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fahimfoysal21 · 2 years

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Top 10 Places of Mystery

Open your mind to new travel experiences by trading your usual fun-in-the sun vacation for 1 of these strange phenomena, unexplainable events or mysterious murder locations. Crystal Skulls Southern Mexico and Central America Search ancient Mayan ruins throughout the jungles of southern Mexico and Central America for magical skulls. The legend claims that 13 crystal skulls, thought to be containers of great wisdom and mankind's destiny, were left behind by Mayan elders to be discovered by future generations. Five of the skulls have already been found -- 1 in Belize's Lost City of Lubaantun. Nazca Lines Nazca, Peru https://www.tumblr.com/fahimfoysal21 Fly over enormous land figures -- including a dog, a monkey and a 900-foot bird -- along the southern coast of Peru. Although the lines are believed to have been created by the Nazca Indians some 2,000 years ago, no one is certain why or how they managed to produce such massive, complex forms. Some believe aliens created them as landing strips for their spacecraft. Bermuda Triangle Atlantic Ocean Visit the 3 apexes -- Miami, San Juan and Bermuda -- of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. The triangle earned its deadly reputation due to the unexplained disappearances of 80 aircraft and 60 boats since 1975. Intense electrical forces and a tunnel-like cloud have been reported, but other theories include rapidly changing weather patterns and alien abduction. Ark of the Covenant Ethiopia https://www.tumblr.com/fahimfoysal21 Join the greatest religious quest of our time. The search for the Ark of the Covenant, the golden container thought to hold the Ten Commandments, dates back to 586 B.C., when it vanished from King Solomon's temple. Some scholars have speculated that the ark was brought to Ethiopia, while others believe the ark could be located in the Judean desert. Oregon Vortex Gold Hill, Oregon Experience an unexplainable force field just off Interstate 5 in southern Oregon. Native Americans called it the The Forbidden Ground, and in the early 1900s, scientists speculated that the land contained crossed magnetic lines that produced a strange force field. It's been reported that the vortex can make things spin, create the illusion of a dramatic change in height, and other optical illusions. The Boston Strangler Boston, Massachusetts Investigate and catch the real Boston Strangler. Between 1962 and 1964, 11 women were found strangled to death in their Boston homes. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the killings, but discrepancies in his story and advances in DNA testing led authorities to re-open the case in 2001. The Loch Ness Monster Inverness, Scotland Spot Nessie in the Highlands of Scotland. After thousands of reported sightings and investigations, the Loch Ness Monster has been described as 15 - 40 feet long with 1 or several humps. Scientists speculate that it (if it truly exists) could be a prehistoric marine reptile with a long neck and flippers, while others believe it could be part of the eel family. Crop Circles Avebury, England Decipher gigantic, intricate patterns found in the wheat fields of a small farming community. Crop circles have appeared around the world, but over 100 have been reported in Avebury within the last 12 years. Explanations for these frequent formations include hoaxes, the wind, the military, lasers and the ever popular extraterrestrial messages. Easter Island Statues Easter Island Witness Polynesian giants 2,300 miles west of Chile and 2,500 miles southeast of Tahiti. When discovered in 1722, this 15-mile island was completely isolated and uninhabited except for 800 enormous statues. Their huge size and weight -- some standing 30 feet tall and weighing over 75 tons -- would have made them almost impossible to build and move. Jack the Ripper London, England Retrace the steps of the world's most notorious serial killer. More than a century after the butchering of 5 prostitutes, the identity of Jack the Ripper remains a mystery. Visitors to London's East End can still experience that autumn of terror on the original Jack the Ripper Walk.

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nativemystery23 · 2 years

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Top 10 Places of Mystery

Open your mind to new travel experiences by trading your usual fun-in-the sun vacation for 1 of these strange phenomena, unexplainable events or mysterious murder locations. Crystal Skulls Southern Mexico and Central America Search ancient Mayan ruins throughout the jungles of southern Mexico and Central America for magical skulls. The legend claims that 13 crystal skulls, thought to be containers of great wisdom and mankind's destiny, were left behind by Mayan elders to be discovered by future generations. Five of the skulls have already been found -- 1 in Belize's Lost City of Lubaantun. Nazca Lines Nazca, Peru Fly over enormous land figures -- including a dog, a monkey and a 900-foot bird -- along the southern coast of Peru. Although the lines are believed to have been created by the Nazca Indians some 2,000 years ago, no one is certain why or how they managed to produce such massive, complex forms. Some believe aliens created them as landing strips for their spacecraft. Bermuda Triangle Atlantic Ocean Visit the 3 apexes -- Miami, San Juan and Bermuda -- of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. The triangle earned its deadly reputation due to the unexplained disappearances of 80 aircraft and 60 boats since 1975. Intense electrical forces and a tunnel-like cloud have been reported, but other theories include rapidly changing weather patterns and alien abduction. Ark of the Covenant Ethiopia Join the greatest religious quest of our time. The search for the Ark of the Covenant, the golden container thought to hold the Ten Commandments, dates back to 586 B.C., when it vanished from King Solomon's temple. Some scholars have speculated that the ark was brought to Ethiopia, while others believe the ark could be located in the Judean desert. Oregon Vortex Gold Hill, Oregon Experience an unexplainable force field just off Interstate 5 in southern Oregon. Native Americans called it the The Forbidden Ground, and in the early 1900s, scientists speculated that the land contained crossed magnetic lines that produced a strange force field. It's been reported that the vortex can make things spin, create the illusion of a dramatic change in height, and other optical illusions. The Boston Strangler Boston, Massachusetts Investigate and catch the real Boston Strangler. Between 1962 and 1964, 11 women were found strangled to death in their Boston homes. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the killings, but discrepancies in his story and advances in DNA testing led authorities to re-open the case in 2001. The Loch Ness Monster Inverness, Scotland Spot Nessie in the Highlands of Scotland. After thousands of reported sightings and investigations, the Loch Ness Monster has been described as 15 - 40 feet long with 1 or several humps. Scientists speculate that it (if it truly exists) could be a prehistoric marine reptile with a long neck and flippers, while others believe it could be part of the eel family. Crop Circles Avebury, England Decipher gigantic, intricate patterns found in the wheat fields of a small farming community. Crop circles have appeared around the world, but over 100 have been reported in Avebury within the last 12 years. Explanations for these frequent formations include hoaxes, the wind, the military, lasers and the ever popular extraterrestrial messages. Easter Island Statues Easter Island Witness Polynesian giants 2,300 miles west of Chile and 2,500 miles southeast of Tahiti. When discovered in 1722, this 15-mile island was completely isolated and uninhabited except for 800 enormous statues. Their huge size and weight -- some standing 30 feet tall and weighing over 75 tons -- would have made them almost impossible to build and move. Jack the Ripper London, England Retrace the steps of the world's most notorious serial killer. More than a century after the butchering of 5 prostitutes, the identity of Jack the Ripper remains a mystery. Visitors to London's East End can still experience that autumn of terror on the original Jack the Ripper Walk.

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salixj · 4 years

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(December 21, 2020 / JNS) It’s one of the few rap videos around that features a lead singer in frockcoat, tallis and shtreimel—paired with a cascade of gold chains (one bearing a Magen David) and leopard-skin scarf—dancing with guys from the ‘hood facing off against others in Chassidic garb.

As such, “Mothaland Bounce,” where our hero proudly calls himself “Hitler’s worst nightmare,” reveals much about the man behind it and what it means to be a passionate and deeply committed Jew of color.

Because for Nissim Black—successful rapper, father of six and Orthodox Jew—the video makes a strong statement about how Jews of color merge their very disparate identities into a (nearly) seamless whole.

(Fans may want to check out Black’s newest rap video “Hava”—a thoroughly Nissim spin on the traditional “Hava Nagila”—its release timed for the first night of Hanukkah).

Black is perhaps the most famous of today’s Jews of color. (Readers of a certain age will recall when singer Sammy Davis Jr. could claim that honor).

Though the term itself has gained traction in the last decade, there have always been Jews of different races. Scan the globe today, and you’ll find Ethiopian Jews and the African Lemba tribe whose men test positive for the Kohen gene, a marker of the Jewish priests.

What’s more, many Sephardic, Cuban, Mexican and Yemenite Jews consider themselves Jews of color. Not to mention the murky waters surrounding pockets of the Black Hebrews found in Israel (largely in Dimona and Arad in the Negev Desert) and around the Diaspora, many of whom claim descent from the ancient Israelites.

The numbers are equally murky. Estimates range from 6 percent to 12 percent—or even as much as 15 percent—of today’s Jewish population being Jews of color. But there is little in the way of standardized definition of who is a Jew; some studies count all the members of a household as Jewish household when only one member actually is. But when researchers Arnold Dashefsky and Ira M. Sheskin held the disparate estimates of Jews of color up to the light of demographic standards earlier this year, they concluded that the percentage of Jews of color “is almost certainly closer to 6 percent nationally [from the 2013 Pew study] than 12 to 15 percent. And this percentage has not increased significantly since 1990, although it is likely to do so in the future.”

It stands to reason that this year of painful racial tensions across North America could trigger an internal debate in African-American Jews, especially those who came to the faith not through birth or adoption, but who, like Black, embraced Judaism as adults.

And embrace it many of them do—with passion, perseverance and a deep appreciation—often overcoming raised eyebrows, insensitivity and even downright racism in the process. With a surprising number of them finding their spiritual home in Orthodox Judaism.

Nissim Black

Damian Jamohl Black, whom the world knows now as rapper Nissim Black, was born into a family of Seattle drug dealers in 1986. His childhood was pockmarked by FBI raids on his home, his dad was taken away in handcuffs, and he was accustomed to assorted incidents of street violence and crime. By 9, he was smoking marijuana, and plants were growing in his room. By 12, he’d joined the family business.

The only faith Black was exposed to back then was his grandfather’s Islam. His first religious service? A mosque, which he attended until his grandfather went to prison.

But at 13, Black was pulled into Christianity by missionaries. He now says it was the best thing that could have happened to him. “This was the first time I was around people who had normal healthy relationships. No one sold drugs, they had a heart for kids from the inner city, and their summer camp was the most fun I’d had in my life,” he recalls. “Becoming religious saved me from the world of street gangs.”

By high school, he was “the poster child of the missionary center.” That’s when he met the woman who would become his wife. As a Seventh-Day Adventist, Jamie (now Adina) went to church on Saturdays. They wed in 2008 but remarried in an Orthodox ceremony after their conversion five years later.

By 19, Black was making rap music professionally, and his mother died of an overdose. But by 20, Christianity was beginning to feel foreign to him, and he began wondering what the Jews walking in his neighborhood on Saturday mornings were up to. “I went to Rabbi Google and found Chabad.org. And it all began to make sense,” he says. “I told my wife [they were newlyweds] that I didn’t want to celebrate Christmas and Easter anymore. Pretty soon, she was doing her own digging into Judaism.”

The couple’s conversion followed in 2013 and aliyah to Israel three years later. The Blacks now make their home in Ramat Beit Shemesh with their six children, ages 1 to 12. “I wanted my kids to grow up here,” he says, “where they’d see Jews of different shades all praying the same prayers.”

“I’ve checked every box, right?” he says with a laugh. “One rabbi at my yeshivah told me, ‘You have a lot of strikes against you: You’re black, you’re a convert and you’re a Breslov Chassid. And in all these things is your greatness.”

Maayan Zik

Maayan Zik was 13 when her soul woke her up. Growing up in Washington, D.C., with her mom and sister��her parents divorced when she was in first grade, and she didn’t see her dad for another 10 years—she attended Catholic schools and was close with her maternal grandparents, Jamaican immigrants who took her to museums and taught her the value of hard work and education.

Accompanying her Jamaican-born grandmother to church every Sunday, by 13, Zik had “begun to wonder if what my family believes is right for me.” She explored a number of world religions, but when she saw a photo of her light-skinned Jamaican great-grandmother Lilla Abrams, whom family lore says was Jewish, “I realized I had to go way back to find out who I am.”

When she moved to an apartment in 2005 in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., she noticed the previous tenant had a left up a poster of a white-bearded man. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to find out who you are.’ The man turned out to be the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Two years later, after courses and a summer seminary program, she converted. Thirteen years later, now 36, Zik remains there—with her Israeli-born husband and four children. “This somewhat awkward coexistence that lives inside me” fades into the background when she begins to pray, she says. “Having a personal conversation with God as part of the Jewish people, it’s who I’ve always been; I just didn’t know it.”

Mordechai Ben Avraham

Black and Mordechai Ben Avraham are both African-Americans from the West Coast (Seattle and Los Angeles, respectively), and both found Judaism in their 20s. But their early environment could hardly have been more different.

Growing up in an affluent neighborhood with a successful businessman father and a professor mother, “my focus was on how someday I could make more money than my dad.”

Ben Avraham’s spiritual journey took him from Sufism to the Kabbalah until at 22 he experienced Shabbat in a Carlebach-style minyan. “It was like I was floating in outer space. This is what Jews do? This is amazing! The Torah, the prayers, this beautiful spiritual system God gave to the Jews for people to transform themselves—they literally grabbed my heart.” His conversion was complete in 2013 with his move to Israel three years later.

Now 39, the former TV producer is living in the heart of Jerusalem’s religious Mea Shearim neighborhood, working towards his rabbinical degree and publishing a book on the joys of Torah as a black Jew.

But why would anyone who’s already making a huge leap religiously and culturally choose to embrace Orthodoxy with its full menu of mitzvot, accepting the Torah as Divine and committing to living within halachah (Jewish law)?

“If someone is going to make this big of a change completely based on their need to go beyond, there’s a very real tendency to go what many would consider ‘all the way,’ ” says Henry Abramson, dean of Brooklyn’s Touro College and author of The Kabbalah of Forgiveness: The Thirteen Levels of Mercy in Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s Date Palm of Devorah (2014), among other titles.

A shared history

Much of this tendency to search spiritually can be traced to African-Americans’ religious experience in America, adds Abramson. “Since the 1960s, we’ve seen the phenomenon of questioning the Christianity foisted on their slave ancestors.”

And though Islam has attracted many of these disenfranchised souls—in part, he says, because the black Muslim culture permeated prisons beginning in the 1960s—Judaism offers another option.

Ben Avraham maintains that, in a spiritual sense, Judaism may feel familiar to those raised in the black church. “Like Judaism, gospel Christianity is an intense personal relationship with God without any intermediaries,” he says.

This is a connection Ben Avraham experiences every day of his life. “Living in Mea Shearim, in a fundamental way, I’m around people who are just like me. I just connect with my Chassidic neighbors.”

A growing fissure

But after the 1960s and ’70s, when Jews fought alongside blacks for civil rights in the United States and in South Africa, “there’s been a growing fissure between blacks and Jews,” says Rabbi Maury Kelman who, as director of Route 613, a New York City conversion program, has welcomed many students of different races into his classes.

And, with last summer’s rise in violence between the African-American community and the religious Jewish community, primarily in New York,” says Black, “lately, it’s gotten uglier.”

‘I cried all the way home’

Not everyone in the Jewish community rolls out the proverbial red carpet for someone of color.

After working up the courage to walk into synagogue on Shabbat, Zik couldn’t miss the two women glaring at her, eventually yelling at her to get out and threatening to call the police before giving chase.

“I cried all the way home, but my friends would not let me give up,” she says. “I also knew from everything I’d read about the Rebbe, with his emphasis on love and kindness, that eventually this would be the right place for me.”

“Unfortunately, like in all communities, you’ll find the occasional ignorant Jew or racist,” allows Kelman, who offers programs on the importance of accepting the convert.

A time of racial tensions

With this year’s heated racial debates and demonstrations following the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, where does that put Jews of color, with feet in both the African-American and Jewish worlds?

Zik, for one, helped lead a rally in Crown Heights this summer where black neighbors shared their experiences with racism. “It was a reminder,” she says, “that the Torah teaches us to protect the rights of all God’s children.”

And the learning goes both ways, she adds. “When black friends ask me if now that I’m Jewish, do I have money? I tell them about the Jews I know who struggle to pay for rent, food and their kids’ yeshivah tuitions. I tell them that, when I’ve had my babies, neighbors bring us meals and help furnish the nursery. People here always want to do another mitzvah.”

Ben Avraham also says he better appreciates African-American history because he is a Jew. “We can see our own story reflected in the Torah,” he says. “Our two peoples had so many struggles just to survive.”

Adds Black: “Just knowing there are black religious Jews can help the two communities see they aren’t completely separate after all—not to judge each other so quickly.”

Kelman agrees. “Black Jews can be a terrific bridge chiefly because they have credibility on both sides. It’s increasingly important to teach our fellow Jews that we’re a family that comes in different colors, that Judaism is colorblind,” he says. “Once they convert, they’re just as Jewish as any of us—and our diversity only strengthens us.”

‘Something bigger than myself’

By the end of “Mothaland Bounce,” the guys from the ’hood and the Chassids are dancing together with Black as ringmaster.

But it may be “A Million Years” that’s Black’s love letter to Judaism.

In this 2016 music video (with singer Yisroel Laub), Black takes a journey proudly carrying a Torah throughout Israel—archeological digs, mountain caves, a busy shuk (marketplace) and Jerusalem’s Old City—turning heads as he goes. (Don’t miss the moment when Black stops to let some haredi kids lovingly kiss the Torah), finally nestling it inside a synagogue’s ark.

“Since I was a kid, I was looking to be part of something bigger than myself,” says Black. “I prayed and prayed, and finally, I knew who I needed to be, a Jew, and where I needed to be, the Holy Land. It took time but now God’s answered my prayers. And one thing I know is that to God there is no such thing as color. He sees us for who we are inside.”

As he raps:

“I came from a distance Where everything was different … I called out to You And You showed me that You listened … I gave my all to You And You showed me who I am.”

#Israel #Jews of Color

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jafreitag · 3 years

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Grateful Dead Monthly: Gaelic Park – New York, NY 8/26/71

Fifty years ago today, on Thursday, August 26, 1971, the Grateful Dead played a concert at Gaelic Park in New York City.

Gaelic Park is located at West 240th Street and Broadway, five miles north and east of Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx. In 1926, the Gaelic Athletic Association purchased it to host the Gaelic Games. What are Gaelic Games? I’m a sliver Irish (just learned that a few years ago from a cousin who did some DNA stuff), but I didn’t know about such games until I asked the Google machine. Here you go, from the Wiki:

“Gaelic games (Irish: Cluichí Gaelacha) are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Women’s versions of hurling and football are also played: camogie, organised by the Camogie Association of Ireland, and ladies’ Gaelic football, organised by the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association. While women’s versions are not organised by the GAA (with the exception of handball, where men’s and women’s handball competitions are both organised by the GAA Handball organisation), they are closely associated with it.”

Some to unpack there. What’s Gaelic football? It’s basically rugby. (The rules are probably way different, but this is a music blog, so don’t judge.) And hurling? Rugby with a small ball and sticks that look like sporty pizza paddles. (Again, don’t judge.) Gaelic handball? Racquetball, except you use your hands and you’re outside, not in some bougie health club from the ’80s. Finally, rounders? It’s actually alot like baseball. Pretty cool.

Why were the Dead there? A 9/2/71 piece in the Village Voice by Carman Moore, now archived on the Grateful Dead Sources blog, said that Gotham promoter Howard Stein, a Bill Graham competitor who booked the Dead to play at the Cap Theater in Port Chester, NY and the Academy of Music in NYC, had turned “the drab little Riverdale soccer field … into a summer rock mini-festival.” (Check out the poster above.) Moore’s writing has an early-70s sizzle, and he refers to his colleague, now-legendary rock scribe Robert Christgau. Here’s an excerpt:

“Last week’s Grateful Dead concert up at Gaelic Park was a usual Dead session, meaning that the band-to-fan-to-band electro-chemical process for which rock music is famed was on like high mass at Easter. Although I think I know most of the time what they are doing musically (Christgau will like this notion); I don’t quite understand them electro-chemically. Like the New York Knicks of two seasons ago, they can do excellent things together though they are not a group of deathless superstars. Garcia gets his songs across, but he can’t sing, and Bob Weir’s voice rises to about average…maybe better when he gets to screaming and the music sweeps him along. I still find it difficult to recognize the Dead songs that aren’t “Truckin'” or “St. Stephen” one from the other. I am not one of their fans, but seem to be one of their admirers. Their music speaks in a special language to their live listeners, and that language has the vocabulary of everybody else, but a convoluted syntax all its own. The note sequences are not completely dependent upon musical factors but are also dictated by how involved the band feels and also upon what kind of heat the audience is giving off. I’m trying to get to some essences of this thing.

The drama of a Dead concert revolves around the fact that wherever the band plays they know that a certain number (several tons) of their partisans will be there and that their crowd knows the Dead potential to excite them, but they also know that the Dead may not get into gear until the crowd begins to apply some heat, and so forth. Both parties also know that the concert will be long enough and informal enough for anything to happen on either side of the footlights, and so audiences improvise (smoke, go to the hot dog stand, kiss and snuggle, cheer, dance, listen like star-struck fools) just like their musician friends on stage (who play light and funny for awhile, retire backstage awhile, stand around, or get lost in a piece and turn on the heavy jets). Like good lovers, the Grateful Dead know the secrets of good foreplay, taking your time, surprising the partner for awhile, and then just reacting for a spell.”

The timing of the show seems odd. The band was on the East Coast in July, but began August back in Cali – LA, SD, Berkeley – before a three-night run at Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theater. Then they trekked back to NYC. Our resident Deaditor ECM explains that aspect: “This show was supposed to be played the day before the Yale Bowl concert on July 30, but some issues with the equipment trucks and/or weather prevented it from happening from the scheduled date. There are a few stories on the web about people who didn’t get the message (no twitter back then!) and dropped some acid only to show up to an empty stadium. Haha!”

Moore said that the show reminded him of “a high school stadium I used to know – low stands, unfulfilled infield grass, mud holes here and there, beer sold at one end in some quantity.” He continued:

“The formal shape of the concert was a general crescendo, light at the beginning and heavy-groovy at the end – not a shooting-star, call-the-law finale, just a heightened physical-emotional climate…the goods delivered as promised…sort of like good preaching in a church known to be a happy place. I did not enjoy their country-westernish opening tunes; maybe they didn’t either, because the pieces were awfully short. But by the three-quarter mark they had involved themselves, the crowd, and me too.

First they got the rhythm engaged and finally, courtesy of Jerry Garcia’s lead and interplays with Lesh and Weir, they went into the soloing and jamming which are the real magic music territory of this band. Much is made of the Dead soloists, but it became clear to me by last Thursday that bassist Phil Lesh plus those two drummers create the atmosphere that makes the Dead thing possible. The drummers were exceptionally understated, but Lesh kept bopping and thrumming away, heavily at all times, until his patterns were consistently getting the other players off. In the middle of “St. Stephen” there was a special coming together: Lesh had found a nice ambiguous but compelling set of licks; Garcia eased into a solo; Weir strummed a cross-time lick over all of it; it built; it quieted; Garcia started to play strange classical kind of lines; the drums dropped out; the audience got quiet; nothing at all could be predicted for a minute or so; then Lesh began to grope his way out with two chords and rhythms which began to regularize; audience began to jump and then to clap; guitars began to straighten out; the band came home to the cheers of the fans. Good music-making. The listener goes home without a little tune to whistle, but he hears music. As if they were finishing off some personal solos based over the last riffs heard, the fans went out of Gaelic Park without a thousand encores and without a lot of fuss on the streets outside.

It’s all very interesting, surprising, and I guess mystifying as before. All I know is that the Dead, or their fans, or the combination of both lure you into planning to return when they’re all assembled and back in town again.”

Apparently, there was some grief about bootlegs at this show. The GD Sources blog has a post that archives a 10/6/71 piece by the excellently-handled Basho Katzenjammer (Basho, the 17th Century Japanese haiku master; Katzenjammer, the German word for hangover) that gripes about an army of 200# “muscle freaks” at the direction of tour manager Sam Cutler liberating a handful of tapes from 100# weakling Johnny Lee. It’s a truly fun read. An excerpt:

“The biggest piece of shit spewing from Cutler’s mouth is about the reasons the Dead have for being so pissed off: they don’t like the quality (remember Garcia’s line in “I Got No Chance of Losin”? He says, “I’m only in it for the gold.” Yeah, music has a way of being more honest than the artist intends it to be at times…) The “quality”? Anyone who has bought a bootleg recently will know and agree that the bootleg stereo album called “Grateful Dead” is one of the best underground products yet. The tape was taken from a concert the group did at Winterland, on the coast a few months back. Yeah, Garcia fucks up a bit on “Casey Jones,” and Pigpen’s ego may have been deflated a bit by his voice coming over poorly on “Good Loving” but that was a concert. You do a concert and you stand by your performance, good or bad. That’s show business.

This effete artistic bullshit doesn’t matter anyway … When you’re out to get all the money you can out of your gigs, like the Dead seem to be (like all the groups seem to be) you might be accused of being a bit piggish; when you use strong-arm shit to insure that you get every last penny that you deserve — by making Amerikan standards — you are a Pig. Jerry Garcia, is that you?

Nobody buys that anti-bootleg shit about the artistic integrity of the artist in saying what goes out. One, you stand by your performance; two, even if you don’t want to, Jerry, somewhat, and say “all your private property is fair game for your brothers (especially when they sell records of concerts that don’t compete with coming releases) and your brother (who’s gonna continue to dig you as we live off your comets we’re gonna keep ripping you off because it is possible. As simple as that.” If you and Cutler and Stein continue your shit, though, we’ll just have to sing the song the same old way, you guys being put in the position of being the same old reactionary establishment that we’re all ripping off. It’s all around. You break your back playing gigs for ten years and suddenly success is staring you in the face. Bread: lots and lots of bread. You turn your back on your poor, ripping ’em off roots and start to tighten up. You’re in the biggest rip-off industry around, but no one cares as long as they’re having fun.

Money. That’s the whole story, isn’t it? If these were other times, in another land under a different set of rules maybe you could justifiably complain about the people who want to give your recorded performances out free because you didn’t screen them and pick out the sections you didn’t like and do them over for the cat, ’cause no one charges for their music, and because the means of production belong to the people, and they can turn out all the good sounds they can, and you have a natural right to screen all releases. But we’re here. Now. You guys are making millions — or soon will be. Money is power, especially as the concept of money is crumbling nation-wide and power freaks like Stein are cornering the market on it. The channels that the green-power the Dead bring in travel aren’t the healthiest for the generations of revolution to come. Stein is one of these hopeful images of a freak with a chance to change things positively gone sour, who uses all his power to consolidate his power; who’ll go to any extremes to insure the natural expansion of that power. Fuck him. Fuck you.”

Speak, Basho! Quaint that the beef about bootlegs back then was sound quality, rather than copyright. Stuff got figured out at some point, I think. Like when Bobby shut down the LMA, lmao.

Ed featured part of this show in the 2016 edition of his epcot 31 Days of Dead project. Here are his listening notes, which are typically spot-on (and better than than the not-quite-on-the-bus commentary from Mr. Moore):

“Less than three weeks after Pigpen’s definitive performance of Hard To Handle at the Hollywood Palladium (8/6/71), the Grateful Dead play the final date of their summer tour in 1971 at Gaelic Park in the Bronx. It will be Pig’s last show until December and the last time the band will ever perform in their original quintet configuration of Jerry, Phil, Pig, Billy and Bobby. By September, Keith will be rehearsing with the band to assume a full-time role on the keys. Perhaps anticipating his absence, Pigpen leads the band through 6 of his songs including the rarely-played Empty Pages and the last Hard To Handle. It is also one of the last performances of Saint Stephen, until the band revived it in 1976 with a major facelift, never to be played the same way again. When you consider these historical milestones along with the departure of Mickey Hart and the closings of the legendary Fillmore East and West earlier in the year it makes you realize that this concert carried a little more weight than anyone could have ever foreseen at the time. It truly was the end of a chapter in the life of the Grateful Dead. As you listen to each song you can’t help but feel a certain degree of nostalgia.

For me, the hidden gem of the show is the outstanding version of Uncle Johns Band. Jerry’s first guitar solo is an absolute joy to hear. His notes sing with irresistible melody and happy sunshine which perfectly capture the nostalgia of those carefree early years. If you listen closely you can hear Pigpen playing the wood claves.”

Speaking of Pig, this show features the second and final performance of Empty Pages. The NYS Music blog, which has a nice write-up of this show, describes it as a McKernan original that “pairs his traditional crooning style with a slow blues jam that’s nicely peppered with fiery guitar licks from Garcia. It’s a true rarity and a shame that the band wouldn’t be able to further develop this one.”

youtube

I feel like this was a try-hard post. It might be tl;dr, idk. Here’s the true goodness…

Transport to the Charlie Miller remaster of the soundboard recording HERE.

More soon.

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#IFTTT #WordPress

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thecrofttomb · 3 years

Photo

Screencap via tartancroft's walkthrough video

TRLE | 5 Adventures to Try: Easter 2021 ✨

Happy Easter, Raiders! We wanted to do something a little different for the Spring holiday this year and, given that we haven’t featured custom levels in a very long time, we thought about doing just that and ended up selecting a basket-full of fun TRLE adventures for you to play.

All games are casual and more laidback so you can relax and have a nice classic experience. Even though some of them might not look Easter-themed, they all have that cozy and peaceful atmosphere this time usually brings. Below you can find some details of each level, a download option, and links to the hosting pages where you can read reviews about them, walkthroughs, and more.

Hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday. Happy raiding! 🎮

In order to play, download your chosen level set, unzip the compressed file into a separate folder, and run the executable (usually tomb4.exe). That’s it, no installation required!

Do note that some of them include a readme file so make sure to read that first before starting the game.

Weekly Business - Tuesday

by Titak

*Follow-up to Weekly Business - Monday.*

While testing her racing skills on the motorcycle, Lara digs up the entrance to a new cave beneath the racetrack. Lara has to get rid several animal enemies and set some things in motion before she can get to the scrap of paper, with a map drawn on it: X Marks the Spot.

DOWNLOAD

Aspidetr Easter Time 2011 - The Rainbow Eggs

by Ranpyon

Lara is hosted by a friend, Amy, to spend a short vacation for the Easter time in her house on a Pacific lake. When she arrives there, Lara finds out a legend: it seems that seven magic eggs exist, named the Rainbow Eggs that, if united, they can lead to a wonderful treasure. Moreover, it seems that two magic eggs have been already found. Lara, enchanted by this story, begins the search for the remaining eggs...

Note: There are 6 secrets as bronze, silver and gold eggs. If it happens to be in Italian, replace the “Italian.dat” file with the “English.dat” file in the Script folder.

DOWNLOAD

Aspidetr Easter Time 2017 - Runes of Dawn

by Sponge

Lara Croft has decided to spend some time by the seaside. Some of the locals there have a lot of yarn to tell about hidden treasure that is supposedly right at the coast where Lara resides. Indeed, Anglo-Saxon remnants are scattered throughout the area, so Lara is excited to do some exploring - until she suddenly realises that she must have dropped the keys to the house in the toilet! Help Lara search the house for spare keys and explore the caves and tombs around the area.

Note: There are five secrets to be found (5 golden eggs).

DOWNLOAD

The Eastermansion

by l.m.

It is Easter. At Easter people search, as everybody knows, Easter eggs. Same this year, and Laras's friend has come up with some special ideas. In her villa she has thought of many riddles to make the search a little more difficult. Lara herself may select the degree of difficulty even. In fact, there are not many Easter eggs, but they are well hidden. Will Lara get to find all of them?

DOWNLOAD

Aspidetr Easter Time 2014 - On the Paths of Forest

by Greywolf

Lara is exploring the Casentinesi Forest, searching an ancient Etruscan temple and artifacts on behalf of a museum.

Note: There are 7 secrets (Easter Eggs).

DOWNLOAD

For those living inside a tomb, TRLE (short for Tomb Raider Level Editor) is a set of game development tools based on The Last Revelation engine created by Core Design and was released alongside the PC version of Tomb Raider: Chronicles back in 2000. TRLE has quite an active community which has evolved the original editor and built companion tools to expand its limits.

For more levels, info, and resources visit trle.net and Aspidetr.

If you've enjoyed this, do let us know so we can continue featuring more levels! Feel free to send recommendations of your favourite level sets.

#TRLE #Tomb Raider Level Editor #Level Editor #Easter #Happy Easter #Lara Croft #Tomb Raider #Core Design #Eidos Interactive #Custom Levels #trle.net #Aspidetr #Community #Community Spotlight #Spotlight

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amandajeanwrites · 3 years

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A Much Needed Retreat

I’m currently in Montana, sipping coffee roasted in Whitefish and staring out at the softly falling snow. It was in the 70s this weekend, sun shining. I wore shorts to a family Easter gathering, and now it’s snowing. But it’s almost soothing, the perfect writing weather.

Before coming here, I felt stuck in my old routine. Walking the dog, making coffee, trying to get work done before I had to take the dog out again, feeling enclosed in my apartment, unable to leave the neighborhood and stretch my legs. I missed the coast, the woods, seeing other humans on a regular basis.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore my home in Oregon, and I love my routine. It just felt stagnant after a year or longer in quarantine, away from my friends and family and the little things that bring me joy. Like going to a bookstore or cafe to write. Please, tell me when I can do that again! I miss it more than anything else in my life!

So because of this stagnancy, I needed out, just for a spell. Sean had a few leftover vacation days at the end of the month, and we decided to safely road trip back home to Montana for the weekend. And I decided to coax my mom into letting me and Cozy stay a little bit longer, asking her to drive us home at a time that’s convenient to her.

So I’ve created a sort of writing retreat for myself. The first few days of April were chaotic, not nearly the start to Camp NaNoWriMo I was hoping for. I felt anxious. There was a whirlwind of dog hair and barking and seeing family I haven’t seen in months, and going back and forth into town to get groceries and see the sights. It all felt rather busy, not conducive to my creativity, and I felt anxious.

Do you notice that? When you settle into a routine different than your own, is it anxiety inducing? For me, it is. I couldn’t find my place, couldn’t settle into a place to work or a mindset. But maybe it’s the snow that finally calmed me down. Today I feel good, settled. I don’t have anywhere to be or anyone to see, and it just feels right, like I’ve put my finger in the fish’s mouth, and my hand is itching to turn something to gold.

I knew this was just what I needed, space. There’s plenty of space in Montana, wide open spaces. I have countertops and tabletops and couches and recliners and a deck looking out on a beautiful lake. I have sunshine (and apparently snow). I have mountain views, and I’ve been rather fond of watching the tiny red birds feed just outside the window. I have cozy fireplaces, and an incredible sound system for watching movies. I have delicious coffee and two beautiful dogs to cuddle, and I have my mom right here to bounce ideas off of. I have my dad to teach me about woodworking and airplanes. I just miss my husband, but I do talk to him everyday.

I’m just happy. I miss Oregon, but I know I’ll only be gone another week, and I intend to get as much fun work done here as I can. I’m enjoying it, embracing it. Instead of focusing on a routine and a schedule, I want to relax, and do what my heart and head want me to do. I want to write. I want to take in the scenery and imagery and overflow with words and characters and all of the stories I’ve been dying to tell.

Get out, is what I’m saying. Get out of your house, out of your routine. Go explore, go have fun. It’s important.

Thanks, as always, for reading xo

#writeblr #writing retreat #montana

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byeagra · 5 years

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how to write australia!

australia is kind of a weird place. i think because a lot of people haven’t been to or seen the “real” australia, that they tend to not read about it. which should totally change, since australia is literally a goldmine of really “aesthetic” places and ambiences

* i talk about queensland a lot in this, because you guessed it, i’m a queenslander.

where things are

lots of desert out west. people are always like “omg desert!” but it’s more in the center of the land. places like western queensland, the northern territory, northern south australia and western australia will have the stereotypical red dirt that you’re looking for.

out in the desert there’s a lot of nothing. towns with 100 people, stuff like that. there’ll most likely be a pub, maybe a couple of houses. that’s it really. out in western queensland, there’s some “tourist” towns, like longreach (qantas museum) and winton (dinosaur shit), but if you’re going there, expect a lot of dirt and dead trees

a lot of people live on the coast. especially the east coast. it’s expected that 85% of the population live within 50km of the coast, so beach holidays are pretty common.

a not lot of people live in the cities for being cities, but our cities tend to be pretty big in space. like in queensland’s capital, brisbane, there’s a population of 2 million, but that’s 15,826 km² aka a huge space for legit a tiny population

towns are really spaced out. lots of suburbs in towns.

towns are really spaced out from each other. like there’s rest stops that are called ‘towns’ but they’re definitely rest stops. there might be a service station (gas station) but that’s it. between my town and the next town in the 10,000′s, there’s a 3/4 hour drive.

towns like mine

my town is a “small town” even though it’s not that small. we ain’t brisbane.

no diners. whatsoever. we haave restaurants, takeaway (both chain and local) and hipster local coffee places. take your pick.

lot’s of coal miners. just throughout australia even. a lot of them do ‘fifo’ work (fly in, fly out), where they live in a city, but fly out to the mines on weekdays. it’s not weird for one of your parent’s to be away during the week.

my town is indeed a mining town. shit was great during ‘the mining boom’ but now it’s the mining bust and there’s big expensive houses with no one to buy them.

we’re kind of near the great barrier reef, but not close enough to profit from it lol. it’s not a tourist town.

it’s not an “oh i can walk to my friend’s house” town. i can walk to one of my friend’s houses. other times we just drive.

“the bush”

the bush is hot. it’s hot as fuck and it’s not fun 90% of the time.

the other 10% is fucking around in the bush. which is fun.

chances are that a person in your family or a family friend has owned property out in woop-woop and you’ve gone and fucked around in the bush.

lots of little creeks everywhere. if you find a creek, good on you, gold star, don’t drink from it.

my cousins and i once went crabbing, bogged our buggy, walked like 5km home, went to look for firewood in said buggy and rolled it all in the same afternoon. easter saturday.

there are miles and miles of actually nothing. literally nothing at all. if you get lost. there’s a high chance you won’t be found again.

there’s a lot of cane farming in queensland. lots of cane farms and sugar mills. i remember driving to cairns once, and seeing the steam from a sugar mill off in the distance. it was the dead of night and there was so much steam i legit thought there was a fire.

there’s ruins in the bush. lots of old cars and sheds of random shit that have rusted away.

trees aren’t lush and green. it’s not a forest. they’re barky, shredded trees. more grey than green.

climate

it’s really hot for like 8 months of the year. the other four are pretty chill.

when we say it’s hot. it’s hot like you can’t imagine. it’s not just hot, it’s humid. the air is so sticky and thick and your clothes will stick to you. there’s been days with 99% humidity. come on. that is RAIN.

we get good breeze here because we’re on the coast. out west it’s hellfire. but they’re used to it i guess lol.

no snow sorry eek. except in ski resorts like hotham, thredbo, falls creek, places like that.

school

we wear uniforms. like school uniforms. they’re not cute. they’re super dorky and everyone and their dog gets their grandma to take their skirts up.

“no hat, no play” headass.

we don’t have cafeterias. bring your own fucking lunch. we do have tuckshop though. you can buy lunch or snacks from there for money. some of my childhood faves:

choccy milk

chicken gougons (chicken chippies but they sounded fancy)

chicken noodles

we got a slushie machine in grade 4. it was legendary.

4 pieces of red licorice for 20c???? bargain.

we have grades! normally it goes kindergarden (kindy), prep and then grades 1-12

we get an ATAR instead of a gpa or whatever the fuck. it’s a score from 0.05 (ur fucked lol) and 99.95 (ur a doctor).

on facebook you’ll find heaps of “hsc discussion group 2020/2019″ groups. yeah some people post notes, some people offer tutoring and most people post memes

sport

now, i’ll admit, i’m not into sport. but we are nothing if not a sporting nation.

i did swimming, played hockey, and dance

saturday mornings are for kids sport. it’s a thing. every kid plays a sport. we are sporty by nature.

we also get really into sport. rugby league, union, touch and afl are the big ones. rugby league is the big one.

there’s also a thing called ‘the state of origin’ between the queensland (the maroons) and new south wales (the blues). the blues suck don’t @ me. the maroons had an 8 year winning streak from 2006-2013. my mum can’t watch it because it stresses her out too much.

there was an ICONIC moment done by johnathan thurston (aka the cowboys and the league’s best player of all time). i remember screaming at the television and i HATE that. there’s so much that happens in these 11 minutes. it’s fucking wild. (https://youtu.be/SU5zcrDvMDU)

politics

liberal is “not good” in australia. the labour party is basically the equivalent of the democratic party (i think??)

we have a prime minister, but it changes a lot idk who it is now lol

compolsory to vote. you get a fine if you don’t.

other things you should know

we use the metric system because we’re not fuckheads.

no guns. gun control ay. if you have a gun, you’re probably a farmer.

not many starbucks here. sorry lol it’s shit coffee anyways

#writing #writing help #australia #australian #writer #writer's #australian gothic

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scullyy · 5 years

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100 Truths

Tagged by darling @missdaisymayrio

1. Real name: Daina

2. Nicknames: Scully, Gremlin (only Kyla can call me that)

3. Zodiac sign: Scorpio

4. Gender: Female

5. Nursery: Didn’t go to one

6. Primary school: Went to a public school, good times

7. Secondary school: Private but ended up transferring to public

8. Hair color: Green/Blue (naturally brunette)

9. Long or short: Relatively long now, had short hair for YEARS

10. Loud or quiet: Depends on my mood, usually quiet

11. Sweats or jeans: Shorts bruv

12. Phone or camera: Camera :3

13. Health freak: Not really, I have a sugar addiction what can I say

14. Drink or smoke: Engaged in drinking in the past, wasn’t my thing. Smoked marijuana once, again wasn’t my thing

15. Do you have a crush on someone: Nope

16. Political orientation: I’m not really political

17. Piercings: Ears (helix, tragus, two on either lobe, conch) and my septum!

18. Tattoos: None but hot damn do I really want some

HAVE YOU EVER [BEEN IN]:

19. Airplane: Yes! I’m not a big fan of flying though

20. Car *accident*: Almost, my friend is a shitty driver :/

21. Fist fight: Never, I’m too lazy to get into fights

FIRSTS:

22. Piercing: Ears

23. Best friend: I lost my best friend due to some drama over my ex, don’t speak that much anymore. So no, I don’t really have one.

24. Instrument: Piano, still learning though

25. Award: I’ve won awards for athletics and one for writing.

26. Crush: This one boy in my class when I was seven. I don’t remember what I liked about him though

27. Language: English

28. Big vacation: Went to the Gold Coast when I was 15, that was awesome.

LASTS:

29. Person I talked to: My mum hehe

30. Person I texted: A friend of mine about skincare crap

31. Person I watched: Idk??????

32. Food I ate: Avocado and tuna sushi :3

33. Movie I watched: The Perfection (a weird ass Netflix movie)

34. Song I listened to: Beyond The Sea - Robbie Williams

35. Thing I bought: This face oil thing my friend recommended

36. Person I hugged: My mum (I got scared after something happened earlier today)

FAVES:

37. Food: SANDWICHES!

38. Drinks: Tea and Juice mmmmmm

39. Clothing: Shorts with my long denim jacket + my flannel cap

40. Book: I’ll Give You The Sun - Jandy Nelson <3

41. Color: BLUE

42. Flower: Hibiscus

43. Music: Halsey and Conan Gray

44. Movie: The Lovely Bones

45. Subjects: English and Art!

IN THE PAST YEAR IM

47. [] Kissed in the rain

48. [X] Celebrated Halloween

49. [X] Had your heart broken

50. [] Went over the minutes on your cell phone

51. [] Someone questioned your sexual orientation

52. [] Used a weapon

53. [] Breathed fire (god I wish)

54. [] Had an abortion

55. [] Done something you’ve regretted (I don’t believe in regrets)

56. [] Broke a promise

57. [X] Kept a secret

58. [X] Pretended to be happy

59. [X] Met someone who changed your life

60. [X] Pretended to be sick

61. [] Left the country

62. [X] Tried something you normally wouldn’t like, and liked it

63. [X] Cried over the silliest thing

64. [] Ran a mile

65. [] Went to the beach

66. [] Stayed single

CURRENTLY:

67. Eating: Watermelon gum (does that count as something to eat??)

68. Drinking: Nothing

69. Getting ready to: Relax and sit on my ass

70. Listening to: Idle Town - Conan Gray

71. Plans for tomorrow/today: Did all my errands today, tomorrow I’m going out with my dad to do some thrift shopping

72. Waiting for: Dinner tbh I’m having chicken nuggets

YOUR FUTURE:

73. Want kids: Perhaps, although childbirth truly scares me. I’d rather foster kids or open a home for teens who have been kicked out.

74. Want to get married: I’d like to, just gotta get over my issues relating to commitment teehee :D

75. Careers in mind: Photographer, Voice Actor

WHICH IS BETTER ON A PERSON/PARTNER:

76. Lips or eyes: Eyes

77. Shorter or taller: Taller. I don’t have much choice, everyone is taller than me

78. Romantic or spontaneous: A nice mix of both. I’m a hopeless romantic, but some of my best memories are from spontaneous events :D

79. Nice stomach or nice arms: A R M S !!

80. Sensitive or loud: Both!

81. Hook-up or relationship: Once I’m older, a relationship! I am intrigued by hook-up culture though, I feel like that resonates with how I feel right now in life.

82. Troublemaker or hesitant: Troublemaker. C’mon mate let’s make some fun memories!

HAVE YOU EVER:

83. Lost glasses/contacts: Never had either

84. Ran away from home: Nope, thought about it though

85. Held a weapon for self defense: I have one, but luckily I’ve never had to use it

86. Killed somebody: ...depends who’s asking (jokes, I haven’t)

87. Broken someone’s heart: Yeah, it fucking sucks

88. Been arrested: Nope

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

90. Miracles: I do sometimes.

91. Yourself: Only in certain things, I believe that I deserve more than what I have been dealt in the past, but I don’t believe in my dreams :/

92. Love at first sight: Oh fuck yeah. There’s something magical about looking across the room, seeing someone and just instantly feeling this pull towards them.

93. Heaven: I wouldn’t call it a ’heaven’ in the traditional sense, more that there must be more to the universe than this life. There has to be something beyond ourselves.

94. Santa Claus: Nope

95. Easter Bunny: Nope

96. Magic: I believe magic exists in simple ways, maybe you’ve never broken a bone or you can make the perfect cup of tea.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY

97. Is there one person you want to be with, right now: My friends, they’re all going through a tough time at school and I wish I could help them.

98. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life: I am content, haven’t quite reached happiness yet but we’re getting there :))

99. Are you happy with the person you’re with: Single so....

100. Post as 100 truths and tag 5 people: @darling-clemmy @everlastinqg @freckledpianoman @cassierage @stay--jazzy <3 <3 <3

#not twdg #ask scully #this was fun!

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funthingsfortoddlers · 1 year

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Hop on over and don't miss out! 🐰

There's loads of fun and eggs-traordinary things to do and see on the Gold Coast this Easter and during the Autumn School Holidays. 🥚

Check out the Fun Things for Toddlers Guide to find the best kids activities and family adventures on the Gold Coast this Easter and Autumn School Holidays => https://bit.ly/40qQN6A

Lots of activities and events book out quickly, so don't wait, check out our guide and secure your toddlers spots to the hottest tickets in town => https://bit.ly/40qQN6A

#funthingsfortoddlers #whatsongoldcoast activitiesfortoddlers #activitiesforfamilies #activitiesforpreschoolers #activitiesforkids

#fun things for toddlers #whats on gold coast #activities for toddlers #activities for families #activities for preschoolers #activities for kids #school holiday fun #easter holidays 2023

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kizakuza-blog1 · 5 years

Text

DKs Van Life Take 1: The test

Last year, two weeks before Drew, my partner, and I were ready to set off on our first official overseas trip together, I was admitted to hospital for a week and then told I couldn’t fly.

That feeling of being trapped set in about a month later, when my condition was being managed and I realised I had been told I couldn’t do the one thing I live for – exploring the world.

So what does one do when they are grounded from flying? Camper Van it!! Drew was in love with the idea instantly and we started planning. Wondering whether buy a van straight up or should we hire first? We decided to do a test trip before we buy and here we are.

The Test. 10 Days going South of Sydney heading to the Great Ocean Road and back through the Barossa Valley. 3,548kms will be travelled in total.

Our hot tips for a van life. Season vanlifers, I’m sure already know these, though for any newbies out there we highly recommend making note:

1. Baby wipe baths. When you have no idea where you’ll be setting up camp or where the next shower is, baby wipe baths is one way to stay fresh.

2. Head torches. Even when you have light in the van, it’s never quite enough. When you’re parked in a remote area or if you want to go for some night exploring. These babies are your best friends.

3. Bucket Toilet. Now when this was first suggested to me I was like, umm really!! But ladies I assure you, in the middle of the night when you’ve parked your van in the most beautiful spot you can find, but there are no facilities, the bucket toilet is your saviour. Whether you make your own or do what we did and invest in one from your local camping store. I promise you’ll be most grateful you did.

Day 1: Heading to our first stay. We chose Tumut, a cute little place with a free camp site, nestled between the mountains and a trout filled river. It was a little in-land as day two takes us to the Milawa Cheese Company before heading down to the Mornington Peninsular.

Here we are, head touches on, setting up the van for the first time. It’s about 8pm, the roof is popped and I start transferring our things up in the top storage section in preparation to make up the bed. Drew starts prepping to cook up a storm on our little Webber......Then it hit me..….we forgot the doona/quilt/duvet!! Basically we had sheets and a blanket to keep us warm on our first night….Snuggle time!!

For anyone vanning down the east coast of OZ looking for a free camp site. No facilities, however plenty of wood to make a little camp fire, simply put ‘The Tumut Wetlands’ into your GPS. It’ll take you approx. 4hrs 25 mins South of Sydney.

Day 2: After a chilli night, we wake up to a crisp morning and the sounds of the running river. We pack up and head into town for a coffee and to buy a doona. Next stop The Milawa Cheese Company, approx. 3hrs away. We highly recommend stopping in and tasting their cheese. They do sampling between 9am and 4pm and I promise, you won’t be disappointed. Our Favourite, the King River Gold.

From there we start our hardcore drive to Barwon Heads to meet up for a few drinks with. Just over 6hrs drive away.

We had planned to get an unpowered site at the caravan park situated right on the water, but we arrived to late, they were already closed. Good news though, there is a long car park that runs behind it, better view and another score for a free place to set up. As an added bonus it’s a 2 minute stroll to the local pub.

If you’re heading down that way the street name is Ewing Blyth Drive, Barwon Heads.

Day 3: Bells Beach Australia!! Even if you’re not a surfer, everyone has seen the movie and knows about the Classic Bells Beach and the 50 year storm – even though the movie wasn’t filmed at the real Bells Beach, it’s still a destination to visit. Just a short 8 minute drive out of Torquay’s town center.

This beautiful beach hosts the Rip Curl Pro surf comp every Easter bringing professional surfers from all over the world. Unfortunately, it’s not a Van friendly town, so you need to be strategic when selecting where you set up for the night. There are many breath-taking places, you’ll be right.

Day 4: We consider this our real first day on our little trip, as neither of us have been past this point. We decided to have no real plan, to just take each moment as it comes. For me who is a massive planner, this was the first time ever I was just going with it. And I am loving every minute.

Drew is a massive coffee drinker, can’t start his day without one and recommends popping into the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery before heading on to your next destination.

Heading down the Great Ocean Road we were both craving a hot shower. Baby wipe baths are great and all, however as we all know, nothing beats a nice hot shower. If you’re driving through Lorne Victoria. Lorne Sea Baths. $10.50 entry, if you have some extra time you can have fun in their pool, relax in the spa and steam room. Although if you’re like us and just in need of a hot shower, this is the place to stop.

Although Lorne provided a great spot to stop for a shower, we decided to move on to Apollo Bay.

The road to Apollo Bay is striking. Winding up and down on the side of the high cliffs, before making your way down to the humble little town on the other side.

Another town that isn’t camper van friendly, however we were lucky to get a hot tip from a local that told us about a little spot, right next to the beach, where we could set up for the night. And we’re going to share the secret... As you’re driving into the town, with Lorne behind you, take the first left into a little tree covered car park, just before the Big4 Caravan park up on the right.

We love Apollo Bay, it reminds us of the North Shore in Hawaii with stunning mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, the perfect balance of earth and water living side by side.

Day 5: There are many sites to see around Apollo Bay. If you’re into Hiking and seeing the ancient trees and waterfalls, make sure you give yourself time to explore. We took a little 30 minute forest walk through Maits Rest, getting a shameless tourist picture in the famous tree belly, before heading off down the Great Ocean Road to see the remaining 12 Apostles.

It’s wondrous how some eroded rocks being shaped by the battering sea, can attract so many people to see them. As we turn into the first look out, at Castle Cove, we are marvelled, just as the others before us. Mesmerised, watching the sea crash into the bottom of the rocks we start to understand why these awe-inspiring natural structures draw such big crowds every day.

Stopping at every look out to take photos we finished the day at the little community town Port Campbell. We are delighted to hear they had a bush style camping ground for both powered and unpowered sites. Full outside kitchen and hot showers. Unpowered sites are only $10pp. Powered sites $20pp with all proceeds going towards the community. You can also hire fire barrels for $20 deposit and $25 for a bag of wood. Just punch in Port Campbell Recreation Reserve into your GPS. It’s close to town so if you want to eat out, it’s just a 5 minute, easy walk in. After you’ve showered and picked your camp spot for the night.

Don’t forget your head torches. Although the sky is filled with stars, it’s a dark walk back.

Day 6: As we make our way to the Coonawarra down the remaining Great Ocean Road, we are breath-taken by the structures on the other side of the 12 Apostles. It’s strange no one talks as much about this side of the Great Ocean Road, we think this spectacular coastline, with more sea battered structures are equally, if not better than the reaming 12 Apostles. We highly recommend stopping at every look out to take a peak and many photos. All except the Grotto, you won’t miss anything if you skip that one.

Another place you can skip is ‘Cheese World’. Don’t get excited. It is the smallest world of cheese we’ve ever come across, and really not worth the stop, unless you’re busting for the bathroom.

We pull into the Coonawarra, the town is actually called Penola, punch this into your GPS, not the Coonawarra wine region. We arrived a few minutes before the information center closed and was please to be told there is another bush style camping ground just up the road. This one was nestled amongst the vineyards. It has tepee style tents and one of those igloo ones. $10pp for unpowered sites. $25pp for powered/glamping sites.

Day 7: To the Barossa, after doing a little wine tasting along the Coonawarra strip. More Drew tasting, but a tiny sip was had by myself and with great delight I discovered my new favorite winery. Penley Estate. They have the most exquisite glasses, which are available for purchase. We bought four. Best impulse stop ever.

We decided to stay at the Murray Bridge, before the Barossa. We had set off later than expected and we were in no rush.

Day 8: The Barossa is about 3 hours from the Coonawarra and there’s not too much along the way. So crank that stereo and sing your way through it.

The town was full of people. There was some festival on, it was crazy. We find a side street to park in and walk through the streets towards the sounds of an auction. They were auctioning weird stuff, like a sacks of potatoes at the bargain price of $50. Anyway!! We made our way to find were we had booked a delightful degustation dinner at Appellation. I was so excited, this would be our first degustation. Drew’s more into the hardy meaty meals so the moment he suggested finding a great place for dinner, I was onto it.

Little did I know, he had a plan. I can’t believe I had no idea.

We found where we were going to set up for the night, close the restaurant. We discovered one of my favorite mid week wines ‘The running with the Bulls’, was made by Yalumba so we headed out to their vineyard to see if we could snap a good cellar door price. Unfortunately, no, the price was pretty much the same as I can get at home. Lets go to lunch and find a hot shower. We found a hot shower and got ready for our amazing dinner.

The Restaurant had a bar which overlooked the thousands of grape vines scattered amongst the small hills below. As we sipped out first drink, Drew noticed they had a life size chess set. He loves a competition and we had some time to kill before our reservation. As the sun started to set Drew says he needs his sunnies and went out to the car. I stood there sipping beautiful wine out of a gorgeous Ridel stemless glass, freezing my ass off. Drew comes make, makes a move and then goes in to get more drinks. By this time I was wondering why he wasn’t concentrating on the game and trying to win.

He urged me to abandon the game and come for a walk in the vines to watch the sun set. And the next thing I know Drew pulls a ring box from his pocket and is down on one knee. I said yes.

Wearing my sparkly new ring I couldn’t stop staring at it as we were seated for dinner. The waitress picked up on it and congratulated us with a glass of Champagne. We choose the 4 course degustation menu and were delighted to know that you don’t have to have all four sections. This was perfect for us as we don’t eat dessert. So we worked out how we could try most of the menu in the four courses. The flavour combinations and presentation was spectacular and the absolute perfect place to celebrate our engagement.

Day 9: The trek back home begins. There’s not a lot to see today. There’s a whole lot of nothing over the dry plains except for sheep, the odd emu and kangaroo. After 7 hrs of solid driving, we decided to stay at another bush style camp ground at Hay. $10pp, nice hot showers and our last dinner in the van.

Day 10: It’s time to hand Johnno back. Up bright and early to detail him then back to Sydney we go. We had stopped into Robertson to have dinner with Drew’s mom and celebrate our engagement with his sister and cute little niece and nephew. What an amazing journey. The test score was in…..we will be buying a van.

Thanks for coming on the ride with us on our first van life adventure. Follow our other travel adventures @kizakuza on Instagram.

#dksvanlife

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gwendolynlerman · 6 years

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Discovering the world

Ghana 🇬🇭

Basic facts

Official name: Republic of Ghana

Capital city: Accra

Population: 34.1 million (2023)

Demonym: Ghanaian

Type of government: unitary presidential republic

Head of state and government: Nana Akufo-Addo (President)

Gross domestic product (purchasing power parity): $227.18 million (2023)

Gini coefficient of wealth inequality: 44% (medium) (2024)

Human Development Index: 0.602 (medium) (2022)

Currency: cedi (GHS)

Fun fact: It is home to the largest artificial lake in the world.

Etymology

The country’s name comes from the Ghana Empire, although the latter did not include present-day Ghana. “Ghana” is thought to derive from the title Kaya Maghan, meaning “ruler of gold”.

Geography

Ghana is located in West Africa and borders Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and Côte d’Ivoire to the west.

There are two climates: tropical monsoon in the southwest and dry-winter tropical savanna in the rest. Temperatures range from 23 °C (73.4 °F) in winter to 31 °C (87.8 °F) in summer. The average annual temperature is 24.6 °C (76.3 °F).

The country is divided into sixteen regions. The largest cities in Ghana are Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi, and Sunyani.

History

11th century-1957: Bono State

1200-present: Kingdom of Dagbon

1482-1642: Portuguese Gold Coast

1500-1701: Denkyira

1600-1734: Kingdom of Akwamu

1612-1872: Dutch Gold Coast

1658-1850: Danish Gold Coast

1650-1663: Swedish Gold Coast

1670-1957: Ashanti Empire

1682-1721: Brandenburger Gold Coast

1806-1807: Ashanti-Fante Confederacy

1821-1957: Colony of the Gold Coast

1823-1900: Anglo-Ashante wars

1884-1914: Togoland Protectorate

1902-1957: Colony of Ashanti; Northern Territories of the Gold Coast

1916-1956: Territory of British Togoland

1957-1960: Ghana

1960-present: Republic of Ghana

1966: coup d’état

1979: June 4th Revolution

Economy

Ghana mainly imports from China, the United States, and the Netherlands and exports to China, Switzerland, and India. Its top exports are cocoa beans, gold, and crude oil.

It has abundant diamond, gas, gold, oil, and silver reserves. Services represent 57.2% of the GDP, followed by industry (24%) and agriculture (18.3%).

Ghana is a member of the African Union, the Commonwealth, and the Economic Community of West African States.

Demographics

The Akan are the largest ethnic group (45.7%), followed by the Mole-Dagbon (18.5%), Ewe (12.8%), Ga-Adangbe (7.1%), Gurma (6.4%), Guan (3.2%), Gurunsi (2.7%), and Mande (2%). The main religion is Christianity, practiced by 71.3% of the population, 49% of which is Protestant.

It has a negative net migration rate and a fertility rate of 3.6 children per woman. 58.6% of the population lives in urban areas. Life expectancy is 69.3 years and the median age is 21.4 years. The literacy rate is 79%.

Languages

The official language of the country is English. Akuapem, Asante, Dagaare, Dagbani, Dangme, Ewe, Fante, Ga, Gonja, Kasena, and Nzema are government-sponsored languages.

Culture

Ghanaians highly value politeness and honesty. They address older people using “mother” and “father”.

Men traditionally wear a wide striped tunic (smock), pants (kurugu), and a hat (zipligu). Women wear a longer smock as a dress.

Architecture

Traditional houses in Ghana are rounded, have mud walls, and conical thatched roofs.

Cuisine

The Ghanaian diet is based on fish, meat, rice, seafood, and vegetables. Typical dishes include kenkey (sourdough dumplings served with fried fish and pepper sauce), koose (a spicy black-eyed pea fritter), mpoto mpoto (a yam stew with fish and onion), tubaani (steamed black-eyed peas pudding wrapped in leaves), and waakye (rice and beans served in a leaf).

Holidays and festivals

Like other Christian and Muslim countries, Ghana celebrates Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha. It also commemorates New Year’s Day and Labor Day.

Specific Ghanaian holidays include Constitution Day on January 7, Independence Day on March 6, Founders’ Day on August 4, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day on September 21, and Farmers’ Day on the first Friday in December.

Independence Day

Other celebrations include the Akwasidae Festival, which honors ancestors; the Damba Festival, when traditional dresses are on display, and the Fire Festival, which involves fire processions and drumming.

Akwasidae Festival

Landmarks

There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Asante Traditional Buildings and Forts and Castles in the Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions.

Cape Coast Castle

Other landmarks include the Kakum National Park, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park, the Larabanga Mosque, the Mole National Park, and the Navrongo Catholic Cathedral.