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bbyboybrock--archived · 4 years

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His Secret (Colby Brock Imagine)

Summary: *REQUEST* Hi! I really loved your dark Colby fic and I was wondering if you could do another one (if requests are still open 🥺) maybe something like the reader is a YouTuber and friends with Sam and Sam knows that Colby gets kinda obsessive with girls he likes so he doesn't introduce them but one day Colby comes across one of her videos and immediately becomes obsessed with her and she ends up being quarintined in the new trap house and Sam can't really do anything to stop Colby. If you can thank you🥺

Written: 2020

Word Count: 2,111

Warnings: obsession, swearing

Masterlist

“Thanks again for letting me stay with you guys. I think if I had to be quarantined alone in my apartment, I would have lost my shit. And it’s only two weeks so I promise to be out of here as soon as quarantine is up.” I say I grab the last bag out of my car.

When news first hit that the entire country was going to shut down for two weeks, I kind of freaked. As a YouTuber, you would expect me to be okay with a few days stuck in my apartment alone. The thing is, I hate being alone so much I’m barely even at my apartment. I asked around all my friends and none of them had a spare room and didn’t feel comfortable forcing me to sleep on the couch for that long. Sam didn’t agree at first, mainly because he was moving about a week into quarantine but he called me yesterday saying I could stay with them.

It’s not that I hate being alone, it’s just that I do well with other people. The only reason why I live alone in the first place is because all of my friends already had roommates or prior living arrangements. By the time I decided to move out of my parents’ house and become a proper LA YouTuber, living alone was the only option. I spend more time at my friend’s places or relaxing in a public place. I’ve considered many times just to get some sort of pet but I can barely keep myself alive, let alone another creature.

“It’s no problem Y/N, it’s like having another roommate. Besides, we have an extra room. It wouldn’t have sat right with me if I knew you were freaking out in your apartment when you could be hanging out here.” Sam says as he helps move one of my bags.

“I love how much you get me. This is why we’re such great friends.” I close the door behind us just as Sam’s phone starts to ring.

“Oh shoot, let me get this.” Sam carefully puts my bag down and walks away to answer the phone.

I look around the house for a bit, just to see where I’m going to be living for the next two weeks. I stumble into what I think is going to be the living room. There are boxes scattered all over and a few couches. I look out the window into the backyard. I get why Sam and his roommates joked that they were moving to Hawaii, their backyard is tropical and out of place for LA. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought that I was currently in Hawaii.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” A strange voice says from behind me. I jump and nearly fall on my ass but instead I bump into someone. I turn around and meet a face that I vaguely recognize.

“Sorry, I didn’t know someone else was here. You must be Colby. I’ve heard so much about you from Sam.” I stick my hand out to properly greet Colby. Colby takes my hand and shakes it awkwardly.

“That means you must be our temporary roommate, Y/N. Sam hasn’t told me too much about you. I kind of looked you up a watched a few of your videos. Now I sound like a creep.” Colby starts to blush and nervously scratches the back of his head.

“Hey sorry about that, that was— I see that you two met already…” Sam stops dead in his tracks and looks at both Colby and me.

“Yeah, I quite literally bumped into him. Anyway, what were you saying?” I set down my bag and sit down on the counter.

“Oh yeah! That was Kat, there’s an emergency and I need to go to her place for a bit. I was going to give you a tour of the house and I know we talked about going grocery shopping together before the stores close, but we can do that when we get back.”

“Or she can stay here and I could do everything. I can show her around the house and go with her to the store. It wouldn’t be a problem.” Colby mentions. Sam looks between the two of us again, this time his eyes look concerned.

“Colby, can I talk to you in private for a second?” Colby smiles at me before following Sam into the other room. I look around the kitchen while Sam and Colby talk.

There are still boxes everywhere, but it looks pretty organized. I remember hearing about the horrors of the first trap house so who knows how long this will last. The guys moved in officially on Monday, the first day of the quarantine, but I let them spend the first two days in their new house before I came to disrupt their new lives.

“Okay, it’s set. Colby will help you out while I go help Kat at her place. I hope you don’t hate me for bailing on you right now.” Sam says as he hugs me.

“No, it’s fine. You’ve done enough helping me find a place to stay during this. Go, help your girlfriend. We’ll be here when you get back.” Sam looks at both of us suspiciously before finally leaving.

“Alright, I guess I’ll show you around the house now.” Colby grabs the bag that Sam dropped on the floor and stretches out his hand for me to take. I hesitantly take Colby’s hand and follow him through the house.

Colby and I sit in the drive-through line for Jack in the Box. We had already gone grocery shopping and decided to get something to eat to take home for lunch. The stores were packed and we barely found some of the stuff we needed. It’s like everyone is panic buying for their apocalypse shelters. We’re only going to be locked down for two weeks, I don’t get why they’re freaking out. We were in line so long that we needed to eat as soon as possible, and I don't have the energy to cook as soon as we get back.

“You know what? I’ve been friends with Sam for so long and I’ve pretty much met every single person in your friend group. It’s kind of weird that I haven’t met Sam’s other half until today.” Colby mumbles something under his breath and turns to the menu for a second.

“You like the number 2, right?” He asks.

“What? I mean, yeah I do. How did you know that?” I raise my eyebrow and stare at Colby, who is refusing to look at me.

“I guessed,” Colby rolls down his window, “Hey can I get a number 1 with a coke? And can I also get a number 2 with a Mr.Pibb, no ice, and curly fries? Oh, and stuffed jalapeño?”

“How the fuck did you get my entire order right, down to the drink and the stuffed jalapeños? Did Sam tell you or something?” I watch as Colby rolls the window back up and drives up.

“Um… this is going to sound bad. But I found your channel a few months ago and since then I’ve been a bit of a fan. You mentioned it one time in a video and I remembered it. Now you’re going to think I’m a creep and not want to stay with us anymore.” Colby ruffles his hair before reaching for his wallet. I sit quietly on the side while he pays for our food.

He did that at the store too. While we were looking for food he would just put something that I like in the cart and lead us to specific aisles that I normally go down. I guess him being a fan makes a bit of sense. I must have mentioned all that stuff in a video or live one time. I’m a creature of habit so I get the same things every time. It’s still a bit creepy, but I shouldn’t read too much into it, I’m going to be living with him for two weeks.

****

Sam and I sit in my temporary room, playing video games. I spent time with Jake, Corey, and Colby earlier but Sam could sense my social bar declining rapidly so he pulled me away. I’m sure I’ll get to know the other roommates during the two weeks I’m stuck with them for quarantine, but for now, I can only deal with them for so long. There is so much chaotic energy in this house.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you. How was Colby earlier?” Sam asks as he passes me up in Mariokart.

“It was fine. We got everything we needed, minus the toilet paper because people are crazy. You should have told me he was a fan though, it would have made things less awkward.” Just as I’m about to red shell Sam, he pauses the game.

“What do you mean awkward? What happened?” Sam turns and locks eyes with me. His eyes droop with concern.

“I just mean, you know how fans can be. There’s a certain breed that knows just a little too much about you. It’s fine, I just wasn’t expecting it. He’s not like a creep or anything. Or at least, he didn’t try to pull anything if that’s what you’re worried about.” I turn back to the tv and press play.

I quickly red shell Sam and pull into first place. He doesn’t say anything as he drifts into second place, which normally he does. From the corner of my eye, I can see Sam biting his lip and furrowing his brows, deep in thought.

“Sam,” I sigh as I pause the game again, “if you need to tell me something, you might as well tell me now. You know, instead of weighing the outcome of telling me. What is it?” I place the remote on the floor and turn my full body to face Sam.

“Look, it’s nothing bad or really serious. It’s just… Colby.” Sam flips his hair out of his eyes and stares at me.

“What, is he some serial stalker who ends up murdering his victims?”

“No, not exactly. Wait, that sounds bad. Okay, so Colby has this… issue with getting obsessed with girls. Like in an almost creepy way. Which is why he’s single. This is starting to sound bad again. Colby has a thing for pretty girls. And you aren’t bad to look at.”

“Oh my God, Samuel you have a girlfriend.” I joke.

“Shut up, Y/N, you know what I mean. Anyway, when Colby finds a girl, he’ll get so completely wrapped up, almost like a crush but then times more intense. He’ll try to find out anything and everything he can about them. It’ll get to the point that he’ll try to get with them but then get bored because they aren’t like the person he envisioned them to be and hurt them. I knew that you had recently fallen into his radar, which is why I didn’t want you staying with us at first, but you were desperate. I’m not trying to freak you out, I’m just being honest and open. I should have told you before. I talked to him before and I guess he wasn’t paying attention.”

My breath stays stuck in my throat. I swallow hard and stare back at Sam. His blue eyes are soft like he’s afraid that I’m going to stop being friends with him because of Colby.

“He’s not going to like, jump me to anything, right?” I tuck my hair behind my ear and fix my posture.

“Of course not. He would never, but I get being worried about that after hearing everything.” Sam puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes gently.

“Well, quarantine is only going last for two weeks. I’m not going to be stuck here longer than that. So I can deal with this for now. Then I can move back to my apartment and we can go back to just the two of us hanging out.” I pat Sam’s arm that’s resting on my shoulder and smile at him.

“As long as you’re okay with it. If you up and leave anytime during the two weeks I won’t be offended.” Sam says smiling back.

“You know I hate being alone. Now let’s stop talking about this so I can’t go back to whipping your ass in Mariokart!” I quickly grab my controller and press play before Sam is ready.

“Hey, you fucking cheater!” He yells as he scrambles to get his controller.

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docholligay · 4 years

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Chinese Food in The American West

One of the things I frequently come across as a student of the American West* is that people get most of their information from movies and TV and then act like they know things. Wyatt Earp was not a Lawful Good champion who always did his level best even when it was hard to know. (You want Seth Bullock or Bass Reeves). Racism was far more complicated than white vs not white (I’ve talked about this EXTENSIVELY in Strange Empire, so I’m not going to bore you here**).

And they didn’t just eat steak. In fact, they rarely ate steak.

Steak as cowboy food isn’t INACCURATE, but it is MODERN. From about the early 1900s on, you had less and less drives and more and more ranchers who were staying put, with less and less hands needed, and so food was grabbed less “on the go.” Cows could be slaughtered and used to feed the family, allowing for more opportunities for things like steak, yes, but also things like chili, a play on sauerbraten, southern-style biscuits. The cattle drives were a real blend of culture and race, and a lot of what we have left as “Western food” owes a great deal to that.

And if we leave the cattle drives and head into the towns of the American West, as we will today, we find things like oysters, pies, and various things like that. Far more well-heeled than the general expectation.

I mean, here’s the menu from the Occidental Saloon circa the late 1880s:

Soups

Chicken Giblet and Consumme, with Egg

Fish

Columbia River Salmon, au Beurre Noir

Relieves

Filet a Boeuf, a la Financier

Leg of Lamb, Sauce, Oysters

Cold Meats

Loin of Beef, Loin of Ham, Loin of Pork, Westphalia Ham, Corned Beef, Imported Lunches

Boiled Meats

Leg of Mutton, Ribs of Beef, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Russian River Bacon

Entrees

Pinons a Poulett, aux Champignons

Cream Fricasse of Chicken, Asparagus Points

Lapine Domestique, a la Matire d'Hote

Casserole d'Ritz aux Oeufs, a la Chinoise

Ducks of Mutton, Braze, with Chipoluta Ragout

California Fresh Peach, a la Conde

Roasts

Loin of Beef, Loin of Mutton, Leg of Pork

Apple Sauce, Suckling Pig, with Jelly, Chicken Stuffed Veal

Pastry

Peach, Apple, Plum, and Custard Pies

English Plum Pudding, Hard Sauce, Lemon Flavor

This dinner will be served for 50 cents.

-I got this from the book “Saloons of the Old West” by Erdoes

But none of that is precisely why I’m here, I just can’t stop myself from talking about this, why I’m here is that one of the things I say that often surprises people, is that Chinese food was incredibly common for the, well, common man to eat. There’s very much a conception that we as a non-Chinese American people did not start eating Chinese food until the 40s and 50s, and its truer that it took longer to catch on in the American East than the West simply as a matter of proximity and choice.

Not MORE choice but LESS. Part of what made the West so unique, historically, is that the lack of choice and the basic scarcity caused people to work with and patronize people that their general prejudices would have kept them from using back east, because they had CHOICES. But out in the west, less so. There were few choices for a quick, cheap meal on the go. That dinner I just posted above is a lavish affair, and a great deal at approximately $20.00 in today’s money. (Which does not allow for the fact that cost of supplies has gone up and this dinner would most likely be offered for no less than 70 or so today.)

People desperately wanted something that was cheap and quick, and the other options in the American West were few, far between, and not intensely pleasing. No one had really come up with the sandwich shop as of yet, and in any case, fresh meats and cheeses would have been too difficult for the low-cost supplier.

ENTER THE CHINESE POPULATION.

If you have read my Strange Empire blogs, I hope you know that Chinese people were a huge presence in the American West, mostly working for the railroad and various mines, but also doing things like laundry, work that was extremely hard but took little in the way of English speaking. They existed in Chinatowns, for a combination of cultural and legal factors, but it’s a misconception that non-Chinese*** people never went to Chinatown.

People are not new, and it was not unusual for non-Chinese people to use the laundries, tailoring, and other services of Chinatowns while suppressing the rights of Chinese people int he same breath. There were always individual Chinese people any given non-Chinese person liked and did business with.

In time, they discovered the inherent wisdom of the noodle bowl.

I don’t mean to suggest that all these early restaurants served was noodle bowls, but that was where it all started. Remember, Italian food had little prominence in America at the this time, as Italian immigration didn’t really get into full swing until the 1870s in America. While there are noodle traditions half of everywhere, and there is nothing new under the sun, what we today would consider a stir-fry bowl was wildly new to most of the non-Chinese folks in the West. That it could be offered up so cheaply, was so filling, and so delicious (more on this later) was a wild revelation. Everyone from simple cowboys (which, fun fact! Was a slur back then!) to mayors were swinging by Chinatowns to try the dishes.

By the 1920s, chop suey, a fully Chinese American invention derived from the words for “various leftovers” was a hugely popular American food among all sorts.

Doc, you may ask, was it just that these folks coming through to get medicines or laundry were SO adventurous? Not at all! Chinese restaurants back then actually, in a very short amount of time, realized that their non-Chinese townsfolk were an excellent way to make money as well, and began to adapt and change dishes to better fit the Western palate, leading what we call American Chinese Food today, which is a legitimate foodway I will defend to my death. Unfortunately, none of these menus survive today--the only ones we have are from places in San Francisco, places that were much more posh, and not the subject of this essay.

There is a scene in Tombstone where Wyatt and his brothers are eating Chinese food, and it’s one of the things people often ask me about, assuming it’s anachronistic. Actually, it isn’t at all--the anachronism is that there’s broccoli in those noodle bowls, which had not yet hit our shores by the time of the OK Corral. Chinese food was a huge hit, Chinese restaurants were doing extremely well, and some Chinese restaurants were even beginning to attempt to print menus in English, with sit down areas, instead of serving simple fare from food carts.

As the food from these “chow chow houses” grew in popularity, as we can infer from the advertisements of their competitors promising free potatoes with every meal, and other such niceties to entice, there was, as ever there must be, blowback. Anti-Chinese sentiment grew to a fever pitch, and with this came overt pressure for ‘Good Americans” to patronize ‘American restaurants’. The social pressure is actually where we get some of that old racist jargon about Chinese people serving dogs and cats, which people often think was spread by competitors to degrade the Chinese restaurants, which isn’t UNTRUE, but was just as often said sheepishly by someone who couldn’t stop themselves from going and grabbing a noodle bowl or even the American dishes they offered, such as roast chicken or pork chop sandwiches.

(I won’t comment with anything but an eyeroll on the bullshit of people saying they’re ~allergic to MSG~ okay I’ll believe you when you stop eating processed food, meat, aged cheese)

It actually kept this type of reputation as being slightly scandalous well into the early 1900s, as being something you ate after the bar, something to be had in the shadows, but it was all for naught, because Chinese food became an important part of American identity. But for all that, no one ever pictures the Lone Ranger chowing down (the American phrase ‘chow’ for food actually comes from these ‘chow chow houses’) on some chop suey, but there’s every reason to believe he would have. American Chinese food is just as American as the Germanically-influenced hamburger.

(There’s a whole subtopic to go down about Jewish and Chinese communities and Kosher Chinese Food, two marginalized and othered communities coming together, but that’s a WHOLE other topic)

(Also someone please buy me Chinese food. This shit always makes me so hungry.)

*The American West is a specific time period, as far as the study of history goes. It covers the period between the end of the Civil War and the New Century, generally, and is, obviously, concerned with the western half of the country. It doesn’t cover stuff like Lewis and Clark (that’s Expansion) or even the Civil War itself, though you cannot possibly hope to study the American West in any level of seriousness without understanding the Civil War. Anyway! I know a lot about America between 1865 and 1900, and am just knowledgeable enough to be dangerous on everything else. Most History nerds are highly specified like this. We’re not as much help to your trivia team as you think.****

**I actually have had little chance to talk about ~European-style xenophobia~ as it played out in the west, because Strange Empire takes a more modern pass at it. But there was a hierarchy of “whiteness” as well, as still largely exists in Europe, land of intentionally clean ethnostates.

***I use the term “non-Chinese” instead of white because believe it or not, non-white people were not magically free of racism against Chinese people. It was horrific and BASICALLY every non-Chinese person was guilty of it to some level, a wild-ass level of hatred that led to Chinese folks not being able to PURCHASE PROPERTY BY LAW in ENTIRE STATES. Being Chinese or Native in this place and time was your Worst Bet.

****I actually was on a competitive trivia team, you DO want me.

#That was Oddly Specific #Holligay is 34: The celebration

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awdtg · 3 years

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sadfhudebfl · 3 years

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artificialqueens · 4 years

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Landslide (Jan/Rock) - Aries

a/n - written for winter as part of our gc’s gift exchange! thanks as always to alex for beta-ing, and to stephanie’s child for providing a gorgeous cover of the titular song that i listened to for four hours straight while i wrote. also on ao3 here! <3

summary - jan moves across the country, and it isn’t as easy to adjust as she’d hoped. (a songfic based on landslide by fleetwood mac)

I took my love, I took it down / I climbed a mountain and I turned around / And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills / ‘Till the landslide brought me down

Jan decides to move out the summer after she turns eighteen, fresh out of high school and desperate for something, anything, better than the life she’s grown up to know. She pulls out a map of the states and a dartboard, closes her eyes and spins around a few times like a kid at a birthday party, and almost laughs herself sick when she sees fate has driven her to the opposite coast. She finds an apartment and spends a week or two sinking in the San Francisco life like the most cliche of tourists - tries all the instagram-worthy desserts, takes photos on every beach she can find, goes on sunrise hikes to the Golden Gate Bridge, and relishes in how different it is to home.

She meets Jaida one night at some club about half a mile from her apartment when it’s late and she’s too drunk to remember her name, and drags her home with her through giggles and clouds of smoke. She doesn’t think much of it when she’s gone the next morning, or when she just so happens to go to the same bar the next evening and just so happens to see Jaida waiting in the corner, drink in hand, dark eyes inviting and terrifying and beautiful and everything she needs. She doesn’t allow herself to think anything at all of it when it keeps happening; kisses are shared far more frequently than words, and she’s read enough trashy romance novels to know things like this come and go too quickly to warrant anything too domestic or comfortable.

Despite this, she tries. She tries to make conversation through messed up white linen sheets and she tries not to be upset at the short answers she gets, if she gets them at all. She tries, above all else, to keep her head above water, because she’s learned fast that life here gets lonely, and an hour or two of feeling like she’s floating doesn’t neutralise the hurt in her stomach the morning after that weighs her down like rocks in her pockets.

‘Don’t you want to stay?’ She asks Jaida one morning as she’s slipping on her shoes, ready to leave again. She looks back at Jan, visibly confused.

‘Jan,’ she sighs, standing up and twisting the doorknob, ‘you know that isn’t going to happen.’

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? / Can the child within my heart rise above? / Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? / Can I handle the seasons of my life?

She learns, faster than anything else, that the key to surviving when you’ve dropped yourself somewhere brand new is to pick one of two options and stick with it: you can either establish yourself as someone that sticks out of the norms, someone that grabs attention, or you can try your best to blend in and adapt, and act as if you’ve been there the whole time. She’s always been good at living life in shades of grey, fading into the background when she wants to, and she decides that now, she wants to, so she does. She gets a job working at the reception desk of an office building just far enough from her apartment for her to be able to class the walk there and back as sufficient exercise and gains friends that she has over sometimes, but not too often, and never for too long.

She doesn’t frequent bars anymore - a girl her age moves in across the hall from her, and she doesn’t want to be the asshole that wanders in at two in the morning and wakes up her neighbours. They bump into each other in the halls, sometimes, and exchange a few words. One time, the girl - Jackie, apparently - invites her out for coffee, and she accepts. This isn’t blending in, insists the voice at the back of her head, but she’d look rude if she said no, so she allows herself this. Jackie’s from Iran, Jan learns, and she’s lived in California for the past year but only in San Francisco for a month, give or take. She works at a music store not too far from where they live, but can’t play any instruments (‘I just asked for the job, and they must have felt sorry for me!’), and her girlfriend is from Illinois but lives in LA, which is closer than they were originally but not close enough, and she’s a big fan of old TV dramas, and she talks a lot. It’s nice, Jan decides, to have to listen to a voice that isn’t her own. She thinks they’d be good friends, maybe, if they spoke more.

She falls into a routine more quickly than she’d like to admit. She wakes up at 7-ish, rolls reluctantly out of bed, fills her stomach with caffeine, and strides on into the office to greet one of the guys that works at the desk across her. He’s chipper as always, beaming through paperwork, somehow. He asks if Jan’s doing alright, she looks a bit pale, and Jan reflects his billion-dollar smile right back in his face and lies through gritted teeth. He doesn’t seem convinced, but doesn’t push. Jan clocks out that evening and walks home, averts her eyes when she passes the shitty bar she knows too well. She walks past Jackie in the hallway and smiles half-heartedly but doesn’t stop to talk, and she hates the way Jackie glances at her, eyes are full of pity as she watches her walk into her apartment.

Well, I’ve been afraid of changing / ‘Cause I’ve built my life around you / But time makes you bolder / Even children get older / And I’m getting older too

Jan’s phone rings at half past six in the morning every morning for a good week before she admits defeat and picks it up. The voice on the other end is too perky, too loud, to be heard that early, but it’s as comforting as it’s been her whole life, and she’s so glad to hear it she almost bursts into tears.

‘Jaaaaaan,’ Lagoona greets her, and Jan can hear the smile in her voice, ‘where the fuck have you been? I haven’t spoken to you in weeks!’

‘Busy,’ Jan replies, tries to make herself sound as convincingly happy as she can manage. ‘I’ve had a lot to do out here.’

‘Well, clear your calendar,’ comes the reply, and Jan has to stop herself from laughing - as if she’s seen anyone, or left the house for more than an hour at a time, for the past month. ‘We’re coming to see you.’

‘ We? ’ Jan questions. ‘As in, you and-’

‘Your whole family,’ Lagoona quips, ‘and your cat. No, duh, me and Rosé.’

Their flight lands at 10:40 on Friday night, and Jan runs herself ragged trying to make herself and her apartment presentable enough for them to take her seriously. When she leaves to catch an Uber to the airport, Jackie’s walking up the stairs.

‘Hey, you,’ she smiles, waving with one arm. ‘Nice to see you.’ The ‘going out for once’ is unspoken but obviously implied, but Jan doesn’t have the energy to get offended. She smiles, waves back, shoots back a ‘You, too,’ and runs down the stairs so she doesn’t miss the car. She greets Lagoona and Rosé at their gate with a bag of donuts and laughs at their excitement, accepts their running hugs with open arms. It’s 1am by the time they’re settled into Jan’s apartment and she’s thrown together a makeshift bed on the floor out of blankets and pillows she has lying around. It feels like a sixth-grade sleepover and it’s refreshing and comforting in a way nothing has been for months.

Their three-day stay passes faster than any of them would like, and they’re lying in the dark on their final night talking absentmindedly about everything and nothing when Rosé sighs loudly and flicks on a lamp, sitting up and turning to Jan’s bed.

‘Jan, baby, we’re really worried about you,’ she sighs, genuine concern in her eyes. ‘I know you say you have it all together here, but you don’t seem happy.’

‘Of course I’m happy,’ Jan replies, smiling. ‘You guys are here. I’m having a great time.’

‘You know what I mean.’ Rosé looks at her, and she knows there’s no point lying. ‘I know you wanted a new start and I won’t push it, but if you’re not doing well, come home. We miss you.’

They spend the Uber drive to the airport talking about things Jan can do to make the most of west coast life, and Lagoona pulls a notepad and pen out of her purse, scribbling something down when she thinks Jan’s not looking. She hands it to her before she heads through security with Rosé, squeezing Jan’s hands and pulling her in for another hug. ‘If you don’t get all of this shit done in the next month, I’m flying you back to New York myself,’ she laughs. ‘Consider it a to-do list.’ Jan watches them walk off, waves at them through tears, and pulls the piece of notebook paper out of her pocket, unfolding it. Make a damn friend!!! is the first point. She laughs to herself, shoves the list back into her coat, and makes a beeline for the Starbucks in the arrivals lounge when someone bumps into her and knocks her phone out of her hand, sending it skidding to the floor.

‘Oh, fuck, I’m really sorry,’ says the person, bending down to grab her phone. Jan looks at her and smiles, shaking her head.

‘It’s no problem, don’t worry about it,’ she replies. The stranger holds out a hand for her to shake, and she obliges, despite how foreign it feels.

‘I’m Roxanne,’ the girl smiles, and then her face scrunches up. ‘But nobody calls me that, ever, so I don’t know why I introduced myself that way at all. Rock. I’m Rock. And you?’

‘Jan,’ she says, slightly taken aback. She shoves her hand back into her pocket, and it closes around Lagoona’s list. ‘Hey, would you wanna go get some coffee, maybe?’

Oh, take my love, take it down / Oh, climb a mountain and turn around / And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills / Well, the landslide will bring it down

Come October, Jan’s decided to scrap the routine, but there are bits she likes to keep. She calls Lagoona and Rosé every Friday night at seven, for one, and they update each other on how their weeks went. She sees Jackie every day, obviously; now they’re working at the same store, they commute together and talk a lot more. Jackie’s girlfriend’s coming to stay for a week soon, she tells Jan when they’re walking home one evening, and she thinks it’d be a good idea if they all went out to get drinks or something - or coffee, she suggests, if that’s easier.

‘It depends when,’ Jan smiles, but nods. ‘I’d love to, but you won’t be able to get me out of the house on Friday nights.’

Rock knocks on her apartment door later that night, a bag of Chinese takeout in one hand and a Legally Blonde DVD in the other.

‘You said you didn’t know what we could do,’ she grins, ‘so I thought this was pretty reliable.’ She strides inside, throwing the food onto the kitchen counter and pulling Jan into a hug. ‘I’m proud of you, you know.’

Jan laughs, hugs her back, pushes the door closed behind her with her foot. ‘For what?’

‘Just in general,’ Rock replies. ‘I think it’s nice to hear that sometimes. You wanna watch Reese Witherspoon go to law school while we eat, or after?’

Jan smiles a lot more now. Rock says it’s one of her favourite things about her, but Jan’s convinced she’d say that about anything, providing it’d make her blush. It makes a change, though she’s not sure it’s a bad one - she’s still not wholly used to seeing herself in brighter clothes and happier expressions in mirrors, but she’ll do what she can to stand out.

#rpdr fanfiction #jan sport #jaida essence hall #jackie cox #rock m sakura #lagoona bloo #rosé #jan x rock #jaida x jan #angst #fluff #lesbian au #song fic #aries #submission #s12

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likingbi · 4 years

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Some friends have been after me to write down my experiences. This first entry will briefly explain who I am and how I got here and then I will continue on to fill in the gaps...

I was 17 the first time I had sex with a guy. I was in the middle of a very sexually active relationship with a beautiful girl who was very open to new experiences. This helped me to be open as well. On a snowy day, my friend Tom and I drove to his parent’s cabin in the mountains to go snowmobiling.

We were out all day in the storm and didn’t pay attention to how icy the roads had become. We hadn’t planned on staying overnight but the weather had other ideas.

We got back to the cabin and both took hot showers. Our clothes were soaked from riding so two robes were all we could find to wear. We used to constantly wrestle like brothers and he was making fun of me wearing his mother’s robe so I thought I’d knock him around a bit to show him who was boss. We rolled around a bit and then I ended up on top of him and both our robes had come open with my cock on his.

I looked down and it was a strange feeling. I had never felt anything sexual towards him before but both our cocks quickly became hard. I slid down and took his cock in my mouth and he resisted for a second by putting his hands on my head and asking what was I doing...and then I started stroking him and he had a change of heart. I went back to sucking his cock for a very few minutes as he quickly came. It took me by surprise as I got my first taste of cum.

Tom was a little freaked out and nothing else happened that night but I was set off on my journey.

When we got home the next day, I told my girlfriend what had happened. She was extremely turned on and wanted Tom to join us so she could see us together.

Tom reluctantly agreed and over the next four or five months, the three of us would get together every week or so. I became more and more comfortable with a cock that wasn’t mine and Tom actually seemed to enjoy sucking me.

Eventually he found a steady girlfriend and we stopped getting together (until years later). I eventually split with my girl but I’ll always be thankful for her helping me experiment.

My next girlfriend and I had a ‘normal’ sexual relationship for a few years. We moved across the country and grew to have a diverse group of friends. One friend, Steve, we always thought he may be gay but he hadn’t yet come out. We spent a lot of time together.

Eventually, my girl and I moved again but anytime we visited, we would stay with Steve. On one such trip, I was visiting alone. On the last night there, Steve and I went out for dinner and I could tell something was bothering him, though he wouldn’t say what it was. After dinner we went back to his place and he broke down and told me that he thought he may be gay. He was extremely upset. I told him that’s not a bad thing and it’s nothing he should be ashamed of. I said I thought it was great he came to that realization as we always had a feeling he was gay, though I couldn’t bring myself to tell him about my experiences with Tom. I think he felt a little better knowing my feelings hadn’t changed about him.

He eventually went in to bed and I tried to fall asleep on the couch. Everything he had said earlier kept going through my mind and I couldn’t fall asleep. I also found my cock getting hard as I thought about Steve with another guy.

Finally, I stood up, stripped and walked into his room. I climbed into his bed and he was completely surprised when he felt my hard, naked cock rub against him. I asked if he was ok with this and he whispered yes.

I started out by straddling him and grinding our cocks together. I realized that his cock was larger than Tom’s so this was going to be a new experience. I licked his huge cock head and then took as much of his cock in my mouth as I could. I was so turned on as I tasted his precum. And then he told me he was going to cum. I saved it all in my mouth and slid up to kiss him and share his come. He was still hard and his cock was slick with cum and my saliva. I slowly slid back and eased his cock in my ass. I had never had a cock in my ass before. Oh my god. I thought he was going to split me in two. I eventually adjusted to him inside me and he eventually came inside me and we fell asleep with his cock inside me.

I flew home in the morning but that was the beginning of a new level of friendship for us that still goes on today.

When my girlfriend picked me up at the airport I had to tell her about Steve on the drive home. She had not known about my previous encounters with Tom. Before that night with Steve, I had convinced myself that Tom was just a phase and I had worked through it. Now I knew this was part of who I am.

To my surprise, she was very turned on by me relaying what had happened with Steve. We talked though it all and she realized this was who I am and if she was going to be with me, she would have to be ok with it.

For the next few years, she wasn’t interested in taking part in my experiences but loved hearing about them, which led to amazing sex with her.

I decided to only have flings when I was out of town so I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew as I didn’t want people to know about my lifestyle. Steve eventually moved in with a great guy and from time to time, the three of us would get together when I was in his town. More on that later...

On one trip to LA, I stayed at a now defunct gay ‘resort’ call the San Vicente Inn. It was a clothing optional property in the middle of West Hollywood. It was, quite frankly, a seedy dump. But...I did have some fun there. On my first night, I was nude in the pool and there was only one guest hanging (someone totally not my type). He kept hitting on me and I finally got out of the pool and walked around to the private area where the jacuzzi was.

Well...I will never forget the sight...one gorgeous guy was standing in the middle of the jacuzzi and two equally hot guys were sucking his cock. Did I find heaven? The hunk standing up motioned for me to join them. I climbed in and slowly started running my hands over the two ‘cocksuckers’ and I eventually alternated between sucking each of them. And then I got to the guy standing and pushed him down to sit on the edge of the jacuzzi. I reached over to the bowl of condoms conveniently placed aside the hot tub and rolled one on his cock and slowly lowered myself, impaling my ass with his cock as the other two guys moved over and I went back to alternating between sucking both of their beautiful cocks.

I never saw any of them again. I’m annoyed now that I never even got their names as it was an amazing experience and I’ve re-enacted that experience many times since.

A trip to San Francisco really opened up our world. At this point, my girlfriend had done very little with other women, though I knew from talking about all my experiences that she was getting a little curious to explore a bit.

While walking around town, we passed an art gallery that looked interesting. There was a beautiful girl working there...all by herself in the gallery. My girl said we should stop in later after lunch.

The afternoon passed quickly and we ended up back at our hotel. We decided to shower and then stop at the gallery on the way to dinner. She wore a short skirt and a loose top with no bra. You could see her nipples when she bent over. I asked if she’d rather just stay in as I just wanted to bury my head in her pussy. I slid my hand up her skirt and realized she was sans underwear, too. She pushed my hand away and said “later.”

We got to the gallery about 30 minutes before it closed. The current show was paintings by Ronnie Wood. The gallery employee (Sara) came over to us and asked if we had any questions. My girl asked a few about two of the paintings. I watched as Sara was really checking out my girl.

She then said they were closing in ten minutes and she was going to start closing so we should let her know if we had any other questions. I told my girl that she was being checked out. She didn’t believe me and said I was reading too much into it.

We walked over to Sara and I asked if there was a good Thai restaurant nearby. She said “oh, yes...one of my favorite restaurants is two blocks away.” She wrote down the name and address and handed the paper to my girl...and then my girl floored me by asking Sara if she’d like to join us.

Before I knew it, we were closing down the restaurant. Both girls were feeling no pain after a few drinks. Our waiter (Todd) was obviously gay and I could tell he was trying to figure out our situation all evening. Eventually, when he dropped off the check, he said it looked like I was going to get lucky tonight.

Sara replied, “I hope I’m getting lucky tonight” and she leaned in and kissed my girl and I saw her hand went up my girl’s skirt. I looked at Todd and asked, “I think they are going to be busy, would you like to get lucky with me?” I believe his exact response was “hell yes!” He said it would take him about 30 minutes to finish up and brought another round of drinks.

The four of us headed back to our hotel. I was so excited for my girl and was thrilled I was going to be there for it. We started out with Sara and I taking turns kissing my girl and then once I could tell she was feeling comfortable, I let them explore and turned my attention to Todd.

At one point, I looked up from sucking Todd’s cock to see my girl staring at me with a big smile on her face as Sara was eating her pussy.

That night changed everything for us. My girl opened up and wanted to experience everything.

The San Francisco experience started us on a search for like minded people. We’ve found many partners and there have been some we approached that while not interested, luckily, weren’t overly offended by being hit on.

I digress. Back to Steve. He ended up doing quite well in life with his partner. For Steve’s 40th birthday, they had a pool party where they invited 20-25 of THE hottest guys. When I arrived to see all these naked guys laying around or in the pool or hot tub, Steve said to me “you don’t know which way to look, do you?” He was so right. During that party, I was a total whore. I proceeded to suck 16 cocks that day. That’s a record for me.

They have continued having parties like that, inviting 8-10 gorgeous guys. I’ve been lucky to have attended a number of them.

In the past year, we have tried to settle down a bit. We decided to have our (new) friend, Ian move in with us. We have a great relationship and it is so good having him living with us. It’s an interesting setup as my girl has a steady girlfriend now as well. The first week of every month, she stays with her girlfriend so they have their alone time and Ian and I do as well (we call it our ‘gay week’). Then the rest of the month it’s the three of us. Once in a while her girlfriend will join us, too. My girlfriend isn’t much of a morning person, so most mornings consist of Ian waking me up with his beautiful cock. Many mornings I’m been awakened by him sliding into me from behind. Some nights I lay beside them as they suck and fuck just mesmerized seeing her so happy. It’s the perfect situation.

To be continued...lots more to tell.

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plannedparenthood · 5 years

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Justice, Knowledge, and Power: Meet the People of Raíz

In their own words, four organizers discuss why they push for public policies that truly represent the Latinx community — and work to protect access to health care.

Planned Parenthood health centers provide care to communities across the country — people of all colors, all gender expressions, regardless of income, education, or immigration status. But that care affects each of our communities in different ways.

The Latinx people who power Planned Parenthood can attest to that truth, and can speak from knowledge about how their life experience informs the ways Planned Parenthood speaks about — and works to protect and expand — access to health care

We want you to meet a few of the Latinx members of the Planned Parenthood family — and to learn from them, in their own words, about the importance of the work they do every day.

Angelica Romero Raíz Organizer, Planned Parenthood Arizona

1. How long have you worked at Planned Parenthood?

I am a new Raíz organizer and have been on staff for five months — but I was a Raíz volunteer for two years.

2. Why did you come to work at PP?

I got involved with PP because I knew this administration would attack women — but specifically women of color like myself. Planned Parenthood not only focuses on health care for all, but also advocates for immigrant rights so I thought it would be the perfect route to fight for the injustices that matter to me.

3. What does the Raíz organizing work mean to you?

Organizing with Raíz is like organizing for our roots and where we come from. Educating our communities of color on reproductive care issues is something powerful because at times, our people are the ones who are being left out of the reproductive care conversations. Seeing my mom be educated about the services we provide and being able to break the abortion stigma she held is something powerful, and even more empowering when it can be done to many other women like my mother through the Raíz program.

Norma Jimenez Specialist, Latino Leadership and Engagement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

1. How long have you worked at Planned Parenthood?

I started my involvement with Planned Parenthood in Phoenix in 2014 when President Obama rolled out the Affordable Care Act (ACA). At the time I was working with a Planned Parenthood group called Community Connect — which I had heard about when a friend who knew I was looking for an internship related to health care emailed to say, “you should apply to this.” That job focused on helping Latinx people and people of color get health insurance. Over the course of six months, I walked neighborhoods, knocked on over 100 doors, mainly Spanish-speaking households, and assisted them in enrolling and choosing a healthcare plan that would work for them and their families through the ACA.

After the enrollment period ended, I continued to engage with Planned Parenthood locally and kept working with Latinx folks through a program called Raíz. As an organizer with Raíz, I helped get sex-ed policies adopted by local school districts and provided an educational forums and pláticas to Spanish-speaking communties and partners. I decided that I wanted to continue being connected with Planned Parenthood, and now, I am working with the strategic partnerships team at the national office in DC.

2. Why did you come to work at PP?

I grew up in a Catholic household in a Mexican family. At a young age, I was made aware to never let anyone touch my body without my permission; or if I was ever made uncomfortable by a male or anyone, to let my mom or grandma know. That was it. All other topics related to reproductive care, education or health care were not talked about. When I was in middle school, my body started to develop faster than many other of my girl friends. I hid my body under loose clothing when I went to school and hated my body because I was starting to look like a woman. During this time, I also got my period (in middle school) during class and I was so scared. That moment changed me. I was scared, confused and I felt alone and questioned, "why me?" — as if I was broken and I had done something wrong. I had to learn how to navigate that time and moment on my own. My family didn’t talk to me about it. They didn’t know how.

I understood soon enough that many of our moms, and loved ones don’t know how to bring up the subject of reproductive care to their children. Many of our parents think our teachers should be educating us on “sex topics” when in reality, comprehensive sex education is not taught in school at all.

This is why I have decided to work with Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is the country's largest sex education provider as well as the go-to provider for reproductive health care for people. Planned Parenthood was there for me when I needed my first annual exam. They were there when I needed to learn about my birth control options and most importantly, Planned Parenthood helped me find my voice, and my identity. I learned to love my body unconditionally. I want all young people to know they are not alone, and it’s okay to feel confused and scared. Planned Parenthood is here for you.

3. What does the Raíz organizing work mean to you?

My first time learning to unpack all the bottled-up feelings and trauma I had since I was little, was through Raíz. Raíz provided me with resources and skills to help me develop my professional career. To be empowered, to make my own choices while at the same time being true to the values my family had instilled in me. I identify as an immigrant, as a woman, as a Latina, as a feminist, as the first to go to college, as a survivor.

Raíz is not just another Planned Parenthood program. Raíz uplifts our people, our communities, it empowers people to be true advocates for what they believe. Raíz advocates for justice and helps change policies for the betterment of our families and selves. Raíz works with our moms, abuelitas, with teens, students, with community partners to work on issues that are important to us.

Raíz organizers know we are not single-issue people who live single-issue lives. Raíz upholds our culture, our races, our people and more than anything, trust and family.

Victoria Ruiz-Marin Raíz Organizing Specialist, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains

1. How long have you worked at Planned Parenthood?

I have worked for Planned Parenthood since January of 2017. I was hired by PPFA as a Raíz Organizer to engage the Latinx community in Las Vegas. At the start of 2018 I transitioned into my local affiliate, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

2. Why did you come to work at PP?

I decided to work for Planned Parenthood because I recognized the lifesaving medical services they provide each and every day to women and people who need it most. As an undocumented individual who did not have a maternal figure during my adolescence due to unjust immigration policies, I found myself with a pregnancy scare and no knowledge of how to proceed during my high school years. During that stressful time in my life, Planned Parenthood was there for me. The nurse who saw me was kind. She addressed my concerns, and talked to me about the birth control options that were available.

As I grew older I realized that several women in my community had not accessed reproductive health care, because of barriers rooted in discrimination. When I was approached about the position with Raíz, I was excited for the opportunity to engage other Latinx community members around access to reproductive health care and the protection of our reproductive rights. The Latinx community is one of the most marginalized and underserved; I knew that through Raíz I would be able to unite my community in order to drive the change needed to protect our reproductive rights.

3. What does the Raíz organizing work mean to you? The work being done through Raíz means I’m able to give back to my community by empowering them to become leaders who advocate for their reproductive freedom. Through Raíz, we can collectively break down the existing barriers that keep us from accessing health care. Organizing my community allows me to uplift their voices and experiences to affect policy and ensure our access to reproductive health care, and hold our elected officials accountable. Raíz is truly about justice and building the most authentic and sustainable partnerships among Latinx folks.

Joshua Alba Raíz Fellow, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts

1. How long have you worked at Planned Parenthood?

I’ve worked at Planned Parenthood since late August 2018 — so, nine months.

2. Why did you come to work at PP?

Coming to work at Planned Parenthood was not initially part of my plan, so it was a surprise. As a cis-male Latino, I had always seen Planned Parenthood as a womxn’s organization, even though I’ve sought its services. I decided to take the opportunity, because I realized that all the reading and healing that I’ve been doing for myself, with my partners, family and friends, around trauma and toxicity stemmed from my relationships with my body, and everyone around me. I still get shook when I register just how fundamental sexual and reproductive health is to identity, empowerment, connection — and how basic health is to all of us.

3. What does the Raíz organizing work mean to you?

This work I’m doing through Raíz is a cornerstone to liberation for me and my people. When I look at the still-lingering effects of Puritan decimation in the Northeast and Catholic colonialism in the Caribbean — I’m Dominican American — I see bodies policed, slaves, minds shackled, forced breeding, rape, mutilation and murder. My family is a direct product of that, and that trauma lives in me. I struggle to heal, and in order to heal, we have to change the core ways in which we see ourselves that we’re established so very long ago. That means owning our own bodies, that means respecting other’s bodies and choices, and doing no harm from this ground level, all the way up. That means fighting for the right for everybody to be able to have, at least, enough protections in this area of our lives, so that we can heal our generational wounds. That’s what Raíz means to me. It’s up to us.

#LatinxsforPlannedParenthood #communityorganizing #raiz

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ashleysouniqueblog · 5 years

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A Guide on “How To” Habana

If you came across this blog post, you may already have found out that planning a trip to Cuba from America is not the easiest task. There is not much information online and the information that is online conflicts. This may be since some of the information is 4-5 years old and things there are in the development stages. I too had a hard time finding information and this is what made me determined to pass on real experiences and suggestions.

My trip to Havana, Cuba was a full 3 days, from Thursday to Sunday. I planned this trip for myself along with 12 others. So here are some key takeaways:

1. Flights: In order to a book a flight to Cuba from America you have to fall into one of the 12 OFAC Categories. All airlines require you to choose one before being allowed to book the flight. Make sure that you choose correctly as you will be asked again when it’s time to check in and when you land in Cuba. Also, Visas must be purchased at check in or at the gate they can range anywhere from $20 to $100 depending on the airline and departure city.

· Visiting family

· Humanitarian projects or to provide support to the Cuban people

· Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments and certain intergovernmental organizations

· Journalistic activities

· Professional research

· Educational activities by persons at academic institutions

· People to people travel

· Religious activities

· Public performance, clinics, workshops, athletic or other competitions and exhibitions

· Authorization to provide travel services, carrier services and remittance forwarding services

· Activities of private foundations, research or educational institutes

· Exportation of certain Internet-based services

2. Housing: Booking an Airbnb instead of staying in a hotel falls under OFAC “Support for The Cuban People” also if you do choose to stay in a hotel make sure it is not on the U.S. Department of State Restricted List. Quality Airbnb’s tend to get booked quick so make sure you are giving yourself time to life the life you want to while in Cuba. Make sure you communicate with the house host as some houses have strict rules. For example, you may not be able to bring outside food or drinks into the home, no guests can come to the house, no parties, no loud music, men may not be able tot sleep in the same room, etc.

Due to my group of people being over 10 people the options we had for Airbnb’s were off the back limited as we later found out that the city does not accommodate large groups very well. Furthermore, I found an Airbnb called “Blue Mansion Hostel My Way”. This home had none of the house rules as above and the host was more than accommodating while communicating with me before I booked. La Casa Blue Mansion Airbnb pictures does not do this house any justice. This house was beautiful and huge we had more than enough space!! Online it says that there were double beds in most rooms then 6 single beds split between 2 bedrooms. When we got there the single beds were Queen sized and the double beds were King sized. Everyone in my group had their own bed, and even some had their own room. Every bedroom had separate bathrooms and ample towels etc. There was 24/7 security, house cooks and waitstaff were on standby for whatever you may need, or request. This is a very clean family house and it has a very cultured feel. My group spent a lot of time in the many patio areas around the pool or in the bar club area that also had a pool table. We were very pleased.

3. Currency: Visa, Mastercard, American Express or any other debit/credit card is not accepted in Cuba so bring enough cash with you for your entire trip. US dollars is hit with an extra conversion penalty and lose value dramatically is you convert directly from USD to CUC. Therefore, we converted USD to EUR prior to our flights, then converted from EUR to CUC once we landed in Cuba.

Cuba has 2 currencies: CUC and CUP. You should always get CUC as it is more widely accepted, and CUC has the higher value. For instance, CUC is 1 to 1 to USD/EUR/CAD (roughly), while CUP is 1 to 25 USD/EUR/CAD. CUC is what we seen prices in tourist areas listed, while businesses that displayed CUP were in neighborhoods. Of course, food was cheaper in neighborhoods.

How much to bring? We were there for 3 days converted between $500-1,000 USD and once the trip was over we pretty much converted most of it back. It’s safe to bring more than what you’ll expect to spend just in case. Also, if you save your receipt from exchange centers in the airport, within 30 days they allow you to convert back without a fee at the same rate you purchased.

4. Airport Experience: When you first land in Cuba, you will be outside and will walk into the building. The customs agents and TSA are 90% women. Their uniforms are quite interesting as the military style miniskirts and black fishnet stockings fit very sexy. I was pleasantly surprised. Waiting on baggage claim was okay until my bag was literally the last one out on the belt and the moment I grabbed it, agents wanted me to step to a table on the side for an extra check. The bag that I checked was actually school supplies that I was planning to give to the kids at a school near our Airbnb. They were speaking Spanish and I only caught on to key words like “violation”. I was started to wonder why? There was nothing I brought that was against the law, just folders, composition notebooks, crayons, markers, and chalk. As they checked the pages on the notebooks they had all my friends who were waiting close the door come back to scan all of our bags through a metal detector. Shortly after, they let us go. Weird.

5. Airport Transportation: We booked airport transportation through our house because several of us took different flights and landed at different times. The house had someone waiting with a sign at every single one of our flights. Airport Taxis literally wait in the airport line all day to get someone who is going into the city, not from one terminal to the other. So, keep that in mind for your departure date because it will be hard to find a ride from one terminal to another.

6. Taxis: Taxis in the city are cheap. You’ll be fine but ask how much before you ride off with them so that you aren’t shocked by the rate. We allowed our house to organize taxis to and from the city and club. We were dropped off at different meeting points and gave him a time to pick us up. He was always on time.

7. WiFi: Most American cell phone plans do not work in Cuba. So as soon as you touch down you most likely will not be able to contact anyone. Hotels and Wifi parks sell WiFi cards $2 for an hour of online activity. Two guys in my group found a park and waited in a long line to get one. The rest of us did not see any of the WiFi parks. Some people were able to make calls from there cell at $2.49 a minute, but they could not receive a call. We were there for 3 days so soon after we stopped worrying about being able to get on social media and focused on enjoying the time and people that were right in front of us. If you are anything like me, be prepared, plan ahead. Download Maps.Me and download the Havana, Cuba offline map. Also, take screen shots of restaurants, addresses, important information, flight information, etc. as it is very likely you will not have connectivity.

8. Giving back to the Cubano kids: I planned a school drive as a form of giving back to the Cuban kids. We all brought supplies we thought may be scarce or just needed to be replaced to give to them. With the help of our Airbnb host we were able to get the Principal of a local school (I will not name the school) to allow us into the school to give the kids supplies. They were happy children with big bright smiles in their uniforms. This warmed my heart.

9. Restaurants: Most dishes we found in Cuba of course were seafood. But you were able to find chicken, salads, and pizza as well. I won’t detail all of them but 2 in particular. There is the O’Reilly 304 Gin Bar and Restaurant. We were all completely amazed by the bartender and all of his concoctions of drinks. We also met the manager Julio we completely accommodated us and had a million stories to tell of U.S. celebrities who has stopped by his spot. One thing I must say is that we were wondering what was taking so long with our food and soon after Julio and another guy comes in with fresh veggies and a string line of fish just caught out the ocean! Not to mention the food was seasoned very well! Make sure you try the salsa for the plantains, you will not be disappointed. Another day we went to Del Mar beach but met at Rachon Don Pepe, a beach hut restaurant. There drinks were $2.50 each! If you find yourself in the area stop by and get the lobster tail and boiled shrimp with hot sauce! There is also a pinacoloda spot next door that will completely give you beach vibes.

10. Beaches: The most popular beach that everyone says to go to is Veradero. This beach is 3 hours out of the city. Planning this trip, I did not want to have to commute 6 hours for anything, so I did some research on other beaches and found Del Mar. ‘Playa Estes Del Mar” was absolutely perfect!!! We all fell in love from the moment we walked up a sand hill and got to the top and saw the crystal-clear water and warm smooth sand. If I could I would go back just to have another day on that beach.

11. Cuban People: I’m not sure if I just didn’t know what to expect Cubans to look like but they look like us! The country is full of beautiful black and brown people! I absolutely loved the looks. Everyone we encountered either did not say anything to us or was very nice and talkative. I believe they are just as curious of us as we are with them. A lot of Cubans are artists, I was not expecting so much beautiful art! If you have the chance stop by the market and bring extra cash to buy some timeless pieces of art and paintings.

12. Night Life: Our first night in town we went to a place by the name of “Mio y Tuyo”, drinks and food was cheap, and they had a good DJ with the videos to the songs playing in the background. We found out later that is place is someone’s home. They made the first floor of their home into a club. Cool right? Our second night, we went to “Fabrica de Arte Cubano”. This place is about 7 clubs in one big building with patios. Each club played a different type of music but all of them made you want to stop and dance. All throughout the building was a display of art from local artists, which I absolutely loved. The bartenders make all the drinks hand crafted and none of the mixers come from machine. Everything was from fresh ingredients. The 3rd night we were going to go to “Fantasy” but we ended up throwing a party for ourselves in our Airbnb club (the house seriously has its own club).

13. Tours: Book the Vinales Cigar rolling and Horseback riding tour, it’s an all-day tour but is worth it, so plan to have 1 full day of your trip there. If you are short on time as we were, there is a Cigar Factory and Rum tour in the city that is roughly 3 hours, and they are only open on weekdays. If you book an Airbnb, allow the house host to book the tours for you as they have direct contacts to these businesses. But I do recommend not to pre-book the old American car tours. Online prices were average $45 per person, while walking up to them and negotiating they quoted 60 CUC per car (split between 3-4 people in each car) for a city tour and to drop us off at a Restaurant in Del Mar (30-40min out the city).

14. Time is not of the essence in Cuba as it is in America. They are not in a rush to do anything. If you set a time for your taxi to pick you up and you are not ready they will wait on you. You cannot pay to skip the line at the club (trust me we tried to offer $$$), you must wait in line. There is no quick bite to eat as all the food is made to order and the drinks are handcrafted with detail. So, find some patience.

I hope my tips help you and yours enjoy your trip! Follow my group and our tags on IG: @AshleySoUnique @Wolf_of_Peachtree @DrCarlaMoore @Corrien3 @__Jayalessia @_miamor @_meaganh @Supreme.bliss @modernmillennia @teddy_atl @blkgrl_ashley @lala_kki @quinashai_chelette

#SomewhereInCuba #Travel #Habana #Havana #Cuba #Havanacuba #Habanacuba #blacktravel #travelisthenewclub #travelnoire #westaytraveling #weworktotravel #blacktravelfeed #blacktravelgram #jetsettingchicks #travelblacktakeover #travelandleisure

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in78weeks-blog · 5 years

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Solo Trip to Bogota

Nervous about my first international solo trip, I landed at the El Dorado International Airport and worked up the courage to use my very limited and very broken Spanish to acquire a SIM card, exchange some cash, and grab a taxi to head to my hostel. I gave the driver the address to the hostel, which he did not recognize, and after telling him it was in the La Candelaria neighborhood and setting my google maps GPS to direct us to the hostel, I let out a sigh of relief. While he was driving me to my hostel and occasionally getting lost, I directed him by telling him “derecha aqui”, “izquierda a la calle once”, etc. With 15 minutes remaining on our drive to the hostel, I looked down at my phone to the terrifying realization that my phone only had 9% battery remaining. I thought to myself, “if my phone battery dies now, I have no way of knowing where to go, and neither does my driver”. Luckily, I made it to my hostel with 3% battery remaining, and again, I let out an even deeper sign of relief.

I put my belongings down in my aesthetic and quaint hostel, plugged in my phone, and let my mind rest. As I was hanging out on the hammock in the shared space, figuring out my plan for the rest of the evening, two guys arrived at the hostel named Colin and Luke. Talking to Colin for a bit, I learned that he was a coffee roaster for a small company based out of Chicago.

I started to wander toward the Botero Museum, but got distracted by the large crowds down the street. I wandered past artists selling their handmade jewelry and handwoven bags and into a wide open square covered in pigeons. Looking at google maps, I realized I had wandered into Simon Bolivar Square - a popular tourist destination. I sat in the middle of the square and watched as vendors went around trying to sell jewelry, selfie sticks, fruit, and corn kernels - used to feed the pigeons in the square. I scanned the square and laughed as tourists tried to stay still and pose for a picture as pigeons flocked to their corn kernel-filled hands.

After being approached many times by vendors and being satisfied with the photos I captured in the square, I made my way back up the street to the Botero Museum. Fernando Botero is a famous Colombian artist, made known for his unique painting style of chubby subjects. In addition to artwork from Botero, the museum was also scattered with paintings of Picasso, Monet, and Degas.

The Museum was closing soon so I decided to head back toward the hostel to find a place to eat. I stumbled in on a restaurant called “De Una Travel Bar” and used my best Spanish to order myself a meal and two local Colombian beers. Satisfied with my first meal in Colombia, I made my way back to the hostel, hoping to meet and spend time with some of my hostel mates.

Oscar, who was originally from Sydney, Australia was already hanging out on a hammock in the common room and he was quick to start up a conversation with me. Soon after, Shaun and Emily, a couple from Perth, Australia joined us in the shared space. Emily was originally from the states but recently moved to Perth to be with Shaun. Later, Marcel joined us.

We went around the table and answered the following questions: How long have you been traveling, how long are you in Colombia, where have you been and where are you going? Most of the people around the table had some wild travel stories, and had been on the road for quite some time. I was the odd one out, admitting that I was only in town for the weekend.

We quickly exhausted the conversation about the logistics of each of our travel plans, and began talking about the different places we call home. I was most curious about Emily and Shaun’s story, of how Emily who grew up in the United States learned to live in Australia, whose seasons are opposite to what she was used to. Curious about what mysteries lie on the opposite side of the planet, I eagerly listened to the stories that Emily, Shaun and Oscar had to share about Australia.

Soon it was getting dark so we made plans to go to a nice coffee shop in the morning and went to bed.

I’m not sure if it was the sun or the sound of cars driving by on the cobblestone roads just outside of the window that woke me up in the morning. Coffee is one of my big passions so I sprang out of bed, excited to get going to this nice coffee shop other hostel mates were buzzing about. We gathered our crew and walked to the highly aesthetic coffee shop down the street.

Luckily, this cafe had a cupping (coffee tasting) option where they brought out three different coffees in little taster cups. In addition to the coffee, we also each ordered avocado toast. As the food came to our table, we were blown away at how beautiful and delicious the breakfast looked and joked about how much this delicious breakfast would have cost in our respective countries.

Marcel, David and I planned to do the “Bogota Graffiti Tour”, a local walking tour that took us around the streets of Bogota so we could learn about the graffiti of the region, the history of the artist, and the political and social message behind the artwork. As a solo female traveler, I was nervous about venturing too far from the comforts and safety of the tourist areas, but this tour was a great way for me to comfortably explore more of the city of Bogota without risking my safety.

Our tour guide was very informed about the graffiti in the city, as he was a graffiti artist himself. He explained that many of the pieces in the city were politically motivated and made me appreciate the power of art in cultural and social movements. In addition to having the opportunity to learn about the public artwork, I was also glad to have the opportunity to witness the daily lives of the local people.

Unlike any North American city I have ever been in, I felt as though each of the neighborhoods in Bogota were wearing the emotions of the people that resided in them. In the urban, residential, and economically unstable areas where the effect of the government is palpable, the political and social frustrations of the people manifested in powerful murals that could be found along every main street. In the La Candelaria neighborhood, home to tourism and the international youths, the walls were vibrant, fun and whimsical. The political messages did not adorn the walls of this neighborhood as to not upset or confuse the guests. In the business district of the city, the walls resembled that of a North American metropolitan center - plain, simple as if trying to keep up with other technologically advanced cities.

After two hours of walking around the city of Bogota in the heat of the day, we returned to the La Candelaria neighborhood and found a restaurant with local food. We all ordered the meal of the day, which was a humble coriander soup, rice, salad and a single fried plantain. It was exactly what I needed before returning to the hostel to recharge for the remainder of the day.

I took an hour to recharge - both myself and my phone, and soon after ventured out on the streets of La Candelaria on my own, exploring the architectural details of this colorful town. The lights and shadows of the day played well on the brightly painted walls and the warm sun and Latin American humidity was a treat for my dry and weathered skin.

The sun was beginning to set so I took toward Cerro Monserrate - the mountain that towers over the city of Bogota. I was told that the view from this mountain top would put into perspective the size of the Latin American metropolis. There are three ways to reach the summit - a 2,000 ft vertical hike up the side of the mountain, a cable car (which was currently undergoing repairs), and a funicular - a train like vehicle that slowly trails up the side of the mountain. I didn’t have the proper attire for a hike so I opted out of the active option, which left me with a ride up the funicular. As we climbed to the top of the mountain, I started to grasp the size of the city of Bogota.

Latin America is heavily influenced by the Catholic Church and the city of Bogota is no different. At the top of Monserrate Mountain was a giant Catholic Church that was built to honor God in the highest and most visible place in the city. Looking across to the neighboring mountain, there was a gigantic status of Jesus Christ much like the famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil though this one was not available to the public.

I was expecting to meet up with David, Marcel, and Bella at sunset so I killed some time by venturing around the tourist market while I waited. Time after time I turned down the vendors trying to convince me to buy their souvenir trinkets.

About half an hour before sunset, David arrived and together we looked out on the city in silence. Having just met and both of us being relatively introverted, we didn’t have much to talk about. It brought me joy to look around and see all kinds of people and groups enjoying the sunset on this particular evening. Next to us was a very intimate and well-dressed couple, and if I had to guess, this was one of many romantic stops for the evening. Families with crying babies huddled together s the temperature began to drop. International groups of high schoolers couldn’t contain their excitement to be in a foreign country with their 25 “closest” classmates. And then there was David and me, silently appreciating each other’s company without necessarily needing to fill it with words.

A couple minutes before the sun tipped below the mountains in the distance, Bella showed up with her signature bubbly personality and Marcel quietly tagged along behind her. We enjoyed the final moments of the daylight and as the temperature quickly dropped, we started back toward the funicular and down the mountainside.

We went to a restaurant near the hostel called Gato Gris, another recommendation from a fellow traveler. It was a nicer, more expensive restaurant, but it was my last night in Bogota so I decided to let myself splurge. We were seated in a tiny room in the upstairs corner of the restaurant and I admired the decor in this space. The first thing I realized was that an old door had been fashioned into a dining table, and the space was dimly lit with a uniquely boho light fixture.

As we sat around the table waiting to order, I was surprised at how much our time together was dominated by silence. As a group of travelers with a royal collection of unique experiences, I was expecting our time together to be filled with conversation, jumping in and out of stories and never finding enough time to tell the best stories from each of our travels. Instead, our group tended toward silence, over dinner, while waiting in line to buy tickets for the next tourist attraction, and this uncanny silence took me by surprise.

I woke up bright and early in anticipation for my last day in Colombia. Looking around at the other bunks in my room, it was only me and one other person in the sleeping quarters, and everyone else had continued on with their travels. I was on my own for my last half day in Bogota so I decided to go and explore as many coffee shops as I could. Unfortunately, it was Sunday which meant that most of the cafes were closed, but I had a plan to visit two different ones.

I returned to the cafe we went to the day before - Azahar cafe and in my best Spanish, I ordered another cupping plate, but asked for different coffees from the ones I had the day before. The barista seemed to understand my request and brought me different flavors from the ones I had the previous day. I enjoyed the avocado toast from the day before so I decided to order that as well. After filling up on breakfast, I bought a bag of coffee beans to bring home and went on my way.

I stopped in at the Simon Bolivar square again to see it in a different scenery. Since it was Sunday, there was an ongoing Catholic mass that I got to sit in on for a couple minutes. Though many elements of my faith align with that of the Catholic church, the liturgy and catholic priests performing ceremonial acts made me feel very far from God.

I only had a couple hours remaining so I began to wander over to the next coffee shop. I located the coffee shop on google maps but was unable to find the storefront anywhere. Again in my best Spanish, I asked the security guard of the library if they had any idea where this coffee shop was. In very fast Spanish and some vague hand motions, they directed me into the library, through the hallway and around several corners. After asking several other guards inside the building, I eventually found my way to the very kind cash register who made me a fresh cup of coffee and helped me pick out two more bags of beans to bring home.

I sat on the couch in the silent library hallway, sipping on my coffee when a stranger joined me and began to talk in very fast Spanish while pointing at my camera. I regretfully told him that I didn’t speak Spanish “lo siento, no hablo Espanol” and he lit up and responded in very good English “Oh, do you speak English”?

He told me that he was planning on buying a camera but wasn’t sure what kind he wanted. I walked him through different types of cameras, the different models available, but after a short while, I realized that this all seemed to be going over his head, and I wasn’t sure if that was because of the language barrier or the content of our conversation.

It was time to head back home, and a part of me was glad. I felt like my mind was being pulled in so many directions and I had so much to think about.

On the flight home I had a lot to think about. As my first international solo trip, I carried with me excitement, and fear, and had a mind full of doubts. Being able to explore Bogota with the company of other foreign travelers, I felt much more at ease about my own safety, but felt like sticking to my comfortable, English-speaking bubble limited me from truly experiencing all that Bogota had to offer. Spending time with these carefree, fearless travelers unexpectedly stirred up emotions about a topic I feel so passionately about - the purpose and intention of travel. I once envied the boldness and bravery of people who choose to put their lives on hold to travel the world for several months, but after spending time with these people, I was confronted with the reality of this glamorized life choice.

I still have much to process about my reasons for traveling, and hope to one day be able to develop cohesive thoughts about the value of modern day travel.

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carryonuptheandes · 5 years

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30 November – Lima

After my quick stopover in Lima a week earlier, it was time to return and explore the capital. The four hour journey was made by Cruz del Sur, widely regarded as one of the best (aka safe and secure) Peruvian coach operators. It comes with luggage check-in at the terminal, a huge display of passenger T&C's, seatbelt fastened checks, the offer of blankets, cushions and headphones, and speed displays in the passenger areas. Passengers are encouraged to complain to the company or government if the driver exceeds 90kph (56mph) but I get the impression that little take any notice, certainly the case when we overtook some HGVs and a poor car driver heading towards us was shouting abuse at the driver while almost being forced off the road. The service also came with a meal (beef, chicken or veggie were my options), which may not be such a selling point since I had my first dodgy Peruvian stomach during my days in Lima (as was the case in La Paz, but at least this time without also the altitude effect).

The journey was pretty dull along the dusty rocky coastal Panamerican Highway, intersected with ugly towns and beach resorts. We arrived into Lima during Friday evening (and monthly pay day) rush hour; the contrast with Paracas couldn’t have been much more pronounced! Two and a half hours before I’d arranged to meet a guy for dinner, I took a taxi for the 10km to where I’d left my main rucsac (where my 20USD note was rejected for not being crisp enough!) where I would spend another night. It took so long that I got the driver to wait 10 minutes and take me onto Miraflores, 13km back towards the centre, where I only just arrived on time. So an average taxi speed of 12kph (7mph), but probably not a bad thing with the not so young (and long sighted) driver, while driving in the chaos, attempting to navigate on his mobile and receive and make calls, mainly unsuccessfully!

Saturday morning saw me relocate to a shared apartment in Miraflores, a much more central area for exploring the more attractive (and safer) parts of the city. While Miraflores, with areas equivalent to Chelsea in London, wasn’t always my scene, the location and 24/7 safety made it attractive. From there I could walk to Barranco (a more down at heels but increasingly gentrified and arty neighbourhood) and the seafront, and I was near the Metropolitano express busway to the historic city centre. With the quantity of beauty clinics, dental surgeries, smart vets, delis, and Chelsea tractors, it was quite a contrast to the Peru I had seen until now.

Decent fast public transport is very valuable in this city of transport chaos, where road widening is still seen as the solution, as more and more people own cars. I was happy though to see brave cyclists in this part of the city, using the fairly recently constructed cycle lanes or tracks, and a Boris bikes type system ready to be launched in a few days. I put my transport planning ideals first when crossing the roads, raising my hand to request the drivers to stop while I braved the zebra crossings. However, at signalised junctions, drivers would stop very promptly as the lights turned to red. In addition to providing plenty of dropped kerbs and facilities for cyclists, Miraflores seems keen to challenge the norm with it’s 'Hands off the horn!' signs!

I was lucky enough to have a few contacts in Lima, with some of whom I enjoyed guided walks of areas of the city including Miraflores, Barranco and the historic city centre. I came across the statue of 'deepest darkest Peruvian' Paddington unveiled by the mayors of Miraflores and the City of London in 2015. I visited the incredible Huaca Pucllana bizarrely sandwiched between the modern Miraflores streets. Built around 500AD it was the administrative and ceremonial centre of Lima society. Built of staggered layers of clay 'bricks' it contains a pyramid and much of the site is still being uncovered.

I visited the Miraflores lighthouse (relocated from over 1,000km south in the early 70s) and the Parque de Amor with it’s saucy sculpture surrounded by Gaudí style walls. In a nearby park to where I was staying, I was to come across the old Miraflores railway station, complete with old steam engine and carriage, which used to provide a link to Barranco and Chorrillos. I also got to enjoy a night time fountain show, full of colour, music and clichés as some typical Peruvian images were projected onto the water sprays. The park had a rainbow and teapot and cups fountain waiting for me. Finally, I made a couple of wishes on the Barranco Bridge of Sighs before having to cross it without breathing!

The strolls were combined with a guided cycling tour to the more salubrious fishing neighbourhood of Chorrillos, where we climbed a hill to reach the huge cross (erected for a visit of the Pope) and enjoy the spectacular views of the city. It was good to sample some of the cycling infrastructure (always a need to check that cars will stop at cycle crossings!), including the somewhat narrow cycle track along the seafront! I was incredibly lucky with the weather since it’s normally cloudy/misty in the mornings (in fact, during much of the year Lima remains cloudy every day, however unlike in the UK, it receives virtually no rain. This was evident with the amount of watering of gardens taking place).

Since I was the only person registered I enjoyed effectively a private tour, which meant I had more opportunity to chat with my guide, one of the many Venezuelans now in the city, and get his perspective on the dire situation in his country. He has lost all hope that it will improve, other than via international intervention; actually I spotted on the news while in Lima that Maduro has been hanging out with Putin. He has three brothers or sisters back home, all desperate to escape too. I of course expressed my frustration and sadness with the B word in UK, where 'democracy' also has it’s damaging consequences.

I enjoyed a 10km ride on the Metropolitano express busway to the historic city centre, on which a constant flow of stopping and limited stop express routes sail past the queueing traffic. The city certainly could do with more of these, to supplement the single metro line. The city centre is a fascinating place, some streets very down at heel, but plenty of evidence of a grand city in the past with its eclectic mix of colonial, renaissance, art deco and brutalist, many buildings now neglected and with upper floors abandoned. I also took a wonder (with a local, thankfully) through the bustling crazy market area, where my focus was on keeping hold of my belongings as I had to keep clear of the bulky newly purchased items being carted or carried down the busy streets. The shops and street traders were bursting with Christmas items, while the huge Plaza de Armas was decorated with it’s tall (manmade) tree, Rudolph and sleigh, and other festive favourites.

I also got to see the huge and impressive Palacio de los Congresos, where the parliament takes decisions on the future of the country. Then there was the Presidential Palace, a somewhat topical building at the moment with the daily news updates on the prosecution of past presidents for corruption; unbelievably (or maybe not!) the last four consecutive presidents of Peru are either in prison or awaiting the completion of trials, with one very recently seeking asylum in Uruguay, which their government turned down.

On my last day I finally made it into the Pacific for a refreshing dip; people had warned me that it’s cold but they know little about my lido-proofing! Anyway, it was warmer than the English Riviera sea in late summer. I however wasn’t entirely convinced by the cleanliness of the water! Thanks to having a tall cliff above the beach and a fast multi-lane expressway (Circuito de Playas or Beach Circuit)) between the cliff and the sea, the beach is not easy to get to! There are, over nearly 10km, just a handful of designated points for pedestrians to access the beach. These are mainly busy congested polluted main roads. After the challenge of getting across the ten lanes of the Circuito de Playas racetrack, we made it to beach, where I launched myself down the steep beach of stones and into the water, as the waves pounded the shore and dragged the stones noisily backwards and forwards. Getting out was just as much a challenge, I seemed to succeed in timing it well between the worst of powerful waves.

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beyondlimitsonfoot · 5 years

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**Originally hiked: October 18, 2018**

Trail Data

Mileage: 9.9 miles Elevation Gain: 2,100 feet Location: Angeles National Forest Type: Out-and-back Difficulty: Moderate

What to Expect in this Guide

Aside from the road being closed to the trailhead we planned on doing, we ended up doing a tougher hike and a little bit longer.

As those of you know who usually read my posts, I have areas to which you can get a lot of more information about the hike we did. All in all, I put this area on here so that you can forward over to whichever area you would like to know more about.

Background – If you’re interested a little more about the area and some facts about the hike.

Map & Directions – See our hike on the map and directions on how to get to the trailhead below.

Weather – Definitely something you need to check before you go out on the trail.

Adventure Pass – Just a quick rundown of what pass you will need before you head out on the trail. *Pass is required to hike in this area.

Trail Camp & Water – The area has a trail camp with a water source nearby.

Maps, Books and Gear Recommendations – A great source for what maps or books to have before going out.

Hike Stats – I like to know points of interest on the trail, here are some for you to follow along when you go for the hike.

My Ramblings – This is my favorite part mostly because the pictures. Check this section out of my recollection of the hike and some photos.

Background

Mt. Hawkins sits in the Angeles National Forest (covering around 700,000 acres just outside of Los Angeles). Much of the trail from Islip Saddle up to Mt. Hawkins (8,850 ft.) is via the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). Islip Saddle has a parking lot across the street from the trailhead.

Some nearby notable peaks that can be done in conjunction are Mount Islip, South Mount Hawkins, Middle Hawkins and Throop Peak. Have any of you done this hike with multiple peaks in the area? Let me know how in the comments below.

Map & Directions

To get to the trailhead:

Trailhead is at Islip Saddle, mile marker 64.1 on the Angeles Crest Highway. The drive is about an hour/an hour and a half away from the Los Angeles area. From downtown LA, take 110 North and merge onto I-5 North. About 7 miles later, take CA-2 N (Angeles Crest Highway) toward Glendale. Merge onto CA-2 E/I-210 E. In .4 miles take CA-2 toward La Canada Flintridge. Turn left onto Angeles Crest Hwy and drive 39.6 miles until you see a parking lot on the left at Islip Saddle. The trailhead is directly across the street.

Weather

Mt. Hawkins ~8,041 ft –> Weather.gov

Throop Peak ~ 9,138 ft –> mountain-forecast.com

Adventure Pass

There are no permits required to hike this trail.

To park your vehicle in this area, you will however need an Adventure Pass. To obtain an Adventure pass find the closest Forest Service location or go to any major sporting goods store. The fees are $5 per day or $30 annual. If you’d like to know more about the pass, read on the Forest Service Recreation Passes & Permits Website.

The Shell Station right off I-210 and CA-2 exit sells the Adventure Pass.

Trail Camp & Water

Little Jimmy Trail Camp/Little Jimmy Springs

Along this trail the only established trail camp is Little Jimmy Trail Camp. If you feel like an extra night in the area, Little Jimmy sits just 2 miles off Angeles Crest Highway. There are 16 established first-come, first-serve sites with fire rings. The campground includes vault toilets, backcountry ovens and bear boxes. The place is very popular with Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, the two times I hiked in this area in the fall we passed by a few groups of scouts.

Angeles National Forest: Little Jimmy Trail Camp Information

Little Jimmy Springs is about a .2 miles walk away from the campground. The water usually runs year round and is super cold. This is a great spot to take a break quickly and fill up with water if you are running low on a longer hike. Always make sure you take enough water either way. We took about 3 liters of water each for 9 mile hike.

Maps, Books and Gear Recommendations

Topographic Map of Area: Trail Map Angeles High Country Map Book of Hikes in the Area: Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels

Gear Recommendations:

Obviously this isn’t everything I take on our hikes, check out What’s in My Backpack? for a compilation of some of the gear I have now. Some of the items I would recommend for this hike, especially colder weather:

Hiking Poles: BLACK DIAMOND Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles

Headband: Adidas Woman’s Tech Headband

Fleece Gloves: Columbia Sportswear Women’s Thermarator Glove

Down Jacket: Patagonia Down Sweater

Wind Breaker: REI Co-op Rainier Rain Jacket

Some food we took on the hike:

Protein: Starkist Salmon Creations Lemon & Dill and Tuna Creations Thai Chili Style

Mayonnaise for our tuna and salmon packets: Hellmann’s Food Real-Vraie Mayonnaise – We bought a pack of 75 so that every time we go we can just pick a couple out from our hiking food bin

Soup: Lipton Soup Secrets – Chicken Noodle Soup Mix with Diced White Chicken Meat

Bars: CLIF Bar Chocolate Chip and Crunchy Peanut Butter

Bananas mmmmm

*FYI the salmon and tuna packets, Lipton soup, CLIF bars are all available at local supermarkets. I usually just buy on amazon in bulk since we go a lot and have hiking food bin. What do you keep in your hiking food bin?

Interested in gear and food ideas? See posts below for more.

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Hike Stats

Trailhead 0 miles 6,800 feet Little Jimmy Trail Camp 2.1 miles 7,450 feet Little Jimmy Springs 2.3 miles 7,500 feet Windy Gap 2.4 miles 7,588 feet Mt. South Hawkins Turnoff 4.0 miles 8,390 feet Mt. Hawkins Turnoff 4.6 miles 8,730 feet Mt. Hawkins Summit 4.8 miles 8,850 feet

My Ramblings

I used to just write this portion of the blog, but decided since I do so much research why not create some guides of the information that I gather before I go out for these hikes. Should I put my ramblings and photos first or should I keep them here at the end? You guys let me know.

Alright, let’s move on and talk about this hike. My sister and I haven’t been on a hike alone in a while; we’ve been with groups, but alone I think our last hike together was Peanut Lake, back in 2016. Is that right? I think so. Either way I was blessed to have a hike together with my sister alone in our backyard mountains up in the San Gabriel’s.

We awoke early and left the house by 6:00am. We were not much more than 10 minutes into the drive when I had to turn around to pick up the water bladder (Osprey Hydraulics Reservoir – 3 L). If we were already to far into the drive we would have just picked up 3 L of water at the store nearby. This wasn’t the only thing we forgot on the hike, just wait for it.

Arriving to the Trailhead

After exiting I-210 road to Angeles Crest highway, I remember I left my annual Adventure Pass in my car back at home. So another thing I forgot, we stopped at the Shell station to pick a day pass up ($5.00). As we were driving to go do Mt. Baden-Powell from Dawson Saddle, we arrived at a Road that was closed at Islip Saddle. Not sure how we could have avoided not knowing, but they do post road closures on the county or forest websites. Plan B, open my Angeles High Country Trail Map and find a new hike.

There are a few options at Islip Saddle, so we geared up and decided to go hike Mt. Hawkins. I remember doing it a long time ago by myself, but thought it would be nice to check out the trail again with my sister and it was a little harder hike than we had planned, huge plus there we wanted a good workout. We started up the trail around 9:00am which would give us ample time to take our time up the mountain and hang out at the top.

The first mile or two was more vertical than the rest of the trail. We passed a lot of Boys & Girls Scout groups on our way up, probably stayed at Little Jimmy Trail Camp as it’s popular for the Scout groups to camp there on weekends. Little Jimmy Camp is only about 2 miles up the trail and the trail flattens out on this portion of the hike. We continued up towards Windy Gap making good time; Windy Gap sits at about 7,588 feet and offers 360 degree views of the surround mountains and valleys. Here there are a few options, you could turn back, head up to Mt. Islip, head towards Crystal Lake Campground or head on the Mt. Hawkins Ridge Trail to summit Mt. Hawkins or even further to Throop, Burnham and Baden-Powell.

Summiting Mt. Hawkins

Our choice was to hike up to Mt. Hawkins which would make for a 2,050 foot climb total; I liked the sound of that. 11:30am we reached the summit of Mt. Hawkins. We almost missed the turnoff; stay alert there is no sign for the turnoff to Mt. Hawkins. I’m glad I was taking note of the mileage on the Garmin. Did you know Mt. Hawkins is in the 11th highest peak in the San Gabriel’s? We didn’t make the top 10 list, but that’s ok it’s a peak above 8,000 feet very good training hike for the bigger mountains. I believe I just made a challenge for myself to knock off the top 10 in the San Gabriel’s. What those are I’ll probably post later as I already have the 10,000 Feet Peaks in Southern California Challenge ahead of me.

Had to put on some warmer clothes as we were going to hang out on Mt. Hawkins for a little. We wanted to make some soup and when I opened my bag I realized that I did not pack a fuel canister into my jetboil. I usually keep one in there but since our last trip to Havasupai Falls we flew, I took it out and never put a new one in when I got back home. Are you surprised yet? That’s 3 things and counting so far that were forgotten on this hike. Instead of a warm Lipton Soup Secrets we ended up having a couple mozzarella sticks and the Starkist Creations Lemon Dill and Thai Chili Style.

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Down we went around 12:30pm so that we could hit the Newcomb’s Ranch for a snack before heading back home. We didn’t pass too many people on the way down except a couple who was doing one night up at Baden-Powell. About 1 mile from the trailhead my knee began to hurt, thanks to my sister who brought a brace I made it down in one piece. It looks like I forgot one other thing, that makes for 4 things we forgot on this hike. I should be wearing a brace every time I hike anyway so that will be added to my hiking checklist as a permanent item.

Reaching the Cars

It was about 2:30pm when we reached the cars and we changed quickly and headed down the mountain to go grab a quick bite to eat. Newcomb’s Ranch closes pretty early, so this is the first time I could actually sit inside and have a nice relaxing refreshing drink and a snack. Usually we get here as they are closing or already closed. My sister and I love these kinds of places; little gems hidden up in the mountains. Lots of motorcyclists like to end up here on their rides on the Angeles Crest Highway; we even saw some bicyclists who were brave enough to do that long ride in.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the write-up. What is the most common thing that you think most hikers (newbies or avid) forget on hikes? Let me know in the comments below. If you’ve done this hike before go ahead and comment below and let me know your experiences; I hope we can share more on here together.

Happy Adventures,

Annette – Beyond Limits on Foot

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Mt. Hawkins (8,850') in the Angeles National Forest. From Islip Saddle, 9.6 miles round trip, 2050' elevation gain. 11th highest peak in the San Gabriels. **Originally hiked: October 18, 2018** Trail Data

#Angeles National Forest #Hike #hiking #Mountains #mt. hawkins #National Forest #nature #optoutside #Outdoors #peaks #san gabriel #San Gabriel Mountains #Southern California #Wilderness

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artificialqueens · 5 years

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Halfway Around The World (Witney) - Albatross

AN: Inspired by a request for a Witney fic based off of the Race Chaser quotes “I would fly across the world to see her” and “I would fly halfway around the world”. Or, three times Willam tried to surprise Courtney and one time Courtney surprised Willam (with help from Alaska).

In the spirit of full transparency, I have not been doing well in terms of motivation to write. There’s a lot of factors that have gone into this but for the past few weeks its really been a major struggle because I love to write and have so many ideas that I want to work on and share with you all. I’m trying to work past it and right now the best way seems to just be focusing on one story at a time and of course the one that is of the most interest to me at the moment. Originally I had a schedule planned where I would work on my older ideas first until I was caught up but for the time being I’m gonna try to follow where my motivation is leading me and start on the magical girls fic. Right now it looks like its going to be 5 chapters long plus a prologue just for background purposes. I’m hoping that I’ll have the prologue and first chapter up in the next few weeks but I’m not gonna rush myself or make any promises about the timing until I’m happy with how its turning out.

He told himself he was fine when Courtney announced that she was moving to the UK. Honestly he had kind of guessed that this was coming but it still caught him by surprise with how sudden her decision seemed to be made. It was a little hasty in his opinion but also not his call to make so he simply wished her luck and assisted where he could as she prepared to move overseas.

This wasn’t something entirely unusual with drag queens; follow the money and the fans and right now her popularity was soaring in the UK so why not stay there and ride it out as long as she could?

Willam understood that logic; that’s what prompted his own move to LA after all but still…it hurt that she hadn’t really talked with him about it beforehand…and he had to admit; it was going to be quite a change not to be able to go over to her apartment whenever he wanted. Not that he was that frequent of a visitor anyway with their own conflicting schedules most of the time but it was nice to have that option available.

The first few weeks after her departure continued on as they normally would have; he was booked and busy and hardly gave her absence a thought. There was no point; they were still texting and calling just as much so it was almost like she was still living in the US. The moment her move really hit him was following a return from a successful but tiring string of shows and his immediate thought upon returning to the city was to go see her. Despite her grumbling she would always let him into her apartment (he had the door code after all so why not let him inside?) where he’d plop down on her couch, pick at some of the vegan snack she’d undoubtedly be eating, snide comments to follow, and the pair would catch up on whatever they missed since the last time they saw one another.

It was so routine that Willam was already in the car and five minutes away from his home before he recalled that she was no longer in the city. A wave of unknown and confusing emotion swept through him but he quickly pushed that aside and continued driving instead towards the grocery store. He was already heading that direction so why not make the most of his trip anyway now that visiting Courtney was out of the question?

As the weeks turned into months, Willam still thought he was handling the separation rather well. He was spending time with other friends, Alaska most of all, so there was always a distraction when he needed one. One of his particular go-tos happened to be their new podcast; still a baby in terms of the amount of episodes they produced but it was rapidly taking off with the fans. And it was something else to focus his attention on in his down time. In some cases he and Alaska were able to record in his studio and he had to admit it was nice spending time with her. Although they were technically working it never felt like that; they always kept things light and easy-going so the hours simply flew by.

More often than not after the recording was finished she’d end up staying long after the rest of Willam’s employees had left and they’d either smoke and chat or find somewhere to eat. It was during one of these sessions that Willam was forced to face an unsettling truth.

Somehow their lazy conversation had turned to how Courtney was doing and being the one that was most recently in contact with her, Willam felt obliged to fill in the blanks. He scrolled through her messages as he recounted all of the things they shared with each other either verbally or through text and proceeded to show Alaska nearly every picture that had been sent to him. An amused smile rested on her lips as she listened to him run through his gushing with an almost child-like enthusiasm until he finally reached the end of all the possible updates he could share.

As soon as there was a lull in his speech, Alaska stated matter-of-factually, “You miss her.”

There was no question in her tone, no hesitance; just her telling him something that he ought to have known all along. Those three simple words caught him by surprise and like a flood gate opening, he felt a sudden clenching around his heart. He tried to examine his feelings as objectively as possible but only one conclusion was ever reached. In a vaguely pensive and distracted voice, he agreed, “Yeah, I guess I do.”

For the remainder of Alaska’s visit he firmly pushed aside any other talk or thought of Courtney. However the same couldn’t be said when he finally returned home that night. Once he was finally alone, there was little he could do to prevent his mind from drifting back to the older blonde. The more he thought about it, the harder it was to deny that for awhile now he had missed her far more than he’d ever admit, even to himself.

For so long he had refused to even entertain the thought of it that it finally took Alaska setting him straight before he fully understood the reality of his situation. He had to face facts; he missed Courtney…a lot…and right now, he was able to use work and friends to keep himself distracted but how long would it be before even that wasn’t enough?

He honestly didn’t want to find out.

*******

A simple solution presented itself in his mind; if he missed her, why not go see her?

It was all very logical, at least on paper. Throw in their career commitments and the actual amount of distance and suddenly the situation became a lot more difficult…but not impossible, he argued.

With little persuasion needed, he convinced Rhea to join him on a short touring sprint throughout the UK. He wasn’t sure where exactly Courtney was staying but by hitting some of the major cities he hoped one of them would end up being close. It all seemed to be perfectly planned in his mind; he advertised the dates a bit more heavily than he normally would, knowing that eventually Courtney would see it, and let his mind rest easy until the time came to actually depart for the airport.

But it was odd, he noticed.

He would have thought by now that she’d have mentioned the shows at some point during their conversations. Yet she remained silent on the topic…Perhaps she was planning to surprise him…No, she couldn’t keep that a secret even with an ocean separating them.

By the time the plane landed in the UK, Willam decided he had done enough pondering over the subject and figured he might as well just ask her upfront if she would be coming to any of the shows. For the rest of the afternoon he was checking his phone almost every 10 minutes in the hopes of getting a new alert but nothing that came through was ever from her. Finally about two hours before their first appearance was set to begin, a familiar name popped up on his screen. His heart immediately began racing in his chest at least until he read the opening of unusually long block of text.

‘I’m sorry, Bill. I got a last minute booking for-’

He stopped actively reading after the first sentence, the message was clear enough; she was busy in another country, Spain he thought possibly, but no matter where it was, she wouldn’t be able to attend any of the dates…she just wouldn’t be able to make it back in time.

He waited until well after that night’s show had finished before sending a follow up text assuring her that it was okay, that they’d catch each other the next time but his heart just wasn’t in it. He was angry…with her and himself. He hadn’t directly mentioned anything to her nor had she ever said that she’d be able to attend but it was still all too easy to allow himself to be mad at her. Anything to take the blame off of the pathetic state he found himself suddenly in.

The rest of their mini tour continued without a hitch and eventually Willam found himself calming down. Around the fans it was practically second nature to slip into a friendly, happy-to-be-here mode but as soon as he was alone, he could do very little to hide how miserable he actually was. Thankfully few dared to comment on it and by the fourth day he was at least able to act like everything was all right.

He still talked with Courtney at least once a week but after coming so close to seeing her in person, it felt like even hearing her voice just wasn’t enough. Gradually he fell into FaceTiming her more frequently. If she had any suspicions about his true intentions she never voiced them. Honestly she seemed elated to see him as well, even if it were only through a screen.

Between the two of them, days worth of calls and video must have been accumulated in their ever increasing efforts to stay connected. Willam for one felt a little less lonely during these times but almost immediately after they hung up, when it was only his face staring back at him from a blank screen, more often than not it felt like his heart had dropped to his stomach.

He knew he couldn’t continue on like this for much longer.

He had to see her, but how?

There was a fleeting idea of trying to connect with her in UK again now that she seemed to be stationary there but something always held him back. More than once he found himself pricing flights and hotels but before committing himself to anything he’d always close out the page and step away from his laptop. There was one final instance of this where he came so close, he even had the websites pulled up as he chatted away with her on the phone but yet again an unexpected problem quickly arose.

The conversation began easily enough, Willam was discussing his next sprint of touring; a full 42 days and happened to casually mention that he was thinking of taking a vacation afterwards. A small smile found its way to his lips as Courtney readily agreed with him that it would be well deserved but at the moment when he thought she would suggest coming to visit, she instead interjected, almost as though it were afterthought, that she was about to depart for her own new adventure. This time it would involved a return to her homeland.

As her pitch rose in excitement, Willam’s spirits dropped until it felt like there was a heavy weight on his chest. He missed part of what she said next, other than reminding him to be sure not to mention it to anyone else until she formally announced it herself, but after a brief period of shock he gathered that she would be appearing on some dancing show. It didn’t matter to him what the title was, all that stuck out to him was yet another missed opportunity because he waited too long to act.

On the surface he made sure to keep a bright smile as he congratulated her and wished her luck but in reality he was just barely himself together at that point. He was surprised to learn that he was more than a bit envious at how easily she seemed to be handling their separation. It hardly seemed like it was affecting her at all yet here he was, almost a wreck because he couldn’t see her, couldn’t touch her as he once been able to. Momentarily he wondered how he had become so pathetic, so needy and reliant on her but his thoughts quickly cycled back to their previous tours together. Back then it seemed so common that they would have shared shows every couple of months. And even if that weren’t the case their homes weren’t all that far apart. They could easily stop over for a quick visit between their hectic touring schedules.

In short, he missed that predictability; that no matter how far apart they were, at the very least they’d find their way back to LA and reunite for a few days. He missed his friend with a far greater depth than he suspected he felt for anyone else…and that thought shook him right to his core.

******* Following his revelation of this latest set back Willam was grateful that his new leg of touring was set to begin in just a few short weeks. Anything was welcomed at this point as a form of distraction. Although previously their podcast served that purpose, there were times now when Willam would dread reconnecting with Alaska. She never mentioned it directly but Willam rather suspected that she understood his situation far more than what she’d dare comment on. It wasn’t that she was purposefully avoiding the subject, more like she wanted to give him space as he figured things out.

For months it felt like, he debated on what his next step ought to be. Courtney was doing so well on her show and so long as that remained true, she’d stay put in Australia. But she was so busy aside from dance practice. Willam just couldn’t bring himself to pop over there in the midst of all her hard work. The last thing he wanted was to be a distraction for her…and though he hated to admit it, he was terrified of what her reaction might be. Even now with a screen separating them he still felt so exposed whenever they would speak, like one word would instantly betray everything he’s kept hidden away while talking with her. He just wasn’t sure if he could put himself out there when rejection seemed a very likely outcome.

But finally Dancing With The Stars came to an end and though Courtney and her partner ultimately lost, Willam couldn’t be any more proud of her. Every time he saw her dancing, she just looked so happy and after ignoring the tossing and turning in his stomach, he pushed himself to book a seat on the next reasonable looking flight.

To his surprise as the plane left the airport the following week, he felt unusually calm, almost in the same manner as if he were returning home after being away for several months. The journey was long and he hardly slept yet once he landed on foreign soil he felt more awake than he had been almost any other time that he traveled overseas. Upon checking into his hotel and unpacking his toiletries, Willam’s next move was to call Vanity. If anyone knew where to find Courtney as she gallivanted around the city, it’d be her.

After two full sets of ringing, a surprised and pleased voice answered his call, “Hey, Willam! What’s going on? New order come out alright?”

A smile found its way to his lips as he recalled the last wig he had ordered from her; a truly spectacular piece he couldn’t wait to feature on BeatDown after a few minor adjustments.

“Looks great,” he replied honestly, “Can’t wait to try her out…”

From there the two talked shop for a good 10 minutes followed by a quick session of catching up before Willam found a way to work in the true reason he called. Trying to sound as casual as he could manage as his pulse raced away in his ears, he asked the native Aussie, “You and Court up to anything tonight?”

The response came back all too quick and through the thick accent Willam felt his expectations shatter to bits and pieces, “No, she left two days ago.”

Willam was shocked, barely able to catch his breath as he tried to force his brain to come up with any kind of reply. After what certainly was too long to avoid arousing suspicion, he was finally able to mutter a simple, “Oh…”

“Didn’t she tell you?” Vanity questioned with evident confusion in her voice.

“No, I…I didn’t ask.”

There was another pregnant pause where Willam would swear he could hear the gears turning around in her head. The hand holding his phone was trembling as he fought against the urge to hang up right that second. Finally after what felt like an hour but was barely more than a few seconds, Vanity asked very cautiously, “Willam…where are you right now?”

“I…” his voice broke off as he realized just how vulnerable he had let himself become in those brief moments. No part of him wanted to admit what he done so foolishly but before he could help himself, he heard a voice he barely recognized admitting, “I’m about 20 minutes from your apartment.”

“Oh…baby,” the empathetic words slipped from her lips and shot themselves straight into his heart. His throat was threatening to clench shut as he heard her quickly offer, “Do you want to meet up? Drink or get a bite to eat?”

Tears pricked at his eyes but immediately his hand shot up to rub them away as he replied back in what he hoped was a level tone, “No, that’s…that’s okay. I’m a bit tired.”

“Alright,” she relented, sounding entirely unconvinced of his excuse. “If you change your mind, you know how to reach me.”

“Right,” he agreed with a shaky laugh, “Thanks…”

Before ending the call, he pleaded with her, “Please…Don’t tell Courtney about this.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

He knew he could trust her not to mention anything to the blonde but as for himself? What was he going to do now?

******* With the same bull-headed stubbornness he had come to be known for, Willam forced himself to stay for the full duration of his 'vacation’. It was tempting, almost too much so, to run back to the US with his tail between his legs but pride wouldn’t allow him to give in so easily. He tried to convince himself that he was enjoying his time away from everyone, for once fully cut off from anyone he knew, Vanity included. Though he was tempted to be polite and at least meet her for a quick drink, he was too humiliated to face her in person. All he did instead was exchange a few short texts and sequestered himself away from anyone else.

By the time Willam landed back in LA his mood had taken a sharp turn for the worse. He was angry and mortified and above all, just plain miserable at this spectacularly failed final attempt to see Courtney. He knew himself well enough to recognize that it’d be best not to see anyone in this state but at times it just couldn’t be helped. There were obligations to his career after all but try as he might, he was a bit more snappish with those around him than he would have been under normal circumstances. Most had taken to avoiding him for the time being, except of course for Alaska. She understood all too well what the likely reason was behind Willam’s behavior and finally confronted him after they finished recording the latest episode of Race Chaser.

Without a hint judgement in her voice, she questioned him, “Courtney?”

Willam’s eyes blew wide with fear and embarrassment. He turned away out of shame and proceeded to begin cleaning up the mess they had made during their recording but not before giving a brief, reluctant nod of confirmation.

As Willam kept his hands busy and mind distracted, Alaska tried to work out just what might have happened between the pair. She was sure if they had a fight she would have heard him mention some inkling of it but she had barely talked to him for the last few weeks aside from business, never mind actually seeing-

“Oh,” she murmured in realization. Her heart had begun to break for her friend as she pieced together what he had probably done.

Standing up from her seat, she placed a hand on his shoulder to stop his frantic cleaning efforts and asked gently, “You tried to see her…didn’t you?”

His fingers were shaking and lip quivering as he tried to bite back the flurry of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. Though he couldn’t bring himself to answer, she already knew she had guessed correctly. Almost immediately she pulled him into a tight embrace and in a truly unexpected fashion he was instantly clinging to her like she was his own life support system.

“I miss her so much,” he confessed quietly as he buried himself into her neck.

A part of him hoped that she hadn’t heard that but soon he felt her hand running across his back while she whispered, “I know…it’s gonna get better. I promise.”

She meant well but Willam just couldn’t find a trace of himself that believed her right now.

******* After his mostly private break down in Alaska’s arms, Willam’s attitude had undergone another drastic development. He apologized to those he had been short with but he was far from the normally happy and campy queen everyone had come to know. A cloud of misery seemed to hang over him despite his best attempts to remain upbeat and positive. It was easiest to pretend at his shows but when he was alone and there was no such reason to put on that mask? Well, he was an absolutely pitiful, soul-crushed mess.

About the only thing that broke him out of that state for even a short while was the time he spent with close friends, particularly his chats with Courtney. He had fallen out of contact with her during his period of misdirected anger but once he had finally snapped out of that phase he was all too eager to resume the same level of communication they arranged prior to his impromptu visit to Australia.

Hardly a day went by where they weren’t at the very least exchanging a few texts back and forth. Their preferred method of speaking to one another was still video chats but with Willam’s touring schedule resuming and Courtney’s own various appointments picking up again, it was harder to set aside solid blocks of time for that activity. Even calls had become shorter but through text they could still maintain a deep conversation spanning across several hours.

One particular night they were following this routine between rehearsals and finally the actual show of yet another live version of Race Chaser, this time gracing the East Coast with their presence. Willam and Alaska had longed to bring the show back to their hometown coast and finally after finding a suitable venue where they could expect a large crowd, everything was arranged and booked.

The show itself was everything they could have hoped for after having so much success with it in the West. The fans loved every second of their banter and antics and special guests. They were sure they’d be bringing the show back for another round sometime soon.

Hours slipped by until the last fan finally left the meet and greet and the queens were able to return to their dressing room. Both of them were eager to check their phones and almost instantly after typing a quick message to Courtney, he found a reply sent back. He figured he must have caught her as she was finishing up her own schedule for the day as well. Like he was in a trance, Willam allowed himself to become absorbed by his phone and the rapid-fire conversation that had picked up with the missing blonde. He was unusually slow as he de-dragged himself but Alaska didn’t make a comment on it. Actually, she didn’t seem to be any particular rush either as she tapped away at her own illuminated screen.

Almost repacked and back in his street clothes, Willam sat down in one of the empty chairs and focused himself almost exclusively on Courtney. Their conversation had reached that lazy comfortable stage that he wanted to last for as long as possible before one of them fell asleep. By this time Alaska looked to be pretty much ready to go but still she didn’t push her friend to hurry along. She almost seemed to be waiting for something, perhaps to talk to the venue staff before arranging a driver to take them back to the hotel.

Either way Willam was happy to lose himself in his chat with Courtney. Just vaguely as he typed away on his phone, he heard the brunette standing up from her seat and swiftly rushed out of the room. No less than a minute after Alaska had exited than Willam felt his phone vibrating in his hand with a new message of 'Do you have any plans after the show?’

He toyed with a myriad of responses in his head, ranging from an utter fucking lie of replying that he would be heading out to find some trade or just admitting that he would probably retire to his hotel room to sleep for the rest of the night but in the end, he only typed back a simple, 'No.’

An almost immediate response appeared on his screen of 'Good,’ but before he could question it any further, Willam heard Alaska reentering the room. Very purposefully she walked directly in front of him with a confident and smug look on her face yet for once she was absolutely silent. Taking the bait with a brow arched in genuine suspicion, Willam opened his mouth to question her cocky little grin but a pair of familiar arms enclosing him from behind instantly shoved any sort of smartass remark right out of his mind.

Even before he heard her voice, Willam recognized the comforting embrace he’d been missing in the past year. Just low enough for Alaska to barely make out, Courtney cooed into his ear, “Hey, Bill.”

There was an unmistakable tone of relief and longing in her voice but that seemed to pale in comparison to the similar emotions that threaten to overwhelm the dirty blonde. Firmly swallowing back the pricking of tears in his eyes, Willam shot up from his seat and spun around to face the shorter queen. She held a sheepish grin as she took a slight step back and waited as they decided what the next move ought to be.

The pair stared at each other in near silence, Courtney somewhat embarrassed by showing up out of the blue and Willam in utter disbelief that the blonde was actually here in front of him rather than just through an LED screen. Sensing the need for privacy for the three, at least for these first few moments, Alaska casually strolled back to the door and promptly shut it from any prying eyes of the staff that might dare to peak in. Nearly the second the faux wood hit the frame, Courtney pushed herself forward to wrap her arms around Willam in a manner that almost made her cringe from how immediately clingy she had already become.

Her voice came out just a bit choked as she murmured softly, “I missed you.”

Of their own accord, Willam felt his arms returning the gesture with almost an equivalent amount of passion but still he couldn’t stop himself from retorting, “Of course you did; I’m fucking awesome.”

******* The reunion lasted no more than five minutes before Alaska announced that she was ordering a car to drive back to the hotel. Immediately deciding to join her, Courtney and Willam packed up the remaining belongings in the dressing room and hastily followed her out to venue’s sidewalk to impatiently wait for their Lyft driver. The only small talk was made between Alaska and Courtney, the former using the brief opportunity to catch up knowing full well she wouldn’t be seeing Courtney again for the rest of the night. Though it was nice to see one of her closest friends in person again, she understood that the elder pair of queens needed this time together more than anything. She would gladly allow them to have the night to themselves while she found other activities to keep herself entertained.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the three began to part ways in the lobby but not before Willam pulled the brunette in for an unexpected hug and very sincere whisper of gratitude. True to her easy-going nature, Alaska merely shrugged her shoulders and walked off towards her room with a pleased smile at a job rather well done.

As for the remaining pair, an aura of heavy tension surrounded them as Willam guided them back to his rented room for the night. Though he tried to maintain an air of disinterest, he felt his body all but twitching with nerves as to what might happen once they were finally and truly alone together. Thoughts raced through his mind of all the things he wanted to say and do but the moment the door had shut behind Courtney and his bags were deposited on the floor, only one thought remained coherent enough to follow.

Courtney allowed her body become entirely malleable against his as he crowded her against the wall with a dazed and distracted look his eyes. She expected him to be forward yet even being so close he still seemed so reluctant to actually touch her. A distinct fear lurked in his thoughts that the second he’d make contact she might slip away from his grasp and it all would be revealed as a cruel and heartbreaking dream. Though there was so much more Courtney wanted to do in that moment now that they were reunited, she remained patient and let him move at his own pace.

Very cautiously, a trembling hand came to rest on her hip until she could just feel the curl of his fingers against the loose fabric of her cargo shorts. Finding that she was still just as solid as she had been at the club, he gradually leant in closer until only a few short inches remained between their lips. He seemed caught between wanting to initiate that contact yet still too afraid to finally cross that last boundary. A silent challenge resonated in her eyes but the most he felt confident enough to do was raise his other hand to caress her cheek as their lips remaining ghosting just a frustrating few centimeters apart.

For almost a full minute they stood like that; each almost too afraid to make any further move that would collapse what little illusion still existed between them. Finally, Courtney raised the hands she had braced in anticipation against the wall and lightly pressed them into Willam’s midsection. His eyes blew wide open in fear that perhaps he was reading the situation wrong or wasn’t moving fast enough for her. But before that thought could penetrate his consciousness too deeply, Courtney suggested in a hushed voice, “Let’s move to the bed.”

Nodding, Willam wrapped a hand gingerly around one of hers and led them in an awkward fashion towards the still made bed. If Courtney had any intention of merely sitting beside him, he seemed largely unconcerned and unaware as he immediately pulled her into his lap. Even being chest to chest with their foreheads resting against one another, the minuscule distance between their bodies still felt like too much space was left. Willam’s hands had returned to their position of clutching at her hips so tightly that she feel every flex and twitch of the muscles in his fingers. Her own hands quickly slipped past his neck and into his hair in a small attempt to prevent him from pulling away from her again. Their lips grazed against one another as she admitted in a pained whisper, “I missed you.”

Unlike before, his response this time was sincere and immediate; a heartfelt agreement of “I missed you, too.”

With those four words Courtney felt an unknown tension drain from her body and a sudden surge of confidence encouraged her to place a light peck to Willam’s lips. The contact was brief but even so it meant so much to the pair, more so than any other kiss they had shared before.

Shortly after their lips separated the dirty blonde confessed in a barely audible tone, “I tried to see you…surprise you, you know…but I was always late…I’d get there and you’d…you’d already be gone…it always happens like that. I’d always just miss you because I took too long getting there.”

The last sentence meant so much more than those few words could ever express yet the emotion that filled each syllable betrayed his true feelings all too clearly. Courtney felt her heart aching for Willam as she recognized the symbolism in both his attempts to see her and in her efforts to see him. Turning his chin up so that he would look her in the eye, she told him, “I tried to see you, too…but I’d get there too early…and then I’d get scared waiting and leave before you knew anything.”

Courtney felt a warmth rising to her cheeks as she continued on in an almost shameful manner, “I showed up at your studio a few weeks after I moved to try and catch you but only Rhea was there…she said you booked a few extra days after your tour to relax for a bit…mentioned that you wouldn’t be back in LA until the following week…She offered to let me stay with her until then but I panicked. I begged her not to tell you I stopped by…didn’t want you to know how much I really missed you or make fun of me for being such a crybaby about it.”

A halfhearted smirk worked its way onto Willam’s lips as he teased her softly, “You’re always a crybaby…”

His eyes shot to the bedspread for a moment before he found the nerve to admit, “I wish I’d been there though.”

“What would you have done if you saw me?” Courtney prodded gently as she cocked her head to the side with the inquiry.

Shrugging, Willam offered a defeated sigh of, “Fix your makeup?…I don’t know. Just…”

“Would you have done this?” the blonde asked as she ran a soothing hand through the messy tangle of curly locks wrapped around her fingers.

There was a painful, pregnant pause as she awaited his answer. He looked wracked with guilt as he finally confessed, “No.”

“Then I’m glad we missed each other since it led to…this,” She replied back with a forgiving smile. Gently cajoling him into looking at her once more, she asked, “But why didn’t you say anything about this sooner? Why’d you let it get this bad? That I had to hear about it from Alaska?”

Willam forced back a guilty swallow as a look of utter shame came to rest on his face. His eyes held a silent answer of 'You know why.’

Courtney nodded her head in an understanding she came to know all too well with her friend. They shared another short kiss before Courtney urged him, “Please…don’t be afraid to tell me next time.”

“I won’t,” Willam promised. Though he meant it to some extent, Courtney knew he was still likely to wait, at least in the beginning, before he’d swallow his pride and admit that he misses her. But that was okay. She could read him better than anyone and with any luck, she could learn to recognize the behavior before it came to this point again.

The dirty blonde’s eyes darted from Courtney to the bedspread and back again as another guilty thought was finally vocalized, “This always happens though…I’m always late…”

“And I’m always early,” Courtney remarked gently. “…Maybe that’s why we need Alaska…to help us meet in the middle somewhere.”

The pair shared a fond smile and finally allowed their lips to connect in a manner they’d been waiting for since the moment they saw each other that night. Every bit of neglected passion rose forth as they allowed their bodies to finally express the emotions they’d kept pent up and ignored for so long. Neither knew how long they stayed in that position, neither cared so long as they could finally touch the other person but eventually the aching of their bodies eventually forced them to move into a more comfortable embrace. Laying side by side, they resumed their kiss for another few seconds until Willam felt he needed to voice one final concern before they continued forward with whatever might develop from this new territory in their relationship.

“What do we do after tonight?” He asked with genuine apprehension and fear. “Your hobby is jumping from one reality show to next on any continent that’ll let your plane land…What’s gonna happen to us?”

Brushing aside the curls that had fallen into his face, Courtney replied confidently, “We can make it work. It’ll take a lot of trust, lot of compromise and a lot of patience but we’ll figure this out….We’ll find a way, we always do.”

Though he’d never admit it, he actually believed her statement with every ounce of his soul. If she believed that this could work out for them, he was more than willing to give it a good, honest chance. It would take a lot of work but if were for Courtney, it’d be more than worth it.

A bright smile of previously unknown size broke out across his face as he finally allowed himself to push aside his pride and admit without any prompting, “Court, I really missed you.”

Returning the gesture, Courtney asserted in equal measure, “I missed you too, Bill.”

#rpdr fanfiction #witney #willam belli #courtney act #alaska thunderfuck #vanity faire #rhea litre #fluff #angst #longing #albatross #canon compliant

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justamomentaryfuckup · 6 years

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Lady Madonna

Chapter 1

There are some days where there isn’t enough coffee in the world to make the morning better, and today was absolutely one of those days. I hadn’t slept well. Reaching out to the opposite side of the bed and finding cold sheets, when, while still dreaming, I would reach out and expect to touch him. Nine months later I still kept waking up confused and cold. Today I was more than cold, I was brittle. As though I would shatter at the lightest touch. Rory and I had managed to survive our first holidays alone, but I hadn’t recovered from them yet. My mother in law had desperately tried to have us come stay with them, but I had just as desperately shied away from going home. I had finally rebuilt my foundations to where I wouldn’t shatter. I could feel like I was going to, but I wouldn’t allow myself. I didn’t have time. Especially this morning. Rory had slept in and we were behind schedule.

I was still scrambling to get his lunch together and keep my coffee from spilling all over the paperwork I was also trying to finish, when Rory barreled into the kitchen and into the back of my legs.

“Mama, I don’t want to go to school today.” he whined into my pant leg, still in his pajamas.

“I know buddy, but it’s a school day and you have to go. You have to get dressed. We’re late!”

I was shoving things into his lunchbox, PB&J sandwich, strawberries, goldfish crackers, yogurt, and applesauce. Things I knew he would actually eat, and would save me from the nasty looks from the room mom of the day, who, somehow managed to get their Pre-K kid to eat vegan. After the fall session I was a scarred veteran of the P.S. 11 mommy wars.

“You know Wills, I can take him.” Jonathan said from the kitchen doorway. Leaning against the doorjamb, he scratched his chest, and addressed Rory directly, “You wanna walk with Uncle Johnny t’school? Huh, kiddo?”

“No.”

I choked on a laugh. I’d managed to avoid my in-laws, but not my own siblings. I considered myself lucky that it was only Johnny and not him and Jack, his twin. He had flown out before the new year to find inspiration in the icy cityscape and then drive cross country with a buddy to become the next Jack Kerouac. Until then, he was crashing on my couch. Johnny grabbed the pile of Rory’s clothes off the counter and knelt down to where Rory still clung to my leg.

“Come on, we’ll get you ready and then we’ll play. Ok?”

Rory detached himself from my leg, “Play trains with me?” he asked.

“Sure, but you have to get dressed first.”

“Ok.” With that decided, Rory grabbed Johnny’s pant leg and pulled him into my tiny office to collect the basket of wooden train tracks.

In the 10 minutes that it took Johnny to wrangle Rory into his clothes and play trains, I managed to finish Rory’s lunch and my case work. Downing the last of my cold coffee, I herded the boys out the door of my second floor walk up and down the hall to pick up Allie. She and her parents, Marija and Petar, were our first friends in the city and Marija and I would trade babysitting from time to time.

We ran the two blocks to the school. January in the city can be unforgiving, and it was bitterly cold and bright. I managed to get both kids to their programs on time, and I even made my correct train, Johnny running along right behind. I stuck my headphones in my ears and watched the people around me. Everyone wrapped in their own worlds and not even acknowledging mine. It was exactly how I preferred it. I could put my head down and keep moving forward. Johnny settled further into the seat next to me, head back, dozing, as we rattled along.

~~~

“Thanks mate.” Harry shook the driver’s hand and hung his leather duffle over his shoulder. Back in New York. This time last year he was putting the finishing touches on his album, and doing reshoots for the movie in LA. Now he’s on the other side of the country to begin to lay the ground work for his next album and do some promo for the arena tour that started in the spring. Thankfully promo was minor and he could focus on the album.

The car door across from him slammed shut and Mitch, with his own bag in hand, angled his head toward the building behind Harry. Mitch flew out early to help with some more complicated melodies that Harry’s admittedly improving guitar skills could handle. Otherwise, Harry wouldn’t have seen him until right before tour rehearsals started back up. The album wasn’t set to actually begin recording until after the tour was over. Dragging his fingers through his hair, Harry led the way into his building. They walked through the warm lobby, and slumped against the walls of the elevator, rode up to the 4th floor to Harry’s flat. Purchased last year, so aside from a few weekends here and there, Harry hadn’t spent any significant time here. It still had the slightly sterile smell of new construction, overlaid with the candles scattered throughout the space.

Harry dropped his bag on the floor, kicking it with his foot until it lay enough out of the way so he wouldn’t trip. Mitch shuffled past him, dropping his bag in front of the couch and settling down in the cushions, feet propped on the luggage.

“Oi! Takeaway?” Harry called over, moving to the kitchen to rummage through his drawers for the menus that where here from before. He’d do a proper grocery shop later. Specifically after he slept off the jet lag. Mitch waved a hand at him in acknowledgement, preoccupied with his phone. Harry rolled his eyes. Typical. Mitch was never one to talk when silence would do. It made for a nice change from the excitement of the holidays and the severe extroversion of some of his London friends.

Pulling out the only menu he could find, a restaurant from around the corner, Harry tossed it into Mitch’s lap so he could make his choices.

“Chinese, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Despite the lack of choices, the food order decided and called in, Harry threw himself in the opposite corner of the couch from Mitch and settled in, journal in hand. While he hadn’t written anything yet for the new album, per se, he was always working on bits and pieces that floated around in his head. Someday, they might turn out to not be complete shit. Lately though, they all have been shit. Sighing, Harry flipped open the book and set the photo strip that he used as a place marker on the cushion next to him. He’d had this phrase he’d over heard in London stuck in his head for over a week and couldn’t make it do anything. At this point the words had been scribbled repeatedly on the page surrounded by doodles in different colored pen. Useless. Harry stared at the page until the doorbell rang.

After the food was divvied up and subsequently inhaled, Mitch and Harry retreated to their respective corners. Mitch on his phone, texting, reading, and Harry scribbling and cursing occasionally under his breath. Every so often, Harry’s eye would fall on the photo strip, a welcome distraction from the frustration on the page in front of him.

“How’s the missus?”

Startled, Harry looked up. Mitch had dropped his phone and was watching him fiddle with the pictures. It had started out as a joke on tour last year. Adam had noticed the pictures sticking out of Harry’s journal and had asked about them. Leaving Harry to explain that he didn’t actually know who the woman and little boy were, but that there was something about the pictures that made him smile. It just seemed cool to him. She looked interesting and the little boy, happy. It earned him some ribbing, carrying around the pictures of people he didn’t know, like the lipstick on his jacket, but it had also turned into a game. Any time they were bored, or Harry became too withdrawn, frustrated with himself for whatever reason, Adam or Clare would ask how she was and Harry would make up a story. Sometimes she was upset that the caterer had screwed up the menu, and another time she was thrilled because she was pregnant again, but every time by the end of the story she was always happy. That was important to him. That she be happy. It seemed like Mitch had decided that he was sick of listening to him.

“Let’s see” Harry drummed his fingers against his lips and hummed a little, “She is currently working on baking two dozen chocolate chip cookies…”

~~~

That’s it. I was going to quit. Rather, I was going to get arrested. I finally cracked and was seconds away from chucking my desk phone at Paul’s head. My morning did not improve on my willingness to put up with idiots. He was the second most loathsome individual I’d ever had the misfortune of working with. As the senior paralegals, I was stuck dealing with him. It wasn’t that he was bad at his job, it was that he couldn’t multi task to save his life and that he was the most inefficient person in the firm. There were only 20 of us, not including the partners, but he stood out and not in a good way. I never wanted my work associated with him.

I glared up at him from my seat, while he loomed over the front of my desk, ugly tie dangling. “I am not redoing the Lipnitski files. I already found more than enough precedent that Jacobs could close in his sleep.”

“William, I don’t think you understand,” Paul jabbed his finger into the file he’d placed on my desk, “This contract needs to get over to the Columbia offices by end of day. I will finish the motions for Lipnitski, Cox wants to you complete the amendments and get it over to them.” The fact that he used my full name, William, didn’t help his case any, in general or right now. Running through my options, I decided I could manage both tasks. I really didn't want Paul's hands on my work.

“I will finish Lipnitski’s motions and I will get the amendments completed. Can you please let Jessica know?” I snatched the folder out from under Paul’s hand and stuck it under my keyboard. Paul raised his hands in surrender and stalked away. I’m sure the people in the Doctor’s office below us could hear him clomping steps.

“Thanks fucker,” I muttered under my breath. No lunch for me today. I rummaged around in my desk drawer for my phone, shooting off a quick text to Monica that I wouldn’t be meeting her at The Wooly Daily for lunch. She texted back a sad smiley, but I’m sure she understood. It’s not going to be the first time or the last that I’ve bailed on lunch for extra work. I kicked my shoes off underneath my desk and dug into my work.

By the time 4 o’clock rolled around I’d gotten all my daily stuff done, and both projects. I was running off the break room coffee and spite. Lipnitski’s motions had been dropped off at Jessica’s desk and the amendments for Columbia were ready to be taken up to their office, several floors above the Law Firm of Cox & Jacobs.

I closed down my computer, pulled my hair out of the messy knot that I had resorted to, to save it when I had begun yanking on it in frustration a few hours earlier. Standing there, I smoothed my hands down the front of my skirt and took a few deep breaths. I may be a lowly paralegal, but I still represented the firm and needed to put forward a good impression. Columbia Records made me nervous. They'd been in the Woolworth's Building since the 30's and while they weren't a frequent client of ours, they still were a huge account for us. Files in hand, I headed out the doors and over to the bank of elevators.

~~~

Harry waved to the front desk as he trotted down the steps of his building. Pulling his shearling jacket closed around his neck, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. It was bitterly cold, but the diffused light through the city would make the short walk worth it. He was headed to the Columbia offices to ok some changes to the contract for the second album. Normally, it would be couriered over to him, but there were meetings scheduled for the following day and this needed to be completed prior to the morning. So he left Mitch still ensconced in the corner of the couch, this time with one of his guitars, while Harry headed out.

New York in the cold was all bright, reflected light and sharp edges. Harry’s breath fogged out in front of him, as hat, sunglasses, and coat, rendered him unrecognizable to the other people walking through Tribeca. He'd opted against headphones as he walked, preferring to listen to the horns and traffic. It was only a short 10 block walk from Harry's building to the Columbia offices. His fingers and toes had begun to lose feeling by the time it came into sight.

Harry hurried up the steps of the building and into the warm lobby. Eager to regain the feeling in his extremities before heading up, he slowed down taking in the faces of the people around him. Walking toward the circular welcome desk, his feet tangled over themselves and he stumbled, as he caught a glimpse of a familiar face rushing past him to the doors he had just walked though.

"Fuck." Harry breathed, earning the glare of an older lady sitting behind the desk, "Sorry."

Harry turned and watched as she disappeared through the doors of the building, black coat floating out behind her. Her smile from the dogeared photos burning into his thoughts.

#lady madonna #chapter 1 #1dff #harry styles #harry styles fanfction #ofc #new story

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wesleyv21-blog · 6 years

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One Week Down!

¡Hola, todos! Sending out good vibes from Quito!

Damn has a lot happened this weekend! Perhaps both the most exciting and nerve-wracking part of the experience so far has finally come: I moved in with my homestay family! But there’s quite a story leading up to this point so I’ll start from the beginning.

Friday was taken up by one-on-one interviews with our program director, Faba, during which we just checked in about our medical information and how we’re doing so far. Since there are 24 of us, and each interview took about 10 minutes, and somehow we fell behind at some point, this took almost half the day. When it was finally done around 1:30, a big group of us went out for tapas and had quite the time. It will be our last meal together for some time, because at around 4:00 on Friday, our host families came to pick us up from our hotel!

I was quite the ball of nerves and excitement while waiting for my family to arrive. Hell, we all were! All I had to go on was a letter they wrote me describing how excited they were to welcome me into their home, as well as a photo of the family and some info about them that the program provided. Well, the funny thing was that my family did not show up on Friday. The whole family had taken a weeklong vacation to the beaches of Esmeraldas, a province to the northwest of Quito that is a looooooong car ride from the city lol probably 6-8 hours with traffic. So, one of their good friends who is hosting another student and who lives close by picked me up. She was so nice and hospitable, feeding us cake, tea, and a scrumptious dinner. She is quite experienced in hosting foreign scholars, and in fact I ended up meeting two additional students from other universities and doing other stuff in the country that were wrapping up their time in Ecuador. My temporary host mom has a daughter and a son around our age, so all 6 of us ended up going out to a house party after dinner. Oh, one cool thing about my temporary host family is that the father’s brother is an ex-president of Ecuador who is also a famous economist. In addition to his famous books he’s written, my temporary host mom showed us a picture album with the whole family which was amazing and cute.

Now, this house party was something else. Getting there took around 40 minutes, as we had to drive out of Quito to Tumbaco, a little town out to the west. Let’s just say that the young Quiteño upper-class plays hard. First of all the estate was enormous, surrounded by this huge wall that enclosed probably three or four buildings on this large piece of land. Behind the mansion was this patio that was replete with a huge grill, a hammock, access to the kitchen, comfortable furniture, and even security cameras lol. There were many young men and only four young women including my temporary host sister. The men were going hard, forcing each other to drink, smoking cigarettes, forcing each other to drink more, running around all over the place, fighting over control of the music, grabbing the women as if they owned them. I had heard from one of the program assistants during our safety lecture that in Ecuadorian society, men are under such pressures from patriarchy that they vent all their pent-up emotions by drinking excessively. I don’t know enough to claim that this is what I witnessed, but it is a tempting conclusion to draw. Of course what I saw at the party is also heavily influenced by class, since these kids (my age) have the leisure and money to drink hard on a Friday night. It should also be said that this entire weekend is a dry weekend; bars are closed and you can’t buy alcohol anywhere. The reason? There was a national referendum today, and I take it that for all elections, since voting is mandated by law, alcohol disappears so as to ensure people’s faithful compliance. Nonetheless these individuals had procured alcohol from somewhere and were indulging. The most fun I had was swapping party stories with this one guy who ended up getting so drunk he couldn’t stand by the end of the night, and talking with this truly intercultural young man who spoke English, Spanish, and German, had studied abroad almost as much as he had in Ecuador, and who has plans to continue his education in Europe. One other thing I learned was that marijuana is super taboo here, way different from the states lol.

Saturday morning, my friend’s host family dropped me off at my real host family, and I finally got to meet them! Their house is also enormous. Just like every other house I’ve seen in Pichincha province (which includes Quito and the surrounding towns I’ve visited, like Pifo and Tababela), their house is enclosed in a tall wall covered in spikes. It has three stories, including a large patio and a home office for the parents’ travel agency they’ve owned for over 20 years. The sitting rooms are spacious and filled with cool art, the kitchen is small but intimate, and the house is super well located: just a few minutes’ walk to Parque La Carolina, El Jardín Mall, and our class building. Two parents, a daughter, two sons, and their grandmother all live in this incredible house. There’s even room for a visiting aunt who lives in London who is also very charming. In addition, a lovely Japanese woman named Ayumi rents office space and works as a travel agent for Japanese tourists. Her office is right next to my room; she’s also super friendly! Everyone is so welcoming and nice! We talked, watched Black Mirror in Spanish lol, ate delish traditional Ecuadorian food, compared the Spanish and English in different countries across the world, and went out the shopping mall. More on the food. It’s all soo yummy. There’s like a mini corn-on-the-cob that’s called choclo, and it’s usually served with a slice of cheese. They brought out a cacao fruit, which looks really cool, and when you cut it open you expose the brown seeds that are covered in a white slime. You can suck on the seeds and ingest the white slime, which sounds kinda gross but is actually a good mixture of sweetness and tartness. Oritos are mini bananas that are super sweet. Habas reminded me of edamame, as they’re kinda a bean-looking food whose shell you bust open to reveal a kinda bland inside that you can scoop out and eat. It’s really good with just a pinch of salt added to it! The main course of lunch featured a sardine flank that was served cold in a red sauce with tiny round potatoes. At breakfast there was thick papaya juice which was really good, and with lunch there was this sparkling apple juice that somehow had no sugar whatsoever in it. Tonight for dinner I had pastel de plátano, which is exactly what is sounds like: a little pan-seared cake made of smooshed sweet plantains called maduros. Oh I guess should I explain how meals work lol. Lunch is the main course of the day, usually consisting of 3-4 dishes served around 1-2 pm. Breakfast and dinner are both very light. Coffee or tea is usually served at both, and I’ve had grilled cheese sandwiches served at both as well lol. At breakfast, they bring out the rich fruits, whether in slices or juiced. Dinner, if served at all, tends to be pretty late, like around 8 pm. Needless to say everything I’ve eaten so far is delish(;

But I have to say that moving in with the host family has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Saturday was one of the longest days of my life. I’m overwhelmed still from being here and being so far away from what’s comfortable; add to that the awkwardness of getting to know an established family unit so intimately and the mindfuck of re-socializing your brain to speak only another language. There was a lot of time to myself Saturday, which was hard. But, it was also very fun and I can’t say I regret it. I knew going in that this weekend would be the hardest, but once I get over this hump then it should be relatively smooth sailing. On the positive side, they treat me very well and I can hold my own in conversations with three generations of native speakers. Think about the differences in pronunciation that accompany age in English-speaking lands; well, I’m slowly building the satisfaction of mastering that in Spanish as well. I also get along very well with both sons, which is cool to think that I’m making international friends! It’s a long journey I’ve just begun, but I wouldn’t go back for anything.

Another cool thing was a conversation I had with the youngest son about voting today. This won’t be his first time voting (that came in Lenín Moreno’s election last year), but he nonetheless had some cool perspectives on the referendum. Voting is mandated by law for all those above age 18 and is optional for those aged 16 and 17. If you do not vote, you incur a steep fine. In addition, upon voting, one receives a certificate that one needs to do official citizen business like procure a passport or visa. The referendum consists of 7 questions that will amend the Constitution. These questions are:

1. Would prohibit those accused of corruption from ever serving in public office (Ecuador has a long history of political corruption, yet the last straw in adding this question to the referendum was the recent imprisonment of former vice president Jorge Glas on corruption charges)

2. Would limit all elected officials to only 2 terms in the same office (brought about by the last president, Rafael Correa, who changed the constitution to allow himself to run indefinitely)

3. Would replace all current members of the Citizens’ Participation and Social Control Council (the 5th branch of government here) and replace them all with new appointees (to flush out the last remaining allies of president Correa)

4. Would remove statute of limitation for sex crimes against minors (due to over 1,000 cases of sex crimes against minors brought to court over the last 2 years)

5. Would prohibit mining in protected areas, untouchable zones, and urban centers (mining is on the rise in Ecuador, yet this question might prove decisive for the young industry’s future)

6. Would get rid of the law of plusvalía, which essentially treats the sale of property of any kind as speculation, meaning that the seller must pay like 70% of the revenue from the sale to the state as tax

7. Would expand the protected areas of the Yasuní National Park, the single most biodiverse place on earth that also sadly houses much of Ecuador’s oil reserves (this question would thus prohibit future oil drilling in Yasuní)

The general populace was expected to vote to pass all of them in what many see as a middle finger to the last president, Rafael Correa, and a vote of confidence for Moreno’s young regime. Yet that’s not how my host brother necessarily sees it. He doesn’t support the current regime, and he certainly didn’t support the last. According to him, both presidents have raised taxes, especially on imports, which has raised the cost of living significantly. In addition, neither president supports/ed policies that are favorable toward foreigners, something he doesn’t like. His perspective is quite interesting and will need to be investigated further. Another interesting thing about the referendum came when Sebastián told me that many voters don’t understand the wording of the questions, not to mention all the annexes that are on the flipside of the ballot page. Very interesting. Also last night I watched a government news channel ahead of the vote today. After going into detail about each of the questions, the focus turned to the actual process itself. Even though this is the 11th national referendum since the return to democracy in 1979, there are some new and exciting steps being implemented in this referendum. For example, there is a new electronic rapid-response exit-poll-type technology designed to report trustworthy results ahead of the official tally. Lots of domestic and international observers were invited to oversee the polls. Something that I guess isn’t new is that all ballots are translated into indigenous languages, and for the many hard-to-access communities scattered across Ecuador, the government helicopters ballots in so people can still vote. Another highly promoted feature on this program was the accessibility of all voting stations so that people with different abilities can still vote. The temptation at looking at this at first was to dismiss it as government propaganda, which it no doubt is. After all, in the U.S., elections are a piece of cake and no one ever has reason to question the outcome (except Trump lol). But, I had to catch myself. This is a country whose democracy is relatively young. Building up these institutions is key for achieving long-lasting social justice. Who am I to come in and laugh at things that Ecuadorians take pride in? Nonviolent, inclusive elections aren’t a given. So, I learned a lot more than I thought I would watching that program last night.

Today I accompanied my host brother, Matías, as he went and voted. It was quite the process to get to his assigned voting place. We had to take a bus probably a mile or so (which, in Quito traffic, took about 30 minutes) and walk to the destination. Although we didn’t know at first which street the school was on, so we were walking around asking people where it was. Finally, we found it, and I watched as Matías showed his I.D., was handed the piece of paper with each question labeled and color-coded, walked over to a schooldesk on which stood a cardboard trifold to act as a privacy shield, and deposited the ballot in the cardboard box in which was cut a slit to slip in the ballot. And home we went. At night, nos reunimos para cenar y mirar los comentarios a cerca de la votación. As expected, all measures passed. Now the country awaits the implementation of each question.

After lunch I had the opportunity to talk to the ones I love most. I cannot overstate how happy I was to reconnect with them and catch up, even just to see their faces and hear their voices. No matter where I am on this earth, I know where home is (:

Classes finally begin tomorrow. I’m actually looking forward both to their content and the sense of routine they’ll bring.

¡Hasta luego!

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lethaderr-blog · 5 years

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Have you heard of ?

I had no idea that existed until visiting the South of . was a stop on my cruise of the Canal du Midi aboard the Athos hotel barge. We stopped at several tiny towns on our slow drift on the canal. was a short drive from where our boat docked the previous night. is right along another canal, the Canal de la Robine.

It’s no wonder that I’d never heard about before. Most of its tourists are French or fairly local to the region. While the nearby medieval town of Carcassonne has a huge international draw, the majority of them will never venture just east of it towards . In fact, 80% of tourists to the Languedoc region are French. For travelers interested in going off the beaten path to visit this enchanting little town, stunning views and an intriguing history await.

Roman History in : The Via Domitia

Long before was ever a country, was established as the first Roman colony in Gaul as Colonia Narbo Martius (also known as Narbo). Later, it was a capital of the Visigoth Kingdom. Around the 14th century, fell into decline due to changes in the waterways, war, plague, and the growth of other ports.

The Via Domitia was the first Roman road that linked Gaul to Italy and Spain, and its route ran right through . The remnants of the Via Domitia are very visible right in the middle of . You’ll find evidence of this in the main town square, Place de l’Hotel de Ville. is a city of layers, and you can see how the modern street was built right on top of the Via Domitia. Venture down and feel this ancient Roman cobblestone road beneath your feet!

Towering over the old Via Domitia, you’ll discover the Archbishops’ Palace (Palais des Archevêques). There are actually two palaces here: the Old Palace (Roman architectural style) and the New Palace (gothic architectural style). Inside the Archbishops’ Palace today, you’ll find the Town Hall, the Archaeology Museum, and a Fine Arts Museum. You can also explore the Saint Theodard Bell Tower and Le Cour de la Madeleine (palace courtyard).

Shop on the Merchants’ Bridge

Upon first glance, you’d never imagine that this shopping street is actually a bridge. The Merchants’ Bridge (Pont des Marchands) crosses the Canal de la Robine, and you’d never know that water flows beneath it. It’s a row of colorful houses spanning across the canal with tons of shops underneath them.

The Merchants Bridge is paved with pink marble and lined with shops. If you’re hunting down that perfect souvenir, this is the spot where you need to be. There are only a handful of bridges in the world that are lined with shops and you can visit one of them in .

Saint-Just and Saint-Pasteur Cathedral

One of the top things to do in is exploring the Cathedral, Saint-Just and Saint-Pasteur Cathedral. I am certain that this had the potential to be one of the most visited cathedrals in all of . However, there’s only one slight problem. The cathedral was never finished.

Even though the Cathedral is super impressive, it’s only a quarter of a cathedral. The choir is finished, but the rest of the building was never completed.

The placement of the cathedral dates back to the year 313, which was the site of a Constantinian basilica. Destroyed by a fire in 441, a Latin basilica was constructed in its place (completed in 445). Not much remains of this church, but you can see two Roman columns in the present day nave of the cathedral dating back to this time period. Yet another cathedral was erected in 890 on the same site, but it fell into ruin.

In 1268, the former archbishop of , Pope Clement IV, wanted to build a Gothic cathedral at this site. There were great plans for a massive cathedral in . In 1332, the choir was finished, but that’s where construction came to a halt. As the plans for the cathedral were so vast, any further construction would have meant tearing down the fortified city walls (which no longer exist). As there were many invasions of cities back in these times, it wouldn’t have been a great choice to tear down the fortifications. Also, financial constraints led to the abandonment of the original plans to build the rest of the cathedral.

Thinking that this unfinished church isn’t worth a visit? Think again! It has one of the highest Gothic naves in the South of . Marvel at brilliant stained glass windows from the 14th century. Admire many original statues, tapestries, and even an old relief work (rediscovered after being covered by plaster for centuries). On the exterior of the church, there are large and impressive flying buttresses.

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Here are some awesome places to stay in .<div class="kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore-wrap"><a class="kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://justinpluslauren.com/go/hotels-in-narbonne-france/">Learn More <h2>Check out the Market <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2Fi-c9NXfXm%2Fbuy&sref=rss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com//-2019/i-c9NXfXm/0/3150a103/XL/P1380358-XL.jpg" alt="Les Halles de - Market"/> <p>The Market, <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.narbonne.halles.fr%2F&sref=rss" target="_blank">Les Halles de , is a must visit when you travel here. Dating back to 1901, it’s open every day of the year from 7:00am to 2:00pm. There are 66 local merchants and artisans offering the freshest produce and high quality products from the region. If you’re looking for an authentic dining experience, you’ll want to head directly to Les Halles. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2Fi-hkhBdGB%2Fbuy&sref=rss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com//-2019/i-hkhBdGB/0/c9a3a40d/XL/P1380359-XL.jpg" alt="Les Halles de - Market - , South of "/> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2Fi-2DcSw6D%2Fbuy&sref=rss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com//-2019/i-2DcSw6D/0/003bac17/XL/P1380362-XL.jpg" alt="Les Halles de - Market - , South of "/> <p>For the vegans in the crowd like myself, the Market is a place that’s quite abundant in meat and cheese (it is the South of , after all). However, you’ll find loads of fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, and bread that are the makings of the perfect picnic. Unfortunately, you won’t find vegan cheese at the Market yet (as you might in shops around Paris and other major cities). Perhaps there will be delicious nut cheeses for sale there in the future. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2Fi-MNFpbg6%2Fbuy&sref=rss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com//-2019/i-MNFpbg6/0/ee63a57a/XL/P1380360-XL.jpg" alt="Les Halles de - Market - , South of "/> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2Fi-vJrgnJJ%2Fbuy&sref=rss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com//-2019/i-vJrgnJJ/0/94bdd2f4/XL/P1380361-XL.jpg" alt="Les Halles de - Market - , South of "/> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2Fi-94ddZhM%2Fbuy&sref=rss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com//-2019/i-94ddZhM/0/4cafc752/XL/P1380364-XL.jpg" alt="Les Halles de - Market - , South of "/> <h2>Stroll along the Canal de la Robine <p>Still looking for what to do in ? I recommend taking a stroll along the Canal de la Robine. If it’s a warmer day, you can wander paths lined with trees right next to the canal. The bridges are lined with baskets of flowers and the view is quite beautiful. You won’t encounter any crowds in as it’s off the main tourist path. Enjoy a serene walk by the water and soak up the spectacular scenery all over town. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2Fi-qMfq5NP%2Fbuy&sref=rss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com//-2019/i-qMfq5NP/0/fed3c9e2/XL/P1380354-XL.jpg" alt="Tree lined streets in "/> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2Fi-dg54T4W%2Fbuy&sref=rss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com//-2019/i-dg54T4W/0/f08d25a6/XL/P1380357-XL.jpg" alt="Canal de la Robine, , "/> <h2>Bonus: More Things to Do in <p>Seeking even more things to do in , if you’re planning to stay longer than a day? I only had a half day in , so I imagine that you can fit some other activities into your day that I didn’t get the chance to see. Here are a few suggestions: <ul><li><strong><a rel="nofollow" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripadvisor.ca%2FAttraction_Review-g187155-d243546-Reviews-Donjon_Gilles_Aycelin-_Aude_Occitanie.html&sref=rss">Donjon Gilles Aycelin: Climb to the top of the bell tower for magnificent views over <li><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fontfroide.com%2F&sref=rss" target="_blank">Fontfroide Abbey: It’s about 15km away from city center, and it’s a little difficult to access if you don’t have a car. Check out this peaceful former Cistercian monastery if you’re able to visit.<li> Plage: It’s a stunning resort on the Mediterranean Coast of the South of . It features a sparkling clean blue flag beach. Build your own <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://justinpluslauren.com/go/narbonne-plage-vacation/" target="_blank"> Plage vacation package for a relaxing holiday abroad. <h2>Getting There <p>It’s easy to reach , even if you’re not sailing aboard a canal cruise. There are direct trains from Paris and Barcelona to , making the journey relaxing and easy. <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.raileurope.com&sref=rss" target="_blank">Book your high speed train trip to quickly and easily online. <style id="kt-blocks_a416ad-77" type="text/css"> .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap {background:rgba(206, 249, 248, 1);padding:20px 20px 20px 20px;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover {border-color:rgba(238, 238, 238, 1);background:rgba(206, 249, 248, 1);} .kt-blocks-info-box-media {color: 0px 0px 0px;padding:10px 10px 10px 10px;margin:0px 15px 0px 15px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-media {color:#444;background:transparent;border-color:#fff;} .kt-blocks-info-box-title {color: 0px 0px 0px;margin:5px 0px 10px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-title {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-text {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-text {color:#444;} .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore {color: 0px 0px 0px;padding:4px 8px 4px 8px;margin:10px 0px 10px 0px;} .kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap:hover .kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore {color: <div id="" class="wp-block-kadence-infobox"><div class="kt-blocks-info-box-link-wrap kt-blocks-info-box-media-align-top kt-info-halign-center"><div class="kt-blocks-info-box-media kt-info-media-animate-none"><div class="kadence-info-box-icon-container kt-info-icon-animate-none"><div class="kadence-info-box-icon-inner-container"><span style="display:block;justify-content:center;align-items:center" class="kt-info-svg-icon kt-info-svg-icon-fas_camera"><svg style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle" viewbox="0 0 512 512" height="80" width="80" fill="currentColor" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M512 144v288c0 26.5-21.5 48-48 48H48c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48V144c0-26.5 21.5-48 48-48h88l12.3-32.9c7-18.7 24.9-31.1 44.9-31.1h125.5c20 0 37.9 12.4 44.9 31.1L376 96h88c26.5 0 48 21.5 48 48zM376 288c0-66.2-53.8-120-120-120s-120 53.8-120 120 53.8 120 120 120 120-53.8 120-120zm-32 0c0 48.5-39.5 88-88 88s-88-39.5-88-88 39.5-88 88-88 88 39.5 88 88z"><div class="kt-infobox-textcontent"><h4 class="kt-blocks-info-box-title">Want to see more photos?<p class="kt-blocks-info-box-text">Check out all of our photos at our travel photography site. You can see all of our photos in one place, plus have the option of buying items made from our pictures.<div class="kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore-wrap"><a class="kt-blocks-info-box-learnmore" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://go.redirectingat.com/?id=125747X1586856&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftravelphotos.justinpluslauren.com%2F%2F-2019%2F&sref=rss">Learn More <p>If you’re looking for a charming city to visit in the South of , definitely add to your travel wish list. You can easily spend a whole day there wandering the streets and slowly taking in all of the sights. Prepare to be completely enchanted by this adorable small town! <ul class="wp-block-gallery columns-3"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-683x1024.jpg" alt="5 Magical Reasons to Visit : Picture Perfect Beauty in the South of data-id="18377" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18377" class="wp-image-18377" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest3.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-683x1024.jpg" alt="5 Magical Reasons to Visit : Picture Perfect Beauty in the South of data-id="18376" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18376" class="wp-image-18376" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest2.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img src="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-683x1024.jpg" alt="5 Magical Reasons to Visit : Picture Perfect Beauty in the South of data-id="18375" data-link="https://justinpluslauren.com/?attachment_id=18375" class="wp-image-18375" srcset="https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://justinpluslauren.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/-Pinterest1.jpg 735w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /> <p style="text-align:center">PIN one of the above images to Pinterest for future reference. 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