#the dinner was served until 9pm but when i went on a walk at 10pm they were all still sitting there and bothering the staff

[yohankang]

good morning besties i feel like i'm in a movie

[eliazspaceart]

After Work

[8pm]

It was already night, and you were still waiting for Dad to eat together, something you really liked because you could talk to him about things you learned in class or show him the drawings you made.

You were in the living room on the floor, drawing a sea bunny on a piece of paper with your new watercolors that Dad gave you for getting good grades.

"Just a few more dots, and done!" you say to yourself as you finish your lovely drawing.

You look at the clock and Dad hasn't come home yet, so you get up from the floor and look for a maid. You walk down the hallways with bare feet until you find one washing the bed sheets. You carefully touch her dress, and the maid stops her task and looks at you.

"Do you need something, dear?" the maid asked politely, and you nodded your head.

"When will my dad be back? I want to eat with him and show him my drawing," you asked in a low, soft voice, being shy about your question. The maid sighed a little, observed the time, and realized it was almost 9pm. She bent down to your level and patted you on the head.

"Be patient, dear. Your father will arrive soon. Remember, he works a lot and often comes home late," the maid explained to the child, who simply nodded.

[10pm]

The little one was still drawing and waiting patiently as the maid said, until the front door opened. The child got up and went to the door to greet his father.

"Dad!" he said, running towards him and giving him a hug.

Derek, a little tired, put his briefcase aside and picked up the child while walking towards the living room, where the paper and watercolors were scattered.

"It looks like my little artist was being creative," Derek said, holding the child and looking at his drawings.

"Yes, I made a lot of drawings while you were gone, Dad. I was waiting for you so we could eat together, like we always do," the child said excitedly, hugging Derek's neck.

On the other hand, Derek had a slightly sad expression. He felt bad for making the child wait just to eat and chat together.

"That's really thoughtful of you, dear, but I think it's better if you don't stay up and skip meals waiting for me," Derek said as he put the child down. "When you see that Dad is going to be late, eat regardless of whether I arrive late," he said, bending down to his level.

"But... I don't want to eat alone," the child said sadly, looking at the floor.

Derek sighed tiredly and said, "I know, I know, but Dad doesn't want you to go hungry while waiting for him, so just do me that favor, okay?" He patted the child's head, and you nodded obediently.

"Good, that's a good boy. Now tell me, what did the maid prepare for dinner?" he asked his son as Derek walked towards the stairs to go to his room and change clothes. You started to follow him. "Today, the maid made lasagna!" you smiled as you answered your dad. "Mmmh, lasagna, that doesn't sound too bad. I hope it tastes as good as it looks," he said, taking off his tie and shoes.

[A few minutes later]

Already at the large elegant table, the maid served you both your portions. Derek began to eat, just like you.

While eating, Derek started the usual chat. "So, tell me, did you do your homework and tasks?" he asked while eating the lasagna calmly. "Yep! Today I did my homework, read, and drew! Today I drew a sea bunny!" the child responded enthusiastically. "Sea bunny?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow at his son. "Yes, I drew a sea bunny. It's my favorite animal," the child said, leaving the table to fetch his drawing to show his father. "I made a drawing of it," he handed him the papers. "Oh... It's quite cute and interesting," Derek said, looking at it and sighed. "Maybe I'll frame it and hang it in the house." The child just nodded, and they both continued talking and eating.

Here’s more about these two; I really forgot to put it on Tumblr. Writing this at 3am was something I just had to get down, hehe.

[travelexploreworldlove]

East Coast of Australia 🇦🇺

We landed in a very smoky Sydney and collected our luggage and picked up our rental car from Apex. (Hyuandi Accent)

2 ½ hours later we arrived at the Cumberland Motor Inn in Cessnock. It was a clean standard room, with everything we needed. We headed to bed early, as we had to get up at 3:30am for the hot air balloon.

We met the Balloon Aloft at 4am at Peterson House. We chose our breakfast and made our way to the site were we would take off. The air balloon was set up and we boarded it. Unfortunately due to the fires, it was very smoky which meant we couldn’t see anything. After a 30-minute flight we safety landed and we got our breakfast.

Port MacQuarie

We travelled on to Port MacQuarie, it was a small seaside town. We were staying in Port MacQuarie hotel, with the room was extremely basic with a shared bathroom. There was also no air conditioning so it was very hot (as it was 35 degrees).

We walked around the town in the afternoon and had some dinner in the restaurant.

Coffs Harbour

The next day it was time to travel further up the East Coast to Coffs Harbour where we stayed in an Ibis. It was a clean room with air conditioning and private bathroom. We walked along the pier and visited the famous ‘Big Banana’. It was a very quiet town with not a lot to do!

Byron Bay

We travelled 4 ½ hours to Byron Bay in 35 degrees, it was extremely hot! We stayed in an Airbnb about a 10-minute walk from the town centre. The room was clean and tidy with a private bathroom.

As it was nice weather, we decided to walk up to Cape Byron lighthouse, it was a tough walk in the heat but the views were worth it.

We had dinner in Miss Margarita (a Mexican restaurant) and had a few drinks in the Beach Hotel and Sticky Wicket Bar.

Byron Bay was exactly what I had imagined, a very laid-back hippy town. There were many young travellers and plenty of nightlife.

The next morning it was lashing with rain, so we made our way into town for a late breakfast at Byron Fresh. We walked around the town and picked up some souvenirs. Later on, we waited until the rain had stopped and went out to Bayger, which is a famous burger bar - the food was so tasty. We watched an Australian band called ‘Thunderfox’ at the Beach Motel.

Surfers Paradise

We made our way to Surfers Paradise, only a short hours drive. We were staying in an Airbnb in Paradise Island. After we checked in, we went to the gym. Later on in the evening we walked into the town, where there was lots and lots of bars and restaurants. We ended up eating in Costa D'oro Italian Restaurant. It was so lively, with nightclubs, pub-crawls and lots of young travellers.

Looking back we should have stayed another night in Surfers Paradise!

Brisbane

The next morning, after going to the gym – we made the 1-hour journey to Brisbane. We were staying in the Ibis Styles in the CBD. I was very impressed with the hotel, it was so clean and the room was lovely. The only downside was there was no wifi.  

In the evening we walked around the city (mainly the harbor), which I was really liked, it reminded me of Sydney. We had a few drinks and snacks in the Bavarian Beer House.

The next day we went to the gym and got ready to walk around the city. It was 40 degrees, so we could only manage to stay out for 30 minutes before coming back to the hotel. We decided to do the washing and wait until it cooled down in the evening. Later on, we did some shopping and had dinner at WingHaus.

Hervey Bay

After checking out at 11am, we made our way to Hervey Bay – it took 3 ½ hours. We were staying the night in an Airbnb with a private bathroom. The room/bathroom was not very clean – least it was only for one night! We walked the pier and cooked our own dinner in the Airbnb.

Fraser Island

The next morning we were due to get the 3:30pm ferry to Fraser Island, but we decided to get the earlier ferry to have more time on Fraser Island. We had booked a 3 day/2 night Cool Dingos tour so therefore they took our bags at the ferry and they would be delivered to our room on Fraser Island.

When we got to main hotel on the island, The Kingfisher Resort (5 minute walk from the ferry), we were given the keys to our room and a shuttle took us to the ‘Wilderness Lodge’. This accommodation was very basic, it had a shared bathroom/communal area which we would be sharing with others on our tour.

That evening we met the rest of our group at the Dingo Bar and took part in a Bushtucker experience, were we got to eat different food such as Kangaroo and Crocodile.

In total there was 18 people in our tour, most of them girls and some solo travellers. When we got back from dinner, 7 of them were staying in our lodge and they made so much noise it was hard to sleep - even though we had to get up at 630am the next morning!

After our breakfast at the Dingo Bar, we got on the converted 4x4 bus and made our way to Lake Wabby and Lake Mackenzie. As the track was made of sand it was awful, there was potholes everywhere and we constantly were moving side to side!

When we got to Lake Wabby we trekked 3 kilometers over sand to a massive green dirty lake – I wasn’t impressed.

For lunch we stopped at a Rainforest park and went for a short walk along the freshwater stream. Finally, our last stop was Lake Mackenzie. It was beautiful, lovely clear water and white sand. We also saw a dingo walking along the beach!

That night we had sunset drinks at the bar and met the new people joining our group and the new tour guide, Wayne.

The final day, after breakfast we headed to 75 Mile Beach were we paid extra to take a 15minute flight over Fraser Island. It was so good, I am glad we did it!

We visited Champagne Pools, Indian Head and S.S. Maheno shipwreck. The last stop of the day was the Eli Creek, which was a freshwater creek, which was basically a lazy river. Wayne gave us Tyre Tubes to go down the creek – I really enjoyed it!

On our way back, Wayne was taking us to the ferry but as he was driving like a maniac, the bus got stuck in 2nd gear. This meant he didn’t think we would make the 5pm ferry. Fortunately we made it just in time!

Once we got back to Hervey Bay, we drove 4 ½ hours to Rockhampton Motel.

Airlie Beach

We checked out at 10am from the motel and drove 5 ½ hours to Airlie Beach. We were staying in Whitsundays Vista Holiday Apartments for 3 nights. We walked into the town in the evening and there were lots of bars, nightclubs and restaurants on the main street – it was very very busy! We had a few drinks and ate in KC’s Bar and Grill and listened to live music.

The next morning we met at the Port of Airlie at 730am and boarded the 8am boat to Hamilton Island. When we arrived at Hamilton Island we were allowed to use all the amenities on the island such as the resort pools. We walked around the island and had our lunch in the Marina Tavern (this was included on our ticket). We got the 1:10pm ferry to Whitehaven Beach, on the way to the beach and back it was an open bar with afternoon tea. The beach was absolutely stunning, beautiful white sand and clear water. We spent 2 hours on the beach.

The ferry picked us up and took us back to Airlie Beach, where we went to Woolworths and ate in the apartment.

The last day, we got the 8am ferry out to Hardy Reef. The ferry took 3 hours, with morning tea served. Once we got to Hardy Reef we took the 30minute submarine, which showed the reef without getting wet! Next we had our lunch and finally we got ready and snorkeled in the reef. I was very disappointed; I thought the coral would have been more colourful. There were fish but there wasn’t any turtles or mantra rays.  After spending 4 hours at the reef we got the 3-hour ferry back to Airlie Beach.

We got Dominoes for dinner as we were exhausted and were planning on getting up at 6am the next morning.

Cairns

We made the 7 ½ hour drive to Cairns, stopping in Townsville for lunch. We left the car back and were only charged $200 for a cracked windscreen! The arrived at the Doubletree Hilton and checked into our room. We then had a few drinks and dinner in the hotel restaurant. The hotel felt very quiet with the bar closing at 9pm.

On Christmas morning we watched a Christmas movie and went down for the lunch at 12pm. The Christmas lunch was not great and was not worth the money. The only thing good about it was the unlimited alcohol! Later on in the evening we watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

On Boxing Day, we paid for breakfast in the hotel and went to the gym in the afternoon. We packed all our bags, to get ready for Bali tomorrow!

[chriscoleman]

Philippines Trip Report

Pangulasian Island and Manila Spirits

November 9th, 2017 - November 20th, 2017

Chris Coleman & Julia Donald

Julia and I took a trip to the Philippines for beach vacation and Ultimate frisbee tournament. The first half was spent at a eco-luxury resort in Bacuit Bay, El Nido, Palawan. Then we flew to the capital city for Manila Spirits tournament with a group of players from Seattle.

Vacation for our family starts with laying out a big pile of food for the cats and taking Skye to the doggy hotel. This trip was the same, although our longest time away from the buggers. I ate sushi dinner as Julia attended her Project Management Professional course at University of Washington. Flight at 11pm on November 9th after Julia bought face lotion at duty free (from two Filipino ladies).

13 hours later we landed in Taipei, Taiwan at 5am on November 11th. We lost a full day to the time zone change. Meals served on the plane was a new experience for me, which weren’t half bad. Dumplings, soup, and cold oolong tea in Taiwan airport were way better. Plus we got to see the Hello Kitty terminal early in the morning.

9am flight to Manila, Philippines was an easy 3 hours. Once we landed we took a taxi to Terminal 3 since walking between terminals at Ninoy Aquino International Airport is not possible. The buildings are not connected and the shuttle system is horrendous. Everyone leaves the buildings to try to take yellow taxis, but we struggled to find anything but white taxis (even though signs and the internet warned us that the white taxis were not recommended). Wings is a hostel/hotel that we reserved in T3, to rest during our layover. We decided to explore the city a bit before our nap/flight. After dropping our bags we went to the Mall of Asia in downtown Manila. Unfortunately we got swindled by our taxi driver and were forced to pay 1800 Philippine Pesos ($35 USD) for the ride which should have cost 250 ($5). The first lesson we learned in negotiations while riding white cabs. However the conversation with the taxi driver was almost worth the $30 upcharge… He was stoked to talk about American mass shootings, holding up two hands while driving and going Bang Bang Bang. Telling us about their own recent mass shooting at a casino. Plus some political talks comparing their president Duterte and Trump - both “strong” men. Julia realized this might be one country we don’t have to apologize for Trump.

Cultural shock hit when we entered the mall. They had armed security at each entrance, metal detectors and bag checks and pat-downs. Each individual shop also had their own white shirt armed security, continuing the strong show of force.

There were many American chains and your basic department store offerings. It was impressive because of the size. We almost stopped for an ice skate, but didn’t want to risk an injury at the very beginning of our trip. Ensaymada pastry at Starbucks was a treat, a delicious Filipino bread flavored with grated cheese and sprinkled with sugar. The best part of the mall trip was seeing the Christmas decorations and hearing the Christmas music. They are already in full holiday swing and it was fabulous. We later learned that Christmas starts on Sept1 in the Philippines. A common saying is “Christmas is coming”. Dinner at Manam restaurant initiated us to Filipino cuisine - Crispy Sisig and Watermelon Sinigang. We finished the trip with a walk outside along the boardwalk. They were preparing for fireworks later in the evening and we sat on the wall overlooking Manila Bay on the far side of the Pacific Ocean.

The ASEAN Summit was happening in Manila during our trip. World leaders came together to talk about Southeast Asian nations regional issues. The security throughout the city was tight, we even saw hundreds of police officers doing a ‘dry-run’ of the parade route as we went between the mall and airport. We missed them shutting down the streets for their test by a couple hours and returned to the hostel. Trump was in attendance for the summit, although we were lucky to be away from the capitol when he was in town.

Nap at Wings until our 6am flight out of Terminal 4. The showers were a treat and we felt refreshed as we entered our last leg of travel to reach our first destination. Taxi driver talked about Duterte/Trump again - telling us that his life is much better with Duterte in power. The 10pm curfew allows him to sleep at night, keeping the drunks out of the street. We kept our political opinions out of the conversation, it was good to hear local perspective on a radical president.

Flight to El Nido, Palawan was 1 hour. A small turboprop plane out of a cramped waiting area. Once we landed - resort staff took care of us right away. They handled our baggage and shuttled us to a lounge with drinks/snacks. We waited maybe 20 minutes next to Lio beach as they loaded our luggage onto the boat via wooden bridge. This was our first introduction to outriggers with their bamboo pole arms stretched out at their sides for stability. Raul called the boat a big turtle. Regardless it was fast while we departed the small El Nido airport. The transfer took about 30 minutes to get us onto Pangulasian Island. We talked to Raul, our favorite guide, about excursion options before arrival.

42 villas on the island, otherwise no houses or people outside the resort. The crew on the island stayed in a house behind the main restaurant and lobby. We learned later that the main building had been built on top of a cave where the water monitor lizards lived, including a big one called Godzilla who was probably 5 feet big. We never saw Godzilla but we kept an eye out for him. Our home for the next 4 nights was Villa #22. On the way to the villa on our “buggy” we saw our first and only macaque monkeys at the resort during the trip. We were instructed not to look directly at them or smile at them because they can get aggressive,. However they are so cute that is all you want to do. The room was luxurious with a huge bathroom, strong air conditioning, private balcony, and ocean views. As we were introduced to our room, we were also introduced to several Filipino english peculiarities, including the ever present honorific "M'amSir". Having grown up in the South, Julia was not sure how this concatenation had never occurred to any of the southerners she knew as it would have undoubtedly saved them much time in their daily salutations. Endless coconut cookies in the mini-bar was one of the best amenities.

We planned out our trip on a piece of scrap paper. No real itinerary before this, but once in the room and aware of our options we wanted to optimize our time in paradise. We went to the activity director with this plan:

     Day 1 - sunset hike

     Day 2 -  7am snorkel, 3pm Island tour

     Day 3 - 8am Lagoon tour

     Day 4 - ???

     Day 5 - 2pm boat, 5pm flight

Lunch at the pool after seeing our first small/baby Monitor Lizard. Julia had Rellenong - squid stuffed with pork, which introduced us to the Filipino comfort fusion of Asian, seafood, and Spanish food, plus foamy fruit drinks. Then into the water for our first snorkel of the trip. We saw a blue spotted stingray the size of a dinner plate as we were entering the water. Lots of coral right away and tons of fish all around. We were amazed at the amount of life right off the shore of our villa, the reef was alive! Huge blue clams and blue starfish were highlights, then we saw ‘Nemo’ (clownfish) in a home of sea anemone. We quickly learned that the overprotective dad fish are not just a thing of movies as the clownfish tried to chase us away from their anemone homes. Once they started trying to attack you, it was best to swim away so they didn’t leave any eggs defenseless and ready for another fish’s dinner.

Sunset hike was a serious physical task. Hiking up about 500 feet, counted in 1800 steps, to a lookout tower in the center of the island. The steps were counted out with signs every 200 steps. Raul bounded up the mountain with the speed of a mountain goat and the ease of a man who has only worn flip flops (aka “slippers”) while traversing the jungle his whole life. Took us 30 minutes. We were rewarded with 360 degree views and a breathtaking sunset surrounded by islands of all sizes. We hiked with 2 guys - Nunu and Brunu from Portugal and our guide Raul. Early dinner at 6:30, where we were asked by the entire staff how our sunset hike was. We quickly learned that everyone on the island always knew what activities we were up to at all times. Bed by 9pm, which became a regular thing for all of vacation.

7am snorkel tour at our ‘home reef’ on Sunday morning. A resort boat took us to the west end of the island, about a 3 minute ride. Shallow coral as our guide directed us towards the best spots for seeing baby blacktip reef sharks, as they apparently like to stay in 2-3 foot deep sections of the reef. Almost immediately we saw blacktip reef sharks. About 2-3 feet long, nothing scary but still swimming with sharks. Brunu spotted a BIG shark - quickly alerting us, but it turned out to be the second group of snorkelers from our resort.. HaHa  

Breakfast buffet at the main restaurant was massive. Options for all nations… American (pancakes, and bacon), European (fruit and pastries), Asian (rice and grilled meat), plus local Filipino dishes like fish, longganisa, and jackfruit.

A kayak tour around the island was settled upon after much debate. The wind was blowing and I was nervous the adventure would not be easy. It ended up being a wonderful decision all around. The boats were easy to launch from the beach next to our villa. We immediately tested upwind and downwind paddling - discovering we could easily handle the conditions. Paddling clockwise around the .2 square mile island took us 1 hour. The side opposite the villa is completely deserted, with multiple beautiful beaches. A small black monkey was relaxing on one, scurrying back into the woods as we floated by. There were also tons of crabs on the rocks, that also scurried away as we got close.

Back in the room Julia read on the balcony while I soaked up the AC + WiFi until our 3pm tour. Island Hopping is a 3 hour tour via outrigger style boat - called pump boat or paraw boat. There were about 10 other couples on the trip although the boat didn’t feel cramped at all. The crew of the boat frequently navigated the length of the boat by walking on the bamboo outrigger support structures, leaving the middle of the boat where we were sitting wide open. Luckily we weren’t required to wear the big red life vests, so I ditched mine immediately.

The first stop on the tour was called Cathedral Caves, about 25 minutes away. Pictures only as our boat was too big to enter the cave. The second stop was Cudugnon Cave another 25 minute ride. We were greeted by two dogs when we landed on shore. Then we walked along the water to a small entrance which we crawled through. It opened up to a huge room which legend says is a Neolithic burial place. We squeezed our way into the cave and marveled at how it opened up to 40 foot ceilings once we were through the entry. The light shone in a way that was impossible for us to capture on film. It was beautiful. Our 3rd stop was Snake Island, named for the S shaped sandbar that connected the island to mainland Palawan. After securing the anchor we walked the sandbar to a shack in the water. A bar on the sandbar, wonderful! No cash, and no bartenders today,  so we just looked around and shuffled back and forth on the 2-3 foot deep sandbar, hoping our feet were alerting any stingrays to swim away and not sting us out of self defense.. Another 10 minute boat ride and we were back at Pangulasian Island resort -  home.

We stopped at the pool for a sunset swim. Ordered coconut’s and Julia drank them both. After cleaning up I called for a buggy to take us to dinner. At 6:30pm no one was there, it wasn’t until later in the trip that we learned that the restaurant didn’t open until 7pm - they were just too nice to tell us to leave. Again puzzled where everyone else was, we dove into the exquisite menu, amazed at the quality and selection for being on a remote island where everything is ferried in by outrigger. Two orders of bread, shrimp gyro, and a huge seafood paella was a killer meal. Then a stomach settling beach walk home and we were in bed by 9pm.

Monday sunrise at 5:30am was beautiful from bed. It was raining as Julia scanned for wildlife from the balcony. She spotted 3 big Monitor Lizards coming out of the water, plus a baby blacktip reef shark maybe about 1 foot long trolling the shallows in front of our villa.

Breakfast was another big buffet in preparation for our Lagoon Tour at 8am.

The tour was filled with 22 people including our guides, driver, and security. Gold was the main guide - who I found out is also an ultimate player and planning to attend Manila Spirits tournament. Small world in the ultimate community! The group was: 2 Hawaiian couples Alan/Jira and Russell/Joy, dad from Manila and his 3 daughters, an old French couple, family of 4 with a 10 year old boy and 5 year old girl, and a young Asian couple on their phones the whole time. At this time we were beginning to get to know all the other fellow occupants of the island.

1st stop was Big Lagoon, 20 minutes from home. Pictures only as our boat drifted into the lagoon while the guides gave a history / science lesson. We learned about the limestone cliffs and how they were eroded over time by the salt. This was one region in the Philippines that was not part of the ring of Fire and was safe from earthquakes and volcanoes by its place in the middle of a tectonic plate.

2nd stop was Small Lagoon, 5 minutes away. The rain picked up again but it was warm and it didn’t bother us. There were already 5 or so outrigger boats in the ‘parking area’ leading into the lagoon. Some of the outriggers were from other resorts (including other El Nido properties at Maniloc or Lagen islands) and the others were from “town” a El Nido proper, and were part of the tor packages A, B, C, etc. all looked good, but the tour options had little grills on the back that were cooking excellent looking if slightly fire safety concerning food. We dropped anchor in the tight quarters and waited for our kayaks to arrive. Another group was using them and 1 by 1 they finished so our crew could jump in. Julia and I took the last boat, quickly catching up to the group with fast strokes. Through a hole not much bigger than our kayak we entered the lagoon. Walls were dripping with rain into the clear blue brackish water. A quick swim finished our adventure - then into the boat for a final stop.

3rd stop was Miniloc Resort - also owned by El Nido and on the same island as the lagoons. It was set in a cove in the middle of limestone cliffs. The resort was beautiful but it seemed to lack the beautiful beach that we had at Pangulasian. We were affirmed we made the correct resort choice by a couple of the other travelers on the boat, although that is comparing two especially Fantasia options. The reef just off their shore is home to a school of Jackfish, about 4 feet long - big things! They feed them daily so they zoom around near the dock - one nearly jumping over me as I snorkeled by. A Sergeant Major fish with yellow and black stripes bit Julia’s elbow as we explored the reef. I didn't believe Julia and went in to follow up - it bit my hand. Nothing more than a tiny scrape - but that bugger was really defending his territory well, good for him. Sweet tea on the boat home was a perfect ending. We were back before noon.

Ice cream  and fruity drinks for lunch told us we were truly on vacation. Any time more than 3 drinks are in front of 1 person - it’s vacation!

Julia took an afternoon snorkel while I rested in the air conditioning. She saw another stingray and more Nemo fish. Then we relaxed in bath robes until dinner time. Julia even won the daily debate of buggy vs. walk - this time only because the buggy service was busy. We spotlighted crabs using the headlamps I brought from home as we walked on the beach to dinner. Large hand sized white crabs dove into their well dug holes in the sand, while hermit crabs just collapsed inside their mobile homes. Our Hawaiian friends came over during dinner to extend an invitation on their private boat tour tomorrow with their lady friends. We quickly deliberated and decided to say yes.

Tuesday the 14th began with thunder and lightning. We ate breakfast as it stormed all around us. Extra banana jam on my pancakes to make up for the nasty weather.

The tour started at 10am with Gold as our guide. Alan/Jira and Russell/Joy were a bit late, but excited to get going. Secret Beach was the first destination. A hole in the side of a steep wall. At high tide you have to dive and hold your breath 5 seconds to get in. We all practiced holding our breath and confirming what kind of 5 seconds were we talking about? One mississippi, two mississippi, three mississippi, or 1, 2, 3. In retrospect, the "mississippi" might have added to the confusion in our clarification attempts. It was low tide so Julia swam straight in, but I still dove. A sandy beach inside was magical, completely closed off from the outside. Unfortunately this is where Julia’s camera decided to die - however we later discovered it was simply a dead battery. 

Hidden Beach was the second destination. First we stopped for a quick snorkel just around the corner. A reef on the edge of a 100 foot dropoff. Colorful coral and tons of fish - so amazing to see with our butts in the air. The beach was hidden behind a shallow entrance. We waded through ankle deep water to find another sandy shore tucked away on Matinloc Island. The other 2 boats of tourists were just leaving so we got the whole place to ourselves. Only other person there was a local in a canoe selling coconuts and ice cold beer - how perfect!! Julia ate the soft meat out of the coconut after drinking the water. The salesman even cut a ‘spoon’ out of the coconut shell for her to scoop it out with - genius. My San Miguel beer hit the spot in the midday sun. All of us got coconuts or beer for 400 PHP (8 USD). A good deal.

Lunch at Entalula Island was welcomed at 1pm. El Nido owns/manages a section of beach here with the softest sand of the entire trip. They served us lunch of rice, shrimp, sashimi, fruit, and cold drinks. We only had to sign our room numbers and the bill was taken care of. I could get used to this. When checking out later, we saw all of the receipts where we had signed our room number earlier in the vacation. The stamps for our postcards. The lunch at Entalula. The magnet for our fridge. Imagining them gathering all of these receipts for calculation via outrigger or buggy was humorous.

2 more quick stops at the Cudugnon Cave and Snake Island we had been to previously. We skipped going inside the cave this time. Walked the beach trying to pet the dog and talk to the little girl - neither were successful. Then we waieded in the water and chatted with Russell, learning about his insurance business and life on Maui. Snake Island bar was open this time and we didn’t forget the cash. Bought more beers and coconuts (we learned here our first Tagalog word - Buko - which means coconut) before heading back home.

The private boat tour with the Hawaiians was our favorite adventure during our time on Pangulasian Island resort. We were out almost 7 hours, explored 5 islands, and saw hundreds of fish with new friends. I sure hope we run into these guys again on another vacation!

Black butterflies greeted us at sunset daily. We watched a dark blue / almost black Great-Billed heron hunt on the ocean shore as the mosquitoes began to bite. We also learned about alpha monkeys. Once they became aggressive (stealing clothes off balconies or food from the buffet) an Ecologist would fly out from Manila, the monkey would be darted and wake up on a secluded island. 1 alpha per island, no mates. This has happened 5 times in the past 20 years - meaning that there are 5 islands out there with mad/lonely monkeys on them. The guides told us 1 adopted a cat from a nearby village as his friend, petting it and guarding it. This was the monkey banished to the Sandbar island. We had been warned during our visit not to pet the cat, and it made more sense knowing about it's monkey protector. Hilarious / Sad.

Manila plans were discussed over a dinner of Kare-Kare (oxtail and tripe in peanut sauce) and butter chicken. Super sleepy after this heavy meal. Bed by 8pm, but not before committing to our buggy driver for a 5am sunrise hike.

Wednesday the 15th Julia actually made the 5am sunrise hike. I slept. The guide asked where "Sir Donald" was and she replied, in bed. They discussed ecology on the way up and politics on the way down - a well balanced agenda. This was the first, but not last, person Julia met that was critical of Duterte and the drug war. The guide was especially concerned with the corruption of the cops and the extrajudicial killings. When they discussed the drug wars in both countries, quickly Julia grasped that although the US drug war incarcerates the most people in the world - our drug war isn't killing political opponents in their houses and planting drugs to cover it up. Neither is good, but there is always worse. The guide was worried about the future as all of the political opponents to Duterte were being silenced, and no one knew what would happen at the end of his remaining five years of term.

6:30am I began to pack, reluctantly. Paused at 7am to take the guided snorkel of the home reef again. We saw no sharks but did traverse the entire length of the resort reef - West to East. Almost an hour snorkel with 2 other guys (Australia and UK). We got to see 2 smallish green sea turtles and another stingray. Rinsed off at the dive shop and turned in my fins.

All our new friends were at breakfast. After 5 days it felt like we knew everyone. Catching up with what each other did the previous day and our plans going forward. Many of us were leaving together today so we’d have one last chance to shake hands before island time was over. I stopped at the pool after breakfast while Julia took 1 last snorkel. In true to vacation form, the last snorkel continued a trend we had started on other vacations where halfway through it started raining. When Julia came out, she and Brunu and Nunu (Portuguese guys) all finished at the same time and had a good laugh about "Snorkeling in the rain".

Lunch by the pool, then to the reception desk for checkout at 2pm. Signed the bill for 30,000 Philippines pesos and bought final momentos. Loaded the boat and we were off to the airport. Waiting room for El Nido resort guests was a treat - with drinks, sweets (red bean cakes and cassava cake), and air conditioning.

**Note - Sleep No More is an immersive play based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Hitchcock's movie “Rebecca" that Brunu/Nunu told us about. Look into this next time we visit NYC.

Landed in Manila, fetched baggage, and hailed a yellow cab (metered). Only problem is that the driver took us to the wrong hotel. Hotel Manila is WAY nicer than we booked. Felt wrong from the moment we pulled up. German Shepherds working security, ladies in long ballroom dresses, chandeliers, over-the-top Christmas decorations, the whole package... Thankfully the six bell boys on duty were nice (or bored) enough to carry our baggage and arrange our cab. Driver was way more experienced - getting us to Luneta Hotel on the other side of Rizal Park. This is the first time we were explained it was probably not a good idea for us to try walking in the city at night.

Luneta Hotel is 99 years old. Lovingly restored in a beautiful combination of art deco and French renaissance architecture, we felt at home in our room for 1 night. We ate Crispy Pata for dinner at the hotel restaurant. The waiter explained all the ways we could tear into the beautifully twice cooked & deep fried pig legs / pig knuckles. "The tendons are the best". We noted how much easier it was in the Philippines to eat the peripheral / organ meats, and how much we had been enjoying it. In house made ice cream was a treat - especially the Jasmine flavor which was the national flower.

Thursday the 16th was a walking tour. Out the front door of our hotel was Rizal Park. Named after Jose Rizal - a Filipino nationalist who advocated political reform for the colony under Spanish rule. We visited the monument for his execution along with other historical sites in the area. Rizal is the national hero, a true renaissance man who wrote books and poetry, made paintings and carvings, and explored the sciences as a Polymath. His execution jump-started the successful Philippine revolution. Unfortunately, right after the success of the revolution and the creation of an independent Philippine government, the Spanish promptly lost the Spanish/American war. During the peace negotiation between Spain and America, Spain sold Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the US for $20 million. The Philippines sent their best minds to the US to advocate for their self-rule, but the US failed to grant them their own sovereignty they had fought so hard for. Another war- the Philippine/American war - ended 2 million Filipino lives and settled the question for another 40 years of American rule. It was only after the atrocities of WW2 that the US granted the Philippines their independence on July 4, 1946. Families laid on space blankets in the shade as we walked the park, visiting the Chinese Garden.

Intramuros, a historic walled city inside Manila, was the next walking destination. First we stopped at Starbucks to download maps and assemble a plan. Once Julia made the map her phone background we were on the move again. San Agustin Church was our first major stop. A massive Spanish monastery built in 1607. Now a museum detailing the complete religious, economic, and legal colonization of the Philippines, detailing trade routes and gold mining along with the life of monks in the 1600’s. The Spanish were completely successful in their religious conquest, having converted everyone we met or saw into a devout Catholic. Then more churches and old buildings. Fort Santiago was our last stop inside the walled city. Built by Spanish conquistadors in 1571, then upgraded repeatedly until 1730’s. The American flag was raised here in 1898, who drained the moat to make a golf course. During World War II the fort was captured by the Japanese army and use as a killing ground for hundreds of prisoners - especially during the Japanese massacre of civilians during the liberation of Manila. 200k civilians (including lots of religious leaders) died in mass shootings during this last month of urban fighting. Intramuros and the rest of the city was gutted.

Back in 2017 - an Uber driver picked us up and took us to lunch. Dong Bei Dumpling house in Manila’s Chinatown district. A hole in the wall, that was recommended on every corner of the internet, was kinda scary getting to as our taxi driver took us directly through a slum on the edge of the river and the intramodal shipyard. It all paid off when we were served. One of the best meals of our entire vacation - stuffed pancakes, pork dumplings, and xiao long bao. Then we met our 9 year old friend Jarred outside. His dad runs a shop next to the restaurant and he wanted to talk as we waited for our ride. A very nice boy who had to run back to his dad to get English answers for our questions. Then we became Facebook friends - it was official.

Quiapo Market was our last tourist spot of the day. An open-air market selling everything from fruits to pirated CDs. We walked the hundreds of small booths looking for a fitbit replacement for the one I accidentally swam with in Palawan. We were able to find speakers, phone cases, watches, ‘nike’ shoes, bike parts, herbal “birth control” (it is a very Catholic country), 10 min massage, day-old chicks … but no fitbit. After an hour we escaped without spending a dollar.

Jasmine tea back at Luneta Hotel per the waiter's recommendations as we picked up our bags and then an hour Uber ride, with a sleepy driver, to our AirBnB in Alabang. This house was rented by our ultimate team for the long weekend. Just 2 kilometers from the fields in a secured neighborhood. We actually had to fight through the security gate our first time through, trying to prove we actually belonged there.

The house was huge, as were all the ones around us. 10+ beds upstairs, 2 on the main floor, and ours downstairs. There were also 2 house staff and 1 driver staying with us full time. The owners moved to California last year and use the house rarely. The staff are their personal helpers of the family for the entire lifetime of their children - Julia was lucky to get some time to discuss this further with one of their helpers and learn more about this aspect of the culture.

Team dinner was a ‘Boodle Fight’ - a traditional meal served on banana leaves and eaten with hands. Ours was packed with pork, shrimp, octopus, corn, and rice. I sat next to Summer who was allergic to shellfish - but she was able to avoid death with Epi-Pen on standby.

Friday the 17th began at 6:30am with Shawn cooking eggs, bacon, and sausage. The first van to the fields left at 7:45am, with Alan our driver. Ange and Steph were already there with a spot reserved for us under a canopy on the edge of the fields. Each team had their own section blocked off - which proved critical during rain and sun all weekend.

Manila Spirits ultimate tournament is in it’s 14th year. 40 teams from around the world come together for a fun weekend of competition. It’s a co-ed tournament, playing with 4 men + 3 women or 4 women + 3 men. 60 minute games played to 13 points. Our team - Just Saiyan - was 19 boys and girls, the only team from the United States. Ranked 29th out of 40 teams. I looked for Gold and was able to find 5:30 Palawan team, but he was not with them.

Right off the bat ‘For Old Times Sake’ beat us 6-10 first game. They had the Tournament Director on their squad and were all around highly spirited. An excellent introduction to Manila ultimate. It was a tight match all the way to the end, then near a questionably timed soft/hard cap they ran away with it. Finished with a Spirit Circle and hip hip hooray X 3.

The rain started as we walked back to the canopy. HARD rain that flooded our shelter. Everyone hung their bags on the canopy poles and embraced the storm. The fields were soggy but it slowed by the time our second match began.   

‘Love Parade’ beat us 3-13 in the second game. Clearly a dominate team, having won the previous year. We didn’t even make it to the 50 minute soft cap. Ouch!

We beat USO third game 13-8 on a sloppy muddy field. They were young, one player only 17 years old. After our victory we taught them the street fighter spirit game, which ended up being a long 30 minute game, happily played in the sideline shade.

Back at the house we washed clothes and hung everything to dry. Ice bath for the feet was sweet, I almost made it a full minute. The team cooked hot dogs for dinner - which were found to be individually wrapped after grilling for 10 minutes. Why?!?

Julia and I chose to go out for dinner to catch up with each other since we spent the day separated.

Julia went to Pagsanjan Falls (a whitewater gorge once used as a set in "Apocalypse Now" movie), about 3 hours southeast of Alabang. Alan, our driver, helped her find the proper bus after he dropped us off at the fields. Then a motorcycle driver picked her up from the bus station and took her the rest of the way to the falls. 2 guides navigated her up and down the river and underneath a waterfall in a dugout canoe and bamboo raft.  “Shooting the rapids” is the tourist activity in the area and there is a rotation system for tour guides - nearly 3,000 villages have "canoeing numbers" assigned and about 1 every 10 days they are able to guide. It is one of the major methods of income in the town and I was reminded "Christmas is coming".  The guides paddled and jumped in and out of the canoe to drag it over and between rocks, and pushed off of the gorge walls when necessary for upstream momentum.  Julia's concept of whitewater canoeing was greatly expanded from her Outward Bound expedition days, as she never considered anything other than paddling as a method for propulsion.  Apparently feet is another acceptable and common option.  Good to know.  Things put into perspective, Julia enjoyed the trip thoroughly.  Then the moto driver, Romeo, picked her back up and took her to 2 other random spots in the area with waterfalls, local boys swimming, and a lake at the top of the mountain overlooking Laguna Bay. Beautiful rural areas with farmers, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and subsistence gardening. she would have never found without his local knowledge. Aware that things could be risky, everything paid off wonderfully with Julia feeling very welcomed by the friendly people in the provinces.

Buko (coconut) pie for dessert. Julia got it during the bus ride home. As the bus rides were long and direct, they never stopped for food but rather let vendors come onto the bus for short rides. Roasted/steamed corn was a common treat, in addition to Balut, Empanadas, and nuts - all usually for 20 PHP.

Saturday the 18th was day 2 of the Spirits tournament. First game at 8am vs. ‘Sentinels’. We beat them 13-6 after Shawn’s hucks warmed up. Ange and Steph, our Filipino teammates who encouraged/organized this trip from the start, forgot their cleats at home. During our long 4 hour break they ran home and brought back Halo-Halo icy desserts that were sugary delicious. We relaxed in chairs from another team (which oddly they were mad about - come on team Vicious be reasonable) bought swag, drank smoothies, and watch games. 1pm was our second and last game of the day - which we ended up losing. ‘Breakfast Club’ was an old school team from Manila. They looked easy to beat but we just couldn’t shake our problems. They also called a bunch of questionable catches/fouls that really took the steam out of our high spirited squad. 6-10 was the final score, bummer.

Reviewed the day with Julia over dinner at Neil's Kitchen - a hip Filipino-fusion restaurant in Westgate Filinvest. We had three amazing plates of food, but the one I remember most was their concept of Dinuguan - a black liver and blood pudding dish complete with pork belly and rice. So rich and the best liver dish Julia has ever eaten. She went back to Manila city and visited 2 museums. National Museum of Fine Arts and National Museum of Anthropology. The art museum was beautiful and intense - the long history of the Philippines being colonized by Spain and America showed through in their religious art featuring Jesus and their modernist art featuring the journey from WW2 through the post-colonial years of independence. The Anthropology museum showed a sunken Spanish galleon which had just been excavated and explained a large part of that period of history. Lunch at Seaside Dampa - a seafood market where you buy anything from crab to lobster to shark to clams to tiger prawns and more - then across the street a restaurant will cook it for you. She had tiger prawns and a crab next to a family singing Videoke, a popular pastime in Asia.

Tournament part was Saturday night, which I decided to skip. It didn’t start until 9pm. I’m an old man. Asleep by 9:30.

Sunday was the final day of the tournament. We changed canopy locations to a central spot next to the first aid station (team Vicious ‘kindly’ asked us to move). Half the team was hungover, which gave confidence to the young and spry Sentinel opponent. They underestimated our experience playing hungover. We dominated from the first throw. I think they scored 3 points total, keeping spirit high the whole time. They did our ‘charge up’ cheer with us after the game - it was loud and awesome. The shitty part of this strong start was our teammate got injured. I threw a terrible pass over Amanda’s head, Ryan attempted to clean up the garbage. Feet got tangled as they approached the sideline - sending Ryan hard onto his elbow. Medics on the field said it was sprained (or torn ligament), he was out for the rest of the day. Felt terrible because it happened on my bad throw. Hopefully now that we are back in the US he can see a doctor and get healed quickly.

Game 2 was vs. White Propaganda. It was extremely hot with no sideline shade. Saiyan players were dropping out left and right. I was playing double points by the end of the game. Normally we were in pods of 3, rotating every point so that each person would play 1 of 3 points. Needless to say - we lost. Lots of simple drops added to the frustration, we totally could have beat this team. They were a fast squad, ready to move the disc quickly against any zone we tried to put on. The final score was 6-10.

Steph came back after the game with all our box lunches (so we didn’t have to stand in line with tickets waiting in the sun). Thanks Steph! Rice, pork, fish, and cookies were necessary to keep the engine rolling. I couldn’t seem to drink enough water all weekend - but the shade brakes helped encourage hydration.

Final game was vs. Stacked Stats, a team of players representing 15 countries. Fun group from the very start. We were never in the lead - they easily won 6-13. I was just happy to have survived a hot/humid tournament in Manila, my first international competition.

Finished the tournament with a box full of beers from the vendors. 24 San Mig Light’s while the team sat on the sideline watching the championship match - Boracay Bandits vs. Mulatto. Bandits were #1 and Just Saiyan ended up #32. Not too shabby.

Julia returned from Taal Heritage Town about 7pm. Alan was just asking about her status since it was getting dark, he had helped her get to the bus again and was worried she made it back easily. Taal is a popular tourist destination because it has a volcano in the middle of a big lake. Most people visit and hike to the top of the mountain volcano in the middle of Taal lake. Julia chose a different route - to visit the town and see their history. A wedding at the largest basilica in Asia, restored houses of Filipino Revolutionaries, market with dresses, halo halo, bikers, and a trike ride filled her day.

Ice cream passed around the dinner table on a Lazy Susan was the perfect capstone to a exhausting 3 days of ultimate. Our team was fun and already talking about what exotic tournament to try next year…Hopu Ka Lewa in Hawaii???

Monday the 20th was travel day. Alan began taking people to the airport at 9am. We relaxed and talked to the house staff, Delaney and Daisy, until 11am. They told us about Tagalog bananas and the backstory for the home owners. Alan stopped at the South Supermarket so we could pick up final ube treats for Julia’s coworkers. Then dropped our bags at EVA airline counter. We still had 5 hours until our flight so we got a taxi to the Mall of Asia to waste time again. Ryan was with us too. Lunch at Manam restaurant again, where we talked to a girl heading to New Zealand for a friends wedding. A quick walk along Manila Bay and we headed back to the airport (only to wait in line for an hour to check-in + customs).

16 hours of flying later, we landed 30 minutes before we took off. Monday was a weird day for us. Tuesday it’s back to work while fighting jet lag. The good news is that Thursday is Thanksgiving!

**Tagalog is a hard language to pick up for me. I learned zero words the almost 2 weeks we were in the Philippines. This is all I semi-learned after repeated instruction by various Filipino’s.

     hindi = no

     oo = yes

     mahal kita = I love you

     Buko = coconut

Overall the Philippines were a beautiful and adventurous string of islands. We look forward to going back to visit many more beaches (and tournaments) plus more off the beaten path international travel!  We picked up a cookbook for one of our few souvenirs so more Filipino food in our future.

Now it’s time to throw the ball for this dog… she needs love!

Cheers,

-Chris Coleman

[yorushinbun]

人肉館（長野県）- Jin Niku-kan (Naganoken)

Story translated from Japanese by editor Reki of Yoru Shinbun. These are all original translations from the Japanese source material.

Author: Tōkōsha giba-sana

“Hey, Want to go to the Jin Niku-kan?” It was the summer holidays. I usually work in Tokyo so I made good use of this time to return to my hometown in Nagano Prefecture. My hometown was a village located in the mountains. The temperature was high but the humidity is low so it wasn’t too hot and humid. The Alps run along the landscape in either directions to create a beautiful view. Compared to the city, my hometown has a great climate. I was feeling really happy to be returning home after a long time. With that in mind I headed towards my house. It seems like nobody is at home. My father and mother are self-employed and it looks like they are both out for work. My brothers must have gone out to play somewhere too. I decided that I should sit down in the living room to take a breather but because of a full day’s of work yesterday along with leaving early this morning to travel here, I ended up taking a short nap while waiting for my family to return.

Ring Ring

Ring Ring

Ring Ring

Ring Ring

I opened my eyes at the sound of my phone ringing. It was from my friend who heard that I was back home for summer. He was inviting me out dinner. Since I was back in my home, I really wanted to have dinner with my family but I was happy that I would be able to meet my friends again. I confirmed the dinner plan and looked at my phone for the time. It was 6PM, it looks as if I had been asleep for quite a while.

The evening sun bathed the room in an orange glow making it difficult to open my eyes. As usual, nobody else seems to be home yet. I washed my face and sent a text to my mum telling her that I will be going out for dinner. After getting dressed I drove over to my friend’s house. Ringing the doorbell, a familiar face greeted me at the door and we exchanged small talk before finally deciding to go to a nearby restaurant. We had a long talk about the good old times and updated each other on our current situations, just as we were leaving the restaurant my friend with an excited look on his face asked

“Hey, Want to go to the Jin Niku-kan?”

Jin Niku-kan translates to Human meat grill and is a well known haunted and abandoned building in my hometown. It is located off the roads leading up to the hot springs and out of town. Rumour has it that it used to be a grill and bar a long time ago but the management was bad and business did not go smoothly. The shop owner committed a murder and was putting human meat into the products.

The story was quite well known in this area but nobody I knew had ever ben there before. At first I wasn’t too keen on it but after some persuasion I gave in. I decided to give it a go as I didn’t dislike the occult or supernatural. The time was 9PM. We found the location after a quick search on the net and set off in my car. After a 30 minute drive we had arrived at the foot of the mountain where the Jin Niku-kan was located.

There was a small shrine beside a road that seemed to stretch on. I turned on the fog lights but the road beyond the shrine seemed to lead into the stygian darkness. On the map it says that the Jin Niku-kan was just a little further down the road. Fortunately the car is able to pass and we didn’t have to do any climbing or walking. I slowly accelerated the car fuelled by the fear of the darkness coupled with the fear of the place that we were about to visit. The road was getting narrower and the only way to return was to make a U-turn in a wide space that might be further up ahead. With this visibility it is impossible to reverse the car unless we wait until the morning.

As I climbed the winding slopes, the dense tree line on the left slowly disappeared and the building came into view. I pulled the car into a spot near the building as my friend in the passenger’s seat shone a flashlight at the building.

It was a large and imposing structure.

The once white walls were covered in moss and where a signboard might have been remains a large rusty hook. In front of us is a large lobby-like area with broken glass scattered haphazardly around. I begin to imagine how it must have looked before with a large panes of glass surrounding the front to allow people to be able to look inside. Further back I could make out some chairs and tables scattered around. The Jin Niku-kan is here without a doubt.

I turned off the engine of the car. Without the sound of the engine we could hear our surroundings clearly. The forest was silent, not even the sound of insects could be heard. I was scared to turn off the headlights. Just 2 of us in a dark forest. I was enveloped in silent fear as I turned off the headlights. From now on its just our flashlights to guide our way. I check the time again, it was now 10PM.

To get into the building, there appears to be something that looks like a door. But since the glass has been broken we could get in from anywhere we liked. The sides of the building however was surrounded by extremely close growing trees and we could not access either sides. My friend took the lead and stepped over the glass to get inside. Judging from he rubbish strewn about and the graffiti on the walls, we were not the first to have been here. This did not help to dispel my fear.

Having to only rely on the flashlight for light I shone it over to the next spot, my imagination running wild thinking that something might be there. Going a little further in we arrived at the kitchen. The cooking table was filled with dust and the ceiling was covered in cobwebs, there wasn’t any cooking utensils or kitchen knives around. Just like with the entrance there was trash littering the room such as empty cup noodle packages. My friend was further in and points his flashlight at me signalling me to come over. Apparently he had found a way to go further. Still hanging on a single hinge a door that could fall off anytime opened up into a long corridor. 5 meters down the corridor was a sturdy looking door locked by a padlock. I checked the time again, it was almost 11PM.

Since it was getting late and the door was locked I thought that we should take our leave. My friend had a different idea and started to approach the lock with a metal bar that he must have picked up from somewhere. He shoved it against the padlock and tried to pry it open.

“Hey, stop!”

Just as I whispered, there was a loud metallic snap as the padlock broke free. I instinctively looked around thinking that someone must have heard that and must be approaching us right now. My friend showed me a guilty looking face but continued onwards signalling me to follow. I let out a sigh and followed. Behind the sturdy door was a corridor that led further in and some stairs that continued to the upper floors. Maybe because to had been behind locked doors, there was no trash here and nothing seems to have been broken. We had no idea the inside would be so large and was a little confused from the layout. My friend kept urging that we continue our exploration.

But it is already late.

I suggested to my friend that we split up to try to explore quicker. He looked at the time and seeing that it was late agreed with my plan. After a round of exploration we would both meet back here in this exact spot.

My friend headed off down the corridor and I went up to check the 2nd floor. I looked up the stairs in darkness.  About 5 steps up, the steps was broken on the right side. I wonder what’s up there. Maybe there is someone standing at the top of the stairs. Such a thought hindered my step.

Bang!

A loud sound almost made me cry out. It seems my friend had already gone further ahead. I made up my mind and continued up the stairs, fortunately nobody was at the top of the stairs. There was a door at the top of the stairs, I opened it and shone my flashlight around. There are office tables lined up neatly and on one wall there was a large whiteboard and blackboard. Looks like this must have been the office area. In the back of the office there was a wall with a glass window. I approached the window and looked through it, from the window I could see the ground floor below.

The room below was rather large and had a glazed glass ceiling. Thanks to the moonlight streaming in from the ceiling I could see that it must have been as large as a school gym. What stood out was a couple of large machinery and various straw-like grass scattered across the room. In the middle of the room was a large circular space fenced in by a number of enclosures. When I looked carefully, objects that looked like huge square boxes were placed int he centre of the circular area. From here I couldn’t see any further.

After thinking about what this room was used for I arrived at a reasonable conclusion. Perhaps this is where they processed the meat. The cattle and pigs were kept in the enclosures and the space in the middle was used for butchering. The meat was then served fresh in the grill. According to the rumours, humans were butchered here as well. Thinking about it made me shudder and the whole creepiness of the situation became worse. While thinking about these things I continued looking down. There was a light moving around, it was from my friend who was exploring downstairs. He was moving closer to the large machinery and eventually disappeared behind the shadows.

After that, I continued looking around the room I was in and went back down the stairs to wait for my friend in the corridor. I wasn’t sure how long it took but after a long time my friend didn’t return. Even if it was a large room, he should have been done exploring it by now. I wonder if something had happened to him. I shone my flashlight towards the way he went and opened the door he had gone through.

Although I had already seen this room from upstairs when I stepped into the room it felt immensely large. From the door a pathway leads further inwards. Earlier I had seen that this path leads into the large circular space in the middle. Huge machinery lined both sides of the path. If I yelled out for my friend, I might be able to find him quickly but because of the eerie silence I could not even raise my voice more than a whisper. I had no choice but to pay attention to my surroundings while slowly moving forwards. Perhaps my friend might jump out of the shadows to try to scare me. As I walk the straw on the ground makes a swishing sound as they move against my feet.

I walked further away from the entrance and if I’m not mistaken I should be able to see the large circular area that was visible from upstairs. And just as I thought, I could make out the large circular area in the middle. Although I could not see very well from up on the second floor, the large square objects became clearer as I approached. It didn’t take long to see that the large square objects were actually massive refrigerator units. It wasn’t those household fridges that you have at home but large industrial use fridge. What a weird place to put it. It feels too unnatural.

In such a place nothing can compare to the fear of something out of the ordinary. I got closer to the large metal fridge. It was rusted all over and didn’t seem like it would be able to function anytime soon. I placed my hand on the handle and gave it a tug.

Clank Clank

It wouldn’t open, it could be locked. I tried pushing and pulling repeatedly but the door is shut tight. I decided to continue looking for my friend and headed towards the shadow of the large machinery where I had seen him disappear from the second floor. Just as I turned my back tot he fridge and walked a few steps there was a loud roar.

My body stiffened in fright and I knew immediately where the sound was coming from. It was from the fridge right behind me. the fridge that I had thought to be broken was working again and the roar was coming from the spinning fans inside. I couldn’t stop trembling from the fear and slowly turned around towards the fridge. I don’t understand what is happening anymore. Why did the fridge suddenly start to work again? For about 10 seconds I stared at the fridge and listened to the roar of the fans. Slowly the sound of the fridge died down.

Creaaaaaaaak

A heavy dull sound echoed through out the room. The door of the fridge opened. The door slowly creaked open to expose its hidden contents.

Familiar eyes,

Familiar nose,

Familiar mouth,

It's a familiar face,

My friend's head was there.

I had known my friend since high school. everyday we met at school and hanged out quite a lot. We went to separate colleges after that and he got a job at a local company whereas I went to Tokyo for work. Event though we live in different prefectures, every time I went home we would go drinking together. We could talk about anything and he was very important to me. Such a friend’s head was now placed inside a fridge. Blood was flowing out from both eyes and each eye was pointed in a  different direction. From his mouth dangled a long tongue not unlike a snake’s. It could have been cut off and placed in there. I became incoherent.

My feet couldn’t stop trembling and eventually gave out under my weight. I just sat there on the floor dazed. I couldn’t even feel sadness for my friend as I was completely shocked.

Scrape

Scrape

From somewhere there was a sound of metallic scraping. It was coming from the back of the fridge where the moonlight does not reach. I pointed my flashlight towards the sound. Slowly, I could see a long knife held by a man with bloodied gloves and apron. Next to him was a woman who was wearing my friend’s clothes now caked in blood. She was holding onto a severed arm. The man is holding a large knife which looks like it was used to decapitate a cow’s head. The blade was rusty and bloodied.

The man smiled while rubbing the knife while the woman was trying to remove a watch from the wrist of the severed arm. It was the same watch that my friend was wearing. I did not want to think about what the watch meant but I had no time to feel sad for my friend either as the man rushed at me with the knife. I’m going to be killed.

I got up and ran back towards where I came from. Without looking back I ran towards the exit. From behind I could hear the sound of things being smashed and yelling. While running I could hear the man shouting “ittadakimasu” (Thanks for the meal) and the rest were incomprehensible. Jumping out of the exit and into my car, my trembling hands tried to start the car.

The engine roared to life and I hit the accelerator. Unless I could find a wide space for my car, I could not turn back. I had no other option but to drive up the mountain. As I drove up the mountain, a thick fog began to surround me as if chasing me. The visibility dropped and I had to slow down to look for a wide space for my car to turn around. As I drove further up, there was a large iron gate that blocked my path. Around the gate wound several thick chains. Even if I were to ram it with my car, it would not break. After seeing this, I stopped the car. I cried after thinking about my friend. Looking out of the window, I took out my phone.

TO: Mum

Title: Sorry

Text: Mum, I’m sorry. I’m going back to Tokyo. Something came up. I really wanted to eat your homemade food, its a shame. I will come again. I’m really sorry.

After sending the message I closed my phone.

The man who was standing outside my window saw that I had closed my phone and then broke the window.

[pantysleep64-blog]

48 Hours in PARIS

Nine years ago I was diagnosed with my gluten allergy. Nine years ago was also my first time in Paris, France. The city of love. Also the city of bread. Needless to say, I was the unhappiest tourist in Paris. Watching my siblings indulge in fresh baked croissants and loaves was quite hard, especially as I munched on rice cakes. Well nine years have passed, and I am excited to report that I had the most incredible 48 hours in Paris. From the delicious gluten-free breads and baked goods to the restaurants and activities… I did 48 hours in Paris RIGHT. And I want you to, too!

My friends and I met in Paris on our way to Mykonos and checked into the Prince de Galles Hotel. Located about ten minutes (walking) from the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and more, the hotel was not only beautiful but also extremely convenient. I am the queen of walking, and if it’s possible, I walked more my two days in Paris than I walk in an average week in Los Angeles. I even gave my New York walking days a run for their money!

First stop- breakfast. Our concierge told us La Belle Ferronniere was one of the most well known cafes in the area, so we gave it a try. Whenever I am in Europe I go to town on eggs, because they are fresh, richer, more flavorful, and the yolks are a nice, dark orange. Aka how eggs should be. I ordered the three egg omelette with herbs, and my friend ordered three fried eggs with prosciutto. Both entrees were absolutely DELICIOUS. There were no added oils or butter (ew) to the eggs, and they tasted so GOOD. It goes to show how food taste is so easily compromised when once processed.

Three bakeries in Paris I was told I must hit were Noglu, Helmut Newcake, and Chambelland. I decided to skip Noglu, as I’ve been to the location in NYC (although I’m told the one in Paris is even better!) and I hit Helmut Newcake on the first day and Chambelland on the second. Helmut Newcake is a 100% gluten-free bakery. It is super tiny, with no seating inside and just 3 small tables out front. I was a kid in a candy shop! The café serves everything from cookies and breads to éclairs and cakes. I am dairy-free, too, and the pastries that were dairy-free were clearly labeled. A good friend of mine told me I MUST order the chocolate éclair. If I wasn’t sold just by her suggestion, I saw the éclair had hazelnuts on it, and chocolate/hazelnut is my favorite combination. I can’t remember the last time I had an éclair!! The filling was so creamy, I had to go back inside and confirm that there really wasn’t any dairy in it. Turns out the dairy-free fillings are made with nut milk instead of cream!

That night for dinner we went to the famous L’Avenue. L’Avenue is most popular (and sceney) at lunch, but given our time crunch we went for dinner. Don’t worry, it’s just as sceney in the evening! Or I should say at night. We dined at 9pm at the tables out front, and it was still bright out! It doesn’t get dark in Paris until about 10pm this time of year!

L’Avenue’s menu is kind of my dream. Think of your favorite French Bistro’s menu, but make the cuisine 100x better. To start we ordered the Pommes Frites- best French Fries I’ve ever had. Just the right amount of salt, and cut shoestring style so you can indulge without feeling too full. We also ordered the sliced avocado, which consisted of two avocado halves sliced super thinly and dressed in olive and salt. Another homerun dish. For mains we ordered the prawns and lobster. My friends also indulged in the burrata (I’m dairy-free so this was a no-go), and the tuna tartar which I also sat out because it had soy.

On Day 2 we decided to check out the Eiffel Tower and hit the 10 district (I was told this was the Brooklyn of Paris).

For lunch, after visiting the tower, we stumbled upon Café de L’Alma. The café was beautiful and a bit on the upscale side. The first item listed on the menu was an Aperol Spritz… no shocker there! Throughout the week, everywhere I turned people were sipping on Spritz’. When the waiter came to take our order, my friends ordered their Spritz’s, and when I declined he joked, “why, are you driving?!” Drinking is such a big part of the French/European culture! The menu had everything from King Prawns, sliced avocado, salads and omelettes, to heavier dishes like free range chicken breast and seared sea bream.

I was amazed and impressed at how meat, poultry, and fish are served SIMPLY cooked with fresh oils, unlike America’s desire to drown everything in sauce. PRO TIP: The gluten culprit I had to constantly watch out for in Paris was soy! (And of course, bread). Tuna tartar and tuna dishes are generally dressed in a soy vinaigrette and therefore a no-go.

At the cafe, I ordered the baked eggs with crushed tomato (no cheese) and a side of the sliced avocado. This baked eggs dish was INCREDIBLE. Honestly one of the best I’ve ever had.

In the 10 district, we went to Chez Prune for Spritz and tea. I LOVE the 10 district, and although it was ~30 minutes outside of where we were staying, we were SO happy we made the trip. Sadly we didn’t get to the area in time for the Bastille Market (which is there on Thursday’s and Sunday’s), but we walked up and down the canal, people watched, and enjoyed our stroll.

Chambelland, gluten-free bakery number 3, was in this area! Again, everything is gluten-free, with select items dairy-free, too! I ordered the sugar loaf with chocolate and orange. You can have your loaf served whole or sliced into mini squares. This loaf was SUPER interesting… I’ve never had anything like it! It was somewhere between bread and a pastry, and the orange added just the right amount of sweetness. Contrary to what I had heard, their famous chocolate chip cookie is NOT dairy-free. For my matcha drinkers, they also have matcha/green tea! But no steamed nut milk, so no lattes!

That evening we hit the town. Our first stop was Monsieur Mouche. This beautiful bar on the water was awesome! Delicious cocktails and a cool, trendy vibe- dress to impress! This bar was located right by Crazy Horse, or the “Moulin Rouge for locals.” This was one of the COOLEST burlesque shows I have ever seen. Yes there was nudity, but it was classy AF. I’d go with my parents, friends, boyfriends, whoever! It was SO cool and the highlight of our Paris trip. Tables are served champagne as they watch, and a bread and cheese plate, which I clearly did not indulge in, ha!

The last stop on our Tour de Paris was Hotel Costes, the most recommended destination by all of our friends. For my New Yorkers, think Bowery/Mercer Hotels, and for my Los Angelinos, think Chateau/Sunset Tower. The hotel is dark, the vibe is chic, and the clientele is sophisticated for sure. Hotel Costes might be my new favorite place in Europe! Oh and to top it off, the menu was the same as L’Avenue! Did I mention the menus note a special gluten-free salmon and avocado sandwich?! I didn’t order it on either occasion, but totally plan to on my next trip. We basically ordered all of our favorites from the night before, plus a few additional items and rounds of tequila, because it was our last night in Paris so why not?!

Paris was INCREDIBLE. When it comes to food- order an omelette, prawns, fries, or main course entrée that is simply grilled- you can’t go wrong! When it comes to beverages- order a Spritz- they are everywhere! And when it comes to your experience- do yourself a favor and go with a solid crew like I did. We were all smiles, ALL. THE. TIME.

xx #nobread

Source: https://nobread.com/nobread-news/48-hours-paris

[courtneycampbell]

My Calais Volunteer Journal

Sunday 12th August-Arrived in Calais

Monday 13th August-Started in the kitchen drying dishes and then went to ‘Sew Ho’ (a section of the warehouse where people repair donations that would otherwise would not be fit for distribution) and learnt to bring in the waist of trousers. Police were sitting in a car outside my accommodation in the morning, a former refugee who had been given asylum in the UK was coincidentally staying at house at this time.

Tuesday 14th August-Went to the sexual abuse training from Rape Crisis UK in the morning, told to not ask ‘why’ questions, but ask if they're safe and if they say no ask; how they can make it safe (buddies system etc.), not to take on their problem but imagine they throw you a ball you hold it for a bit but give it back, don't go and follow up with them about what they told you as that you then taking control of the situation when the control should be with them but tell them you are open for them to come and speak again, tell them before you start speaking how long you have to chat and then spent the rest of the day sorting donations and helping to put up tents. Dinner and then went to beach meet other volunteers.

Wednesday 15th August-Spent morning in the kitchen chopping vegetables then warehouse and sewed a couple sleeping bags so they could be distributed. Then started loading van for distribution to Dunkirk, police stationed outside camp stopped us but didn't check our passports, had to walk behind main food van so the children didn't climb up on it, mainly young men but also surprising number of children and a few women. Started serving and then chatted to people after, not meant to hug children but hi five as don't want to get too familiar as you will leave and could confuse/upset them. One young guy was speaking to another volunteer and telling her how he had been living in Germany for 3 years but then Asylum revoked and so back at the camp. Lots of kids and men wanting to help us if somethings heavy etc. We packed up and then got back to warehouse, washed inside van etc then debriefed and went home. Also told that around two years ago a lot of people wanted to go to the UK however due to the attitude of people there they want to go to Germany or Nordic countries as they're kinder to them.

Thursday 16th August-Continued the ripped sleeping bag in Sew Ho, a volunteer told me that one of the camps during the night was tear gassed, apparently a regular thing in both Dunkirk and Calais to get people to move from their tent.

Friday 17th August-Finished sleeping bag!! In the morning there had been another clearing by police.

Saturday 18th August-Another clearing from police in the camps in Calais- not usually happening on weekends but police have amped up on clearing. Repairing sleeping bags in sew Ho, sewing on missing buttons onto donated trousers and cardigans. Sewing holes in winter coats. Field Training for aid distributions. Sorting through donations and helping to clean the kitchen.

Sunday 19th August-Day off

Monday 20th August -In the kitchen washing dishes, chopping veg and wilting spinach. Distribution to Calais Camp at 5pm, much more chilled than Dunkirk however two sites and completely different ethnic backgrounds.

Tuesday 21st August-Day spent doing laundry and rinsing jerry cans.

Wednesday 22nd August-Spent day between sorting donations and sew ho, repaired holes in coats.

Thursday 23rd August-In the kitchen chopping veg, two evictions by the police one in Dunkirk and another in one of the camps in Calais. Told by a volunteer that the police come and generally allow people to gather their stuff and then load them into a van and drive them to Lille which is about an hour away drive and offer some accommodation but not enough for everybody and so they are all let go and walk back to Calais (women and children too). U.K. Detention centers only ones in Europe without a time limit on how long people stay there and then just let them go as too expensive to deport them and then tend lock them up again. Told about a woman in UK were border control knocked down her door at 4am and dragged her by feet into a van in her pjs and locked up for 3 months, then door opened, and she had to guess if she was free to go (didn’t speak much English) she then started her life up again and then happened twice more. Update at 10pm some of Dunkirk camp had been bulldozed.

Friday 24thAugust-day off

Saturday 25thAugust-Spent whole day in kitchen, chatted with the info bus about asylum. The first thing that's done when a refugee comes into the country to ask for asylum is have their finger print taken, if they have been in a European country before the UK they will be that countries responsibility and then the UK contact them and say tell us if you don't want them back, if they just don't respond then they still send them. Italy very prompt with taking finger prints yet don't want refugees, UK and France more lax-  possible that Greece pressures Italy as they have a big population of refugees and unstable economy and a lot of refugees enter first through Italy? Better for minors to seek asylum and not just the partial asylum (can't remember proper term) until they're 18 as less likely to get it. People I spoke to said they had met people in the camps who had grew up in UK and went to our schools and then they got to the age of 18 and were sent back to official country of birth despite maybe having no family there or memory of it.

Sunday 26thAugust-Day in the kitchen, distribution to the two camps in Calais, raining a lot and cold; lot of the guys had no coats and used a bin bag to shelter themselves. Overall it was a Chilled distribution with one guy in second camp, playing music that kept the vibe up, speaking to people that spoke up to 5 languages and couldn't believe how most of distribution volunteers only spoke English, got back at 9pm.