Inca trail, there are other alternatives as well that can take you to Machu Picchu. One of them is the Salkantay Trek which will take five days for you to reach Machu Picchu. Of all the various treks to Machu Picchu, none can compete with the Salkantay Trek in terms of scenery. It’s a spectacular route, passing through jungles and mountain passes, and dotted with azure lagoons. So either you go this way or that way, you will relish the best scenic beauty during the trekking!

What is the Best Time to go for Peru Inca Trail Holidays?

As far as the best time for Peru Inca trail holidays is concerned, the dry season is highly recommended as during this season you will not face any sort of mishaps around. From mid-April to November is the best time of the year to travel the Peru Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. Due to the higher heights of the trail, you may experience sudden weather changes which are absolutely unpredictable. The cost of Peru Inca trail holidays varies from time to time. It is always suggested to make all bookings beforehand to avoid any kind of price hike issues.

Conclusion:

Book your Peru Inca trail holidays with VA Expeditions and enjoy your travel to Peru Inca Trail and Machu Picchu to the fullest. For more information visit https://www.vaexpeditions.com/destination/peru

[polyglottraveler]

My favorite places in Peru

Arequipa: this city is my favorite. It’s a very pretty city, a lot calmer than Cusco, and the contrast between the traditional andean buildings and the catholic constructions is beautiful. My favorite place there is the Santa Catalina monastery: I spent a whole morning there walking in the streets of this city inside the city. I also loved the Alpaca museum: I went there on my birthday I spend a whole hour feeding and petting the alpacas and it was the best birthday ever :)

Laguna 69 (Huaraz): the picture below is an unedited picture I took at Laguna 69. Yes the water is really that blue and I think that says it all! (The hike is not easy and you may suffer from altitude sickness. Only go there if you’re in a good physical condition and after spending at least one full day in Huaraz to get use to the altitude). The hike and especially the laguna at the end are absolutely beautiful and I really recommend it :) It’s a bit far the traditional touristic destinations so it makes it even better!

Cusco: for me Cusco is an absolute gem. There’s just so much to see and discover that you could spend a whole week just in the city and not do everything! Some things you can’t miss are Saqsayhuaman, the best ruins in Cusco, the plaza mayor which is absolutely beautiful, and the neighbourhood of San Blas and its little pittoresque streets. I really recommend buying the tourist tickets that gives you access to many sites in the Sacred Valley: you get access to 14 sites in Cusco and its surroundings (including Ollantaytambo, Pisac ans Saqsayhuaman) and it also gives you access to some museums in Cusco. My favorite museums were the Inka museum, the chocolate museum, and if you have time you can also give a look to the Coca museum and the coffee museum which are nice too. I’ll make a post about what to do in Cusco because there’s so much more to see: ruins, local markets, churches, traditional textiles, live shows... 

Machu Picchu: you can’t go to Peru without visiting the Machu Picchu. The site is one of the World Wonders, Peru’s number one attraction, and a must-stop for all tourists in Peru. Getting there is exhaustive if you’re doing it the backpacker way, quite expensive to very expensive depending on how you do it and it can be a bit overhelming because of the number of tourists there and the fact that the village below the ruins, Aguas Calientes, feels like a small Disneyland. I personnaly didn’t like Aguas Calientes and recommend spending the less time possible there.  Getting to see the Machu Picchu was one of the best days of my life. When I got there at dawn I was so moved I even cried a little. Seeing the sunrise over the ruins is one of the best moments of my trip.  I’ll make a more detalled post about how to visit the Machu Picchu the backpacker way because it’s not easy and I have some tips to share, but as you already know, going there is definitely more than worth it :)

Ollantaytambo: one of my favorite ruins in Peru. It’s crazy how close the ruins are to the village of Ollantaytambo, you really get to see the fact that the people who live there are still very close to their roots and their traditions. Visiting these ruins is a good preparation before you go to the Machu Picchu :) A small tip: while you’re in Ollantaytambo, you can also visit the ruins of Pinkuylluna, which face Ollantaytambo ruins on the opposite mountain. It’s totally free, it’s a great hike and definitely worth it because of the incredible view you will get upon the village and upon the ruins of Ollataytambo. (You can visit Ollantaytambo and Pinkuylluna on the same day, each visit won’t take you more than a few hours)

The sacred valley: all of the sacred valley is absolutely beautiful. I already mentioned Cusco, the Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo but there are so many more incredible sites to discover. Pisac and its ruins is one of my personal favorite, and I also really recommend visiting Chinchero for the textiles, as well as Moray which is known for its agricultural ruins. 

Lake Titicaca: the Lake Titicaca is a magical place, full of history, myths and tradition. I really recommend reading about the history of the lake and the myths surrounding it before you go, it’s very interesting. You can also learn a few Quechua words before you go, the people you will meet will appreciate it :) I visited the Uros islands (the famous islands made of reed) which I liked but it was very touristic and felt very unatural. I prefered Taquile island and even more Amantani island, which are more traditional. I spent a night with a family in Amantani and I loved meeting them and the whole experience. I got to clim to the top of the Pachamama temple and the view from there was stunning.  But my favorite place at Lake Titicaca is Llachon, a small village of farmers and fishermen. I spent two nights there in the house of an amazing family and absolutely loved it :)

Salinas de Maras: this salted mine feels sureal, I had never seen anything like that before! The site is huge and the colors so pretty. I wish we could walk more inside the mines but I guess it’s forbidden to preserve the site, which I understand because it’s definitely worth preserving this beautiful place (and the jobs that go with it because a lot of families sell the salt of the mines for a living) :)

Rainbow Mountain: opinions vary a lot about this hike but I personally loved it, the view is stunning and it’s probalby the most beautiful hike I’ve ever done. Don’t do it for the viewpoint on the rainbow mountain at the end of the hike but for the all the beautfiul views on the valley you will discover while walking there.  Most people who hated the hike complain about the fact that it was too hard, too cold, and that they didn’t get to see the colors very well. The end of the hike is at 5200m above sea level so obviously it will be hard, obviously it can be cold and yes, it may rain or snow so it can be hard to see the colors, but it’s all worth it. What I recommend is to do the hike during the dry season if you can, and to try to get to the top as early as possible before it starts raining. When I was there, it snowed a bit and there was a lot of fog but I still got to the the colors anyway and I was super happy :)  The picture below is an unedited and unfiltered picture I took so that you can see how it really looks:

Huacachina: I have some mixed feelings about Huacachina. The place is stunning, the sunsets are incredibles, sandboarding was a lot of fun and I absolutely loved riding a dunebuggy in the desert. It was my first time seeing a desert in my life so I was really impressed and excited by it and it’s a moment I will never forget. However, it’s super touristic, the only locals there are the people working in the tourism industry, and I did not really like the ambiance there, I don’t really know how to explain it but it just felt weird. If you want to see a desert and to ride down some dunes you will have the time of your life (I did), but if not, don’t bother going to Huacachina. 

BONUS: Chicama and Huanchaco: If you’re not into surfing, don’t bother reading this paragraph, as there is next to nothing to do in these little towns besides surfing. But as a surfer I really loved both places and I really hope to go back there soon. Huanchaco is a small surf town with waves for all levels: really relaxed atmosphere, waves everyday, great bars, basically everything you need to have a great time :) Chicama is a little less developped in terms of tourism but it is known for having the longest wave in the world which is incredible. It’s the best spot I’ve ever seen and I’ve taken the best waves of my life there. When I remember the waves I catched there it almost feels unreal. If you love surfing and ever come to Peru, please do not miss Chicama (which can be a day trip from Trujillo), because you will have the time of your life!

I absolutely loved Peru, its culture, its people and its beautiful towns and landscapes, and I want to go back there as soon as possible! I’m sharing a few posts about Peru because I want people to know more about this incredible country which really deserves to be known :) It’s already been 2 months since I left Peru but I still think about it and miss it and my friends there every day... 

If you’re interesting in more posts like this one, you can check out my blog, all about traveling in Latin America and learning Spanish and Portuguese :)

[adventuresofalittlehedgehog]

We’re alive!! Just got back from our four day Lares trek to Machu Picchu a few days ago. Man, it’s been a crazy few days. On the first day the tour guides picked us up at around 4 am and drove us to the hot springs. It was so nice, kinda bizarre though with the boiling hot water and the freezing air. We then had breakfast there and drove to our trailhead, where we met the rest of the crew. We hiked for about 8 miles that day entirely uphill, with a break for lunch, before stopping at our campsite at this gorgeous lake. We then had a huge super, all the meals on this trip were huge, even with ten hikers and two guides we couldn’t finish it all. They managed to do it all in just a tiny tent too, which was very impressive. After that we went to bed, it was freezing that night. We were wearing all our winter gear, had down sleeping bags and hot water bottles, and we were still pretty cold. In the morning they woke us up with coca tea though, which was really nice. The second day we hiked up the rest of the mountain, which had an altitude of 4,800 meters. The second day was definitely the most difficult, especially since there was an issue with the water that day. Somehow the drinking water they gave us got gasoline in it, making it undrinkable. No one knows exactly how it happened, the guides said it had never happened before on any of the previous treks. We’re guessing that the tap water they used got contaminated somehow, since that night they had used a kitchen in a small house. But because of all that we didn’t have water for most of the day. It worked out ok though, the cooks had some clean drinking water ready for us at the lunch spot, and even had one of the horsemen run back and bring us some water at the halfway point. The hike itself was beautiful. The mountain pass took us right by these two glaciers called Pitusiray and Sawasiray. Our guide was telling us about this legend that the two glaciers were lovers from two separate towns. Their parents forbid them from being together, so they went up into the mountains and asked Colque Cruz, another glacier, to let them be together. Colque Cruz gave them permission, but they had to stay in the mountains forever. While we were up there we did this traditional coca leaf ceremony asking the glaciers for a wish, it was really beautiful. After the ceremony, we started to work our way back down the mountain. It was pretty snowy, when thinking about this trip I did not think about taking snow into account. One of the hikers we were with got an idea to slide down the snow as a shortcut, so all of us were skiing down the mountain without skis, it was so much fun! Once we got to our lunch spot, the rest of the hike was a lot easier. We spent the night in this farm area, it was really bizarre looking out our tent and just watching a herd of llamas and alpacas pass through. The third day after breakfast one of the local farmers around where we were staying brought some traditional clothes for us to try on and taught us this traditional dance. The guy was super nice, we left him a bunch of school supplies we brought with us to share with the kids around the area, I hope they like them! That day we only walked 6 miles, so it wasn’t too bad. We were out of the Alpine tundra by that point, so it was a lot warmer than the previous days, and it was all downhill. It honestly felt just like the hikes we did back in Oregon to prepare for this. During the entire trek we’d been picking up litter while we were walking, the previous days it had only been a couple bottles, maybe a candy wrapper or two, but that day we ended up picking up three garbage bags full of trash. It was insane, and we only picked up a fraction of what was there, since we simply didn’t have enough room to carry it all. I hope we were able to make a bit of a difference, it was heartbreaking seeing all that garbage everywhere. We were all done hiking by around 1 or so, so we had our last lunch with everyone, said good bye to the chiefs and horsemen, and got back in our van for the rest of the trip. We stopped by this salt mine on our way, and it was really neat! I never really thought about how salt was made, they basically just run water through these caves, then they keep them in pools and let the water evaporate. I’d never seen that much salt before in my life, it almost looked like snow. After the salt mine we drove to this small town called Ollantaytambo, where we hung out and explored until dinner. Then we took a train to this other small town called Aguas Calientes, located right outside of Machu Picchu, and spent the night in a hotel there. The town was super crowded. It turns out the day we planed on going to Machu Picchu, July 7th, was the 11th anniversary of Machu Picchu being declared a World Wonder. So everyone was there to celebrate. We had no idea the anniversary was that day, we had tried planning it so we didn’t go on a big holiday, but there are just so many celebrations in Peru that it’s impossible to keep track of them all. It was kinda jarring going form there being like ten people and a llama around for miles to thousands of people in a tiny town. So to get to Machu Picchu, you have to take a bus from Aguas Calientes, since Machu Picchu is located in the middle of a bunch of mountains. The first bus arrives at 5:30 am, but people start lining up around 1 or 2 in the morning. We were up at 3 am and got to the line around 4, and there was already a huge line. While I’ve never been black friday shopping, this felt a lot like a black friday line. Once the bus got there it was pretty efficient, but once we got up there there was already maybe a thousand people in a huge crowd up there. The place itself didn’t even open until 6 am, and once it did open everyone was trying to get through these tiny doors all at once. All in all, it was very overwhelming. Once we got inside we had to hike again for about fifteen minutes to reach Machu Picchu. It was beautiful, but really crowded. Our guide was telling us that they’re only supposed to let in 5,000 people a day, but many people find a way around that, so there’s probably 7,000 people there a day. The tour of Machu Picchu took us about four hours, the entire time we were only allowed to move in one direction without stopping, besides a few designated rest areas. Again, very overwhelming, but it was really amazing seeing how much of Machu Picchu survived all these years. Our guide was telling us that when the Spaniards arrived, the king saw how they were destroying all the temples and building churches on top of them. So he ordered that the city be abandoned and all roads leading to it be destroyed. And it worked, they never found Machu Picchu. After the tour we headed back to Aguas Calientes and explored the town a bit. There was a huge parade going on for the anniversary, so it was pretty crowded. The town was cute though, very touristy. We then got one last lunch together as a group before taking the train back to Ollantaytambo. Getting on the train was a little terrifying, since there was a huge riot going on at the train station. A lot of people had come from the surrounding area for the celebration, but there wasn’t enough room for everyone to fit on the train. The train has separate cars for tourists and locals, the tourist car being very fancy but expensive, and the local cars just selling as many tickets as possible and having people stand. People were pissed off seeing them let tourists in but not the locals, despite them having already bought a train ticket, so everyone was yelling and pushing when we got to the train station. Once we got on the train everything went pretty smoothly, it was still a pretty scary experience though. Once we got back to Ollantaytambo we took a bus back to Cusco. We got back around 7 pm or so completely exhausted. We then had a bunch of trouble back at the hostel, we tried to get dinner there and they gave us the wrong meal and forgot our drinks, they gave us a pretty bad room and another girl’s bed, it was all pretty stressful after the long day we’d had. The last couple of days we’ve spent just resting. I’m sick again... Got a pretty nasty cold I’m trying to get over... We moved to a different hostel today that has heat, which is super nice. We’re only going to be in Cusco another couple of days, and we’re going to try and take it easy while I’m still fighting this cold. There were a couple sights nearby we’re going to try to visit, but overall the plan is to just rest until we head to the jungle.

[cheaprtravels]

30+ Things to Do in Machu Picchu's Gateway City

30+ Things to Do in Machu Picchu’s Gateway City

Are you planning a visit to the Peruvian Andes and wondering what else there may be worth noting besides the altitude and the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu hike (though that’s totally worth it on its own!)? Well, in the gateway city of Cusco in Peru and the neighboring region you will find an area filled to the brim with amazing historical sites to discover and adventurous things to do,…

[achrafchachi]

28 Places Every Man Should Visit In His Lifetime

Your Family’s Ancestral Homeland

For many of us, this can imply visiting multiple regions of the world. Your paternal grandfather may have roots in Ireland, while your maternal grandmother may be Italian.

Regardless, at the very least choose and visit the one where you still have distant relatives living there. Trust me, you’ll always remember that beer that

 you had with a long-lost cousin in the land where your ancestors once roamed.

A Historic Sports Stadium

We’ve all attended a ball game. However, unless you lived near an iconic stadium, such as Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles; Wrigley Field in Chicago; or even Old Trafford in Manchester, England; chances are that you have not taken in the sport’s history as you watched the action on the field.

Trust me, even if you are not a fan of the team that calls the historic stadium home, you will feel a special thrill being in the same structure where so many legends played in the past.

A Racetrack

Experiencing a racetrack is like being part of the continuum of manhood. From the “old-timers” to the “young bloods,” it is a true melting pot of generations.

Who knows, maybe a few decades from now it will be your turn to be the old guy in a loud sports coat giving some betting advice to the “youngster” standing next to him.

The Open Sea

The high seas, the ocean, call it as you wish — it has drawn brave explorers and mariners for centuries. While oceans cover two-thirds of our planet and chances are that you will fly over them many times — rarely does anyone sail across them anymore.

There is nothing like being literally in the middle of the ocean onboard a ship. At least once, you must take an ocean-going trip. Yes, a cruise ship will count for this one.

A Desert

Normally a desert is a place that people want to avoid, but you’re a man — so, it should be on your list of places to visit. The Mojave, the Sahara, the Gobi, there are plenty of deserts which you can visit and experience.

By the way, driving out to Vegas on a party bus does not count as “experiencing” a desert.

The Door to Hell

Located in Derweze, Turkmenistan, this 70-yard wide natural gas crater has been on perpetual fire since 1971. Awesome to behold and still unique enough of a destination to really make you stand out when you post pictures of your visit on Facebook, this destination comes with genuine bragging rights.

Besides, you can now literally tell friends that you have been to hell and back.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Long one of the most popular tourist destinations in Western Europe, Amsterdam is an absolute must on your destination list.

Yeah, yeah, it’s rich in museums and culture, blah-blah-blah, but it’s also home to “coffee shops” that don’t serve coffee and to the DeWallen district. Don’t know what the DeWallen is? If you’re single, google it.

If you’re not single, the Netherlands is also a fantastic spot to visit with a partner. Check out other travel ideas over at our best vacation spots for couples.

Bangkok, Thailand

As long as we place Amsterdam on the list, we would be remiss if we failed to include Bangkok as well. Wilder and with an exotic flare,

Bangkok will be one of those places that you will never forget. Mind you, this is one of those destinations that is best experienced prior to “settling down.”

A Historic Battlefield

There is no place like a famous historic battlefield to get some perspective on life. Gettysburg, Normandy, Waterloo, these are hallowed grounds from which many have drawn inspiration.

Whether you served in the military or not, a visit to a historical battlefield will affect you profoundly.

The Jungle

Whether you prefer the old school term of “jungle,” or if you use the term “rain forest,” it should be a destination for you to visit. Unless you are a trained survivalist, we strongly recommend that you use the services of a rain forest tour operator so that you can survive your visit and get the greatest thrill out of it.

Trust me, a few days in the jungle will make any camping trip that you had in the past seem like a kindergarten outing.

The Pyramids

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the sole surviving structure of what was once the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Everybody that has visited the Great Pyramid, from Napoleon to your average Joe, has expressed how a visit to the Pyramids is a life-altering experience. How could you possibly pass that up?

Antarctica

Yes, you can (and should) visit Antarctica. From penguin colonies to seeing real glaciers and icebergs, to camping and kayaking on the planet’s least populated continent, the experiences that you will have visiting Antarctica will feed your adventurous storytelling for years to come.

You can even cement your bragging rights further by sending postcards to your family and friends postmarked from the southernmost post office in the world.

The Stratosphere

We are not kidding around with this one, we mean it — the stratosphere — the edge of space 19 kilometers above the planet is definitely a place that you should visit at least once in your lifetime.

Before you run out and start building your own rocket, you should know that tour companies exist that book flights onboard Mig-29s that will take civilians to the edge of space.

New York City

One of the seven alpha cities in the world today, New York is one of those iconic destinations that must be experienced.

Whether you take a cultural approach to the city, a sophisticated approach, or even a touristy approach — New York City will never disappoint you. As that guy, Frank What’s-His-Name said in song, “it’s the city that doesn’t sleep.”

A Cigar Lounge

If you are not a smoker, we are not encouraging you to start, but a cigar lounge is one of those places that you should visit at least once.

There is something to be said for the ambiance, the decor and the richness of the aromas in a cigar lounge. It is like visiting the past while in the present.

Las Vegas

Sin City, the town that Bugsy Siegel built. How could you possibly not visit this place?

We shouldn’t have to tell you what this place has to offer, but allow us to give you fair warning — in spite of the old saying, not everything that you do in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

A Ghost Town

Incredibly, these are not that hard to find in many parts of the world with just a little research. There is nothing liking walking through what was once a hustling and bustling town now abandoned.

For you academic types, it is an excellent location to ponder about the true legacy of man. For the rest of you, it’s just a cool place to look at old and abandoned stuff. This is a picture of Craco, a fascinating ghost town in Italy which was abandoned due to natural disaster.

A Cave

We are not talking about your man cave back home, we mean a real cave or cavern. First, make certain that it has been previously explored and is safe for you to enter, but definitely add a cave destination to your list of places to visit.

Carlsbad Caverns, Mammoth Cave, and Barton Creek Cave are but a few of the most well-known caves to visit.

London

The second alpha city to be mentioned on this list, London packs history, culture and a good time all in one destination.

Home to four World Heritage sites, it would be impossible to be a man of the world without visiting London at least once.

An Iconic 5-Star Hotel

In your lifetime you will stay at many hotels. From roadside motels, to comfortable, yet generic corporate hotels, to a few fancy ones. However, you must not omit from your list a historic and iconic 5-star hotel. The Waldorf-Astoria in New York, the Savoy in London, the Peninsula in Hong Kong, the Hotel Du Louvre in France.

All of these hotels are not just top in luxury, but they are also iconic. Historic figures have stayed there. Who wouldn’t want to say that they have slept under the same roof that Winston Churchill once did.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China should be more than enough motivation for you to visit the nation of China at least once in your life. Obviously in making such a far off trip you will also take in many of the other splendors that China has to offer.

A major player in the world, a visit to China is a must-do.

A Traditional Barber Shop

Before anybody starts protesting about how they get a haircut once or twice a month, allow us to explain. We are referring to an authentic, just as your great grand-daddy would’ve remembered, barbershop. Not a modern version of a traditional barbershop installed in some shopping mall — we mean the real McCoy.

Straight-edge razor shave, hot towel on the face, shoulder massage — the works. A place that has been in continuous operation for at least 50 years. Once you find one, it may surprise you how often you will visit it.

Burning Man

Held yearly in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, this temporary community/festival definitely merits a visit.

Described by its organizers as a “community of artistic self-expression for the pleasure of its participants,” how can you not experience that at least once in your lifetime?

Zhangjiajie National Park, China

I know, we had already included the Great Wall and in passing mentioned all of the other splendors found in China. Well, this place is beyond splendorous and deserves to be visited just on its own.

When you do, prepare to be awed. With natural pillar-like formations rising from the ground as high as 3,500 feet, this place will make you feel like you are visiting another planet. Also, it’s home to the longest glass bridge in the world.

The Australian Outback

Vast and seemingly endless, the Australian outback provides any adventurer with plenty to see and do.

Whether you traverse it as part of an organized tour, undertake it yourself in a rented vehicle, or do so on board “The Ghan,” one the world’s greatest train journeys, a visit to the outback is a must.

Machu Picchu

Located nearly 8,000 feet above sea level in Peru, Machu Picchu is home to panoramic views and one of the most mysterious archeological sites in the world.

One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, there is nothing like seeing up close the ruins at Machu Picchu. Who knows, you might even bump into one of the “Ancient Aliens” guys while there.

Hollywood

Television and movies are so much a part of our modern culture, that not visiting the epicenter of their creative universe would be akin to the ancient Greeks not consulting the oracle at Delphi.

Also, visiting Hollywood in reality implies visiting Los Angeles — a place where you can be on the beach in the morning and at a ski resort in the mountains later on in the afternoon.

Chichen Itza

Located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archeological sites in North America. Once a great city in the Mayan empire, its many buildings, highlighted by the castle pyramid, are a site to behold.

Also, since Cancun serves as a launching point for tours to Chichen Itza, you have all the more incentive to go.

That wraps up my list of the 28 places every man should visit in his lifetime. Where’s New Zealand, you ask?

[foodtravelanddrinks]

The whole reason I went to Peru! And guess what , was not doing a 4 day hike. I was not doing the hour up and hour down. This was enough for me. Which was two hours of going up and down. Interesting place with interesting people. Quechua people lived very interesting lives. Besides that this is a whole day trip from Cusco, not Lima. #peru #cuscoperu #rossylsd #machupicchu #quechulaespuebla #incaisaking #foodtravelanddrinks #ruins #precolumbian #cocaleaves #hikes #peruvian #peruadventure #perutrip #weekendgetaway #weekendfun #neednoredayslikethis (at Machu Picchu) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tCxhpg02k/?igshid=tqq8ng1jiu99

[himbowelsh]

Your headcanons (and fics) make me so unbelievably happy!! How about the golden five honeymoon headcanons? Where do they go and what do they do (yeah, okay, we all know what they /do/, but like what activities — parasailing, museum tours, etc.) Thank you dear :)

WINNIX

destination: bora bora, tahiti

nix isn’t wild about the idea of a honeymoon. it just... seems like so much. so much effort, so much drama, and for what? a simple vacation.

what he is crazy about is making dick (the memory of his new husband, in his neatly-pressed tuxedo, ginger hair combed and shining in the chapel lights) happy.

the nixon family has a long history of vacationing in the caribbean -- so, of course, nix isn’t doing that.

instead, he books a flight to bora bora, grabs his sunglasses, and off they go.

nix is sure that 90% of his trip is spent slathering sunscreen on dick’s back. the ginger burns like a french fry in the sun. nix isn’t complaining, definitely, but it’s not like dick needs any more freckles.

they spend a lot of time relaxing on the beach. it’s something they’re both perfectly content with. they have a lot of books to read, their (very expensive) hotel has great beachside service, and the ocean is beautiful when you’re not actually in it.

not that they don’t go swimming. nix prefers the hotel’s heated pool, but he lets dick drag him past the shore a few times. it turns out dick loves to splash, and nix doesn’t appreciate salt water in his eyes. it turns into a competition of who can get the other the most wet, until nix settles it by just dunking dick under the surface.

they order room service liberally. nix is the type of guy to order a lone snickers bar at midnight, just because he feels like it.

they also visit some very nice restaurants. nix is eager to sample the local cuisine, and dick makes sure to temper his alcohol consumption. (”can i help it if the tahitians make one hell of a great cocktail?”)

at one point, dick convinces him to go parasailing. nix is a little terrified (he’s not afraid of heights. he’s just afraid of falling from a great height into the ocean with something heavy attached to his back to drag him down and he’s not afraid of heights, dick, it’s different --) but agrees to go. they wind up couples-parasailing and both spend the first five minutes whooping in utter amazement. from up there in the sky, it feels like they can see the whole world.

they’re both reluctant to end their trip. they’ve had a blast, but there’s still a part of nix that’s convinced he didn’t do enough.

in the airport terminal, dick kisses him and assures that he couldn’t have asked for a better honeymoon.

SPEIRTON

destination: the greek islands (or at least as many as they can get to in two weeks)

lip would have been totally cool just relaxing at home for their honeymoon, because he’s that kink of low-maintenance person. ron, unfortunately, is not.

he’s also much more practical than romantic, though he has his moments. ron knows that honeymoons are A Big Deal, and also knows lip would be fine not doing anything. hereby he wants to give lip the best honeymoon possible.

he doesn’t tell lip where they’re actually going until they’re already on their way to greece.

they land in athens, and that’s where they stay for two days. the city is beautiful and ron is determined to see as many historical landmarks as he can before they move on. eventually, though, they do set out on their tour.

they don’t stay in one place for too long, because they’re eager to see as much as possible. speirs is fascinated by the history of each island; while lip is more in it for the beautiful views, he finds the history interesting as well. 

they dine out at various restaurants, sampling local cuisine, though on a few occasions they’re happy to just stay in the room and relax with room service.

they visit more than a few museums, and at one point ron gets so caught up in the exhibits that he’s totally dead to the world. lip has to take his arm and guide him along. he knows what it’s like when his husband gets his Zone, and he loves seeing ron so fascinated.

they also go swimming. ron proves he can stay underwater for a terrifyingly long time.

they even go exploring some secluded caves, which has carwood a little terrified they’re going to get caught in a cave-in. ron, however, kindles his adventurous spirit, and lip finds himself having a blast. they don’t find any hidden treasure, but they do get very... adventurous in the seclusion of one of the caves.

they go for long walks on the beach, just lost in each other. they’re the sort of couple that can spend hours just talking, and that’s what they do. the sunsets are beautiful, but ron thinks the dusk reflected in carwood’s eyes is the most gorgeous thing he’s ever seen.

BABEROE

destination: paris, france

it’s always been a wish of gene’s to visit (happy, unoccupied) paris, so babe knows exactly where they’re going for their honeymoon.

he comes prepared. he buys a french learner’s dictionary and spends the entire plane ride with his nose buried in it (literally, he passes out for most of the flight and winds up drooling all over the book. he cannot stay awake on airplanes.)

he still doesn’t know a word of french, but gene is happy to translate.

babe wants to take pictures of everything. he’s a big picture guy in general, but he doesn’t want to forget a moment of this trip. they take pictures in front of the eiffel tower, the seine, the lourve – everywhere they can think of. often they ask people to take pictures of both of them.

(babe hands his camera to one “helpful” man, who promptly takes off running with it. babe sprints after him. the guy makes it about thirty yards before babe tackles him. he gets his camera back.)

they don’t feel pressured to see all the sights – they’re just happy to be spending time together. their first few days are spent just wandering around the city, seeing where that takes them. they eat at fancy little cafes, pose for goofy selfies together, and babe continues to butcher any french he picks up.

their hotel is lavish, with a very large jacuzzi bath. they take full advantage of this.

there are a few places they absolutely have to see. versailles is on the list. gene is so busy listening to the tour and making other french-speaking friends that babe gets bored (definitely not sulky) and wanders off. somehow he winds up lost in the palace. he swears he saw marie antoinette’s ghost.

one of gene’s favorite things is the jardin du luxembourg. he thinks it’s gorgeous there, and loves all the flowers and watching the tiny boats sail on the water.

at one point, gene and babe get so tipsy off of red wine in the hotel room that gene becomes determined to seduce babe out on the balcony, for the entirety of paris to see. babe manages to coax him to bed, but only just. (and then they try to play around in bed, but babe falls off and winds up getting a bloody nose. the fun stopped there.)

they take a very late flight back, and gene is so worn out that he falls asleep soon after takeoff. babe spends the majority of the eight hour flight alternating between dozing and staring out the window at gene’s reflection past the pitch-black sky, marveling at how lucky he got.

WEBGOTT

destination: galapagos islands

joe doesn’t really want to go anywhere for his honeymoon.

why do they need to travel halfway across the world?? they live in san francisco. they could just book a hotel, stay in for five days, and spend the entirety of that time having hot, dirty sex.

but he had to marry a romantic.

web has been chattering about the honeymoon since before the wedding, and he’s made it very clear that he expects joe to plan it. he hasn’t said where he wants to go, but he’s been dropping enough hints that joe is borderline concussed at this point.

web wants to go somewhere with three things: beach, ocean, and sharks.

basically, web would have a blast in the town from jaws.

instead, joe decides to book a trip to the galapagos islands, because he figures it’s both adventurous and romantic enough for web’s tastes.

web spends the entire week before the trip studying spanish, but barely picks up anything. he winds up not needing it, since their guides all speak english, but that doesn’t keep him from trying. and butchering the language horribly.

they of course go scuba diving, which web thinks is about the coolest thing in the world. (he’s hoping to run into a shark; he says this and joe looks at him like he’s sprouted three new heads and a tail). instead they just have an exciting time underwater. web runs into a school of tiny fish, and is absolutely thrilled as they swim around him. joe finds a cool statue under the water and names it “jaws”.

they go snorkeling over the reefs, and then sit on the beach until joe has a nice tan and web is bright red. even the sunburn doesn’t deter him. he is happier than joe has seen him since their wedding, and it thrills joe to see his boyfriend shining so brightly.

and then web wants to go into the shark cage.

joe is just trying to eat his breakfast at their very nice hotel. in the meantime, web somehow runs into a man who runs a shark diving expedition, and talks him up while his husband stuff his face.

joe does not want to get in a cage with sharks. this is the absolute LAST thing he wants to do, and his first instinct is to run very far in the opposite direction.

then web dares him, and he just has to go in the stupid shark cage. (besides, like hell is he letting his new husband get eaten down there alone.)

it is the best experience of web’s life, and the most terrifying one of joe’s.

even so, they both agree that this has been a damn great honeymoon -- especially when they’re curled around each other in their hotel’s king sized bed at night.

LUZTOYE

destination: machu picchu pueblo, peru

joe will not admit to being a history buff, but he’s always been a little interested in ancient civilizations. especially the aztecs and incas – their stories were ones he read about as a little boy and was fascinated by.

meanwhile, george just wants to do something cool for his honeymoon.

so, together they plan out a visit to the ruins of machu picchu.

george is not crazy about the idea of sleeping in tents, but they both agree they’re up for the hike. they pack their best sneakers, hiking gear, rainjackets, and together they set out.

george is fascinated by the jungles. he sees this bird that’s “got to be some sort of freaking dinosaur, i swear” and when he spots a llama, the first thing he does is try to ride it.

(it spits in his face and joe calls him an idiot while dragging him away)

they stop for a night in aguas calientes, a nice little town with natural hot water pools that are supposed to be able to cure any ailment. joe and george stay there until their bodies feel like they’re melting. george has to coax joe out with the promise of more fun when they get back to their room, because joe just won’t move

when they finally reach the ruins, they’re both so thrilled that it hardly matters that they’re sweaty and exhausted. the place is fascinating. they both spend a while wandering through the ruins, taking as many pictures as possible.

after a while, the thin air starts to make george really dizzy (probably because he’s talking too much). he knows something’s wrong, and tries to tell joe, but he doesn’t quite get the words out before he passes out in the middle of the pueblo.

when he wakes up again, his head is in joe’s lap and they’re on a bus headed back to aguas calientes. “you sure know how to ruin a vacation, georgie.”

(he was so exhausted that he crashed for almost two hours. he didn’t even feel joe carry him down to the bus.)

they spend another night in town, soaking in the last of the water, before setting off for home. they both agree that it’s been a vacation they’re not likely to forget.