#I went to the zoo and they had all these peacocks wandering around and it made me think this

[ultimate-blorbo-collector]

Imagine Aventurine with a fem s/o with much less colorful clothes because of the whole peacock thing. Peahens have black, brown, and white feathers with a little bit of blue/green on their necks, so s/o with a mostly black, brown, and white color palette with a necklace to match Aventurine would be low-key cool.

With this logic, though, masc s/o's gotta be just as flashy.

[jacks-tracks]

2Days behind

The zoo was good, mostly because it was in Chapultepec park, a cool shady green space. Sunday, so there were a lot of people picnicing, waking dogs, or just loafing. Entrance to the zoo was free(sunday) and the crowds did not show till noon. As zoos go, this is a good one, with the animals in large outdoor spaces with vegetation, fake rocks,and even streams for the bears. My first turn on the winding path was to the large animal area, and some deer. The keepers had just put out the grass food, so all the herbivores were out. I drifted to a glass walled wire roofed enclosure labelled Bengal tigers. Sure enough the female was loafing up on the rocks, and as I pressed to the glass for a pic, the male came sliding around the corner, inches from my face. Heart stops! These babys are big! Huge head filled with fangs, feet the size of tennis rackets, and a long powerfully muscled body with a sinuous annoyed tail. He was interested in the deer which he could smell but not see, and he paced back and forth with controlled power. What a start to my visit!

I slid quietly away, no eye contact, and made the tour of the other cages/enclosures. Giraffes, gnus, several antelope species, brown bears(with a stream and rocky hideout) , black bears, grizzlies, peacocks, I could go on,but it,s a zoo and well stocked. I wandered against the people flow, dodging the noisy children(go rap on the tigers glass!) and really enjoyed the walk. Skipped the reptiles, enjoyed the birds, and had a pleasant traffic free afternoon. Across the main street,part closed for cyclists, and into the Rufino Tamaya art gallery. Call me old fashioned, i like realism in art, and smashed pianos , one eyed monsters, and plain abstract junk glued to canvas was pitiful. My grandkids make more comprehensible art. Glad it was free!

Back on the subway, which stops one half mile short of my street, closed for repairs but no signage. it,s fast and outside of rush hour it's good. I got another chicken taco to go for super(25 pesos) and the cook first made the tortilla, then cooked it, then stuffed it as full as possible with a big handful of shredded chicken and cheese. Full meal deal! It was good to have the secure clean and safe hotel to flop in.

Next day was an out of town excursion to Teotihuacan ruins 50 K north. More subway travel (only went the wrong way once, there a re no signs because everybody knows the deal), and got to the Autobus del Norte station, from which any bus going north anywhere in Mexico departs from. Huge halls, hundreds of buses and thousands of people. Good instructions online, and the taquilla was almost where they said. Even avoided the obvious mistake which would have been to take the bus labelled archeologica because it goes to a nearby town, not to the ruinas. Right bus , comfy window seat and 1 half hour ride just to get to the suburbs, Gads Mexico city is huge! Favelas climb the hillsides in a pastel block pile, small corn fields squeeze between factorys and bodegas, and overall runs a sky tram with swinging gondolas for miles. ? Once on the Autopista we made good time and it was only 1hour total to the ruinas. Now my guidebook was the source and I dodged the hundreds of sellers of tourist crap and took the backroad to the museum. Bloody hot, and no shade except one tree where I stopped to swill water. I bekieve that's the first time I,ve been apart from people for weeks, and it was pleasant to rest and birdwatch(bright red bird?). More hot walk and into the museum filled with artifacts. It amazes me how much stuff they find for display. i know 10,000 people or more lived in these places, but they sure left a lot behind, dishes, tools art.

The actual site is miles across, and is centered around a broad walkway from the lesser pyramids a up to the huge ones at the far end . These ruins are ruined, flattened by time and weather, bare walls rise up to where temples topped painted platforms. The archeologists say alot about the use of the structures, ranging from Markets to sacrificial stones, but really they are just guessing, nobody left a record, and what they had the invaders trashed. Regretably the tombs and underground rooms a re off limit, so no frescoes could be seen. Millions of tourists come here, and if everybody walked the steps there would just be gravel left. All I can say, having climbed the major pyramids from here to guatemala, was that this was the most massive one. No climbing of course, and frankly it was so hot i would not have gone up if i could. Out the back exit, caught the bus and home to relax. A nice time outside the huge city.

[feynavaley]

Last Day in Rome

Today was only marginally dedicated to cultural pursues with a brief visit (due to Covid measures, you can only stay in up to 2 hours) to Galleria Borghese as the first thing.

(Sorry for the spam, I just love Bernini’s works. Just look at the details. Those cloths. The way the fingers sink into flesh. It’s amazing,)

After that, I had planned for a lighter day and went to the zoo.

These weren’t even on display (they were just wandering free and they seem to be used to people because they get very close) but I had never seen Peacock chicks before so I was oddly fascinated by them. There were a lot (mostly bigger than this one though) and they all followed their mother (usually, it was one chick for mother but I also saw up to 4 once) like ducklings. I’m not ashamed to admit I spent some time just following them around. 😅

Fennecs are so tiny and adorable!

There were also two cubs! I wasn’t able to take a good picture because they stayed a bit farther away (and the glass didn’t help) but they were still among the cutest things I’ve ever seen. 😍

...And now I’m on my way home. My feet are thankful.

[sweetcatmintea]

A Very Good Day

@inexorableblob​ tagged me in a find the word game and I didn’t have any that they’d listed. The challenge was set; write a sentence with all of the words. I wrote a whole scene :v Enjoy! (Thanks for the prompts ^u^) Feedback appreciated!

Prompt: Frontier, Insubordination, Minimal, and Victory (Frontier was hard)

Words: 3404

Character(s): Echo and Storm

          Was it a dumb idea to slip out of the facility, practically at the crack of dawn with a sleepy Echo in tow, before anyone noticed they were gone? Absolutely. Was it down right idiotic to bring Avian, of all people, in on it to find out who was supposed to be shadowing them that day? Undoubtedly. Was that exactly what Storm found himself doing that dewy morning in the middle of winter? Three for three. Echo followed along, obediently holding his hand as he guided them away from the building. She was rugged up to the ears in her fuzzy brown jacket, their mothers red scarf, and thick gloves protecting her fingers. A stark contrast to Storm’s thin hoodie. Although, he only wanted it to cover his wings. The cold didn’t bother him after all. He had thought it would be difficult for her to wake up so early, but she’d recovered quickly. She was having a wonderful time pretending to be a frost dragon. Funny, that trick never seemed to work for him.

          The real plan wouldn’t start for a while - the rest of the world needed a chance to get up first. But if they’d delayed any longer, there’d be no getting away. In the meantime, they found a small, open-all-hours diner. There weren’t many perks to his current … situation, but there was one definite advantage. Money.

          A blast of warm air and stale coffee greeted them when they entered. A jukebox muttered out a jangly tune as they slid into one of the many empty booths. Red faux leather creaking with their movements. Storm unfolded a menu, holding it open so Echo could see.

          “Pick whatever you want for breakfast. Today’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

Her face lit up. [Anything?]

          “Yeah. Whatever you want. It’s your birthday breakfast.”

          She let out a delighted chirp, making quick work of scanning the menu and carefully contemplating the options. There were so many things to choose from! So many things she’d never even had before. Two steps in front of her head, her stomach growled. Burgers, eggs. Soup, pancakes …

          [Can I have waffles please? With bananas and maple syrup? And cream too! Please?]

          “Sure thing.” Storm signalled the waitress. It’s all about the confidence, he told himself. He’s totally not completely out of place here. He repeated the order, adding bacon and eggs, a coffee, and an apple juice. He could hardly believe his little sister was already eleven. She certainly didn’t act like it, but he still felt old. His heart tweaked a little at the thought. She was growing up. A blink and she’ll be a teenager. Gods knew he wasn’t prepared for that. He could only hope he was making the right decisions for her.

          Echo poked his arm, pulling him out of his musings. She looked like she was waiting for a response. Had she asked something?

          “Sorry, what did you say?”

She huffed, but repeated herself. [Are we going to get in trouble for this?]

          “No, of course not.” The awareness behind her eyes made his fur stand on end. What happened to all that naivety?

          Her brow furrowed, worry playing on her features. [We’re not supposed to go out alone. They’re gon-] Storm captured her hands in his own. They still fit.

          “Trust me. Everything is going to be fine. We’ll have a nice day, celebrate your birthday, head back, and everything will go back to normal. No problems.”

          Doubt flickered but faith overpowered it. Echo nodded, smiling brightly again. That was better. Storm was, without a doubt, going to have his ear chewed off when they went back. White would probably accuse him of “insubordination” or some other garbage. It didn’t matter. There were more important things than pleasing that pig sniffer. If Storm wanted to spend one day with his sister, by the stars, he was going to. And if White had a problem with that, well, he was just going to have to get in line.

          Their food arrived quickly. Unsurprising given the sparse customers. Storm didn’t know if Echo realised it, but she was purring while she dug in, happily munching away. Darn, she was a cute kid. She offered him a forkful of dripping banana waffle in exchange for a bite of his bacon.

          Business began picking up for the diner, signalling the next phase of his plan. Storm gathered up his sister, paid for the meal, and strolled onwards. Echo remembered her manners, signing her thanks from the safety of slightly behind her big brother as they left.

          Breakfast sorted, they boarded a train and watched the city melt away. Passing towns, parks, and lakes, Echo couldn’t begin to guess where they were going. There was a half-grown hope that they weren’t coming back, but Storm was not the kind of person not to pack beforehand. Without a suitcase between them, it didn’t look likely. Regardless, they shouldn’t be too easy to track down today.

~~~

          She never expected to be led to a zoo. She couldn’t quite believe it even as they manoeuvred around other milling patrons to gain admission. A ticket had always been a luxury beyond their means. The biting cold snapping at her nose suddenly didn’t matter. Jittery excitement filled her limbs, warming her and filling her with butterflies all at once. She tried to contain it, but her tail was practically vibrating as she bounced on the balls of her feet. They were going to the zoo!

          One glance at Echo and Storm knew he’d made the right decision. He’d torn himself apart debating the purchase for weeks. He wanted to get her the right gift. Tickets were expensive, even now that they weren’t on dirt poor avenue, poverty lane, and he’d been carefully saving every peckie so they could leave as soon as possible. But it was her birthday and if anyone deserved something nice, it was her. Maybe it would make up, at least a little, for his forced absenteeism. He could hardly keep his own tail from wagging as Echo walked, spell-bound, through the gates. Whatever was waiting for him back there, today was going to be a victory.  

          Not three feet passed the entrance and they saw their first animal. A peacock, all dazzling blues and greens, wandered up to them. Echo, reckless as ever, immediately took off after it, almost disappearing into the crowd. Hand holding was going to be a must here.

          “Echo, don’t run off! I don’t want to lose sight of you.”

          She gave a sheepish apology. [I was asking Nathaniel, that’s Mr. Peacock’s name, where we should go. He said to see the birds first.]

          Storm eyed the bird. “Did he now?”

[Yep.]

          Storm opened the map, pointing out where they were. “The birds are all the way back here. If we go there first, we’ll miss a lot of other exhibits and have to backtrack. Why don’t you pick a direction, left to giraffes or right to sheep, and we’ll go from there? We’ll take the best route to see all of the animals.”

          Echo followed along as Storm traced his finger along the potential paths, proving his claim.

          [Let’s go to the sheep!] Bouncing again. [Will we be able to pat them? I wanna pat a sheep!]

          Storm chuckled at her enthusiasm. “It looks like you can. There’s a little hand sign on the map.” She bit back a squeal of delight. “Let’s go then. Hold my hand while we’re here.”

          They found the path with minimal trouble. Despite all of the movement and the winding walkways, the signs were very clear. Birds twittered overhead, presumably chatting to their exotic friends. They arrived at what Storm could best describe as a giant, open, barn, ‘Petting Zoo within. Please wash hands’ was painted over the large entryway. Sheep and goats took turns bleating a chorus to chicken clucks and pig snorts. The smell was offensive. Hay and timber on their own were pleasant, but they couldn’t compete with the musty farm animals. Echo’s beeline for the first enclosure was circumvented by the insistence she take two seconds to follow the posted rules. Other children ran ahead of her, trailed by their less enthusiastic guardians. Finally, permission was granted. Barely waiting for the zookeeper to open the gate, she was waist deep in animals in no time. Storm followed, ready to fish her out again at a moment’s notice.  She chittered and trilled to them, greetings and pleasantries he supposed, before running her fingers through the closest sheep’s woollen curls. If the way she beamed was any indication, it held up to all her hopes and dreams. The more she spoke to them, the more animals joined her. They mustn’t get many Tainted visitors, or at least, many with animal speak. Storm kind of wished he knew what they were talking about. It was uncomfortable not knowing what they were filling her head with. He scratched at the rough horn of a goat to distract himself from his own over-protectiveness. The hair was coarser than he was expecting.

          When murmured complaints began piling around them, Storm figured it was time to move on. It wasn’t Echo’s fault that the animals were ignoring the other kids but that didn’t matter. Besides, there were plenty of other places to explore.

          “Come on, say bye to these guys. I think alpacas are next.”

          [But I love them.] Echo wrapped herself around a lamb, snuggling into its soft coat with big doe eyes for emphasis. Storm sighed internally. Please don’t let this be the procedure for every animal. He wouldn’t survive. His resolve was already wavering. Instead, he plucked a hay straw out of her hair and tried negotiations.

          “We don’t have a lot of time before we have to go. You can stay here all day if you really want to, but wouldn’t it be better to see the other animals too?”

          It was so very tempting, but she relented, reluctantly untangling herself from the animals and leaving the barn. He was no match for her puppy eyes, but she couldn’t dispute his logic. Her high spirits returned as soon as she saw the alpacas wandering about their field. More so when they crept through the reptile emporium, making an exaggerated effort not to disturb the slumbering snakes. An interactive encounter in which a massive python was draped over Echo’s tiny shoulders left Storm’s stomach in his shoes and a spring in Echo’s step. Did children have no sense of self-preservation or was it just her? Tracing the scales on the snake’s behemoth body was enough to send queasy shudders down Storm’s spine.

          Monkeys next. Storm enjoyed their silly antics much more than his sister. It was fun to watch them swing around and groom each other. Echo claimed they were making a lot of terribly rude comments about visitors.

          The red pandas’ acrobatic show enchanted Echo and the kangaroos’ raw power awed her. Although she wanted to watch the crocodiles, she couldn’t bring herself to go anywhere near their big pools. Of course she knew there was no way to fall in, what with the dual fenced perimeter, but her feet would not allow it. It was beyond frustrating. So close to a living fossil, someone almost certainly acquainted with the gods, and the mere thought of approaching their watery habitat sent tremors through her hands. She wouldn’t have been able to speak to a crocodile regardless of whether she visited the exhibit, the language of reptiles beyond the frontiers of her abilities, but to stand in their presence would have been enough. After several minutes of trying to convince her body to follow her wishes, Storm saved her from her self-appointed torture. Scooping her up, he tossed her into his shoulders.

          “Come on big kid, let’s see the birds. Did you know it’s actually the dad cassowaries that raise the babies?”

          Two taps for no.

          “It’s true. They’re also one of the heaviest and tallest birds in the world. Let’s go see if we can find one.”

          One excited tap and a wiggle for yes.

          Even in the safety of her pen, the shaggy black and blue dinosaur bird was intimidating. She stared down visitors with an almost menacing cocked head. Judgement made, she disappeared back into the trees. It took longer than Storm would like to admit for the pair to remember to move. Thank the stars cassowaries are not native to Yonder.

          They enjoyed walking through the massive aviary together. Hundreds of different colours whirled around them as birds called and sang. A handful of crows jeered at parrots who performed for fruit. Echo tried to provide a running commentary for Storm’s benefit, but there was so much going on, she couldn’t keep any of the conversations straight. They came upon a big cockatoo that she really liked until he squawked in her face, making her puff in response. Storm had been mindful to accidentally miss the sign offering canopy walks. Echo would have loved to romp around in the tree tops but even he had his limits.

          At some point, they had found themselves at the giraffes even though they were supposed to be at the meerkats. Apparently the signs were not as easy to follow as Storm had presumed. Echo took to the tall creatures much more than Storm had anticipated. Sure they were cool with their weird alien horns, ambling through their fields like new age brachiosauruses, but that was more his interest than hers. When she started bouncing on her toes again, leaning over the railing to get as close as she possibly could, he had to ask.

          “They’re pretty cool, huh?”

          She turned to him, a full-fanged grin plastered over her face. [Yeah! Plus, they talk like me!]

          He focused his ears to the field. Giraffes were supposed to be silent. Did they communicate with inaudible noises like cats sometimes do? It wouldn’t be that strange, most researchers were just normal people. That kind of thing might have gone undetected. Though he listened carefully, he couldn’t hear anything. He glanced back at Echo.

          [Not like that! They talk with their bodies. They sign.] She turned her attention back to the exhibit, eagerly watching. He’d never thought she’d be so happy over something as little as that. It made sense, but he was so used to her little noises, the way she would chatter to practically any animal she came across, he’d never considered she might feel … isolated? Out of place? He didn’t really know. Was this what parenting felt like? Like you spend every day learning how much you don’t know about your kid? He felt a little guilty. He was doing his best, but she was just running ahead of him, changing before he could catch up. How was she eleven already? He used to think being a parent was synonymous with growing up. It’s not. His breath caught in his throat, a single quiet hitch. He rubbed the mist out of his eyes before Echo turned back to him, head tilted in concern. A charming smile – he was good at those – and an easy laugh to prove he was fine.

          “Are you ready to keep going? We’ll get some ice cream before we check out the next exhibit.”

          Echo slid her hand in his, giving a reassuring squeeze. “Mn.” She was still by his side.

~~~

          Finally, they arrived at the exhibit Storm was most excited about. He’d purposefully saved the best for last. A rush of hot air hit as they shuffled into a building, decorated with leafy plants growing up a forest mural splashed over the unoccupied walls. Silence settled around them. There was no one else there. Thick glass panels covered an entire wall, dividing the room from the habitat. With a sharp intake of realisation, Echo froze. Storm nudged her closer, one shaky step at a time. Face to face with the glass, she stared, wide-eyed at the great predator. He surveyed his land atop his artificial tor, reclining into the stony throne. Light and shadow waltzed over the orange flames of his pelt, leaving stripes of ink where they tread. Massive paws hid keratin daggers. Echo let out the tiniest of breathes. His round ears swivelled, taking note. He stared down at her. Gold so intense her gaze dropped. She was face to face with a tiger.

          He rose, stretching his body, a lazy display of godly creation. He did not leap, but dripped to the floor in one fluid movement. Muscles rippled under fur. He was no house cat. A low growl rumbled as he sauntered to them. Not a threat, a reminder. They were so very soft to him. Echo dipped her head, tail lowered politely. An automated response. She wasn’t thinking straight, too busy trying not to throw up her heart. Storm followed suit. Eagle eyes never left his little sister’s form. As closely as he watched the interaction, it didn’t change the facts. He was an outsider here.

          The tiger padded to the glass. He held his head high. Even sitting, he stared down at her. The growls continued. A quiet edge to the air between them. It felt as if she was nothing. Not that she was suddenly any Less but that he was looking past her. Past her body. Past her mind. Scrutinising her very being.

          “Chfufufa.”

Her ears flicked up. His razor gaze had softened to a kind king’s.

          “Chfufufa.” He repeated himself, waiting for her to understand. Starstruck, she almost didn’t respond, but she recaptured her flickering mind, returning the greeting with a chuff of her own. She hoped he wouldn’t notice how fluffed her fur was.

          {Are you going to introduce yourself?}

          {Oh! Sorry! Yes! I – I’m Echo. Echo Bell. It’s an honour to meet you.} She bowed again. His eyes crinkled warmly at her earnestness.

          {Little Echo, you may lift your head. I am Nikita.} He looked towards Storm momentarily. {Your guardian does not share our tongue, does he?}

          {No. I don’t think many people can. I – I don’t know many people who can speak to tigers.}

          He nodded solemnly, a noise of affirmation. {Few can. Fewer still I wish to spend time on. Perhaps once, but I am old now. My desires have changed. You are young, a child.} He paused. {It is lonely, isn’t it?}

          Echo’s fingers worried the soft fibres of her scarf. She tried not to think about that too much. To speak to more animals than most knew languages, and yet still only able to communicate with precious few humans. But she was a cat, what more could she expect? Realising she’d left him without an answer, she hurried to compile her messy thoughts, but his expression stopped her. He didn’t need her explanation. He already understood.

          {There is a piece of us in you. I can feel him. He’s young, rash, despite the ancient stardust lining his hide. You are afraid. That is understandable. You do not have to be. She guides you with the ferocity of a mother, but you are not overpowered.} A full smile. {You are very interesting little Echo. I can see why the remnants watch you so intently.}

~~~

          They continued talking until crowds filtered into the building. Nikita had little patience for their noise, slipping into his pool in retreat. By the time Storm had gotten them both out, a new plush firmly in Echo’s grip, it was time to leave. They farewelled the zoo, both knowing perfectly well they would not be able to return for some time. Neither was sad. It had been a very good day.

~~~

          They sat, waiting for the train to complete its journey. Echo had fallen asleep several stations ago. She’d fought the doze off with all her might, but the rhythmic click clack of the tracks had her out in minutes. She nestled into her brother’s side, content. Storm held her steady, making sure she didn’t fall off the chair while he braced himself for the garbage parade that was undoubtedly waiting for him. Of course he was going to have to face the repercussions of his choices. But when he thought about Echo’s expression as she recounted the day to him, like her eyes had swallowed galaxies, he knew he’d made the right decision. “Happy birthday Echo.”

----------

Taglist

@inkovert and @snobbysnekboi

[kojoty]

the zoo that i went to all my life (i think it’s a pretty well known and good zoo but idk) had peacocks that just kind of... wandered the grounds and it was always such a TREAT for our yearly visit to include one of the males puffing up and displaying his feathers, ofc, but i honestly always loved seeing the females walk around. female peacocks have their own quiet dignity that I really love seeing

[noro-noro-noro]

had another weird collection of dreams.

1. i was in highschool & my science teacher turned his room into a jungle & we had to camoflauge ourselves as animals & hunt everyone else. Some people wandered in groups & some hid & picked people off. the first time, it was all my studio classmates so I stuck with my friends but they sucked so we were out early. the second time I disguised myself as a deer antler & would just lie on the ground outside the hunting/pacing track & attach myself to things & it worked really well until o accidentally shapeshifted into a big floppy pink thing rather than a deer antler & was caught out. I don't know how I was caught when someone was literally an old Henry Wadsworth Longfellow book with Eevee ears & tail. the third time I was a rabbit & went for outlasting everyone by hiding under a rock. someone was Litten & they saw me but on the way to kill me they were killed by an albino crocodile, so that was cool.

2. me & my bf & two random dudes who were also dating were all walking to the same parking lot & we paused, made eye contact with each other, & all sprinted for this one gray Honda that was messy as shit. we all broke into it & there were dollar bills lying around & some were real but most weren't. like a $103 or $15 or $18 or $3. there were a couple real twenties & one real $100 though. anyway this car is super fast so we're driving around parking lots like maniacs. my sister's there in the lot with that girl that asked her out (they went on one date & my sister realized she didn't want to be in a relationship rn bc she's too busy so she tried to tell the other girl that but other girl thinks they're still dating) & she's like "I need to be picked up", which is why we were walking to the parking lot in the first place. Anyway we ignored her & speed to the movie theater & then went back & then went to the zoo. there were a lot of peacocks walking around unattended & we accidentally cornered one because we didn't think it was real & wasn't paying attention. it retaliated & we fucked outta there to the museum part of the zoo, which was completely empty except for us & also one of my roommates who was looking very thoughtfully at the crab sculptures.

that's about it

[neednothavehappenedtobetrue]

fic amnesty! where I post all the things in my drafts that will never be finished! short piece about Ruth and Nadia’s smallest daughter, Rose. 

Rose isn’t sure she believes anymore that Mommy was a queen once.  She knows that her family isn’t really from Earth, like Superman except boring because they haven’t got any special powers. They can do the same magic their neighbors can do and no more. 

She knows her family is from Ketzedon, a faraway place. Her parents and even her oldest brother speak with an accent, all hard crackling sounds so her name sounds like “Roske,” when Daddy is upset. Her Auntie sends letters written in curlicue script that Rose can’t read. sends them special in big boxes from Atlantis, which is close by. Some of Rose’s friends from school have visited Atlantis, but Rose can’t go anywhere on vacation. Mommy is agoraphobic of going outside. They don’t go on vacations. 

So Ketzedon is real and it’s a place, but she doesn’t really believe anymore that Mommy and Auntie were queen of it. She believed it when she was little but now she is ten and she is smarter than that. She figures it’s like Santa Claus and any time now her brothers will say look, we’ve been waiting to tell you, but Mommy being a queen is like Santa Claus. Really, they were just regular people and the war made them scared. 

Mommy dresses in big sloppy clothes and wears lots of skirts and sweaters over top of each other, in layers even in summer. Mommy is agoraphobic and can’t leave the apartment or sometimes even open the windows. Mama can’t look at people’s eyes, not Rose’s eyes or her brothers’ eyes or anyone else’s. Mommy can’t read English. When she writes her own name, she writes the L in Leah backwards half the time, or writes it lowercase, leah miller. Mommy can’t read Ketzeskell either, the curlicue language. Daddy has to read Auntie’s letters to Mommy out loud for her. Mommy says some people just can’t read and that’s a disability.

Rose is pretty sure that queens have to be able to read, and look at people’s faces, and dress nicely, and brush their hair, and talk normal or even fancy. She read about queens. They are beautiful and tall and smart. Sometimes they are crazy, but Mama isn’t crazy like that, she’s just sloppy and nervous. Kings and queens are crazy in big, splashy ways. There is one emperor Rose could find with a disability, he had a walking disability like Rose does and Dead Aunt Elena used to. She does not find anybody with reading disabilities who gets to be king or queen or emperor or even president. 

Then Auntie Ruth comes to visit. It’s a big surprise visit with no plans or permission. Aunt Ruth walks tall and wears men’s clothes, but tidy ones. Maybe it’s a disguise. Aunt Ruth casually bosses Daddy around. Aunt Ruth speaks English by wearing a necklace that translates for her, so she doesn’t really speak English. Rose stares at her mouth. It looks like one of those Japanese TV shows her brother likes. 

“Do you have a question?” Aunt Ruth asks, when Rose catches her staring. 

“Are you a real queen?” she asks.

“Not anymore,” Aunt Ruth says, and presses her mouth in a line. 

“Did you used to be?”

“Yes. We both did, your mother and I.” 

 Maybe something bad happened to Mommy. Maybe some bad men hurt her and cut off all of her hair, or someone put a bad spell on her. Rose waits until it is just the two of them, which takes some waiting. 

Nicky, their oldest brother, takes Rose and Aunt Ruth to the zoo, because Aunt Ruth hasn’t been to a zoo since before the war, which is fifteen years. Nicky goes to buy ice water from a man while Aunt Ruth and Rose watch a polar bear laze in his pool, his fur yellow-white. 

“What was Mommy like before the war?” she asks. 

“She loved the outdoors,” Aunt Ruth says, her mouth in a line. 

“Did she have good posture?”

“Did she?” Aunt  Ruth asks, surprised by the question. She looks right at Rose, eyebrows quirked. 

“You have good posture.” Rose knows about queens and princesses. They can walk with books on their head. They stand up straight. She learned it from a movie. 

“I do. Your mother... I think she walks like she always walked. She could put on posture, like a dress, if she had to, but it wasn’t automatic.”

“I bet you could walk with a book on your head.”

“If I had to. When I stopped being queen, I had to learn how to slouch.”

“Mommy could teach you.”

“Being able to walk with a book on your head is not an important life skill, Rose,” Aunt Ruth says. 

“Do you wear men’s clothes so people won’t recognize you, like slouching?”

Aunt Ruth laughs. “Rosie, these aren’t men’s clothes. They’re mine. One of my favorite things about not being queen anymore is how rarely I have to wear a dress.”

“Don’t pester your auntie,” Nicky says, coming back over with ice water in a plastic bottle. The bottle was wet with condensation and chilly in Rose’s hand. 

“I know a story about birds like that,” Aunt Ruth says, pointing to a roaming peacock.  The peacocks do not have an enclosure. They just wander around. 

“It’s about two sister peacocks, with beautiful trains.”

“Only male peacocks have feathers like that. The females are brown and small,” Nicky says.

“That’s true now,” Aunt Ruth says. “This is a myth. Back in myth times, lady peacocks had beautiful trains, too.”

“Peahens. The sex-neutral word for peacocks is peafowl.” 

“For the purposes of this myth, we are going to carry on saying “lady peacocks” and there will be no more scientifically accurate comments from the spectator boxes,” Aunt Ruth says. “Back in myth times, the two sister peacocks had beautiful trains. Between them, they had a clutch of eggs they were sitting on together. One day, two weasels came up to them. Weasels like to eat eggs.”

“No they don’t,” Nicky says.

Ruth flicks her hand at him. “The first weasel was a vicious weasel. One of the peacock sisters fought the vicious weasel and killed it. She got blood on her feathers and one was torn out in the fighting. The other weasel was a greedy weasel. He liked beautiful things, so the second peacock tore out one of her feathers and gave it to the greedy weasel, who went away and left her eggs alone.”

The story keeps going, with snakes and lizards and crows and hawks. Eventually, the peacock sisters have no feathers left. One of them turns into a small, drab peahen. The other, blood on her mouth, turned into a vulture. 

Rose is not a total dummy and she knows about fables. The story is supposed to make it sound like the peahen got the better deal, because she got to stay who she was instead of changing, just not as strong and beautiful. Vultures are a different thing, and not beautiful either.  But Mommy isn’t at the zoo with them to hear this story, because she’s too afraid to leave the house. 

[rachelisnotatwork]

Week 5: the one in which we meet all of Australia’s creepiest creatures (and some cute ones)

The site we’d been smoked out of is just one of two sites in Kakadu that are famous for rock paintings. We decided to head out to the next one the next day. It was extremely muggy when we got up in the morning with thick cloud and constant rumbling thunder. Apparently these dry thunderstorms are incredibly common at this time of year; they promise rain that never comes and start bush fires. We came across one of these burning by the side of the road just as we came out of town. It was pretty small (hence we drove past it) but even passing it at 100kmph you got an incredible wave of heat off it.

We decided to drop into the visitors centre to learn something more about the area/enjoy some air-con before seeing the rock paintings. It was alas not air-conned. We thus poured sweat and steamed away in the 40c heat whilst learning about frogs etc.

By the time we arrived at the first site there was a bit of a breeze. This was pleasant. The rock art was pleasant. We walked to the second site. Just as we stepped under the rock awnings to the sheltered spot where ancient people had sheltered from thunderstorms and doodled on the walls, teeming rain began. And continued. Apparently the weather hadn’t got the memo it was still supposed to be the dry season. We assumed it would last a couple of minutes. It did not. 20 minutes later, us and a very wet tour group were still in there.

Eventually we made a dash for the car. We were booked into a sunset river cruise about 60km away so our hope was we’d drive out of the weather. Which we did. By the time we arrived at the yellow water cruise site, the weather was cloudy but there was no rain. This lasted about ten minutes after we set off, after which the heavens opened with thunder and lightening. And the rain was cold. And furious. We were in a little aluminium boat (having just received a safety briefing involving having no limbs over the side at all unless we wanted crocodiles to pull us under) with open sides. Our tour operator, who was driving the boat, said he was just going to “stick near the trees to protect us from lightening”. This was a strategy I was not sure was based in science at all. Also if we weren’t struck my lightening, having a boat capsized because a tree has been struck and fallen onto the boat, is what I would describe as suboptimal in a river packed full of saltwater crocodiles.

And we did see a LOT of those. Hanging out, fighting, trying to catch fish from our bow waves. It was pretty horrifying. Bit like being in Jurassic Park- since as nature’s perfect killing machines, they haven’t needed to evolve since then. We did also see water buffalo, cows and brumbies, but some huge bird thing, and eventually the rain stopped. Plus we didn’t get struck by lightening and no one got dragged overboard by a crocodile, so that’s a win.

The next day was thankfully more sunny. We were heading back to Katherine, because we’d not yet had a chance to visit Katherine Gorge, which is the big “must see” of the area. However on the way there was another beautiful swimming spot to visit- Edith Falls. Marcel suggested we could either read and swim or swim and go for a hike. Since it was, as usual for sunny days, about 38c and I could see the hike and it was full of climbing giant rocky hills, I told him he could go for a hike and I’d stick around and swim and read. He considered the hike but the swimming hole really was delightful and in the end he stuck with me.

The pool had a warning sign saying the waterfall at the back of it was 150m away and to swim within your ability. Apparently everyone who visited Edith Springs (all 7-8 of them) had a very low impression of their abilities (perhaps having had a similar riptide experience to me) so they all stuck within about 3m of the steps down into the lake. We swum over to the waterfall and had the whole place to ourselves, all afternoon, which was rather delightful. We alternated between swimming and reading and enjoying a ridiculously beautiful spot that was nearly empty.

We awoke the next morning to the sounds of a thunderstorm. Which again shouldn’t have been happening and was also a little dispiriting as our afternoon plan was 4 hours of kayaking. An activity that is distinctly less enjoyable in teeming rain. However we decided to see how things played out. Our first planned activity of the day was a trip to Cutta-Cutta Caves, which is a series of caves near Katherine that Marcel mostly wanted to visit as they apparently have a lot of snakes. This he did not tell me when he booked us onto it. I was somewhat unkeen to enter the caves most caves flood in the rain and I didn’t want a repeat of the Thai football team, only in a cave jam-packed with snakes. However by the time we’d arrived the rain had stopped and our guide promised us that the only snakes in the caves most days were tree snakes and “they are only mildly venomous so if you get bitten you just have to chill out for a couple of hours with a beer”. Probably this just meant your leg would fall off. Mild by Australian venom standards.  

We were the only people on the cave tour. It was thankfully very dry, unfortunately not cold (not deep enough) and we did see some tree snakes. One of them was doing a great impression of a stalactite. They apparently hang out on the walls and eat bats as they fly in and out the cave.

After that we set off for the gorges. By this time, the sun was out and it was boiling hot again. This was in some respects great (good for kayaking) but in other respects suboptimal, as you aren’t supposed to “pollute” the freshwater with suncream. So I had decided to put on my burkini. Which is fine but to get to the gorges where you can kayak, you have to take a boat trip through the first gorge because it could potentially have crocodiles. So we had to walk 500m down to the dock and then sit on a boat for 15 minutes. Swaddled in neck-to-foot black swimwear, I was concerned I was going to die of heat stroke before reaching the kayak.

We grabbed our double kayak (he tried to give us two solo ones but screw paddling for myself) and paddled to the nearest marked beach for a swim (some of the gorge beaches are designated for the freshwater crocodiles to lay their eggs). Swimming having just cooked in my suit for that long felt amazing. We had an amazing afternoon of paddling, swimming, paddling, picnicking and swimming. There was only one other pair out in kayaks and we only saw them once all afternoon so it felt like we were pretty much the only people in the gorge system. It was amazing.

This was at least gave us some nice memories to revel in during the next day. In which we drove for hours and hours and hours to get to Tenant Creek, a town that is generally described as a shithole. It wasn’t particularly obviously awful, but the only recommended activity in town was to visit the local lake “recreational park”. Being big on swimming and finally being out of crocodile territory we grabbed our swimsuits and headed out there. To find at this time of year it is a muddy waterhole, surrounded by an all-male collection of peacocks, guinea fowl, geese and about a million ants that immediately tried to eat our feet. We did not stay for long.

The next day we drove on down to Alice Springs, via the Devil’s Marbles (a bunch of large, roundish rocks) which we found underwhelming (although full of interesting frog facts).

We set off quite early because we’d booked onto a kangaroo tour that only runs in the evenings on the week days and so we had to make the Friday night trip out to the sanctuary. The sanctuary there is run by a guy who has spent years saving orphaned baby kangaroos (second to their general idiocy as adults when it comes to cars). He had a BBC TV programme made about him because clearly nothing ticks the British boxes like slightly handsome man and adorable baby animals. 

The tour was fantastic though, because he always has a bunch of orphaned kangaroos on the go, so you spend the tour holding baby kangaroos and feeding them whilst he shows you the sanctuary. It was amazing and about level 10 Australian on the scale of experiences.

Just as soon as we’d left it started teeming with rain and a thunderstorm began. We dashed back to our airbnb to discover the rain had brought out….a fucking giant spider. Like the size of your nightmares. I immediately requested Marcel killed it. He refused as thought it might be dangerous...so thought it would be safer to catch and release. I suggested it was his funeral but I would stand on the other side of the room and watch. One terrifying spider released.

We sat down at the table and tried to relax. Google suggested it was a harmless Huntsman spider. We decided whatever it was we were glad it was gone, only to notice sitting on the picture frame right by the table was ANOTHER FUCKING MASSIVE ONE. Catch and release repeated again. Then I made Marcel pretty much crawl around the airbnb with a torch before I would sit down on any surface.

The next day we decided we’d have a lazy day in town. It was a cool 29c, which felt amazing. We wandered into the free aviation museum to see the wreck of the Kookaburra- a plane that was scrambled to rescue the plane that crashed on the mudflats of Wyndham (the ones I talked about a few years ago where they drank coffee and rum cocktails until they were rescued) and crashed killing the rescuers. I was mostly just curious to see how tiny a 1920s plane was. So tiny. So fragile.

After that we went to the Desert Animal Park, which was basically a zoo of local creatures. Given I’ve never seen a Quoll, dingo, weird thorny devil lizard thing, it was pretty exciting. Also they had a bird show featuring a magpie that called out on command etc. A pleasantly relaxing afternoon was had by all.

When we got back home though, relaxation time was over fairly immediately as we came back to find one of the giant spiders wanted back in and was hanging out on the screen door.

Marcel chased it under the house with a broom and we spent the evening with our legs drawn up on the sofa, watching movies and feeling very twitchy glaring at the shadows.

On Sunday, we decided to head out of town for a swim. We went out to a place called Ellery Creek Big Hole. For the last few weeks all of our swims had been in gloriously warm waters. However around Alice Springs it gets cold at night, and the water in the Big Hole was deep and very very cold. It was hot enough that it made swimming pleasant, but the cold was quite shocking. We spent the afternoon alternating between swimming and warming up on the sand around the pool.

And so concluded week 5. Warm swims left behind us, but still plenty of adventures ahead!

Ways I’ve thought I might die in Australia this week: caught in a wildfire, drowned in a flash flood when rain came in epic proportions, struck by lightening, eaten by a crocodile after the boat was sunk by a tree that had been hit by lightening, overly keen crocodile grabbing one of my limbs that was too close to the side of the boat and dragging me under, drowned in a flash-flooded cave, killed by a not particularly venomous tree snake because I’m weak, of heat stroke in my burkini, death by spider bite, death by heart attack having imagined a giant spider just crawled over my foot, cold immersion syndrome from swimming in cold water after getting used to bathing in essentially bathwater temperatures

[the-headless-horsewoman-blog1]

Horrible day at the zoo

I don't think I have ever really told anyone this story, and I think it's about time for me to speak up about it.

One bright sunny day, my fiance and I decided to go to the zoo. Little did I know the horrors that would await me there.

The zoo had a dinosaur exhibit going on with those life sized plastic dinosaurs that made scary dinosaur noises, so we decided to take a stroll through it. On the way in, I noticed a mini donut kiosk and I thought it would be a great idea to get 2 dozen before going in.

Upon coming up to this kiosk, to my utter disappointment, they were closed, and the only one open was on the other side of the zoo.

To my dismay, we went through the dinosaur exhibit without my mini donuts.

After we left that area, we decided to get some lunch and try and catch a glimpse of the polar bear cubs.

And then as we left the cafeteria, there was an ice cream cart. Now on this little patch of hellish zoo land, there were about 4 peacocks just wandering around in the shade.

So we got our ice cream. While my fiance's was fine, I was having a great time trying to get to mine. I started to unwrap it, only to find that it was double wrapped. When I got the pesky wrapping off of it, I noticed that the bottom part of the cone was broken. I tried my best to hold it together because I so desperately wanted to eat this ice cream. We went to sit a picnic table a little ways from the peacocks (for context, I really don't like big birds - They scare me).

One of the monsters waddled right up to the fiance and he started FEEDING IT HIS ICE CREAM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE.

Then the creepy thing went under the table to get to me. I immediately stood up and ran away, all the while trying to keep hold of my broken ice cream cone. That thing CHASED ME at least 30 feet before I dropped my whole ice cream cone on the ground.

And then, it charged at me, and started pecking it off the ground as I stood there brokenhearted and fearing for my life.

It was a very sad day at the zoo for me.

I didn't get my mini donuts, and I didn't get my ice cream.

[kingdomtravels-blog]

Overdue update

So predictably I’ve been in Uruguay over a week now and not written a thing about it. Montevideo was unremarkable and 5 nights was way too much there. It was a bit of a surprise, arriving at my hostel, to find so little English. Nothing written in English, staff didn’t speak English and guests all seemed to be conversing in Spanish; I guess I’d better start learning! I’m not complaining, it’s just an observation. In other news, the sea in Montevideo looks like dirty river water; something I did complain about to just about anyone bored enough to listen. I will later learn that’s because it is dirty river water

Punta del Diablo was next. There are no ATMs there; a fact I was smart enough to know but stupid enough to forget. Cue an impromptu bus ride to Chuy, a town on the border with Brazil, where rumour had it there was a bank. Despite the distance, about 50 kilometres, I thought I’d hire a bike from the hostel and cycle there. “Don’t do that”, said the guy who hired it to me. I told him I wouldn’t but really I would. I set off expecting a leisurely ride through the countryside but I can’t explain to you what a piece of shit this bike was. It looks like one of those public city bikes but roads around here comprise largely of dirt and potholes. Any degree of incline would be met with an immediate loss of momentum, it had three gears, no suspension and to brake you had to pedal backwards, a new one on me. Thighs burning and will waining I found myself at the entrance to St. Teresa National Park. Not even close to halfway to Chuy, I reluctantly accepted the guy back at the hostel was right, and decided to reroute through the park. 

Inside I found beautiful beaches, lakes, woodland, a fortress and most notably towards the end of the day a peculiar little zoo. All the animals seemed to be living in some kind of communal wonderland. By the side of a pond I saw a rabbit, a peacock, a bear-sized turkey and about 8 baby tapirs all sat together, seemingly content with one another’s company.

Still in need of cash and ruling out another cycle attempt, I decided to get the bus to Chuy the next morning. Getting there was easy and there was a cash machine as promised, so far so good. I then went back to the bus terminal and asked about 7 or 8 drivers if they were going to Punta del Diablo. None of them were and a few pointed me in the direction of a bus company on the next street. Turns out the next bus wasn’t for about 5 and a half hours, which I thought sounded strange given that there’s only really one road out of Chuy, so you pretty much have to go past Punta del Diablo to go anywhere else in Uruguay. Unfortunately my Spanish hasn’t improved enough to argue the point. I didn’t want to sit around so I decided to start walking to the next town, about 4 hours away, hoping there would be buses from there or even better hitch a ride along the way.

Hitchhiking teaches you a lot about rejection. Mile after mile I walked with my thumb out, into a ridiculously strong headwind and under blazing hot sun. It must have been the straightest road I’ve ever seen, extending to the horizon and beyond, surrounded by flat, green fields as far as the eye could see. It was dull to say the least. The wind was too loud to even listen to music and the water supply was scarce; this may have been a mistake. Compounding my misery was the sight of several buses speeding past me despite telling me they weren’t going my way; something must have been lost in translation.

I was beginning to think maybe you’re not allowed to hitchhike in Uruguay but the three police cars I accidentally thumbed at took as little interest in me as everyone else. Mercifully, after about 2 and a half hours some nice old ladies in a pickup truck pulled over, so I hopped in the back with the groceries and off we went. I guess it’s less threatening for them as I’m still kind of outside the car. I could have stolen their apples though, so thanks for the ride and for the trust nice old ladies.

I’m now in Cabo Polonio, a coastal village situated deep in the national park of the same name, cut off from all roads. It’s basically holiday huts peppered on a little hill between two beaches. Perhaps I’m under selling it, it’s pretty nice. There are big communal bins and brick fire pits dotted around the place and it’s biblically windy. Add to that a complete lack of wifi and a scarcity of electricity, it kind of feels like a glorified campsite back home in England.

The bus station is about 7 kilometres inland from the village and you can get a 4x4 transfer from there, or you can walk like I decided to do. “Shouldn’t take more than 90 minutes and I need the exercise anyway”, I thought. Little did I know, this national park is particularly famous for one thing. Carrying all my stuff (at least 25 Kilos) I had to cross a fucking sand dune.

So of course I arrived later than anticipated, shoes full of sand and dripping with sweat. In the couple of hours before sundown I’ve been on a wander to find my bearings and eaten a “magic cookie” to lose them. Seems like a strange place this. I saw a horse chasing a pack of dogs and then got attacked by some very territorial birds. Also saw several hundred seals, or possibly sea lions I’m not sure, sat on the rocks. A couple of dead ones too, which I didn’t desperately want to see but I think it’s good to be able to look back and say, “I’ve seen something new today”, so I’ll take it. (Note: The cookie hadn’t set in when I saw the horse chasing the dogs. That definitely happened.)

The stars here are insanely bright, owed to the distinct lack of lightbulbs in the area and in part to the cookie consumed. I’ve come in from the cold now to write this in front of the fire. It’s a really chilled atmosphere here. People are quietly chatting over candle light and there’s a wanker with a guitar and a terrible singing voice in the corner. It all reinforces the camping vibe I got when I first arrived.

“Respect the cookie” said the guy who sold it to me. Must be good for my productivity anyway.

[traveltechgadgets]

Family Combo Trip with Flight and Road Trip

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Recently we took advantage of some holidays and made our way down south. We visited Charleston in South Carolina and Savannah in Georgia. We flew into Charleston, instead of driving. The drive would have been very long and we wanted to spend time at the destination versus driving 12 hours. Downtown Charleston We arrived towards the latter half of the day. The plan for the evening was to check out some of the downtown and restaurants. The Battery First stop after renting a car and car seat, was the Battery. It is a large park at the edge of the town on the water with lots of greenery and cannons. The weather was great that evening and we got to see a nice sunset, walk around the park, and check out some birds we have not encountered before and very large private houses.

*Enterprise - not a good rental company. Have not changed their tactics one bit in years. Blamed quite a bit on the storm to give cheap unkempt cars for a lot more money than it was worth. We ended up with Chevy Cruz, even though during a conversation before arrival we were promised a deal and an upgrade that comes with that deal. The car had no windshield fluid, dirty on the outside and inside, made noise while driving. But it did get us from point A to point B. The did remit the situation, however, after we contacted Customer Service. Magnolias restaurant After the park, we were all hungry and we drove over to Magnolias restaurant. We made reservations here ahead of time as we heard it gets busy in the evenings. There was no wait for three of us. There were a lot of couples at the tables and what looked like business dinners. There were a few families as well.

Pier, fountain, and swings Driving to the restaurant we noticed a fountain between buildings. And after dinner, we wandered over to it. Beyond the fountain, we discovered a pier. Walking up to it, or rather running as we were playing pretend, we saw benches. But not your regular wooden benches, these were swings. They were all taken at first, but we saw one being freed and rushed over. It was awesome to sit there in the evening looking over the water with lights flickering and swinging back and forth. The name of the place is Waterfront Park.

First full day in Charleston we had a full itinerary Magnolias plantation

Zoo with free roaming animals - there was a deer, quite a few ducks, geese, chickens, and peacocks. All of them were walking and flying around the semi-enclosed area. There were friendly for the most part, especially if you have treats for them

Train ride - to get a view of the large plantation we took a ride on a trolly with a tour guide. The tour was very interesting and the guide was funny, nice, and informative. However, there were many many mosquitos. Most of the ride we were fanning them off and still got all bitten quite a bit. 

Back in downtown Charleston, we were aiming to have lunch at Husk. Though when we got there it turned out there was no space, not even on the waiting list. Instead, we went next door to Poogan's Porch and had a great brunch. Finding parking in Charleston is tough, especially during the day. We ended up parking in a makeshift paid parking lot that was only a few feet from Husk and even closer to Poogan's Porch.

City Market After lunch, we walked over to the City Market, which was a partially closed bazaar with many different vendors. The covered portions housed several more robust stores. Schooner Pride In the late afternoon, we booke a ride on Schooner Pride. It was a great experience and great finish to a busy day. We got to enjoy the views on the water, had a nice breeze flowing, and got a demonstration of how the sails are raised up. There was even a dog along for the ride and he seemed to enjoy the breeze and warm sunshine as well. Toward the end of the sailing, our kiddo got to even drive the schooner with the captain by her side and telling her which way to turn the wheel.

Following day... Pit stop: 500-year-old Oak Tree

Beach at Kiawah Island This beach is known as one of the kid-friendly beaches in South Carolina. While the beach itself is very small, there was a lot of wet sand area for kids to run around and splash in shallow waters. Though during our visit the waves were very strong, most likely due to recent storms. We could not swim in the ocean, but we did plenty fun in the surf splashing, jumping, and sand castle building.

After the beach, we had lunch at Jasmin restaurant, within the golf resort on Kiawah Island. Our meal, however, was not to par with the rest of the resort. The soup was over salted, turkey wrap filled with very cheap turkey, the grilled chicken was amazing though. Management of the restaurant was gracious and attentive to feedback about it and made the experience much better.

Walked around a bit. Saw preparations for a wedding and washed away beach similar to what we saw earlier in the day. Kiddo fell asleep in the carriage after lunch and was napping soundly throughout our self-guided tour. Speaking of the carriage, the one we have used for several of our trips now is the Summer Infant 3D-one Convenience Stroller. It is a great travel stroller. Sturdy, yet light and compact. We also had the JL Childress Gate Check Bag, which was very helpful when boarding the plane and checking in the stroller at the gate. Drove back to hotel area Since we didn't get dessert earlier, we decided to get some ice cream. Kid woke up just in time for us to get out of the car and go to Marble Slab Ice Cream. After went back to the room, changed, and went to the pool for a bit. The water was warm and we had the entire pool to ourselves. It got a bit chilly as the sun went down. We showered, changed and went out to eat some southern style BBQ at Swig & Swine. There we got a beef brisket, smoked wings, and mac and cheese. Everything was delicious. We finished off with blueberry cobbler which was very good. A great recommendation from our Uber driver. Next day we were on the way to Savannah  It was going to be almost a two-hour drive, so we broke it up a bit.  Pitstop one - old church ruins.

Beaufort pit spot Great small town. Forest Gump was filmed here. Turtles come to hatch. We stopped by the Chocolate Tree, a chocolate shop with a variety of chocolate confections and Tom Hanks visited the shop during the filming.

Had great late lunch at Panini place. The restaurant is located in what used to be an old bank. It had interesting and cool (temperature wise) decor. Tipped it off with ice cream on swings overlooking the river.

Drove to Savannah ... Continued on Page 2 Tips From Our Trips:

» If you plan on driving at your destination within the U.S, bring along your EZ-pass tag, it will save you dollars, hassle, and time » Bring a GPS or a phone holder. I have the iOttie Easy One Touch Car Mount Holder and love it. It was very useful on the trip. » Check with your insurance and credit card company ahead of time to save $$ on liability insurance with rental company » Always bring your external battery pack and cable

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[fernando-uwo-blog]

After Spring 2017, I went on vacation to New Orleans. This was an exhilarating experience. I had never been on a plane before. Over the course of the trip I got onto four planes. While there, I was able to go to various places around the city. These pictures show you a glimpse of my adventure. I went to Jackson Square. There was so much Jazz music playing. It was quite an experience. There was one day where a group of people came out of what was possibly a hotel and started to dance and sing to Jazz as they went down the street. I was able to tour a cemetery that was best known for its history with voodoo, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. There I saw Mary Laveau’s grave. I was also able to capture this stunning photo of a decoration on a grave. While in NOLA, I went to Cafe du Monde. They are best known for their beignets. They are French doughnuts which were absolutely delicious. I went back 2 times! On the trip, I was also able to go to the aquarium, as well as the zoo. I hadn’t been to a zoo in years. One of the most fascinating things was that they had Peacock’s walking loose around the zoo. They were free to wander the zoo. I was able to capture this picture after following this creature for a couple of minutes. Lastly, I was able to go to an art museum. Outside they had a statue garden. This is one of their pieces called Overflow by Jaume Plensa. I absolutely love this piece and appreciate the meaning behind it. The human figure is made up of letters. We can see that these letters overflow from the figure’s shape onto the ground. As a student, sometimes life feels just like this. It can be hard to keep in balance classes, a social life, and work. It may feel like things are overflowing, but it is always possible to pick up the pieces. If we look at the figure, we can see that it is hollow. All these pieces on the floor could easily fit within the figure. Sometimes we just need to take a deep breath, relax, and put ourselves back together. Overall, my trip to New Orleans was astounding. I enjoyed it very much. The city is so lively and beautiful. I would definitely recommend it to any one who is considering going to NOLA. 

[scribblesofababyvet-blog]

As the week sped on I tucked more and more operations under my belt. I was finding that surgery was most definitely a learned motor skill and I was pleased to find myself becoming neater and more efficient with every passing day I picked up a scalpel. Though my surgical technique appeared to be improving, the memory of the compounders that I was a mere 5ft 2 and not the towering height of 6ft 6 like Jack did not so I had to adapt to carry out many a procedure on tippy-toe.

I have to say compared to vets back home, Indian vets have a pretty laid back approach to the working day. I understand that the heat gives a natural excuse to slow down a little but they were all incredibly convinced they worked so hard, when in the afternoon, they saw maybe 5 cases and spent the rest of the time drinking chai and chatting. I feel they’d get a shock if they came to the UK, where vets barely get 15 minutes to shove a sandwich down their necks before seeing the 50th client of the day.

Julia, our fellow volunteer at the charity left to return home to Germany that week. In the short time we’d known her, Beth and I became fast friends with this no-nonsense quirky girl who had a knack for telling it like it is and we were sad to see her leave. For her farewell party, we went to a gorgeous restaurant called the Peacock Rooftop Garden. It was definitely not designed for disabled access as we had to trek up five flights of narrow winding stairs to get there (one way to build up an appetite!). However, the view was most certainly worth the climb! The whole rooftop was lit up with twinkling fairy lights entwined in a canopy of exotic plants, it looked like a pixie hollow from a children’s story book. From the top you could see all the city lights of Jaipur beneath us, and like the view, the food did not disappoint. I’m ashamed to say I jumped at the chance of having something non-Indian ( as curry for three meals a day could get a bit much, even for a self-confessed curry lover!) and went for the cheesiest, garlickiest pizza on the menu which hit the spot just perfectly!

  We came home feeling full and sleepy but none the less very happy and as I was about to open the door to my apartment I felt something small and furry wiggle between my legs. I have to admit there was a small horrifying moment where I thought it may have been a rat but I couldn’t help but chuckle when I lifted up the hem of my dress to find little Rajah curled up between my legs. He clearly thought my dress made an excellent tent to sleep in and he looked fairly disgruntled and tried to get back in when I removed myself from his furry clutches. Dogs will never cease to amuse me!

The next day began what would become a regular habit of hotel gate crashing. It was so hot and we were desperate to go swimming and were craving chlorine! We were meant to have been “formerly invited” by Timi on of Help In Suffering’s trustees to go to use the facilities at her hotel but unfortunately after waiting politely for over a week for this woman was yet to turn up, so we decided to crash her hotel anyway and pay if necessary. Timi’s hotel was seriously posh, we had the taxi checked and had to walk through one of those airport metal detector things to get in. This was definitely a new experience for both of us, having this level of security in a hotel! We went in intending to be incredibly honest and went up to the reception desk and asked if we could swim.  To our surprise, the receptionist just waved us through without so much as a second glance, probably assuming we were staying there (though we had just come from work so looked like something the cat dragged in…. maybe he thought we were into grunge because I certainly wouldn’t have let us in if I were him!). So we sauntered off feeling quite smug having infiltrated the hotel and gained much yearned for access to the pool. The moral of this story is, act like you own the place and people will assume you do!

The pool was dominated by incredibly modestly dressed Indians which made Beth and I, in bikinis rather self-conscious so we took a deep breath stripped off as quick as lightening and dashed to the pool. We did feel slightly like zoo animals for a little while with our pasty white bodies out and we did seem to attract a lot of ….. interest. Both men and women conveniently swam close by to have a blatant stare and earwig into our conversation. A Korean bloke in budgie smugglers so tight they should have been illegal also took a liking to us. He was the worst swimmer I have ever witnessed but he clearly thought he was fantastic and kept doing a length incredibly ( and frankly quite dangerously ) close to us showering us with water before emerging and looking over at us smugly before setting off again. He then called us over to take pictures of him pretending to swim which was frankly hilarious. I feel like the UK may be the only country missing out on this “selfie” culture as the Indians are notorious for it and so are the Koreans apparently.

As we were swimming the hotel staff had been setting up for some sort of swanky event which as the evening went on and guests started arriving, it became apparent that while we were sat on sunbeds chatting to the Indian medical student we’d met, we were unintentionally infiltrating an engagement party. The staff were very confused as to whether we were meant to be there or not ( as it became clear while we were there, having received 5 wedding invitations, most of which from people we’d only just met, that it was Indian custom to invite everybody and their grandmothers to these events) but eventually they plucked up the courage to approach us and kicked us out.

The Indian work ethic still baffled me to the same extent when I arrived as it did when I left! The most hilarious argument ensued the next afternoon at ‘chai o’clock’ while working in the dispensary clinic. A customer came in to complain about the time they’d been waiting to be seen and was angered seeing everyone sat drinking chai. To my utmost surprise, there was no apology like there would be in a UK vets, no instead they all stood their ground and justified their tea break insisting she would have to wait!!

The weather looked a bit suspicious that evening, so instead of risking swimming in the monsoon ( being submerged in a large body of water + lightening = not a good combination!), we decided to check out the world trade park which is a giant indoor shopping centre, but like everything in India, was way more complicated to navigate. It was admittedly quite nice to be able to wander around the shops without people grabbing and shouting at us trying to sell us things, and we revelled in having the opportunity to shop in peace. We again went on a hunt for any kind of food which wasn’t Indian and after much perusing, settled on Thai. The food was lovely but getting it was …. interesting, as in true Indian fashion there were 6 men there with only one man doing something and despite being wildly overstaffed, they beckoned us over every time to collect each individual food item from where we were sat (apparently, they couldn’t possibly part with one of their spectators as something then was surely bound to go wrong) before shooing us away again until the next item was ready. As we ate we also noticed that for no apparent reason (though by this point in our trip, we were getting used to this!) there were men dressed as the British Queen’s guard wandering around the food complex. We never did find out what they were for…..

The only purchases we made aside from dinner were some books (India related of course!). I purchased a semi-fictional comedy about a woman travelling around India, which I found was hilariously similar to my own experiences in India. Beth purchased the original Karma Sutra which we were both quite curious about, I have to admit! We did find it rather odd that the country renowned for creating the Karma Sutra, bible of tantric sex was as a nation, so prudish…. Though maybe all that side of them happens behind closed doors?

We arrived back at the compound to be met by Natu, one of the younger compounders who was just sat by himself outside. We went to join him and asked why so many of the men never seemed to leave work to which he replied that, like him, many of them had family who live miles away whom they can only see on their days off. With low pay which they save up for the visits home and to help provide for their families, he said it left them with little to do in the evenings.We then ( after feeling a slight sadness for the chap) asked him to teach us some Hindi which began quite innocently but before we knew it the tone of the conversation had quickly descended into Hindi swear words and learning the slang words for numerous bits of….relevant anatomy. The pinnacle of the conversation however, was when he taught us the word Tuta and Tuti ( as everything here seems to have a masculine and feminine version in Hindi) and when we enquired what it meant after lot’s of sniggering he said “Puckka pucking.” Well this was met with blank expressions from both me and Beth which he was incredibly surprised about and insisted we surely must know. We were still completely baffled so asked him to describe it to which he started doing elaborate hand gestures inserting a finger into a hole whilst chuckling like a small school child….. and then it dawned on us …. he meant (excuse my French) fucking!! Well me and Beth couldn’t contain ourselves and burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter, followed by more laughter as we tried to get Natu to pronounce his Fs properly. It was nice for the tables to be turned for once and for us to be able to correct someone else’s pronunciation! After this hilarious little exchange we truly felt like we’d broken down a bit of a barrier with Natu and the next day we were greeted with a warm grin and a few choice words to provoke a giggle. It appeared the rest of the compound had also heard about this exchange, as they too seemed a lot more friendly and relaxed around us. If we knew a few naughty words would have broken down the barrier between us we’d have pulled “pucking” out the bag a long time ago!

Nobody messes with ‘Chai o’clock’! As the week sped on I tucked more and more operations under my belt. I was finding that surgery was most definitely a learned motor skill and I was pleased to find myself becoming neater and more efficient with every passing day I picked up a scalpel.