#joyous day!!! early christmas shopping money

[creaturefeaster]

Can't promise I'll get to it 100% but I wanna doodle today & I have no ideas.............. if you guys have any requests..,.., you know the drill 😏

#I have a couple commissions i gotta work on but in between them i wanna doodle if i have the time #my comms aren't public right now but sometimes i take personal requests if people reach out #and by complete chance three people at the same time reached out to me #joyous day!!! early christmas shopping money

[leigh-kelly]

Your Promise Must be the Reason the Happy Season is Here

Some new Fire Island!AU.

Once the storm subsides, Brittany manages to get Dr. Chang on the phone and he braves the snowdrifts to come care for Ana. You had been right about it being influenza and he gives Mercy medication and instructions to keep her comfortable. They stay another night and then they take her home, promising you that they have enough candles to keep the house lit until you have power again. It takes six days before you do and though you’re missing it, Brittany insists that you go to get a Christmas tree. She strings the lights, though they can’t be lit, and you decorate it together in front of the warm fire.

Together, you bake cookies and her arm gets better each day. You see her get antsy to do the things she shouldn’t and you don’t chastise her when she does. You know that she’s grown and can make her own choices but still, you worry each and every minute. Christmas is coming though and the two of you get wrapped up in the excitement. Though you won’t be going back to the city, you wrap gifts for your mother and father and the little girls and get them in the mail so they’ll have them in time. You shop for gifts for the Karofskys who will have you over for dinner, you find a few small things for little Ana and you kiss Brittany beneath the mistletoe that she hung in the sitting room.

“Ya sure do look pretty.” Brittany comes up into the bedroom on Christmas Eve to find you dressed for your evening alone together. “If I’d’ve known ya were gonna dress up, I’d’ve ironed somethin’ else real nice for tonight.”

“I love you just the way you are.” You smile at her in her work trousers and suspenders. “I have to call home before my family goes to Christmas Eve mass, but after that, it’ll just be us until dinner tomorrow.”

“Sure sounds like the most special kind of night to me.” She grins. “Mind if I talk to the little gals?”

“I don’t think they’ll let me off the phone without it.”

You kiss Brittany’s lips, that tender kind of kiss that strives to show her just how much she means to you and you feel her smile into it. Lord Tubbington mewls at your feet and you feel this deep sense of contentment within you. You thought that you might feel a sense of deep sadness at being apart from your family again for Christmas, but it seems to have lessened this year. You’ve settled so very securely into your life with Brittany, you look forward to the holidays with her and though you miss your family terribly, it’s easier to not feel the pain of the distance when you’re in Brittany’s arms.

Together, you go downstairs to the telephone and Brittany sits beside you on the sofa. You hope that someone in the hallway will hear the phone ring, you hope that your family hasn’t left early for mass and you squeeze Brittany’s hand, anxiously awaiting an answer. It’s Robbie Gutierrez, the man about your age who lives on the second floor who answers and you wish him a merry Christmas before you ask him to get your family from their apartment. You hold for several minutes and then you hear the small voices of your sisters clambering to speak with you.

Your mother takes the phone first, and you give her another apology that you didn’t make it home for Christmas. She hushes you and thanks you for the gifts you sent, telling you that she loves you before she passes the phone to your father. When you speak to him, you can hear, even over the phone, how much he’s aged since the war and it saddens you deeply. You wish that he’d been able to stay home, that he hadn’t been injured, that he didn’t have to work with his bad leg. You long to tell him that you helped support the family while he was away and that you could send more money than you do so he could stay home, but you know he’d never allow it. You’re certain that your mother uses what you do send for things for the girls, that he wishes to have nothing to do with it, and so you never mention that you’d use every penny of extra money that you have to help them.

When Mariana takes the phone, you feel your dampened spirits brighten. She speaks of Santa Claus, of the tres leches cake she had after dinner, of the new dress she’s wearing for church and you smile. Brittany leans in against the receiver and she speaks with Mariana and then Carlotta and Concetta just as you do. There’s another pang of missing them, but your mother had promised that she’d call after breakfast in the morning, so you know you’ll get to hear about all of their treasures after Santa Claus comes. Concetta hangs up the phone and you lean a bit into Brittany, smiling into her shoulder, and she kisses the crown of your head.

“Those little girls sure do love ya.”

“I love then too, so much. I want them to have the most magical Christmas.”

“With the gifts ya sent them from Santa, they’re sure to have an even better one than your parents could give them.”

“I worry about my parents quite a bit. My father doesn’t sound well...”

“Do ya need to go spend some time there?”

“I don’t know, I may. He’s such a stubborn man, he refuses the help of anyone who tries to give it to him.”

“I know something about that...” Brittany looks off into the distance and you immediately feel bad.

“Brittany.”

“‘S alright. I’m just missing my Pop a bit more since it’s Christmas.”

“If you’d like, we can go to his grave in the morning, perhaps bring pine branches to commemorate the holiday.”

“I don’t want to depress ya on Christmas.”

“You’re not.” You promise, kissing the back of her hand. “I know that it’s your first Christmas without him and that’s sure to be difficult.”

“I just think of him sittin’ at the Karofskys’ table. It’ll feel awful empty without that. But I’m alright. I don’t mean to feel sad.”

“It’s alright to feel that way, love. You had a big loss this year.”

“Still doesn’t feel quite real.” She shrugs. “But it is.”

“We’ll plan to get up early and care for his grave. When we’re there, I’ll give you a bit of time alone with him.”

“I think I like it better when I have ya by my side. Sure did help when we went down to see Willie.”

“Whatever makes it easier for you, I’ll do.”

“Ya sure are swell.”

“I just love you quite a bit.”

For a long while, you sit quietly until you know that the roast is done and you have potatoes to mash. Brittany follows you into the kitchen and she watches as you make gravy. A Christmas roast was a tradition your mother picked up when she came to America and you’ve carried it on in your own home. Like your sisters had, there will be tres leches cake after your meal and you think that every bit of the work you’ve done throughout the day will be worth it when you get to watch Brittany enjoy Christmas Eve dinner. She’s told you that she never did much for the day, since her father worked and it was difficult for him to put together a meal like this when he came home to two children, so now that you have her, you try to make it special.

She cuts into the roast while you bring potatoes and yeast rolls and vegetables to the table and you smile at how much food there is, even just for the two of you. As little money as your parents had when you were growing up, the Christmas Eve dinner before mass was always an affair and now that you have quite a bit more, you don’t have to worry about where that money will come from. Once you’re both seated, you bow your head to say grace and you ask God silently to pay special attention to Brittany as she suffers through her grief over the next few days.

“This sure is some meal, Santana. I can’t believe ya spent all day in the kitchen.”

“You were quite a bit of help yourself. I appreciated having the company.”

“Wasn’t anythin’ much. Ya did most of the hard stuff. Plus ya made things to bring over to Davey’s tomorrow.”

“I know that Mrs. Karofsky works so hard to put Christmas together, I was just glad that she let me bring something this year.”

“I’m sure Davey’s been tellin’ her all about your cookin’.” Brittany grins.

“No one likes it quite as much as you do, sweetheart.”

“That’s because I get to kiss the cook.”

Dinner is much more joyous than your conversation before it and you linger long after with the champagne you’d bought for the occasion. When your head is a little light from the alcohol and the bubbles, you get to your feet, figuring you ought to start cleaning up before you’re too drunk to do it. Together, you clear the table and though Brittany normally washes the dishes while you dry, her arm makes either impossible so she stands at the sink to keep you company.

When you’re through, you go into the sitting room with refilled glasses of champagne and you curl your legs beneath you on the sofa, even in your dress and stockings and you rest your head on Brittany’s shoulder. She feels so soft and warm beside you with nothing but the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree and you feel such a swell of happiness that it’s hard to contain. Gone are the fears about your father, the worries you and Brittany have had about finances, the whole outside world. It’s just you and Brittany, wrapped up in each other as you sit beside your tree.

When you fall asleep against her shoulder, she gently wakes you and helps you upstairs. You’re so tired that it’s hard to wash up and get into your nightgown, but she helps you as best as she can with one hand and you lean over to kiss her lips. Your bedroom is always cold and you quickly get beneath the quilt, wrapping your legs with Brittany’s and leaning your head back on her shoulder. In the morning, you’ll go to see her father, but just for the evening, the last thing you see before you fall asleep is a soft, contented smile on Brittany’s face.

Brittany isn’t in bed when you wake up on Christmas morning. The bedroom is cold and you feel an emptiness at her absence. You don’t really want to get out of bed and brave the iciness, but you do, sliding into your slippers and robe before you pad downstairs. The kitchen smells like coffee and bacon and when you see Brittany standing at the stove, you come up behind her and stand on your tiptoes to rest your chin on her shoulder. Your arms find a place around her waist and you feel her smile, though you can’t see her face. She’s flipping pancakes in the pan and you smile to yourself at the fact that she woke up to make you breakfast.

“I was supposed to bring ya breakfast in bed.” She laughs.

“You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know, but I wanted to. Ya cook me breakfast all the time, I thought I’d do somethin’ nice for ya on Christmas.”

“It’s still such a nice thing, even if it’s not in bed.”

“I think ya should go back to bed. Stay warm under the blankets while the house warms up.”

“It is awfully cold this morning.”

“Go. I’ll see ya up there in a few minutes.”

Listening to Brittany’s orders, you go back upstairs and slide your slippers off before crawling under the covers. The bed is still warm from your body and it helps take the chill out from when you went downstairs. You take your book from the nightstand, turning the pages of The House of the Seven Gables while you wait for her to come and soon enough, she’s standing in the doorway holding a tray of food and coffee in one hand. She sits down on her side of the bed and you smile, glad that she brought two plates, glad that she’ll be having breakfast with you in the warmth of your bed.

“My pancakes sure ain’t as good as yours, but I tried real hard.”

“They’re perfect, Brittany. Thank you for this, you always make me feel so cherished.”

“Well I cherish ya. Ya always do so much for me and I wanted to do this for ya in return.”

“It wasn’t too much, with your arm?”

“My arm is gettin’ a whole lot better. I’ll be goin’ back to work just after the new year.”

“Can you promise me that you won’t do something that will get you hurt again?”

“I...Santana, it’s real hard for me to promise that.”

“You’re just as good as those boys, better. You don’t have to prove yourself.”

“I don’t feel like it a lot. I’m not a normal woman and I’m not a man, I’m caught somewhere in between and I’ve just gotta make everyone see that I can do anything they would do.”

“No one should be doing things that would make them get hurt. You told me that Mr. Brewster said as much.”

“I know.” She looks into her lap. “I can promise ya that I’ll try.”

“That’s better than you not promising at all. It terrifies me when you’re sick or hurt, I can only do so much to care for you.”

“Ya sure are good at tendin’ to it though. Ya always know the right thing to do.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt so badly that I won’t. A lot of the boys in my neighborhood worked in construction when I was living back at home and my father saw to some of them with devastating injuries. I couldn’t manage if that was you.”

“I’ll try real hard not to get hurt, but ya know when I go back out on the Alcott...”

“I know.” You suck in a breath, looking her in the eyes. “I know it’s a dangerous job.”

“Just so ya know, I really want to come home to ya every night.”

“I know.”

Together, you finish your breakfast and you go downstairs in your robe to help clean up the kitchen. When the cleanup is through, you go to bathe and you get ready to go with Brittany to her father’s grave. You pull in your dress and warm woolen stockings and she puts a sweater over her trousers to keep warm in the bitter December weather. Because supper is early at the Karofskys’, you pack the things you’re bringing in a basket and you walk down the beach together, holding hands until you can’t anymore.

The cemetery is empty when you get there and Brittany meanders through the graves until she finds the place where her parents are laid to rest. She carefully traces her fingers over the name of the mother she never knew and then she turns up her father’s name, taking a deep, shuddering breath. It’s the first time she’s seen his name inscribed there and you can see the pain of realization on her face. She lays the Christmas wreath that she brought from the house and she kneels down in the snow in front of the stone.

“Pop, it’s me, Brittany. I’m sorry I haven’t been to visit ya, it’s just been real hard without ya. But Santana is takin’ good care of me. Ya know, I love her more than I’ve ever loved anyone. She’s here with me now because she wanted to make sure I was okay and because she really became fond of ya while she was takin’ care of ya. It’s the first Christmas that ya aren’t here and I keep thinkin’ about how empty it’s gonna feel around the Karofskys table without ya. We’ve been goin’ there since I was a little girl and it was always the one day ya didn’t have to work. I just wish ya could be here somethin’ fierce. I miss ya a lot Pop, and I’ll try to come visit ya more.”

Tears fill your eyes as you listen to Brittany speak and though she still kneels, you wish you could gather her up in your arms and take away her tears. You have your parents, you don’t know how to feel the kind of grief that she feels and you hope that it’s a long time before you do. But you can almost feel her pain as she kneels there in the icy snow, her heart belongs to you and when it aches, yours aches in return. She finally stands again and she turns to you. You open your arms and she falls into them, big, hiccuping sobs escaping her when she does. Alone in the cemetery, you rub her back, careful of her arm, you kiss the side of her face, you promise her that you’re there, because that’s all you can do.

For a little while longer, you linger in the cemetery. Then, she’s ready to leave and she wipes her face on her coat sleeve before you begin the walk to David’s. You know she doesn’t want to sadden them on such a joyous day and you give her hand a little squeeze before you drop it and just walk side by side over the wooden pathway. On the grey day, Christmas lights illuminate the Karofsky house and Brittany forces a smile onto her face. The door opens and David stands there, a big grin on his face. He lets you in and immediately, you go to the kitchen to help his mother.

You appreciate that Mrs. Karofsky doesn’t usher you out, but she lets you help, taking the dishes you brought while Brittany puts the gifts under the tree. With Mary Ellen, you set the table and then the two of you work side by side with her mother, making sure that everything is ready to go on the table quickly. Smelling like a cigar and a whiskey, Brittany takes her place beside you at the table and you bow your head before you eat, despite the fact that the Karofskys don’t pray before meals.

It’s a beautiful dinner, though you watch every time Brittany looks over to the place where her father sat last year and you long to hold her close to you, to let her know that you’re with her as she mourns. When it comes time for you to go, it’s dark and snowy and you step out into the cold air, looking forward to when you get a bit further down the beach and you can burrow into Brittany’s side for warmth. As soon as she’s able, Brittany opens her good arm to you and you tuck yourself into her side, always feeling so enamored with her when she makes sure you’re warm enough. It seems that you’re always a bit cold and she’s always a bit warm, so she shares her body heat with you and you walk in silence until you arrive at the front of your house.

“Did ya miss out on goin’ to church these last two days?” She asks you, same as she did last Christmas.

“It’s alright, I know it’s difficult for us to make it to the mainland when the ferries run so irregularly. I enjoyed Christmas with the Karofskys and with you.” You smile as she opens the door and you step inside. “Now I’m looking forward to spending the evening curled up beside you.”

“I was thinkin’ I’d make some hot chocolate, if ya’d like that.”

“That sounds nice.”

Because you had agreed not to exchange Christmas gifts, since you know that Brittany is worried about her loss of income, the time you’re to spend together means more than anything else. Uncharacteristic of you, while she makes the hot chocolate, you go upstairs and change into your nightgown and robe, borrowing a pair of her thickest socks to keep your feet warm and you return downstairs to light a fire in the fireplace. Just as you’re settling in on the sofa, she comes back into the sitting room bearing two mugs of hot chocolate. She sets them down on the table and though you assure her that she could go upstairs to change if she’d like, she chooses to stay dressed and she gathers you up in her arms.

“I’ve been lookin’ forward to this all day. I wouldn’t’ve said no to Mrs. Karofsky, but mostly what I wanted this Christmas was just to be with ya.”

“I know you’ve been sad all day today, I wish I knew how to take away your pain.”

“I sure do to. But it’s helpin’, holdin’ ya like this. Ya never change out of your clothes and come back downstairs. I like that ya look all cozy in your nightgown and my socks.”

“I was feeling a bit restricted in my dress and I wanted to be able to be close to you without feeling like I was constricted.” You tell her as Lord Tubbington jumps up on the sofa beside you.

“I wish I could love ya tonight. I wish my arm was better...”

“When your arm is healed, we’ll have all the time in the world.”

“I know, but I miss...” She trails off, looking into your eyes.

“I miss it too, but the most important thing to me is that you heal properly.

“I’m really doin’ everything the doctor said. I need to have full use of it when fishin’ season starts up again. What good’s a captain when she can’t use her arm?”

“I’m sure you’d still be a fine captain without the use of it. You always find a way to make things work.”

“Ya know, so much of who I am is wrapped up in my boat. I just can’t imagine who I’d be without it.”

“I think you’d still make something special of yourself. I imagine you’d find a way to do good on land.”

“I feel like I’m lost a bit since Pop died. If I didn’t have ya lookin’ out for me, I’d probably be driftin’ about aimlessly, tryin’ to find a place where I fit in.”

“I know that it’s been difficult for you, now that a lot of the people on this island treat you differently.”

“I’m just different, that’s who I am. Pop couldn’t raise me to be like a girl because I wanted no part in that. It’s just that without him, people look at me funny when I walk around in my trousers.”

“They shouldn’t. I didn’t know your father when I met you and I thought it was brave of you to do that. It’s hard being a woman, we all have to make our way the best we know how.”

“I think ya might be the only one around who’s ever expressed that it was hard to be a woman.”

“It is. I look at my mother, who works just as hard as my father each day, yet she’s the one who cooks each meal, does the laundry, cleans the apartment and cares for my sisters. I love my father, but I think he might be lost without my mother.”

“I guess it’s different for me, since my Pop did all those things until Willie and I were old enough to help out. I never really saw how men were and how women were.”

“I think that’s what makes you so special. You’re just you.” You tilt your chin up and catch her bottom lip. “I admire you for that.”

“Ya probably are the only one.”

“That’s not true, the boys on your crew respect you like no one else. As far as everyone else goes, they don’t matter.”

“It’s strange, ya know? I never realized that I was lonely until ya came around and I didn’t feel so lonely anymore.”

“I feel the same way, sweetheart. When I was in school, all of the girls were always talking about the boys they were going to marry and I just...didn’t fit in. I’d talk about it too, pretending I was interested in Roderigo Perez or Juan Gutierrez, but the truth was, I didn’t want to marry either of them. I’d imagine that I’d live in my parents’ house forever, helping my mother with the girls until they were grown and then helping them as they aged. There was no one I could talk to that also felt different.”

“I guess I at least had Davey to talk to. I knew he liked boys and I liked girls too for a really long time. Then we found Cherry Grove.”

“I’m sure there are places in the city where the homosexuals go, I just never would have sought that out. I probably really would have been alone forever until you kissed me that night.”

“Do ya know how scared I was? I never kissed a girl outside of Cherry Grove before, it was too dangerous.”

“You kissing me was the scariest thing that ever happened to me...and the best.”

“Do ya still get scared?” She asks you, eyes earnest.

“Not when we’re safe in our house. I do get scared sometimes when we’re out of it. I wonder what people would think, what Mr. Woodhull would do if he found out, if my parents would keep me away from the little girls.”

“I get scared too ya know. Not so much about people finding out, they already think I’m odd, but what would happen if something happened to ya and I was just your landlord.”

“I think everyone knows that you’re more than just my landlord.”

“But even as your best friend. I can’t be your wife out in the world and I wish for that more than anything.”

“I wish for it too. I long to hold your hand so often.”

“Ya have it now.” She squeezes your hand. “At least we have that.”

“This house is the safest place I’ve ever known. It still amazes me every day that you built it for us.”

“I wanted ya to have a place here, I never wanted ya to go.”

“Even when I thought I might go back to the city, it was never because I didn’t love you, it was because I didn’t know how I could. Here, I’ve figured it out. Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Ya sure do talk real sweet sometimes.”

You snuggle further into her side and she hands you your mug of hot chocolate, now that it’s cooled a bit. Under the lights of the Christmas tree, you sip it quietly, just appreciating her presence as you do. She strokes your hair, she kisses your forehead and you realize that though you’d forgone gifts this year, this moment is the perfect one. Before you realize it, you’ve fallen asleep against her body and you’re not sure how much time has passed before she wakes you up.

“If I had both arms, I’d’ve carried ya up to bed so I didn’t have to disturb your rest.”

“It’s okay, I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.”

“It’s alright, ya were tired. We ought to go up to bed.”

“Brittany?”

“Yeah.”

“I love you.”

“I love ya too.”

#brittana #fire island AU #starlight!verse #1940s fire island

[jockeyholla]

Bangkok and Beyond

Happy Fall,

Despite being in one of the biggest, most populated cities I have ever been in my life, I was serenaded to sleep by a chorus of frogs last night. Torrential rains flooded the streets in Bangkok yesterday & our trip home on the boat from the weekend market was quite the wild adventure. We did fine on the metro, though it's a bit too air-conditioned for my taste. Rather like whizzing along in a super smooth refrigerator car. Just installed in the last 15 years, new metro stops are still being created, a bit of a wacky miracle in such a gigantic city.

We just barely squeezed onto the local boat taxi, packed in like sardines. I almost lost John in the fray. A woman who got on beside me at the next stop, was pushing me so hard that I thought I was going to fall over & break everything in my shopping bag. Finally< I traded places with her & became suddenly aware of why she was trying so hard to get further inside the boat. Within seconds, approximately a bucket of water came off of the roof tarp and poured right down my back. I was more soaked than the front seat of Splash Mountain, but fortunately my pirate booty from the market stayed dry. Mostly it has just been a little bit of rain now and again, beautifully cooling when we get it.

We have been amazingly lucky to have an opportunity to see a Healer here in town, who is very famous within Thailand, but virtually unknown to the western world. Like my massage practice, his healing is known mainly by word-of-mouth. They say you have to have the right Karma to come see him, so I must' have done something right at some point. The healing takes about five minutes, but the taxi ride there is anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 and 1/2 hours. Then we have to get back, creating quite a full day. Fridays are easy because the turnaround time is quite good, but on Sundays when we go & wait in line with the locals, it'''''' is usually a few hours in the healing center. We are the only "flongs," foreigners, aside from our translator, a wonderful Aussie buddhist who has been here for nearly 40 years. We receive our sessions from an esoteric buddhist healer who lived as a hermit monk in a sacred jungle cave for ten years, until he was called to heal people. I feel like that is such an amazing amount of time to be silent & still. I cannot quite imagine the wisdom that one might procure from such a practice✨

His father was very familiar with the healing properties of the jungle herbs so each week we boil some to make a tea.The first one was for detoxification of the kidneys, second for cleansing the blood and then one that helps the ligaments & sinews. He treats the seven primary diseases in the first sessions, including cancer, diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart issues, and arthritis.There is a monk who lives in a temple next door to the healing center who, after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer got treatments and he looks great.

We had a quiet week off the coast of Sumatra for John to go surfing. A beautiful island with shy monkeys and amazing kingfishers. Back to the mainland of Sumatra, a few days in the rainforest for me to see orangutans & for them to see me. We camped in the jungle for two nights, hiking straight up then straight down muddy, steep terrain. We saw some giant colorful hornbills, Thomas monkeys (my favorite new nickname for John on that trip), monitor lizards, something that looked like an iguana & a plethora of other beautiful birds. What a wonderful gift to get out of the city.

Upon our return to Thailand, we also spent a few days near the bridge over the river Kwai. Peaceful and beautiful, with a great old third class train ride 3 hours north of Bangkok.I believe it took us about 1&1/2 hours to get out of the city to the countryside & occasionally pass beautiful pools of giant lotuses.

A bit exhausted from our treatments, we spent the last week in the Bangkok visiting the Jim Thompson house, the weekend market & some other local sites. Great to get some Christmas shopping done so early.

Yesterday was our six year anniversary & we were lucky enough to get a very special Saturday “Prosperity treatment,” in between our normal routine. We dressed all in white, had special symbols called yans written in red ink on our backs, each side of our hands, and right on the hairline in the center of the foreheads. The treatment clears karma from past lifetimes & creates good fortune for the future. We asked weeks in advance for this treatment & I feel very lucky to have been able to receive it. The healer had one word after he wrote on us both & that was "clear,"  oh joy. I thought how wonderful & auspicious to have this fall on our anniversary. I felt so light & joyful afterwards & slept better than I have in forever. Today we are back for our Sunday treatments & tomorrow we will head north until Thursday to see the nature park, Khao Yai. If we are lucky, we will get to see elephants.

October Footnote: I have once again been delinquent in sending this & more time has passed.During our Bangkok visit we had an amazing & magical trip to Khao Yai with so many animals & insects, also a hot & beautiful trip up to the old Thai capitol, Aytthaya, visiting some ancient khmer style buddhist temples, and more down time in the city as those healings can really take it out of you. I think of it as a sort of fast forward healing from which one has to detox and catch up with oneself again.

We have finished our last treatments & travelled to a small beach community in southwest Java where I will get to relax at the beach & see tiny sea turtles released from a local hatchery. John hopefully will enjoy the surf.

Miss you and hope that life is lovely, healthy and joyous, Ahna-Kristen

HI EVERYONE,

Ahna-Kristen and I have been gone a month now. We were invited to go see a healer in Bangkok by one of her clients. The healer only sees people on Friday thru Sundays, and we go twice a week. On Fridays we get a body treatment and a facial treatment. On Sundays we get another body treatment. Fridays are super slow and there is usually no one there, or just a couple of other people, then on Sundays there are around twenty people and they have a big pot of food out for everyone to share. For each treatment we leave an offering of flowers incense, candles, these little coins and some money that we place in an envelope. Treatments are by donation only, so everyone gives what they can afford. About 98 percent of the people that see him are Thai, so very few white people go there and that makes us a bit of an oddity. We would be lost without the valuable help of our interpreter Jimmy, a 75 year old Aussie man who has lived in Southeast Asia for the last 45 years. We are staying in a hotel that is half a block for his apartment and he arranges a cab to take us the hour drive out to the treatment center. He interprets everything the healer tells us. During a treatment Anchon opens a point near my solar plexus and then lightly rubs his finger across my body. In some areas it creates extreme pain and feels like his finger is made of steel and on other areas I barely feel it at all. He is working with meridians, points and blocked energy.

As the story goes, he was a hermit monk and lived in a cave for more than ten years when celestial beings started to visit him and train him to become a healer. He said no initially, as he did not want to leave his life of solitude. They started writing on the walls of his cave, leaving him messages and teachings on how to heal people. After some time, he agreed to become a healer.

Our original plan was to see him once when we arrived, then go surfing in Indonesia for a month and come back and see him twice on the way home. After our first treatment, he told us if we came to him for a month he would send both of us back home healthy. So we decided to stay on after the surf trip. After our first treatment, we flew to Simelue, an island off of Northern Sumatra.

On my first surf paddling out I did a face plant on the lava reef while trying to duck dive a wave. Our surf trip was cut short by my accident, which took about three week for my face to heal from. This was a sign for me that I was supposed to head back for more healings. I had prepaid the surf lodge where we were staying and they where super generous, lettimg me postpone the rest of my paid stay for a week in September. That gave us six days before we could have our next treatment.

We headed up to Buket lawang to do a three day jungle hike to see the orangutangs and other creatures that live in the rainforest,

before flying back to Bangkok. We have now seen him 5 times, and are on a 12 day break back in Simelue enjoying the beach life, warm water and the quite. We will be going back to Thailand for another 4 weekends of treatment. Spending so much time in a big city like Bangkok makes me so grateful for my home in Aptos.

 Well a month has passed and we are leaving for home in a few hours after spending two weeks in West Java surfing and relaxing at the beach. I had a lot of fun surf and feel really good after spending the 6 weeks with the healer. I am looking forward to being home and reconnecting with you all.

Love to you all,

John

[thorne93]

12 Days of Christmas (Christmas List/Wish List with Pietro Maximoff)

Prompt: December 17 Christmas List/Wish List with Pietro...

Word Count: 1569

Warnings: language… maybe??

Notes: Thor fic, platonic, for the Marvelous Christmas Challenge @until-theend-oftheline​ @like-a-bag-of-potatoes​…. Beta’d by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes​ and @carryonmyswansong​ (thank you both, very much).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ah, Christmas.

It was a wonderful, joyous time of year. A time of giving, a time of thought, a time of quiet reflection. A time for hustle and bustle, all up until the day of, when time seems to slow down, or even stop for a little while.

Your life had been full ever since you joined the Avengers, them being your family, your home now. Your family got a little bigger when, two years ago, Pietro and his sister Wanda had joined the team. You adored the twins. They were both sweet, funny, and great teammates.

Truth be told, you had a bit of a crush on Pietro… Okay, maybe you were head over heels for the guy, but you didn’t feel he ever needed to know this. With all of his good looks, wit, charm, and charisma, what could he possibly see in you? No, someone like Pietro deserved a true angel.

You’d wondered about being with him a few times. Never flirted or hinted that you wanted him though. Never even uttered it to another living soul. But you felt you had a real connection with him. You two were always paired up on missions, cooking together for the team, sitting beside each other in meetings. Sometimes you even stayed up late in each other’s rooms just chatting.

You wanted to say he was your best friend, but falling for your best friend felt… wrong to you. Pietro was simply a guy who you enjoyed his company and personality and you were attracted to. The two of you had grown close, rather fond of each other, you’d say. Sometimes you wondered if he was giving you signals or signs that maybe he was interested but at this point you were just convinced it was your mind playing tricks on you.

But right now, you were much too busy to think about the Sokovian man. Instead, you focused on the task you put upon yourself for the season -- gift giving. Everyone was so busy training, missions, meetings, policies. No one had time to go buy each other gifts.. So you offered to be the designated gift buyer. You’d done this for the last five years. You called it “Operation Granting Wishes.”

Everyone needed to create a wishlist, and hand it into you with $100 to go into a pot. You would try to median everyone’s list, and you’d buy them. The gifts would be addressed from Avengers to the person receiving the gift.

Of course, some people still did a few personal gifts. The twins had traded their own gifts each year. Sam and Steve got each other a little something. Tony and Pepper had their exchange. But for the most part, the pile of presents under the tree were usually group given, rather than one-on-one.

You’d collected Natasha’s, Sam’s, Clint’s, and Steve’s. Now you had set out for more.

“Hey, Tony. Got your list?” you questioned, stopping by his office.

“Not yet. I got a few more things to add to it, and I’ll get it to you. Give me two more days?”

“Can do!” you said with a thumbs up and a wave.

“Thanks!” he called after you.

Next, was Wanda. “Wanda? Hate to bother you, but do you have your list?” you asked as you stopped by her room.

She smiled as she hopped up and went over to her desk. “I just finished it this morning.” She handed it to you, with an envelope with cash, and you thanked her.

“Gonna go get your brother’s and Vision’s now,” you informed with a grin.

You walked to Vision’s room. “Vis, do you have--”

“The Christmas list? Yes, Y/N. I do. I apologize for not getting it to you earlier.”

You waved him off with a sweet smile. “Think nothing of it, sweetie. Thank you!”

“Here is the money you asked for as well.”

“Thanks, gonna need that,” you noted with a laugh. At that, you left, going to one final room. “Pietro? You in here?” you asked, poking your head in, knocking.

“Y/N?” he breathed, looking up. “What are you doing here?”

“Collecting for the Christmas gifts? Do you have your list?”

“No.”

“You said you were almost done like a week ago,” you remarked. “What’s taking so long?”

“Just haven't’ finished it,” he said with a shrug. You eyed him curiously.

“Hmm, alright. No big deal. A couple more days, do you think you can get it to me by then?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Great. Thanks.”

Two days later, you tried again with Pietro. You’d gotten Tony’s early that morning before he left on business, then Fury had even given you one when he dropped by, and then Thor’s. Maria had sent you hers via email the day before. Bruce promised to give you his tonight.

Nearly skipping into the kitchen, you saw Pietro making a bowl of cereal.

“Hey, Piet. Got that list ready? You’re just about the only one I haven’t gotten one from.”

“No, Y/N. I don’t have it.”

You peered at him. “You know, if it’s the money that’s the trouble, you can always forget about that. I’ll spot you.”

“That isn’t it. I’m just having trouble with it, that’s all.”

“Need my help?” you offered.

“Not much you can do.”

Screwing your mouth to the side, you said, “Well maybe if you let me look at it…?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll get it to you,” he assured.

Yet, he didn’t. Time was ticking away. You’d bought some gifts online and they’d be arriving soon, but you really wanted to hit the local shops to get these things but you wanted to be armed with everyone’s gifts and Pietro had yet to deliver.

The following day, you found him in the gym and asked him again, to which he said, “I still don’t have it done.”

The next day, you caught him on the way out of the Tower. “I don’t have anything I want,” he stated.

Now he was really pushing your buttons. Why wouldn’t he just give you a damned list? Even if it was socks, it was better than you pulling teeth to get it.

Another day later, and you ran into him on his way out of the bathroom, clad in nothing but a towel. Again, you asked about his list. He responded, “I can’t think of anything.”

This had gone on for long enough. You’d been asking since before Thanksgiving about these lists, giving everyone a deadline. Most of them met it, but those who were overdue still weren’t this hard to convince. Why didn’t he want gifts? If it wasn’t the money, why was he refusing to help you.

On the 17th, you were fed up. You only had eight days left to get all of this stuff, barely over a week. You stormed into Pietro’s room, not bothering with knocking.

“Dammit, Pietro, I need a list. I need whatever you have for a list right now. I have about a week left before Christmas and I really need to get shopping. I have a ton of other stuff to do and I need whatever you have. Forget the hundred, if that’s the problem…”

With a sort of sad expression, he turned around in his desk chair to look at you. “I don’t have anything I want, Y/N…” he solemnly told you.

You plopped down on his bed, gazing at him. “Piet, there must be something you want. One thing?”

He threw his head back and his hands up in the air. “Sure, of course there is. There is one thing I want, but I’m not sure you can give it to me.”

Pressing your lips together in concern, you said, “Well, I’d like to try. I’ll do my very best to get it for you. Just name it.” A friendly smile flashed across your face.

“Okay, I’ll name it,” he said, confidence in his voice as he looked straight at you. “You.”

“M--Me?” you stammered, pointing to yourself like a goddamn idiot.

“Yes… Y/N, you. I want you, for Christmas.”

“Wh--what do you mean?” you asked, trembling. The idea that Pietro even thought about you romantically was enough to get your head spinning and your heart going.

He laughed slightly. “You really haven’t picked up on any of the flirting I’ve been doing for the past year?”

All you could do was shake your head.

“Well, it’s true. I have. I thought maybe you’d been dodging me… you know… well due to rejection. I thought maybe you thought it was odd that we’re friends and I like you and…”

“Odd? No… Pietro… I… I think it’s wonderful,” you managed to say with a tight throat.

“You do?” he asked, his eyes lighting up.

“Yeah. To be honest… that’s been my Christmas wish…”

“So.. both of our wish lists are to be together?” he inquired, piecing the parts together.

You frowned, thinking. “Uh, yeah, I guess so,” you agreed, laughing a bit.

“Then what are we waiting for?” he asked in a sultry voice before getting to you quicker than a blink of an eye. In a flash, his hand was delicately cradling your head, his fingers in your hair. His mouth on yours, sensual, sweet, slow. “Now… this is what I call granting wishes.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle as he gently pushed you back on the bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

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[onthegoinmco]

SeaWorld Orlando announces the return of their popular Craft Beer Festival with enhanced health and safety measures to keep guests safe and gives holiday celebration information

SeaWorld Orlando shared some big news about the fall and holiday festivities in the park that is sure to bring joy to the hearts of theme park fans.

Starting September 2oth, its annual Craft Beer Festival will return with access to more than 100 crafts brews!

The event has been modified to allow guests to safely visit the park with limited capacity, roam SeaWorld’s expansive grounds, sample an unbeatable mix of domestic and local Florida favorites, and savor more than 20 food items expertly paired to preferred brews.

In addition to enhancing the park’s already strict health and safety measures, capacity will be significantly limited to create even more open space for a visit that provides ample opportunity to maintain social distancing.

This delicious festival will feature food and beverage locations that are appropriately spaced throughout the park to encourage physical distancing, modified food and beverage serving procedures, expanded areas of seating, and the ability to offer touchless transactions at all festival locations. Guests can experience all that the Craft Beer Festival has to offer, and save money, by purchasing a Craft Beer Festival Tasting Lanyard valid at 18 stations located throughout the park.

“We couldn’t be happier to host our annual Craft Beer Festival, modified to reflect enhanced health and safety protocols, including limited capacity, to give guests the chance to delight their senses,” said SeaWorld Orlando Park President Kyle Miller. “By spreading the festival booths out across the entire park, guests can safely enjoy all of the amazing beer and beer-inspired food, along with our award-winning attractions, while maintaining proper physical distancing.”

All guests with existing tickets, Fun Cards, or Annual Passes must make a reservation online for the day they want to visit. Guests are encouraged to make reservations early as reservations are required and limited to manage capacity.

Reservations can be made at SeaWorld.com/orlando/tickets/reservations/.

Upcoming SeaWorld Orlando Events:

SeaWorld Spooktacular

It’s an ocean of Halloween fun for the whole family at SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular! During this modified daytime event, guests can safely explore our slightly spooky trick or treat trail and meet silly Halloween characters with physical distancing protocols in place, and much more during this safe, family-friendly event.

SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular will return starting September 19 through November 1 and is included in park admission.

SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration

SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration is where holiday traditions are made, with delicious food, stunning live shows, delightful holiday shopping, and joyous entertainment – all designed with enhanced health and safety measures in mind including a limited capacity to create plenty of space for social distancing.

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration brings together family fun and holiday traditions in a safe environment on select nights, November 23 through December 31, and is included with park admission.

Safety:​ 

SeaWorld Orlando is committed to the health and safety of our guests, employees, and the animals in our care. The park has worked diligently with state and local health officials, outside consultants, and attraction industry leaders to enhance our already strict health, safety and cleanliness standards.

These protocols and guidelines will be modified based on evolving industry standards and methodologies, public health, and governmental directives, and advancing scientific knowledge on the transmissibility of COVID-19. SeaWorld San Orlando is excited to continue to provide our guests with fun, inspiring, and memorable experiences while addressing important health and safety needs during this time.

For detailed information about the measures that guests can expect when visiting the resort, including key operational changes, visit Seaworld.com/orlando/park-info/park-safety.

Best Way to Play:

For a limited time, SeaWorld Orlando single day tickets are Buy One, Get One 50% off! The sale ends August 16, 2020, with park visitation taking place through September 30, 2020.

For more information, park hours and to purchase tickets and passes, visit SeaWorldOrlando.com. Events and times are subject to change.

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The post SeaWorld Orlando Announces Upcoming Events appeared first on On the Go in MCO.

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[oselatra]

Essential New Orleans

An extensive guide to eating, drinking, dancing, karaoke-ing, strolling and Carnivaling in the Crescent City.

Carnival season in New Orleans kicked off in early January and reaches its peak on Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras day, which falls this year on March 2. Any time is the right time to visit New Orleans, but there is something special about this time of year, when it can feel like the whole creative force of the city is devoted to the art of celebration. No rough guide can do it justice — the city is inexhaustible — but here's a starter kit. If you're picturing frat boys barfing on Bourbon, don't worry: There's a better way.

Eat

First things first, pack in as many of these New Orleans classics as you can: The fried chicken at Willie Mae's Scotch House, the muffaletta at City Grocery, oysters at Casamento's, the jambalaya supreme at Coop's Place. Other good spots for Cajun/Creole/soul food: Li'l Dizzy's Cafe and Dooky Chase. And yes, I'm stating the obvious here, but it must be said — go get beignets and a cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde. A tip that might save you an hour: If there's a line, ignore it. They don't make this clear to tourists, but locals know — there is no hostess, you just keep your eye out for someone leaving, have a seat at any un-bussed table, and a waiter will swoop in before you know it.

While this is a topic of endless local debate, for my money, the best po-boys in town are at Domilise's. For a different twist, try the immaculately stuffed barbecue shrimp po-boy at Liuzza's by the Track. If you want the full po-boy tour, longtime midtown haunt Parkway Bakery and Tavern is also worth a visit. And to cure your late-night hankering, Gene's dishes out hot sausage po-boys 24 hours a day from its can't-miss-it bright-pink building at the corner of St. Claude and Elysian Fields, always a wild (if occasionally dodgy) scene in the wee hours.  

On the fancier end of the spectrum, the hottest table in town might be Saba, the new Mediterranean restaurant from James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef Alon Shaya. Among the elaborate and unforgettable hummus options: blue crab with beech mushrooms, lemon butter and mint; lamb tongue with pickled barberries, red onion and almonds.  

Cochon, from another James Beard award-winner, Donald Link, is a favorite spot for casual splurging for locals and foodie visitors alike. Cochon serves up Cajun-influenced downhome gourmet; it's the sort of place where you can find both a world-class wine list and fried alligator. The Louisiana Cochon is its show-stopper: pork braised overnight into a succulent and crispy cake, topped with pork cracklins, cabbage and pickled turnips. If you can find the room, other highlights include the wood-fired oyster roast, the rabbit and dumplings, and the indulgent charcuterie plate. Ask about moonshine offerings. Other great restaurants from Donald Link: fine dining at Herbsaint, seafood at Peche and casual Cajun deli and butcher shop Butcher next door to Cochon.

Cochon is one of a number of contemporary restaurants in New Orleans that blend fine dining with country cooking. A couple of other masters of this form, both uptown: Coquette and Patois. If you can score the one outside table at Patois, it's the perfect romantic spot for a date. Have yourself a pickle-tini: Hendrick's gin plus juice from Patois' homemade bread-and-butter pickles.

Meanwhile, for fine dining on the finer end, the big spenders should make a reservation at August or Compère Lapin. Or if you have a hankering for old-fashioned New Orleans decadence rather than the contemporary foodie scene (think turtle soup, Oysters Rockefeller, bread pudding, classic French Creole rabbit dishes, served up in roaring-'20s opulence), some of the best options: Brigtsen's, Brennan's, Clancy's and the ultimate classic, Commander's Palace, where the 25-cent martini happy hour for Friday lunch remains the supreme see-and-be-seen scene for the dandy set.    

If you want to go fancy but you're on a budget, check out the city's best happy hours: Domenica — 2-5 p.m., half-off wood-fired pizza and half off drinks; Luke — 3-6 p.m., 75-cent oysters on the half shell and half-off drinks.

The best bang for your buck in town: Boucherie. Everything on the rotating and vibrantly eclectic "casual fine dining" menu is good: boudin balls, scallops, grit fries, sashimi, bacon brownies, Waygu beef brisket, Krispy Kreme bread pudding. And it has the best Pimm's Cup in the city, if you ask me. Its sister restaurant around the corner, Bourreé, a Cajun smokehouse, butcher and patio beer garden, serves up seasonal fresh-fruit daiquiris, hot wings, boiled peanuts, boudin links and more — an absolute gem for laid-back al fresco dining.  

Other cozy, relaxed neighborhood spots: Bennachin offers up West African comfort food in the French Quarter; Bacchanal is a wine bar in the Bywater that serves exquisite tapas in a picturesque outdoor courtyard with live jazz; the small and intimate 1000 Figs serves impeccable (and affordable) Mediterranean cuisine in mid-city; and Pizza Delicious is a casual, counter-service restaurant in the Bywater that has become a local favorite — true to its name, its thin-crust pizza is delicious. Be ready for lines, but check out Turkey and the Wolf, the Irish Channel sandwich shop that was recently named the best new restaurant in the nation by Bon Appétit magazine.

For breakfast, the best vibe is Pagoda and the best food is Toast, while the talk of the town is a new spot, Molly's Rise and Shine. Satsuma Cafe and Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar are great neighborhood spots. If you're in need of morning munchies in the Quarter: Stanley is a touristy but fine option in Jackson Square; Clover Grill on Bourbon Street is an inviting greasy diner for the hungover set.

Drink

My vote for the best cocktail in the city is the Ramos Gin Fizz at the Sazerac Bar. Yes, it has a hefty price tag at $14. But you're on vacation: Treat yourself. The Sazerac Bar, in the Roosevelt Hotel a block off the Quarter, is an art deco masterpiece, with a mahogany bar, walnut-paneled walls and iconic murals by the artist Paul Ninas. This is the bar where legendary Louisiana Gov. Huey P. Long held court, always with a Ramos Gin Fizz in hand. The story goes that Long got a highway built between Baton Rouge and New Orleans just so that he could speed his limo from the state Capitol to the gin fizz awaiting him at the Sazerac Bar in an hour flat. Among the other too-good-to-check stories: While staying at an upscale New York hotel, Long was unsatisfied with its version of the drink and flew the top bartender at the Sazerac Bar up to "teach these New York sophisticates how and what to drink." I don't blame the Kingfish — the Sazerac Bar's Ramos Gin Fizz remains heavenly stuff.

Meanwhile, for inventive and contemporary takes on fancy cocktails, stop by Bar Tonique, or check out the Cuban-inspired frozen cocktails at Manolito.

But maybe you just want cheap beer that's cold, and you don't mind a little grit and grime. The following dive bars have low prices, an aroma that lingers from before the city's smoking ban, and plenty of character (and characters): Iggy's, The John, Big Daddy's, BJ's, Bud Rip's, Cutter's, Snake and Jake's Christmas Club Lounge, Miss Mae's.

While gallivanting around in the French Quarter, have a Bloody Mary at Molly's at the Market (ask for it spicy). Other cozy bars downtown that are worth a pit stop: In the French Quarter — Lafitte's, Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, Cosimo's. In the Marigny — Lost Love Lounge, R Bar, Mimi's.

And when it's time to take it all in, the best rooftop bar, with stunning views of the city: Hot Tin.

Be merry

Preservation Hall remains the city's premier place to see traditional New Orleans jazz; make sure to get tickets in advance, as the intimate space inevitably fills up. For the booming funk of the city's many brass bands, the more adventurous souls among you might seek out the hallowed neighborhood dives that serve as meccas for live brass: check the listings at the Candlelight Lounge, Bullet's, Vaughn's and the Mother in Law Lounge. For the uptown set (Tulane students like to dance, too!) — the Maple Leaf is another great spot. Or just wait for the happy surprise of seeing a brass band play in the street — walk around Frenchmen Street and you'll inevitably come across one blasting on a corner. Frenchmen is home to the Spotted Cat, a terrific spot for trad-jazz, klezmer, Cajun and blues, with patrons spilling out to dance in the street; other spots to check the listings on Frenchmen include Snug Harbor, d.b.a. and Blue Nile. If you are lucky enough to be in town when a second line parade is rolling with a brass band on a Sunday afternoon, this quintessential New Orleans experience is not to be missed — check wwoz.org for upcoming second lines or just keep your ear open for tips.

Karaoke in New Orleans is like karaoke everywhere, except the guy belting out "Born to Run" might be wearing a space insect costume made of immaculately woven neon tinsel. Kajun's, a divey downtown joint, is thusly one of the most spirited karaoke bars I've ever set foot in. Located on St. Claude Avenue, a hard-partying street in the heart of a hard-partying city, Kajun's has all of the cheap-beer-fueled abandon with a dash of psychedelic mayhem. If New Orleans is famous for its high-culture musical traditions, the city also hums on pastiche and kitsch. Kajun's is the sort of establishment where the besotted fool singing a Lisa Loeb song begins to feel like a messenger from God.

St. Claude Avenue is rapidly gentrifying these days, but remains home to longtime bars that serve as nightlife headquarters for the city's outré scenesters. Just down the block from Kajun's, the AllWays Lounge, an expansive freaky-deaky performance space and watering hole — what David Lynch might imagine for a dive bar — is one of the most joyously unique venues in the city, and a great spot to see the full creative wizardry of local revelers. Other venerable bars on the strip to check out, hosting everything from dance parties to brass to death metal: Hi-Ho Lounge, Saturn Bar, Siberia. One block up, the extremely divey St. Roch Tavern hosts raucous and sweaty nights devoted to New Orleans bounce music. The St. Claude corridor would also be the area where you might befriend a crusty rogue at the bar who can fill you in on the wacko happenings in the New Orleans downtown scene that are too spontaneous and secretive to find in listings like this one.

The best place to swim in your undies and/or eat a waffle: The Country Club, a Bywater mansion that houses the late-night after-party scene for weird New Orleans — with a bar, restaurant, swimming pool, sauna and hot tub. They no longer allow skinny dipping, but the Country Club retains a swanky anarchy in the wee hours; meanwhile, once the sun comes up, they serve one of the best brunches in the city.

Out and about in town

If you need a quiet moment to get away from it all, head to City Park. The 1,300-acre sanctuary is one of the nation's oldest parks, offering a green respite from the concrete bustle and buzz of New Orleans since 1854. Rent a paddle boat, canoe or kayak to explore the park's waterways, or wander around and check out the botanical garden, the sculpture garden, the antique wooden carousel at the old-time amusement park and the New Orleans Museum of Art, the city's flagship fine arts museum. It's also worth a stroll to follow the bayou on the east end of the park down into the picturesque Bayou St. John neighborhood.

City Park features the oldest grove of mature live oaks in the world. The Singing Oak, near the park's Esplanade entrance, is one of the most enchanting spots in the city. The work of local artist Jim Hart, the tree is subtly adorned with giant chimes (up to 14 feet long), positioned to catch the breeze from the nearby lake and ring a pentatonic scale. Sit beneath the shade of the drooping live oak and enjoy the gentle symphony. It's the perfect place for a picnic: Grab provisions at mid-city's neighborhood grocery store Canseco's or, better yet, pick up a few pounds of cooked crawfish from Danny's #1 Seafood in the Seventh Ward. Short of stumbling upon a neighborhood crawfish boil, a do-it-yourself, peel-and-eat picnic is the best way to have crawfish in New Orleans; skip the buckets at overpriced French Quarter restaurants and get a big bag fresh from Danny's or from Cajun Seafood, which has various locations around town. FYI for the hardcore mudbug fanatics eager to host your own boil: You can get live crawfish shipped home or even take them as a carry-on on a plane.

One of the most delightful ways to see a long stretch of the city is to hop on a streetcar. If you're in the French Quarter and want to see uptown New Orleans, take the St. Charles streetcar, which goes all the way from the heart of the Quarter to the riverbend on the other side of the town, through the north end of the Garden District, Audubon Park and just south of the Loyola and Tulane campuses. It's a perfect trip for house-gazing and people-watching. New Orleans Original Daiquiris is just around the corner from the last stop uptown; pick up a daiquiri to give your ride a little buzz. Warning: Trying to take the streetcar on Mardi Gras weekend can be nearly impossible because of the crowds; the St. Charles streetcar is also not an option when St. Charles is on a parade route.

For shopping and strolling, try Magazine Street six blocks south of St. Charles at the other end of the Garden District, a charming stretch of boutiques, antiques and restaurants. The French Quarter is also great for ambling. Skip Bourbon Street unless you just have to have a grain alcohol concoction in a novelty neon container; instead hop one block over and try walking the length of Royal Street from Canal to Esplanade during the daytime. You can also catch a $2 ride at the foot of Canal Street on the Algiers Ferry, which offers beautiful views of the city as it crosses the Mississippi River to Algiers Point, a walkable neighborhood on the West Bank.

And make time for these absolute New Orleans treasures: Domino Sound Record Shack, a collector's paradise; the interactive sound installation Music Box Village, an open-to-the-public wonderland of musical houses and structures; and the Backstreet Cultural Museum, a warmly curated collection honoring Mardi Gras Indians, second lines, jazz funerals and other aspects of the city's black cultural history.

Carnival

If you want the absolute pinnacle of Mardi Gras madness, you'll want to make the trip for Mardi Gras day and the weekend preceding it, but keep in mind that the parades and celebrations of Carnival go on for weeks beforehand, with schedules easy to find online.

The bigger parades can be overwhelming, but they're a fun window into how much of a communal, family event Carnival is (particularly further from the Quarter on the parade routes). The best of the biggies: the irreverent Krewe du Vieux, famous for its wicked satire, kicks things off in mid-February; the all-female Krewe of Muses rolls uptown on the Thursday before Mardi Gras (its elaborately bedazzled shoes are one of the most prized "throws" of Mardi Gras season); and the historically black Krewe of Zulu tosses hand-painted coconuts in its mammoth procession on Mardi Gras day.

Everyone, at least once, should try the bone-rattling thrill of hanging out under an overpass on a Mardi Gras parade route, where the processions pause for the high-school marching bands to take advantage of the throbbing acoustics under the bridge.

Various nontraditional parades have more manageable crowds, more opportunities for impromptu participation, and often the most interesting DIY art. Dance along with the costumed revelers at the Box of Wine and Red Beans walking parades; check out the incredible shoebox-sized tiny floats of the all-miniature parade, 'tit Rex; gawk at the rolling art installation that is the science-fiction-themed Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus; and woof along with Barkus, the all-dog parade. Things get stranger still if you can hunt down one of the various secret, no-permit parades by word of mouth; the Mystic Krewe of Eris provides an experience you won't soon forget if you can find them.

If you are in town for Mardi Gras weekend, check out the Panorama Brass Band at AllWays Lounge on Saturday night. Make sure to get some sleep on Monday — the party on Mardi Gras day starts first thing in the morning and lasts all day. Start downtown with the walking parades of the Society of St. Anne or the St. Anthony Ramblers, featuring the most lovingly outlandish costumes in the city. They don't follow precise routes, but R Bar or Mimi's are good spots to join up, and they roll down Royal all the way into the Quarter. Or start your morning uptown on St. Charles to watch Zulu and follow them into the Quarter. One way or another, spend some time checking out the costumes and mini-krewes on Royal, which provides a steady stream of wonders all day. Catch an outdoor band in Jackson Square, then duck into Pirate's Alley around the corner for an absinthe, then mosey to the Moonwalk riverfront park, where the day's adventurers take a minute to relax by the Mississippi.

It may take some searching, but Mardi Gras day is also one of just two days a year that you can witness an utterly singular New Orleans cultural tradition: Mardi Gras Indians are out chanting, singing and strutting in the stunning costumes that they have worked on all year. The best spots to find them are under the I-10 overpass on Claiborne and outside the Backstreet Cultural Museum in the Seventh Ward. 

Essential New Orleans

#Essential New Orleans

[homebasehk]

Sri Lanka  (pt. 1)

For the Christmas-New Year break, with Fra’s parents in tow, we convened with Francesca’s sister, Arianna, and her family in Sri Lanka. Our families have been discussing a holiday get-together on this beautiful island for at least 15 years, and living in HK - a 5 hour direct flight - made the plan instantly more attainable. Arianna’s husband, Hiran, is Sinhalese. His parents moved the family to London in the late 70s, but they still have many close ties to their homeland, so we were happy to have a “local” on our team (and in fact, Hiran’s parents and sister’s family were in-country for the holidays as well).

The predominantly Buddhist country’s history dates back 2,000 years to native kingdoms that built cities, aqueduct and dam systems, and giant temple fortresses carved from rock formations (the most famous of which is Sigirya, a site we unfortunately did not get the chance to visit). More recently, it served as a British protectorate under the name of Ceylon, making its mark as an exporter of fine tea and even finer cricket players. Independent since 1948, Sri Lanka has recently emerged from a decades-long conflict between the main government and Tamil separatists, a development sure to renew interest from east and west in its important ports of entry to the Indian Ocean and investment value in its beautiful coastal and inland jungle terrain.

We arrived a day ahead of Arianna, flying in late at night, and made our way directly to the beach town of Hikkaduwa, located just north of the more populous coastal tourist destination of Galle, checking in to a lovely little guesthouse a short walk inland from the beach.

Soon after jumping in the warm crystal waters, we were amazed to be greeted by a few local residents - giant, gentle sea turtles that swim right up to the shore and happily tolerate beachgoers’ touches in exchange for seaweed snacks.

We quickly adjusted to “island time,” relaxing on hammocks at home and lazily strolling the village roads and shops prior to the rest of our family’s arrival, enjoying the animal life of the area, domesticated and otherwise. 

Ari & co. arrived in the evening to many joyous reunion hugs, especially among the girls and their little cousin, Sedona - a clique that proved inseparable for the remainder of the trip. First order of business the next day was to introduce them to our new shelled friends.

(About as close as Sedona was willing to get to the large reptiles, mimicking a shell on her own mamma.)

The afternoon called for more family time, as we welcomed Hiran’s parents, Savi and Amithra, down from their home base in Colombo for the day, for a seafood lunch feast. Personally, my association with them has always been under the gray gloom of London winter days (as I typically only get to UK during the Xmas period), so it was really lovely to be with them on their true home turf, under the equatorial sun and green canopies.  

After bidding adieu to the elder Ilangantilekes, the younger ones joined us for a visit to a nearby turtle hatchery. As one of the main coastal areas that five varieties of sea turtle utilize for their breeding grounds, Hikkaduwa prides itself on its efforts to maintain the populations and protect the fragile system required to ensure the little ones make safe journey to the sea. At this nursery, we enjoyed baby loggerheads and olive ridleys at the start of their majestic lives, as well as older turtles rescued from accidents at sea and rehabbed.

These little ones are just 2 days old. By the time I’ve typed this, they’ve (hopefully) already been at sea for a month.

The next morning, we set out early to travel inland by boat for a sunrise tour through to Madu Ganga Lake and its many mangrove islets, home to a wide variety of birds, monkeys, water buffalo, as well as crocodiles!

For breakfast, we pulled up to a small island populated by one - a lone cinnamon farmer. Above, he demonstrates how he plies his trade, stripping the bark from cinnamon branches. Below, the bark drying overhead prior to export (he also provided his homemade cinnamon tea and cinnamon oil to sample, which were both awesome).

At the end of the boat portion of our tour, a quick stop at a fish spa for some natural exfoliation.

Below, Sedona and the proprietor of our guest house, Chami, who personally led us around for the day. He proved a super knowledgeable and helpful resource throughout our time with him.

Our next stop was a short hike through the jungle to reach a waterfall and swimming hole. It was plenty hot in Sri Lanka even in winter, and the cool water proved a welcome respite.

Above, this family hosted us for lunch at a small restaurant they operate behind their house - tons of fantastic Sri Lankan dishes on offer (including jackfruit curry, spicy coconut relish, and pancakes with palm syrup) served with warm smiles. Below, a field of tea plants on our trek through the woods.

After a full day of boating and trekking, we still had time to hit the beach near home for R&R before retreating to a beachside spot for seafood dinner and bed. The waves were quite large here, which made for great body surfing, real surfing by others, and some nervous moments by a certain worried mother. Riptides or no, though, it was tough to get the girls out of the ocean.

For our final day in Hikkaduwa, the group split up. Fra, Ari and our girls set out early for a whale watching trip off the nearby port town of Mirissa. Those of us with more easily nauseated constitutions remained back on dry land with Mario & Stella for a relaxing day at the beach.

Out at sea, the ladies got their money’s worth - spotting both blue whales and sperm whales. The highlight, in G&S’s opinion, though, was the mating sea turtles (below).

The girls returned home exhausted and enriched, and ready for a little more beach time prior to our departing for a different landscape early the next morning (more to come soon)...

#hikkaduwa #srilanka #mirissa whale #chamisplace #topsecretbeach