Hey all, I am planning to travel to Bali from 23rd June to 1st July. Below is my current itinerary, based on this could you'll provide suggestions or changes? I want to visit viewpoints, beaches, temples (not many), waterfalls, activities (cannot swim) and shopping.
Certainly! Here's an updated and more detailed itinerary, taking into account your preference for activities such as snorkeling and surfing, and considering that you are not able to swim. Could you'll also provide suggestions for villas/hotels which are not very expensive? Itinerary mentioned below:
Day 1 - Arrival in Bali, Uluwatu Temple, Nyang Nyang Beach: - Arrive in Bali in the morning and transfer to your accommodation in Uluwatu. - Drop off your luggage and freshen up. - Visit Uluwatu Temple to admire the cliffside location and enjoy the Kecak dance performance. - Afterward, head to Nyang Nyang Beach to relax, enjoy the scenery, and perhaps take a beachside walk.
Day 2 - Uluwatu, Green Bowl Beach, Surfing Lesson: - Start the day early and visit Green Bowl Beach, known for its pristine waters and hidden caves. - While you cannot swim, you can still enjoy the beach and its beautiful surroundings. - Instead of snorkeling, consider taking a surfing lesson from one of the local surf schools. They provide guidance and ensure your safety in the water.
Day 3 - Transfer to Seminyak, Shopping, and Beach Time: - Check out from your Uluwatu accommodation and transfer to Seminyak. - Drop off your luggage and explore Seminyak's vibrant shopping scene, including boutique stores and local markets. - Relax on the beach, enjoy sunbathing, and witness the surfers in action.
Day 4 - Seminyak, Potato Head Beach Club, Sunset Drinks: - Spend the day at Potato Head Beach Club, lounging by the pool and enjoying beachfront dining. - While others swim, you can relax by the poolside or indulge in beach activities. - Watch the sunset while sipping refreshing drinks and enjoying the lively atmosphere.
Day 5 - Transfer to Ubud, Campuhan Ridge Walk, Cultural Experiences: - Check out from your Seminyak accommodation and transfer to Ubud. - Start the day with a walk along the Campuhan Ridge Walk, enjoying the beautiful scenery. - Explore the cultural side of Ubud by visiting art galleries, museums, and attending traditional dance performances. - Consider taking a cooking class or a traditional handicraft workshop to immerse yourself in Balinese culture.
Day 6 - Ubud, Tegalalang Rice Terrace, Monkey Forest, Shopping: - Visit the famous Tegalalang Rice Terrace in the morning and soak in the breathtaking views. - Explore the Ubud Monkey Forest and interact with the playful monkeys. - Spend the afternoon exploring the Ubud Art Market for shopping, where you can find a variety of handicrafts, clothing, and souvenirs.
Day 7 - Transfer to Sidemen, Village Tour, Banyu Wana Amertha Waterfall: - Check out from your Ubud accommodation and transfer to Sidemen. - Embark on a village tour in Sidemen, where you can witness the traditional Balinese way of life and enjoy the beautiful countryside. - Visit the stunning Banyu Wana Amertha Waterfall, which you can admire from a safe distance or take a dip in a shallower area if comfortable.
Day 8 - Sidemen, Mount Agung Viewpoint, Cultural Activities: - Wake up early for a sunrise hike to a Mount Agung viewpoint, where you can witness the majestic volcano from a distance. - Engage in cultural activities such as Balinese dance lessons or traditional gamelan music workshops. - Enjoy the tranquility of Sidemen and soak in the natural beauty of the area.
Day 9 - Transfer to Gili Islands, Beach Time and Island Exploration: - Check out from your Sidemen accommodation and transfer to the Gili Islands. - Spend the day relaxing on the pristine beaches, sunbathing, and enjoying the clear turquoise waters. - Explore the island on foot or rent a bicycle to discover its beauty and charm. - Take in the breathtaking views, indulge in beachfront dining, and enjoy the laid-back island vibes.
Day 10 - Departure: - Depart from the Gili Islands and transfer back to Bali for your departure flight.

I’m an avid traveler and I wanted to share my experience and answer any questions that other people may have. We left from LA to Thailand through Singapore with a meager 20 hours of travel time. Itinerary:
2 nights Bangkok: We underestimated how much the jet lag would affect us, we landed at 12pm on Saturday and slept from 2 pm until 7 am on Sunday. We checked out The Grand Palace, Chinatown & Centralworld on Sunday. It was brutally hot & humid and overall felt like a major disappointment.
2 Nights Siem Reap: I normally always do 1 country per trip but I couldn’t see myself doing Cambodia anytime soon and Angkor wat was high on my bucket list. Seeing the sunrise at Angkor was beautiful, we did it as a tour with Angkor Guide Sam. Sam was great can’t recommend him enough. We saw Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom and I actually liked Angkor Thom best! I’ve done a lot of digging and it seems like there are lots of good reports for Siem reap, I however was very disappointed. It’s a very poor city and has little infrastructure, the food we tried was underwhelming compared to Thailand and overall it felt extremely touristy. It may have been just where we explored but after reflecting on Siem reap I don’t personally think it’s worth the time and effort to tack it onto a Thailand journey.
4 nights Koh Samui - we were limited to the eastern islands due to monsoons and Chaweng is obviously very touristy. We stayed about 20 minute walk from the best bars and nightclubs which was great! We explored Ang Thong marine park and did a ATV tour to the highest point of Koh Samui. We also experienced the nightlife which truly was exceptional. We stayed in a touristy area so the food was not good and overpriced but besides that we thoroughly enjoyed Koh Samui for what it was and got to experience some great adventures.
4 nights Chiang Mai - a foodie paradise it seems, cheapest place we visited. We did Pooh’s eco trek which was an authentic unique experience staying with real Karen tribespeople. It was a great tour and once in a lifetime experience we also did a zip lining tour which was fun and included the only jungle roller coaster in the world. I would recommend five nights in Chiang mai. Beautiful city, so much charm at every corner and so many adventures spread all around the city.
3 nights Golden Triangle - we stayed at the Jungle Bubbles at Anantara that was priceless! Sleeping in a jungle with Elephants is one of those memories you carry with you to your deathbed, the cooking class was phenomenal and we also did a boat ride through and around the golden triangle in the Mekong River. If you can swing it, I think it’s worth every penny and was somehow unique, relaxing and adventurous all at the same time.
2 nights Bangkok - We stayed on Soi 11 and that made all the difference in the world. Smack dab in the middle of the action. Walkable to some of the best nightlife in the city and close to all the sights
Accommodations:
Bangkok- Doubletree Sukhumvit, in Phrom Phong, is close to the BTS which was a plus but overall it was a poor location far from everything. Decent property but I would not recommend staying at the doubletree due to the location. 3/10
Siem Reap - Templation Hotel, very cool hotel with a very cool outdoor bathroom and beautiful pool. Drinks were very very weak and food was very overpriced and underwhelming. The location is close to the temples but not the city, this made it difficult to get around. If you’re looking to explore the city this is a bad hotel if you’re looking to relax at the resort it may work! 5/10
Koh Samui, Sala Samui Chaweng Beach resort only 20 minute walk to the best nightlife in Chaweng and a beautiful hotel with great service, the breakfast was great and there is a grocery store & pharmacy right across the street to satisfy any cravings. There’s also a fire show on Saturday’s which is very cool. 8/10
Chiang Mai - Le Meridien, major construction at this hotel, pools were closed rooftop bar was closed, restaurant was closed we weren’t told this ahead of time which was disappointing. But it is right across the street from the night bazaar and walkable to most sights. 6.5/10
Golden Triangle- Anantara Golden Triangle, beautiful resort and world class service, from the massage and welcome gift at the beginning to the personalized touches spread throughout the rooms. The staff remembers your name, your orders and are prompt to respond to every request you may have. One of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed at 9.8/10
Bangkok - Aloft Sukhumvit 11 was a hip trendy relatively basic hotel, but what it lacked in charm it made up for in location. The perfect location to get around the city and there is so much to do directly around the hotel this is the place to stay if you like to be in the action. Location 10/10 Hotel 7.5/10
Getting around: Bangkok - Grab (App), BTS, Metro. Super easy to get around with google maps
Siem reap - Grab does not work at the airport, it’s only taxi’s/tuktuk’s and they are extremely expensive.
Koh Samui - Grab does not work here, lots of taxi’s looking to overcharge tourists but we mostly walked.
Chiang Mai - Taxi’s only from airport, we mostly used tuktuk’s to get around.
Restaurants/Bars/Clubs
Bangkok Rung Rueang Pork Noodle (Left Shop) - great tom yum soup and pork balls 7.5/10
Pastel Bar - food was ok, but the drinks were delicious, the views were immaculate and the vibe was awesome. Requires Reservations! 9/10
Koh Samui Sound Spot Samui - great DJ, strong drinks, the shows they put on were well worth it. 8.5/10
Prego Chaweng - Overpriced, poor service, poor food 2/10
Green Bird - touristy meh food, decent service 4/10
Chiang mai Ploen Ruedee Night Market - super cool market, live performances which were engaging. Good food 7.5/10
Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kad Kom - khan soi was incredible, it was packed 2:30 pm with locals. Highly recommend one of the best meals of the trip. 9/10
Chang Phueak Pork Leg Rice - The pork was moist and flavorful, the cabbage was robust. It was delicious, definitely go to Lung Prakit and this food stand while in Chiang Mai. 9.5/10
Khalo Soi Lamduan - recommended by a local, the khal soi was solid but not the best. 6.5/10
My travel style is unique experiences, food and sightseeing. Thailand had its highlights but for my style, I feel South America offers a lot more value.

Hi, everyone! First off, I want to apologize for posting yet another travel credit card recommendation request... I have been trying to do my research and compare cards, but I still have no idea which one to choose.
Some background:
*30's, single, doesn't currently travel much (maybe 1-2x per year, domestically), but wants to travel more. My goal is to travel at least 2x per year, both domestically and internationally. *I live near BWI, so that will be my main depature airport. *I am open to the higher AF cards, as long as the fee is easily recouped (I already have TSA PreCheck through my employer, but I'd be interested in Global Entry). *I may be purchasing tour packages through tour companies for my international travel, if that makes a difference in what a company consideres a form of travel for points accural. I should be purchasing the airline ticket myself, though.
Thank you for your help!!!
CREDIT PROFILE
* Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of: Discover It $29,500 limit, 08/2015, $0 balance // Tower Federal Credit Union Gold Mastercard, $6,000 limit, 09/2014. This is my oldest credit card, and it is not currently in use. // Never missed a payment and never carried a balance.
*FICO Score: 820 TransUnion per Discover, 813 TransUnion and 817 Equifax per CreditKarma
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: 0
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: 0
* Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: 0
* Annual income: $115,000
CATEGORIES
* OK with category-specific cards?: Yes, if able to transfer in order to maximize travel benefits/points.
* OK with rotating category cards?: Yes
* Estimate average monthly spend in the categories below: * Dining: $125
* Groceries: $300-$400 exclusively via Walmart online grocery delivery/pickup.
* Gas: $25
* Travel: I would say $0 really, but maybe $60 (~$1,450 total over the last 24 months - $1,160 on flights, ~$100 on UbeLyft. No car rentals or hotels.)
* Do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: No, not a significant amount of time, but would prefer a card that is accepted while traveling abroad in order to maximize travel points. * Any other categories
-Phone: $55
-Car Insurance: $41 (paid semiannually) -Spotify: $14
-Hulu: $16
* Any other significant, regular credit card spend you didn't include above?: No
* Can you pay rent by credit card? No
MEMBERSHIPS & SUBSCRIPTIONS
* Current member of Amazon Prime?: Yes, $140 paid annually
* Current Verizon postpaid customer?: No
* Current member of Costco or Sam's Club? No
* Currently paying $13.99/month or more for Disney Bundle (Disney+ / Hulu / EPSN+) or other Hulu services? Yes, Hulu only
* Current member of Chase, US Bank or any other big bank?: No
* Active US military?: No
* Are you open to Business Cards?: No
PURPOSE
* What's the purpose of your next card (choose ONE)?: Travel Rewards
* If you answered "travel rewards", do you have a preferred airline and/or hotel chain? No preferred hotels, and no preferred airline really, but I do exclusively travel out of BWI.
* Do you have any cards you've been looking at? The usual travel cards that are frequently recommended here. Chase Sapphire lines, Capitol One, etc. I'm a bit apprehensive regarding Amex, since I hear they are not widely accepted abroad.

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Just finished my first trip to Italy and what a great experience. Wanted to share my experience here for other first time travelers and some things I would have done differently. The trip was broken up into 3 legs and spread across 12 days - Tuscany (5), Rome (2), and Amalfi (5). I'll include some details of itinerary and travel.
Apologies for a long post, but hopefully someone will get some good info out of this!
​
To prep for the trip, I used the Duolingo app for about 3 months to try and make sure I knew enough Italian to get by. Of course, the moment my plan touched down all that studying I did flew out of my head and I basically forgot it all! In the end I was able to get by with just greetings, ordering food/drink/cafe and simple hi, how are you type phrases. For reference, my wife did no studying and picked it up right away. Only shock to her was that there was no such thing as iced coffee.
Tuscany
We flew into Milan and rented a car at the airport. Would definitely recommend this because once you are into Tuscany it is hard/expensive to find drivers and Uber is basically non-existent.
Stayed at the Como Castello del Nero hotel. The hotel was beautiful and had everything you could want. Rolling and picturesque hills from every vantage point, a great pool, good fitness facilities and a nice spa. The staff at the hotel were world class as well. The restaurants on property were very nice however quite expensive. We did eat on the property a few times, but I think i preferred my meals off property and in the smallelocal restaurants more. I would have planned more dinners off property if I had to do anything differently here. Favorite meal was at La Capanna del Gallo, a smaller restaurant which was a short drive from our hotel.
For activities we visited a few wineries/vineyards as well as did a bit of hiking. We were a little jet lagged and did spend a bit of time just relaxing and drinking wine by the pool. The winery that absolutely blew me away was the Antinori Vineyard in Bargino . We did the CRU tour which included an in-depth tour of the facilities, tasting of several vintages and then a lunch with wine pairing. Would highly recommend visiting here. One of the mom-and-pop vineyards that we visited and i would also recommend is Il Palagio di Palazzo. Did the CRU tour here as well and was very pleased.
​
Rome
Used the rental car to travel from Tuscany to Rome, then returned the car near our hotel in Rome.
Stayed at the Baglioni Hotel Regina. Nice enough hotel, but the rooms were a little dated. Technically classified as a 5 star hotel but I probably would have classified it as a 4 star. Still, decent enough stay and staff. Plus for the location as well. We booked this hotel because it was purely in a good location and more of a 'utilitarian' choice - we knew that we weren't going to be spending a lot of time here so the hotel didn't matter all that much.
As we were only in Rome for two days, we really tried to pack in as much as we could. On the day we arrived we spent the afternoon walking around and just taking in the city. We had dinner in the Testaccio neighborhood, which i would highly recommend. We ate at Felice, which was a bit touristy but i think still worth it for some excellent cacio e peppe.
Trevi Fountain - its whatever - cool i guess but absolutely mobbed.
Colosseum - very cool. Did an early morning guided tour which was booked on Viator.
Vatican Museum - Also very cool but a bit long for our taste. Did a 4 hour private/guided tour booked through Context Travel. We were able to get 'behind the ropes' in a lot of places to look at things away from general public which was nice, but its very crowded in the main areas.
If we had to do something different in Rome it would for sure be spacing out activities or just booking a day or two more. All in all, we went to Rome knowing that we would be very busy and very 'touristy' but I think slowing it down a bit would have made this portion of the trip a little nicer. Still, Rome is great and would love to get back.
​
Amalfi
Took the train from Roma Termini to Naples. Our hotel arranged for a transfer from Naples to the hotel.
Stayed at Borgo Santandrea just outside of Amalfi town. Hands down nicest hotel I have ever even stepped foot inside. Seriously 5 star all the way through with no detail overlooked. One detail I loved is that it smelled amazing in throughout the hotel which actually was a really nice touch. The hotel had an amazing pool and is the only hotel in Amalfi that his its own beach club. The staff were top notch and I think there was a staff-to-guest ratio of like 3:1. The hotel also had a free shuttle that would drop-off/pickup from Amalfi town whenever you needed which was a real life saver in terms of time and money.
For activities we visited Ravello, Amalfi and Positano (sort of) then utilized our hotel's beach club for a few lazy days. Ravello was my favorite of the cities to visit. There were tourists yes, but much fewer than all the other cities. We visited Villa Cimbrone which has a spectacular garden and amazing views. You should go here for a nice cocktail or glass of wine. We went out in Amalfi town for dinner several times and never had a bad meal. We tried to branch off the main square and into some alleyways to find hidden gems, but all in all I would say most of the restaurants were comparable at the $$$ price range on google maps. Finally, we planned to visit Positano but scrapped it at the literal last minute - we rented a boat to take us from our hotel's dock to Positano but as we approached Positano it just appeared overrun by people. Instead we had our boat driver just cruise us around the coast. This ended up being one of my favorite days. The cost was $100/hour so actually pretty reasonable. Beach club at Borgo Santandrea was also a highlight - not crowded at all and the service is great. You can visit the beach club even if you don't stay at the hotel, so I would say its worth it even just for a nice lunch and cocktails. The pizza at the beach club is really good, although a little pricey at roughly 30 euros for a basic pizza.
I don't think I would really change anything about the Amalfi portion of my trip other than trying to extend it!
​
Just to give everyone an idea on budget, I think we spent roughly $25,000-$30,000 for two people during the trip of a lifetime.

In 1991, the idea of a Muslim-majority state within the USA that allied itself with the USA and protected North American Muslims from hate crimes, Riba, Haram things, and sectarian violence was born. It was based on the legend of Qarser, that there was once an ancient Live Oak tree somewhere on the Virginia Peninsula but the tips of the leaves had a V-shaped indentation, rather than protrusion like any other Live Oak tree, making it a tree which bore heart-shaped leaves. The Native Americans met with Muslims from West Africa to trade under this rare tree with the beautiful leaf mutations. When the White settlers came, the Native Americans and West-African Muslims fled or were pushed out West and their unwritten history and culture was destroyed and the tree was cut down. This legend has a few variations and is used as a justification for the Virginia Peninsula being the specific location of an independent Muslim micronation. Qarsherskiyan nationalists still tell this tale today. The movement for an independent Muslim country had few supporters and many critics and locals chased off any Muslims who tried to buy land in the area. Ultimately the plan failed but was written down and recording in several notebooks and diaries which were hidden in the walls of a few houses in Virginia and Ohio belonging to members of the former movement. As time when on, the houses needed renovations and the notebooks discussing the plan and its reasoning and failures and successes were found. In 2005, a boy named Brennan White was born in London, Ohio and began growing into a very interesting kid, with unusually fast rate of maturity, able to speak full sentences before being one year old and walking by one years of age as well, according to his grandmother who raised him until we was about 3 years old. Brennan studied horticulture lessons for children at only age 3 and could explain how to create hybrids of trees and name and identify various plants and animals at age 4. By 2019, American teenagers and pre-teens from Muslim-American backgrounds found these notebooks after homeowners in the area did as the notebooks instructed and handed it to someone from the local Islamic community upon being found. It was the Powerplant Group, a powerful conglomeration of groups of kids and teenagers from Ohio, West Virginia, and Ohio named for their love of Urbex adventures and previous explorations of abandoned powerplants and cooling towers. In the same year, 2019, one female member named Powerplant 'Aisha based in Vermilion and Lorain in the state of Ohio got hold of all the notebooks and took particular interest, announcing the re-formation of the Muslim state in the USA and never officially naming it but calling it several names including Qarsherskiy. Nearby, on East 21st Street, Lorain, Ohio, USA, Brennan White had slowly matured over the years researching geography, religion, language, horticulture and botany, entomology, and science to INCREDIBLY OBSESSIVE levels for over a decade. He was particularly fascinated by Wicca and Black Magick but by fall of 2020 his shift had focused to Indian and South Asian societies a bit more, as well as Chinese and Hispanic traditions. In 2020, Powerplant 'Aisha and the Powerplant Group consolidated power over the Islamic Sultanate of Qarsherskiy although it still wasn't officially named that and hadn't declared independence. They began working with Brennan to make up a non-existent Island-Nation online called Aleialei Atoll in order to trick people online into believing a small, rich Pacific island nation existed and needed their help. It wasn't a scam but a ploy targeting the enemies of Qarsherskiy solely to lead them down an internet rabbit-hole and waste their time, distracting the enemies of Qarsherskiy from spreading slander online. Thousands of footage and images of beautiful beaches around the world were uploaded by over 30 members of the powerplant group all across social media and labelled as ''Aleialei Atoll" while lore, culture, and history of Aleialei Atoll was made up and posted online. Anyone who slandered Qarsherskiy or the powerplant group online would be directed to research Aleialei Atoll with some vague statement about the place and suddenly hours of researching the mysterious and unknown "country" would ensue. By sping of 2021, Aleialei Atoll had been exposed and the powerplant group hired hackers to take down 99.7% of all content related to the project from the internet. A new fictional nation called Bahariterra was made up in Spring of 2021 and an average of 250 YouTube videos a week went up. Any time any of the 30+ members of the Powerplant Group saw food, palm trees, beaches, or something interesting from a foreign culture, it was uploaded online as something from "Bahariterra" and before long thousands of hours of content a week went up and long paragraphs of information on various websites misled Qarsherskiy's online slanderers down a new rabbit-hole. By the end of 2021, Brennan's family began preparations to move to Newport News, Virginia, officially leaving Lorain, Ohio on 1st January 2022, and arriving late at night to a hotel in (downtown?) Newport News. the next morning, 2nd January 2022, Brennan and his family had settled in a new home and were finishing putting luggage away. After a year of Brennan exploring the area with his local friends, obsessing over the last few hundred years of history in the area, and meeting people who would convert to Islam or were already Muslims, Brennan learned in late December of 2022 of local neo-Nazi groups called Bombenfein who spoke a Germanic conlang and believed in an esoteric radical re-interpretation of Christianity that favoured Whites and sought to kill racial and religious minorities, Brennan knew it was a matter of time before the Islamic Sultanate of Qarsherskiy would declare independence, especially when police continuously failed to protect the freedom and safety of many local American Muslims and other minorities. Despite not having access to the internet at the time due to being in trouble with his family, Brennan secretly began getting his friend to represent him online and spread a message of his bravery and good leadership and plans for Qarsherskiy. Qarsherskiy would be a sultanate but if the sultan leaves no successor or if people dislike him and overthrow him, Qarsherskiyan law states the new sultan and their royal family gets elected into power by the people's choice and votes. Brennan began pushing his campaign and became the sultan of Qarsherskiy. On 28 March 2023, Qarsherskiy elected the first Emir and Sultan and declared its independence. Brennan became the sultan, Ali Aq-Qarsherskiyy At-Tariq AL-Akbar, and instantly opposed neo-Nazi threats to Qarsherskiy, helping his micronation of 1,947 people called Qarsherskiy in a two month struggle against Neo-Nazism known as the PondWater Neo-Nazi Wars, which ended in the Battle of BasaraQ exactly 2 months later on 28 May 2023 with Sultan Ali's victorious army praising his leadership. Qarsherskiy and its nearly 2,000 citizens then nearly had a Sunni-Shi'a Civil War which was put down peacefully by the sultan Ali. From 31 March 2023 to 3 June 2023, several attempts by the mere 17 Alawites in Qarsherskiy to overthrow and take over the government of Qarsherskiy failed. Qarsherskiy than began a healing process after its first two months were lived in chaos.

In 1991, the idea of a Muslim-majority state within the USA that allied itself with the USA and protected North American Muslims from hate crimes, Riba, Haram things, and sectarian violence was born. It was based on the legend of Qarser, that there was once an ancient Live Oak tree somewhere on the Virginia Peninsula but the tips of the leaves had a V-shaped indentation, rather than protrusion like any other Live Oak tree, making it a tree which bore heart-shaped leaves. The Native Americans met with Muslims from West Africa to trade under this rare tree with the beautiful leaf mutations. When the White settlers came, the Native Americans and West-African Muslims fled or were pushed out West and their unwritten history and culture was destroyed and the tree was cut down. This legend has a few variations and is used as a justification for the Virginia Peninsula being the specific location of an independent Muslim micronation. Qarsherskiyan nationalists still tell this tale today. The movement for an independent Muslim country had few supporters and many critics and locals chased off any Muslims who tried to buy land in the area. Ultimately the plan failed but was written down and recording in several notebooks and diaries which were hidden in the walls of a few houses in Virginia and Ohio belonging to members of the former movement. As time when on, the houses needed renovations and the notebooks discussing the plan and its reasoning and failures and successes were found. In 2005, a boy named Brennan White was born in London, Ohio and began growing into a very interesting kid, with unusually fast rate of maturity, able to speak full sentences before being one year old and walking by one years of age as well, according to his grandmother who raised him until we was about 3 years old. Brennan studied horticulture lessons for children at only age 3 and could explain how to create hybrids of trees and name and identify various plants and animals at age 4. By 2019, American teenagers and pre-teens from Muslim-American backgrounds found these notebooks after homeowners in the area did as the notebooks instructed and handed it to someone from the local Islamic community upon being found. It was the Powerplant Group, a powerful conglomeration of groups of kids and teenagers from Ohio, West Virginia, and Ohio named for their love of Urbex adventures and previous explorations of abandoned powerplants and cooling towers. In the same year, 2019, one female member named Powerplant 'Aisha based in Vermilion and Lorain in the state of Ohio got hold of all the notebooks and took particular interest, announcing the re-formation of the Muslim state in the USA and never officially naming it but calling it several names including Qarsherskiy. Nearby, on East 21st Street, Lorain, Ohio, USA, Brennan White had slowly matured over the years researching geography, religion, language, horticulture and botany, entomology, and science to INCREDIBLY OBSESSIVE levels for over a decade. He was particularly fascinated by Wicca and Black Magick but by fall of 2020 his shift had focused to Indian and South Asian societies a bit more, as well as Chinese and Hispanic traditions. In 2020, Powerplant 'Aisha and the Powerplant Group consolidated power over the Islamic Sultanate of Qarsherskiy although it still wasn't officially named that and hadn't declared independence. They began working with Brennan to make up a non-existent Island-Nation online called Aleialei Atoll in order to trick people online into believing a small, rich Pacific island nation existed and needed their help. It wasn't a scam but a ploy targeting the enemies of Qarsherskiy solely to lead them down an internet rabbit-hole and waste their time, distracting the enemies of Qarsherskiy from spreading slander online. Thousands of footage and images of beautiful beaches around the world were uploaded by over 30 members of the powerplant group all across social media and labelled as ''Aleialei Atoll" while lore, culture, and history of Aleialei Atoll was made up and posted online. Anyone who slandered Qarsherskiy or the powerplant group online would be directed to research Aleialei Atoll with some vague statement about the place and suddenly hours of researching the mysterious and unknown "country" would ensue. By sping of 2021, Aleialei Atoll had been exposed and the powerplant group hired hackers to take down 99.7% of all content related to the project from the internet. A new fictional nation called Bahariterra was made up in Spring of 2021 and an average of 250 YouTube videos a week went up. Any time any of the 30+ members of the Powerplant Group saw food, palm trees, beaches, or something interesting from a foreign culture, it was uploaded online as something from "Bahariterra" and before long thousands of hours of content a week went up and long paragraphs of information on various websites misled Qarsherskiy's online slanderers down a new rabbit-hole. By the end of 2021, Brennan's family began preparations to move to Newport News, Virginia, officially leaving Lorain, Ohio on 1st January 2022, and arriving late at night to a hotel in (downtown?) Newport News. the next morning, 2nd January 2022, Brennan and his family had settled in a new home and were finishing putting luggage away. After a year of Brennan exploring the area with his local friends, obsessing over the last few hundred years of history in the area, and meeting people who would convert to Islam or were already Muslims, Brennan learned in late December of 2022 of local neo-Nazi groups called Bombenfein who spoke a Germanic conlang and believed in an esoteric radical re-interpretation of Christianity that favoured Whites and sought to kill racial and religious minorities, Brennan knew it was a matter of time before the Islamic Sultanate of Qarsherskiy would declare independence, especially when police continuously failed to protect the freedom and safety of many local American Muslims and other minorities. Despite not having access to the internet at the time due to being in trouble with his family, Brennan secretly began getting his friend to represent him online and spread a message of his bravery and good leadership and plans for Qarsherskiy. Qarsherskiy would be a sultanate but if the sultan leaves no successor or if people dislike him and overthrow him, Qarsherskiyan law states the new sultan and their royal family gets elected into power by the people's choice and votes. Brennan began pushing his campaign and became the sultan of Qarsherskiy. On 28 March 2023, Qarsherskiy elected the first Emir and Sultan and declared its independence. Brennan became the sultan, Ali Aq-Qarsherskiyy At-Tariq AL-Akbar, and instantly opposed neo-Nazi threats to Qarsherskiy, helping his micronation of 1,947 people called Qarsherskiy in a two month struggle against Neo-Nazism known as the PondWater Neo-Nazi Wars, which ended in the Battle of BasaraQ exactly 2 months later on 28 May 2023 with Sultan Ali's victorious army praising his leadership. Qarsherskiy and its nearly 2,000 citizens then nearly had a Sunni-Shi'a Civil War which was put down peacefully by the sultan Ali. From 31 March 2023 to 3 June 2023, several attempts by the mere 17 Alawites in Qarsherskiy to overthrow and take over the government of Qarsherskiy failed. Qarsherskiy than began a healing process after its first two months were lived in chaos.

Hi guys!
My husband and myself would be heading to LA in December.
We’ve shortlisted these 2 hotels based on the price and reviews (e.g,. cleanliness, safety). - Andaz West Hollywood - Marina del Rey Marriott
Since there are so many pros/cons for both locations, we are having a hard time choosing. Which would you choose?
Here’s our itinerary for reference:

• Day 0 (Thurs): Arrive at LAX at 8pm. Pick up rental car.
  
• Day 1 (Fri): The Getty (3-4 hours), Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach for sunset
  
• Day 2 (Sat): LACMA, Griffith Observatory(3-4 hours)
  
• Day 3 (Sun): DTLA: The Broad Museum, Bradbury Building, Grand Central Market. Comedy night.
  
• Day 4 (Mon): Check out of hotel and drive to Disneyland.
  
• Edit: *
  

THANKS ALL!
What about "Shore Hotel" at Santa Monica? Good compromise as Santa Monica is more laid back than Weho, and more lively than Marina del Rey.
We like being near the beach (even if its going to be cold and foggy), but i'm mindful that the transit time might be longer, especially to/fro Griffith Observatory and West Hollywood (to watch comedy etc).
And on top of the congestion, my husband and I are unfamiliar with driving in USA, e.g., how to read signages, which freeway/roads to avoid.
In some countries, getting off at the wrong exit on free ways or making wrong turns in the citiy can result in long detours (e.g. >15 minutes added to travelling time). Is LA that kind of city? Would getting off on the wrong exit on the freeway from Santa Monica to/fro Griffith Observator result in long detours?
Thanks again!

There's been much talk about BL's potential as a driver of tourism. And it's evident, as some of you have shared your stories here in this sub, while others have asked for help planning upcoming trips. But there still appears to be a lack of easily accessible information for people visiting Thailand for the BL. Here's an attempt to remedy that, with this guide to visiting Thailand for BL fans. I've taken the liberty to incorporate suggestions from several previous threads here, as well as various other sources, so thank you to everyone who's contributed to the discussion.

First things first

This will only touch on things specifically of interest to BL fans. For the other aspects of your trip, including most basic planning stuff, please consult the usual travel resources.
That said, firstly you'll want to consider the purpose of your trip, and how much of it you want to dedicate to BL stuff. Do you just want a regular vacation, with a side stop for some merch, or are you here to relive the all the scenes from your favourite BLs? It's very possible to come up with a weeks-long itinerary of nothing but BL locations, and you could spend as much time mall-hopping to catch artist appearances, but Thailand also has a lot of other things to experience, whether you want to stick to the major attractions or go off the beaten track. It's all up to you.
Also, this probably goes without saying, but if you want to attend a specific event, be sure to plan around it and make travel arrangements accordingly. Concerts and fan meetings usually have tickets go on sale a couple of months in advance at most, so you'll want to have flexible options if you book your travel and accommodation before then.

Destinations

Most of the BL-related things you can do will be concentrated in Bangkok, so it's where this guide will be mainly focused, but there are also several provincial locations that have featured in BL, especially Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north and Phuket in the south, all of which are major tourist destinations in their own right. Series have also spent time at plenty of beaches and resorts (particularly around Hua Hin and several towns in Chonburi province) as well as other popular excursions, most of which are short trips from Bangkok. Further out are the island resorts of Koh Samet, Koh Tao and Koh Lanta. The north-east Isan locations are rather off the tourist trail, but could well be worth the experience if that's your style of travel.

Getting immersed

Arriving in Bangkok, one of the first things you'll notice as a fan of Thai BL (or Thai dramas in general) is that you're surrounded by familiar faces everywhere, on banners and billboards and the back of tuk-tuks. Although BL actors aren't that well known among the general public (a surprise to some), the better known ones have a ton of brand endorsements and appear in ads for all sorts of products. Even if you're not planning your trip around BL, spotting actors you know in ads and fan projects can be an entertaining pastime.
Head into a 7-Eleven and you're pretty much guaranteed to see faces you recognize, perhaps on products you're already familiar with from all those series sponsorships and product placements. If the advertising worked and you're dying to know what that bottled green tea or that seaweed snack tastes like, this is your chance to give them a try.
Speaking of tasting, you'll probably be sampling plenty of Thai food while here, so why not include some of the food and drink items from the series you remember, be it som tam from What Zabb Man, the traditional desserts from UWMA, or the famous pink milk, known here as nom yen?
Meanwhile, if taking public transport, spend some time watching the people and see how BL imitates real life. Do you recognize the colours of the school uniforms? Or the university students in their white shirts and black slacks? You might even come across some engineering students in their workshop overshirts.
If you miss hearing the Raikantopeni disclaimer at the beginning of shows, be sure to turn on the TV to catch it as they air live. Be aware though that following shows in Thailand will be more difficult than at home, as they won't have subtitles on TV or on most local streaming services, so you'll likely need a VPN.

Merch stores & fan hangouts

This might be a bit of a letdown, but apart from GMMTV's, there aren't really any physical stores for official merchandise. But since you'll be in the country, you could check with your accommodation to see if they can arrange to accept local package deliveries for you, so you can place some online orders and avoid the international shipping fees. Be sure to check the processing and delivery times - this might be tricky (and won't work with pre-orders, only in-stock items).
GMMTV's shop is not a traditional giftshop as one might assume, but more like a kiosk at their office on the 30th floor of the GMM Grammy Place building - there's just a small product display and a cashier window. Apart from buying products, there's a good chance of running into some actors when visiting, though you're not allowed to linger and there's nowhere to hang out apart from some cafés on the ground floor. You will likely spot some fan-project displays (as mentioned above) outside and in the building, and the cafés will often have cup-sleeve giveaways by fans. Here's a very helpful guide by u/snuffles005: How to visit the GMMTV building and shop
Elsewhere, there's Wab Cafe' and Friends, by the Studio Wabi Sabi people. It's a café, so you'll be buying drinks there rather than merch, but it's very much a space created for fans, and there will often be something going on like fan projects and giveaways, or maybe mini-events with actors making an appearance. It's in RCA, Bangkok's main clubbing neighbourhood (and home to studios where many productions hold their workshops), which takes a bit of an effort to get to, but it's also probably the most dedicated hangout space for BL fans there is.
From Star Hunter, there's Hunter Village, a studio space (mostly used for dance classes) in MBK Center, one of Bangkok's most popular malls. It's a mostly open space, so you'll be able to see if there's someone coming in or something going on, but I'm not sure if it's really somewhere you can hang out at.
Other than that, quite a few actors have their own cafés or some other business, which you might want to visit to support them directly. Clothing and fashion items (perhaps from brands with your faves as presenters) may also be something you'd want to go shopping for.
For manga and anime (including BL/yaoi) there's an Animate store (the specialty chain from Japan), also at MBK Center. In addition to imported works, they also have an extensive Thai section, with both translated and original works.
If you want to observe the Thai novel scene, just walk into any major Thai book store, where you'll likely find rows, maybe entire shelves, of BL novels, prominently displayed - BL has very much gone mainstream in the Thai publishing industry. You'll also find glossy magazines featuring actor photoshoots here. You'll have less luck finding English translations, though, as most translated works are e-book only. For English-language (and Japanese) books in general, your best bet is Books Kinokuniya. They do have Japanese and Chinese translations of some Thai BL novels, as well as the English manga versions of SOTUS and Manner of Death, at international prices.

Catching events

Seeing actors up close (or at a distance) in real life will probably be the BL highlight of your trip for many of you. And unless you're ultra specific as to whom you want to see, there are ample opportunities to catch these actor appearances.
The biggest experiences will of course be the major events - concerts, fan meetings, and the like - that you'll have to buy tickets for. As mentioned above, you'll have to plan around them if you want to attend (which also limits how long you can plan in advance), and make sure to actually get those tickets. They're usually announced very publicly, so it's hard to miss them if you follow the usual news update channels. If you're around when one takes place but can't attend, it can still be worth dropping by if you want to get hold of the merch or just check out the crowds.
For more casual fans, you'll still have plenty of chance to see actors at smaller events, as there's pretty much always something happening somewhere, though there might not be much choice on who you get to see. These events vary a lot in scale, and can be anything from product launches to movie premieres. Most artist's agencies will announce them on their social media channels, usually on a weekly basis, and fan accounts may help share and/or translate them. You'll have to follow them to keep updated.
Most of these events will be held in Bangkok's plethora of malls. The biggest ones are mostly lined along the BTS Skytrain's Sukhumvit Line, so if you plan to do a lot of mall-hopping, whether for events or just shopping, consider getting accommodation with easy access to the BTS for convenience. Here's a great post by u/BumblingWombat that describes the experience in detail: What it's like to go to BL events in Thailand (Oh yeah, there are also top-spender events, which I won't go into, as I don't know anything about them. Those who're aiming for them probably won't need this guide anyway.)
Aside from these specific events, there are also annual book fairs that are partially or directly BL-related, where actors from various agencies may make appearances. The mainstream National Book Fair and Book Expo are usually held at the beginning of April and some time in October. Since last year, BL novels and publishers have had a large presence there, and GMMTV actors made daily appearances with fan gatherings in the car park. There are also smaller book fairs directly focusing on BL: Y Book Fair in July, and International Novel Festival at the end of November. They also feature actor appearances, but can also be worth seeing just for the atmosphere if you're interested in experiencing the literary BL scene here.
On the other hand, to experience more of the community side of the fandom, you might want to check out some fan-held events, such as the birthday projects that fan clubs often do, which may be in the form of café galleries or mini-gatherings. Info will mostly be on Twitter, though it may not be readily translated.

Visiting filming locations

If BL inspired you to make the trip to Thailand, no doubt you'd be interested in visiting some of the filming locations yourself. But while some of them are traditional tourist attractions in their own right, most aren't normally on the radar for general visitors, so it'll take a bit of investment (in time and travel) to include them in your trip.
If there's a single most iconic location to recommend, it must be the Rama VIII Bridge over the Chao Phraya River, which shows up in more BLs than anywhere else. So far, it's been seen in SOTUS, SOTUS S, Gen Y, Tonhon Chonlatee, I Promised You the Moon, My Ride, Enchanté, Cutie Pie, KinnPorsche, Even Sun, 2 Moons: The Ambassador, and Boyband. It's not really a tourist attraction, but it's a major landmark of modern Bangkok that everyone knows, and isn't too hard to get to. It's a bit of a walk (some 15 minutes, or just take a tuk-tuk) from either the Phra Athit or Thewet Pier if you're coming from the main riverside attractions and use the Chao Phraya Express (or Tourist) Boat. If you're into financial history, the Bank of Thailand Learning Center and museum is right next to the bridge. Otherwise, Suan Luang Rama VIII Park by its base is also nice, and also a filming location. The bridge itself is most photogenic at night, but make sure you have transport back if you stay late. Consider one of those dinner cruises if you want to experience it from the same angles as KinnPorsche and Cutie Pie.
For other locations, you'll need to do some research. If there's a specific series you want to follow, try searching to see if someone has already compiled a list of locations, which is likely the case for the more popular series. Most info will be on Tumblr or Twitter.
Filming locations may be public places, shops and businesses, private establishments, or purpose-built or converted studios, so remember to think of their ability to welcome visitors. Dress appropriately for the venue, take care to respect their regular functions, and be considerate to other people. Some of the most familiar locations are university campuses, and the grounds will generally be open to the public, but they're not usually equipped to deal with large numbers of visitors. So if you do visit, have fun reliving those memorable scenes but make sure not to disturb the real students who are there for class. Meanwhile, cafés, bars and restaurants would surely welcome your patronage, but please do not snoop around private offices or people's homes. It all boils down to following common sense, really.
A lot of the locations will be quite spread out and some distance away from downtown, so you'll have to plan carefully if you want to hit more than a few. You might want to hire transport for the day, but also take the traffic into consideration.
If you've always wanted to sleep in the same room that your favourite characters lived in (or at least an identical one), you might be in luck. Some of the apartment locations may have rooms available for daily renting, so check with them. As above, though, their location can be rather inconvenient transport-wise. On the other hand, you might want to opt for the hotels and resorts that featured as locations, which will be better equipped with tourist facilities.
For houses specifically, I have a post on The houses of Thai BL. Most of them are private property rented out as studios, but some will be happy to accept visitors (for a fee) on their off days. Contact their management to see if a something can be arranged. Or if you're serious about it and ready to pay, just rent the place at full price for your own personal photoshoot. If you try it either way, do let us know how it turns out. On the other hand, Wawa House (To Sir, With Love) has a café for visitors, Slōlē (Golden Blood, Bite Me, Enchanté, The Tuxedo, The Eclipse) is a real-life café when not filming, and Red Brick Kitchen (Not Me, KinnPorsche, War of Y) features a chef's table dining experience (reservations only, 4 persons minimum).
If you're just looking for some usual attractions that happen to have BL appearances as a bonus, here are a few (very non-exhaustive) suggestions for Bangkok:

• Temples & shrines
  • Wat Arun (KinnPorsche)
  • Wat Kanlayanamit (KinnPorsche)
  • Rong Kueak Shrine (Our Skyy: Pete-Kao, Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go)
• Museums & art galleries
  • Warehouse 30 (Theory of Love)
  • Bangkok Sculpture Center (Vice Versa)
• Historic buildings
  • Hua Lamphong Railway Station (Theory of Love)
  • So Heng Tai Mansion (Our Skyy: Pete-Kao)
  • Neilson Hays Library (Enchanté)
  • The House on Sathorn (functions as a restaurant) (KinnPorsche)
• Zoos, aquariums & other activities
  • Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World (UWMA, IPYTM)
  • Flick Skate Park (Cutie Pie)
• Themed markets
  • Asiatique The Riverfront (Why R U?)
  • Kwan-Riam Floating Market (My Engineer)
  • ChangChui Creative Park & Plane Night Market (Vice Versa)
• Bridges & Parks
  • Rama VIII Bridge & Park (see above)
  • Memorial Bridge (& Chao Phraya Sky Park) ('Cause You're My Boy)
  • Bhumibol Bridge (& Lat Pho Park) (Not Me, KinnPorsche, LITA)
  • Chong Nonsi Skywalk & Canal Park (Chains of Heart, Bed Friend, The Promise)
  • Queen Sirikit & Wachirabenchathat (Rotfai) Park (Cutie Pie, My School President)
  • Benjakitti Forest Park (Vice Versa)
  • Suan Luang Rama IX Park (Vice Versa)
  • Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park (Vice Versa)

While Bangkok's malls are very much major attractions by themselves, I didn't include them as their appearances are quite too numerous to list.
Outside of Bangkok, each series will mostly feature locations relatively near each other (except Cupid's Last Wish, which went all over the country), so I'll just list the series by destination without going into each location's detail.

• Chiang Mai: Manner of Death, Triage, Dew, Grey Rainbow, Sky in Your Heart, On Cloud Nine, 180 Degree Longitude, A Tale of Thousand Stars, everything by Wayufilm
• Chiang Rai: A Tale of Thousand Stars, The Love of Winter
• Lampang: Bed Friend
• Khon Kaen: Love Mechanics 2022
• Chachoengsao: Remember Me
• Chonburi: KinnPorsche, Star in My Mind, Never Let Me Go, Moonlight Chicken, Cutie Pie (Bira Circuit), My School President (Institute of Marine Science)
• Koh Samet (Rayong): Hard Love Mission
• Amphawa (Samut Songkhram): Together With Me
• Kanchanaburi: UWMA
• Hua Hin & nearby (Prachuap Khiri Khan): Bad Buddy, My School President
• Koh Tao (Surat Thani): Even Sun
• Phuket: ITSAY
• Koh Lanta (Krabi): Why R U, Why You... Y Me?

Further resources & suggestions

The Let's Talk BL podcast hosts talked about their experience in Thailand last year, covering a lot of the above points over several episodes at the beginning of season 3. Be sure to check them out if you want all the details, especially S3 EP3: Tips & Tricks for the perfect BL experience in Bangkok. Some of their main tips that I didn't mention above are not to overstretch yourself trying to go to everything, and to use a map to plan your days.
Colourme-feral on Tumblr has an incredible Google Map that plots locations from several series, and more in their blog, which a lot of the above is sourced from. For Bad Buddy specifically, Telomeke-bbs on Tumblr has a series of posts that analyse the locations at an insane level of detail.
I'm sure I haven't covered nearly everything in this post, so please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments. (I'll try to expand the locations list as I get around to digging for more series.) If you have questions or need help identifying a specific location, feel free to ask! (Though no guarantees there.)
For full disclosure, I'm receiving no compensation whatsoever for writing this. Any biases or omissions are purely unintentional.

Chapter 88 - From All I Believed
​
Morning, Two days before Shel
Captain Setar suppressed a smile as she watched the Ops door close. “Well, that was interesting… Ce’lani is a little cranky.” The last vestiges of sleep clung to her as she settled down into the command chair. She felt worn out, but it was the cusp of dawn, and Pod Seven had only just turned over control. “Report on station?”
“The perimeter’s secure,” Jelki replied crisply, pulling up the map of the campus on the main screen. “Pod One is on station and reports twelve by twelve. Sgt Ma’reis is already complaining about janitor duty.”
“Ah, first pod problems.” Setar shook her head, rubbing her eyes and blowing gently on her mug of tea. “What about the objective?”
“The objective’s secure,” Re’lan piped up, already sounding chipper. The woman could have been priestess of Jrafell. Her unwavering cheeriness would have been a character fault if she weren’t so devoted. As it was, it was a damned penance for everyone else at this time of day.
Jelke finished running the obligatory shift change checks and stretched. Things wouldn't get interesting until breakfast, but watching the perimeter was a given. It didn't keep the curiosity out of her voice, as she cocked her head and glanced over. “What was interesting with Captain Ton’is, Ma’am?”
“Mm! Well… it appears she’s expecting a call from Professor Warrick today,” Setar drawled out, taking a moment to savor their reaction. “She felt a need to remind me she’s devoted to Hele, and that if Be’ona or I let her sleep through the call, she’s going to ‘fuck us up the ass with a lasrifle and pull the trigger’.”
Re’lan was probably blushing like a cadet, but Jelke shook her head ruefully. “I expect there's a ‘but’ in there somewhere, Captain?”
“Well, yeah, she said that’s where the rifle would go…” Setar sniggered before taking a long sip from her tea, and slid a bit lower in the command couch. Her eyes wandered to the traffic on the board. “She also made it clear what’ll happen if anybody listens in.”
Thoughtful silence descended. Setar almost counted to twelve before-
“We’re going to anyway, right Captain?” Jelke asked nonchalantly. “You know, for security’s sake?”
“Sergeant, that would be a base infringement of Captain Ton’is’ privacy, which is in fucking short supply for everyone in this bunker.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, watching the steam rise from her mug. “Deeps right we are.”
_ _ _
Lady Wicama regarded her guest with interest as their autocab plied its way about the outskirts of Prelitauri. While she’d been free and cheerfully able to accommodate Khelira’s request, Monsignor Santino Barcio, or Friar Barcio, as he preferred, was not at all what she’d been expecting. She supposed it was a matter of exposure…
The Palace had never quite been the same since Princess Yn’dara’s wedding. Yn’dara was one of those odd Royals who, though well-regarded, was seldom in the public eye. A perennial favorite of the Empress, indulging her unexplained absences passed as a matter of course for the Court. Widely known to be estranged from her mother, Princess Arduina, no one enquired either deeply or often, so when she suddenly resurfaced, her return would have equally passed without comment… if not for the wedding.
Yn’dara had shocked the entire Nobility.
While it was common for any woman to marry into an established family and become a kho, the wedding should have been singular for a Princess. Princesses didn’t marry into families, Princesses formed them. And while Yn’dara technically had done so, she’d taken on three unmarried women at the same time as her husband, who was a Human! Favorite or no, the wags in the court were agog that the Empress accepted Adam so readily! The Empress, however, had been adamant; Yn’dara and her family had her blessings, and were to be left alone.
However, time had proven to be on Yn’dara’s side as well as the Empress.
After a wedding seen across the galaxy, Yn’dara’s family settled into a life of public duty. They spent long trips away from Shil, and while quietly dismissed as ‘pleasure excursions’, her trips often showed the throne to the outer provinces. Although her public engagements were few, she’d become a vocal advocate of the Empress’ reforms against graft and corruption, and, gradually, the jealous mutters about scandalous excess and Human debauchery faded away. Her marriage remained an unusual footnote, but time had demonstrated the value of Yn’dara and her wives to the throne.
Then there was Prince Adam.
Rumor held the Prince had made a favorable impression on the Empress years before, at an event hosted by Yn’dara’s mother. While details had never been forthcoming, a more significant story about Adam wafted briefly through the ranks of the Golden Glaives.
Both stories had been effectively silenced, but Wicama knew who to talk to, and being Khelira’s guardian carried a certain clout all its own. Though that influence waxed and waned over the years, raising Khelira required being aware of events that could shape her future, and she’d proven herself to be discreet. Over time, doors had opened and words had flowed.
Time had been on Prince Adam’s side, as well.
As the years passed, she’d had an exposure to Prince Adam that few of the court and none of the public enjoyed. She’d been wary at first, but he’d been a good friend and mentor to Princess Khelandri before she joined the Marines, and however infrequent his presence, he always displayed a keen mind, a loving heart, and a steadfast duty to his wives. Privately, he absolutely doted on young Khelira and possessed a loyalty to the Empress that you could bend battlesteel around. The two got along famously - after all, he was a veteran.
Not Navy, mind you, but you couldn’t have everything.
And so, as Humanity began making forays upon the galactic stage, her first impression of the species had been favorable. She’d witnessed Adam mature into his role with the court, and while the issue of children remained unspoken, that faded as well. At the time, Yn’dara had been sixth in the line of succession. A year after the wedding, Kamaud’re became an adult, followed a year later by Khelandri, and the matter became largely moot.
As for a second impression on Humans, Khelira had provided enthusiastic reports about Thomas Warrick. While the Princess thrived at the Academy, Warrick seemed to be something special.
The absence of a father in her life had been a void that no woman could properly fill, but she’d done her best. Although she’d entertained a few qualms, as the months passed by, Warrick remained a positive influence. Khelira’s messages were infrequent by necessity, but she’d written about her distress over Warrick’s family and clearly been moved. Prince Adam carried his own scars, but what veteran didn’t? He hid them carefully around Khelli, and if Warrick had chosen not to, he’d provided a useful sense of perspective, instead. It was time for Khelira to grow up, and that meant facing the grist of differing opinions and ugly realities. That was what education was actually for, and Warrick seemed to be doing admirably well as a grindstone.
All of that was before the library incident, which settled her opinion once and for all. While erratic, irreverent, and capable of violence, Humans clearly could be a positive influence when channeled in the right direction. Yn’dara had shown what a good Shil’vati woman was capable of with Prince Adam, and Lady Pel’avon was following suit.
And at least the wags at the Palace wouldn’t speak of Yn’dara’s state wedding again. As a subject for spectacle, Miv’eire Pel’avon’s had put it to shame.
Still, it was good to see Warrick married. While Professor Ha’meres scandalous exploits had faded from the public eye, older wo… more mature women didn’t forget such things. The man had been a daring adventurer - and an inveterate gadabout - and an unmarried man around that many young women was too tempting for some girls. A wife or two… preferably more… resolved such idle fancies. If the Pel’avon ceremony had been somewhat… questionable in taste, compared to Adam’s, it remained legally binding. Warrick was willing to settle down, and by all reports his wife had a proper sense of decorum.
Human men seemed to be a trial from the Goddess, but hopefully she and her kho-wife could sort him with time, love, and kindness.
While exposure to only two Humans was not what she’d call a comprehensive sample, in both cases her impressions had been quite positive. And so, when Khelli asked her to escort a Human Priest about the city, she’d been entirely willing.
Thus far, it had been an enjoyable morning. While there had been occasional missteps, their conversation had been delightful as they traveled from property to property. Even so, she hadn’t expected to meet such a kindred spirit.
Admittedly she’d stammered a bit when he mentioned eating the flesh and drinking the blood of his redeemer. On the other hand, she compared it to the first time she’d bled into the ocean, mingling salt in her blood with the seas. He’d turned shockingly pale, so she changed the subject. It was a purely symbolic act to Drepna - just a cut on the thumb, for goddess sake...
She’d taken extra care afterwards. Barcio could be clearly a sensitive male, but diplomacy was part of her work. Even calling her role ‘work’ was deceptive. She’d raised Khelira in every way an Empress could not.
It was easy for other women to appreciate the prestige of her position, but few understood the depth of it - or the satisfaction.
During her career in the Navy, her flotilla had provided direct support for the Empress, and they’d come to work closely over three tours. After Khelira’s birth years later, the invitation came from the Royal Household to act as her guardian, and she’d never looked back. Competition had been fierce for the prestigious position, but applying had been the best move of her life.
Empress Kamilesh loved all her children and had spent as much time with each of them as she could, but her work was all-consuming, and after her husband’s act of… Well, the Empress had been there, but she’d born her pain privately. She had lost herself in her work for many years before recovering a semblance of her former self, and her absence had taken a toll on her children. Kamaud’re had taken it the worst. Khelandri had bounced back, while everyone doted on Lu’ral. Barely more than an infant, Khelira had been far too young to remember. Wicama had been there through all of it.
It was a good life, and the princess was a delightful girl. For Wicama, the absence of a man in her life was something she’d felt now and then, but she invested her life in Khelira. The Empress treated her as a member of the family in all but name… and in a very real sense, the child you raised was your child.
Looking back, some women might insinuate she’d given up her personal life to raise another woman’s daughter. They couldn’t have been more wrong.
She had her calling - just as Friar Barcio had his.
Yes, he was a priest, and his religious strictures were very unusual. A male priest in any of the Shil’vati faiths would never be placed under such restraints, and for a man to go unmarried was noteworthy…
But she understood having a calling. Oh yes, she understood that as few others could.
After discussing his needs, they’d set out to examine three properties around Prelitauri. The Friar’s individual requirements were deceptively difficult when taken as a whole. A complex coupling a generous auditorium, ample administrative space, and he clearly needed substantial grounds to properly convey a sense of aura. Such accommodations were seldom on the market, and since he expected his colleagues to arrive in weeks, his need was immediate.
Thankfully, urban renewal moved in waves. The tides of such fashions meant Prelitauri was once again an up-and-coming area. While difficult to find, three older structures had the potential to be suitable, and so it was that she’d enjoyed learning about her guest as they explored the tiny district.
The Monsignor spoke four other Earth languages fluently. He tended to break into his native tongue and hadn’t mastered contractions yet, but his Vatikre was passable and he listened carefully, seldom needing to ask about a word. After limiting her contractions when she spoke, their conversation flowed easily.
Barcio had shown little enthusiasm for the first two properties, but their conversation regarding other matters never waned. She expanded on her devotion to Drepna, Shil and the roles of each goddess while asking careful questions of his faith. His own inquiries proved thoughtful, and he was as avid in politely asking after her beliefs as explaining his faith.
After their second hour together, she’d taken the liberty of calling Prelate Hi’meta Merlamiss. As a priestess of Drepna’s second circle, Merlamiss had proven a valuable contact over the years. Well connected, she enjoyed a good relationship with many other prelates of the Divine Halls; she also got on well with Xinfess, the Rakiri’s Speaker of the Dark Mother on Shil. A meeting with Barcio would readily open doors for his group that might otherwise prove difficult to attain, and while Barcio’s accent strained now and then, it was clear the Monsignor and the Prelate shared a questionably low sense of humor.
Given a chance, they’d probably get on famously.
Certainly, that would be a blessing. Their hunt for a suitable facility had not gone nearly so well, and while Barcio had been conciliatory toward the first two facilities, she could tell he wasn’t taken with either. The last property wasn’t high in her expectations, so she found herself casting her head to the side when it swept into view and he clasped his hands in excitement.
”*È bella!* This is beautiful,” he exclaimed. “It reminds me a bit of my childhood home in Sacile!”
She looked out at the complex with its low gabled roofs, as their cab wound up from the entrance. Beside the drive, a small river meandered through the campus past the main buildings. She tapped the console to slow their ride and considered the place in a new light. “I’m… well, a bit surprised to be honest, Friar.”
“Please! We have been traveling for hours now, and I am not holding a service.” The Friar spared her a warm smile, before gazing back at the premises. “I would take it as a great kindness if you would call me Santino.”
“Very well - on the condition you call me Wicama.” It had been some time since anyone called her by anything but title or rank, and the informality was pleasant. Still, as their autocab closed on the end of the lane, she let such thoughts go and considered the location properly.
The buildings were low, sensible cubes, but that was largely an end to it. The architect had made some unusual choices in Helkam motifs that strained understanding. A long colonnade bordered the river, and that seemed nice enough, but the buildings! Forgoing purple was one thing, but they were beige! With unusual elements and the repressively bland color scheme, it was small wonder the clerk handling the property confessed that the space had lain vacant. Its original owners went into foreclosure. The exotic design had proven unable to attract interest, laying dormant ever since.
Barcio… Santino… seemed delighted, however, and she pulled up the specifications on her omni-pad. “This site has two smaller auditoriums besides the main one, while the central building has four floors. One is underground, but all the floors face an interior atrium.”
As the cab gently halted in the car park, she climbed out to hold the door but Santino had already scrambled out and was examining the gardens with evident interest. Tall stands of parago trees were losing the last of their fronds for the year, but she had to admit the grounds were substantial. Yesterday’s storm had left the morning air cold and crisp, lending the gardens an appealing aspect. Untended since the last owners, much could be done with them.
She had given up trying to escort the Friar anywhere after their first two stops, and now they fell into an easy pace side by side as they strolled toward the main building. She turned back to the property itself. “So, this reminds you of your home?”
It wasn’t exactly Helkam architecture - domes weren’t covering every possible surface - but the builder had clearly been nodding in that direction. A promenade wound to the entry, supporting white chevrons that arced into the sky. The bright morning sky shone through clever cutouts, making the unusual design at least look light, rather than oppressive and unappealing. With a decent renovation, the facility had possibilities, and the price was comparatively low.
“*Si!* Oh, not so much like home, but there is the sense of it. I was born near the sea, and this feels… similar.” He gave her a depreciating smile before rolling his eyes. “It may not please everyone who is coming, but ‘everyone’ is not here, so I am allowed some indulgence! Better to have something waiting than nothing at all. I confess, some of my colleagues thought we’d only manage when the bridge to Messina is finished.”
“You should not have been sent ahead alone! Surely your colleagues were not that worried about a poor reception,” she tutted. Priest or no, there were decencies about a man traveling alone to be observed. “You shouldn't need a bridge to find a place for your mission. I don’t know where Messina is, but I’m certain Prelate Marlemis wouldn’t stand for it!”
“Tch! Excuse my poor efforts! The older I get, the more I remember things like yesterday. Unfortunately, the yesterdays I remember so well were thirty years ago!” Barcio smiled wryly up at her as they walked. “The ‘bridge to Messina’ used to be a saying… People dreamed of building a bridge to Sicily, and it became something that never happened. My English friends would instead say ‘when hell freezes over’. *Un'espressione volgare*, but very much to the point.”
“Ah… I’m sure we can manage something, and this could be made presentable. Maybe change the beige to a pale violet?” she offered helpfully as she made it to the door first, holding it open. “The aura inside isn’t so bad.”
“You’ve said that several times, but I do not know what you mean?” He paused in looking around the entry, which had an open foyer exposing the two floors above and led out to the atrium beyond. “What is ‘aura’? I do not think I know the word as you mean it.”
“Aura is… Hmm…” Wicama paused thoughtfully and gestured at the atrium. The interior was in better shape than the grounds, and the architect had done something clever. Not yet noon, a bevel along the top edge filled the space with sunlight. “Have you ever walked along a beach and wanted to save a shell? When you are there, that is aura… When you take the shell home and think of the beach, that is aura, but… less focused. Diminished. You sense the beach because of the shell, but you are not at the beach. Places can have aura, but it is more than character. If you move through a place and find yourself experiencing it? That is aura.”
“Mhm! *lodevole!* I like this idea very much. It would be right at home in the Vatican. Not everyone understands a space can move the spirit, or lend power to a message.” He nodded thoughtfully as he cast his eye about the open space. “With the right advice, perhaps we can lead others to these halls.”
“Perhaps. If you tour the Palace, I hope you’ll allow me to show you about? A lot of the real gems are hidden from the public.” She watched as he wandered toward the double-helixed stairways bordering the room. Those were definitely Helkam; walking up one side without meeting someone coming down the other was an interesting experience… once. After that, they could be an absolute nuisance. Spotting the elevators, she called him back. “The nice thing is this place is inexpensive! That will pad out your funds for a good remodel.”
Wicama quietly thanked the Goddesses that the builder’s had the good sense to install normal Shil’vati-style elevators. The sides were open, granting a wide view out over the atrium. The grounds were terraced to create a small park; that could make the underground space bearable, and the plans made them seem spacious enough. Not to everyone’s taste, but pretty. “I feel bad for asking, but can you afford the building? If the price of the first two bothered you, we can find others.”
“I would not hear of it! Thank you for your concern, but we are economical with our funds, and were sent with a generous sum. This is an important venture to everyone involved,” Barcio clasped a hand over his chest, as he shook his head. “I can not thank you enough for your help! You have surely spared me weeks, and I might not have found something half so suitable. As it is, the grounds are enough to gain me converts. Father Roscio and Pastor Weber will surely plant a vineyard before the inside is half done!”
“It’s not a problem. I have plenty of time,” she replied, dismissing the matter as inconsequential. “I work at the Palace, but with the Court away and my daughter at school, I’m a bit at loose ends just now. At the very least, I insist on helping you through the paperwork. I wouldn’t put it past some realty clerks to try and overcharge you… Someone from outside Shil, that is. I’ll ensure they stick to the listing.”
“To someone not from Shil… or someone who is not Shil’vati, perhaps?” His head canted slightly to one side, but he smiled as he said it. “*Certamente!* I would not dream of preventing you, though Rabbi Kleinbaum will be bitterly disappointed she has nothing to moan about.”
“I hope you won't take this badly, as I’ve only met one Human.” Wicama gave him a smile. She was long past girlish uncertainty, and the Navy had taught her a generous measure of professional poise to go with her skills as a markswoman. “You aren’t what I expected.”
“You know the professore, then?” He sucked in a breath and pursed his lips. “I am still deciding what sort of man he is.”
“No, actually, I know another Human but I’ve not… I have not… met Professor Warrick.”
“So. You mean that I am not *un barbaro*? I am here to make sure that we are seen as something more than savage warriors, *capisci*?” He studied her expectantly. “While the Imperium is doing good work on Earth, some still live in want. The Imperium provides enough for all to survive, but not all live in plenty. We need to present ourselves well.”
”That seems like a very secular outlook.” She offered, as they rode up to the third floor. Barcio asked for an explanation of the word, and by the time they’d made their way through the first offices he had the idea.
“My church has not always troubled itself with such things, but our holy father is greatly concerned with such inequalities. He takes it upon himself to address such matters with the Governess, when their time allows.”
“Your church has a good relationship with her?”
“È straordinario! The Governess adores our food, and while she was adamant about taking quarters in the Vatican, she has taken pains not to disturb us.” He shrugged dismissively. “*Cosa sai fare?* It seemed a small price, and we have endured far worse.”
“I used to hear terrible stories about red zones on Earth, though the Humans I’ve met don't seem the sort. It is good that your… pulp?” She tried the word and was rewarded with kind laughter and a gentle correction. “It is good that your pope concerns himself with the full welfare of the people and works with your governess. Our prelates share the same concerns.”
“I thought the Empress was the head of your church? Now, I find you have many…” he groped for a word, frowning, and gave up. “*Questo accento è una prova di fede!* ‘Denominations’ is not the right word, but she is the one revered, yes?”
“Of course! The Empress has to show all of our virtues and none of our faults, but that’s part of her role. To favor any divinity over the others could cause divisions. She has her personal preferences, of course, but never lets them be known.” Wicama explained carefully. “It would be in poor taste.”
“And poor politics, I think?” Santino gave her a long look. At his height it was difficult, but he managed. “This makes sense to me now, that the Imperium leaves matters of faith alone. *Una benedizione inaspettata.*”
Despite the serious topic, his fervent reply brought a smile back to her lips. “It seems your pope considers politics as well as economics.”
“People will always defend economic theories which assume that growth will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice. This has never been confirmed by the facts, and expresses a crude trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.” He said, stopping to clasp a hand over his cross. “Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.”
“That doesn't sound like scripture.” She offered cautiously, as they made their way into a wider suite of offices on the second floor.
“*Esattamente.* The words of Pope Francis, a good and blessed man who appointed me to my position. His successor, his holiness John Paul the Third, is much of the same mind,” Santino said quietly. “Our savior washed the feet of others and urged all to do the same. The hardest step is to be involved. To work together for change, as well as to pray. That is why I am here.
“*I pigri di cuore trovano sempre una scusa* Some Humans, they are yet angry with the Imperium. Now they have enough, they are bitter not to have plenty. For some there is never enough - the true poverty lies within their hearts,” Santino said a bit testily. “Our faith teaches us to find salvation in eternal life, but others? *Pigrizia!* They see it as an excuse from taking agency in themselves. Jesus washed the feet of others - he did not lay down and wait for someone to wash his!”
Wicama turned the unfamiliar metaphor over in her mind but decided she had the sense of it. “Sham teaches us that helping our families and one another is the same as helping ourselves. ‘The rising tide bares us all from the reefs’.” It was a matter of faith… but that was why it was faith in the first place. On the whole, it seemed like a mature perspective that explained the changes she’d seen in Prince Adam over the years. “You’re here to meet with others, but this seems as much about knowing yourselves.”
“*Sì, non è una brutta cosa avere umiltà davanti a Dio.* Human beings, while we are capable of the worst, we are also capable of choosing the good. Of rising up to make a new start. We are entering the galaxy.” He gestured out the window at the world beyond. “If not now… when?”
_ _ _ “So, when are you going to explain this masterpiece you four have been cooking up?” Marin asked. Sammi and Sam were barely awake but the twins had already arrived, bright-eyed and enthusiastic, and Marin cursed the resilience of youth. The room was acceptably warm, but Ayen had complained about the cold and used the excuse to slip back into bed. She was considering her options for joining him.
Somewhere, somehow, Sammi had found their rabbit pajamas again. “Sam, explain it to her? You do it better.” Sammi yawned, but Marin suspected it was an act. Once something got their attention, sleep was usually an afterthought.
“What, now?” Sam had barely stumbled into the room and blinked. Bleary-eyed and barely awake, he looked like he’d been ambushed, which was exactly the case.
“Pllllllleeeease…?” They sat back pulling the ears, giving their best Roger Rabbit impression. Luminous green eyes peered out at Sam, imploringly.
“Alright… I need coffee, but fine.” Sam trudged over to the kitchenette and poked listlessly at the instant coffee. It was getting perilously low, but Marin was sure he’d brought more on the ship. Eventually Sam gestured at the K’herbhal sisters with his mug. “So the girls want to create an artificial topological soliton. It's like a black hole, except where it isn't… It's sort of a kink in space-time.”
“Made you say kink!” Sammi grinned impishly and the girls blushed. Marin shook her head but paid attention. It felt far too early after another late night, but once everyone was up you had to hang on for whatever came next.
“So, what's that got to do with this… hole you want to use for power?” Marin raised her voice just enough to drag the conversation back on track.
“It’s more like a side effect. If it cuts the right angle, it goes into a realm of space-time we can tap for power. Think of it as an obverse of an energy drain, so it's like a white hole.”
“Let me guess.” Marin shook her head and grinned, holding up a hand to forestall the inevitable. “Except where it isn’t?”
“Ummm… pretty much.” Sam grumbled, blowing at his coffee. Marin glanced back at the twins. With Sam busy, the twins had gravitated to either side of Sammi. There was room left on the couch, and she wandered over to settle in beside one of them.
The Sams had been complaining for years about a lack of ‘focal power’ for their mass compression technologies, and while a rubber duck inside a diamond was impressive, they’d wanted to do something more - a lot more. She suspected if the twins were providing the means, then they already had something about to surface from the depths of their imaginations. Over the years she’d learned to pick a bit, rather than take their answers at straight value. “And if things don’t cut at the right angle? You remember how long it took to get rid of the Navy, when you started talking about making black holes?”
“It's not our fault they didn’t understand,” Sammi said defensively, crossing their arms and pouting at her before the rabbit ears fell over their face.
“Who didn’t understand what?” Akeimei yawned at the door. She cast a wink her way before wrapping her arms around Sam and gave him a quick hug. “What did I miss?”
“Umm… a parallel universe, if the math is right,” Sam mumbled from the depths of his coffee cup.
“What? Like identical versions of us?” Marin watched Akimei’s nose wrinkled at the smell before she slipped away from Sam. Slipped down beside her, they rubbed shoulders a moment. “Tell me, is there one where I get more sleep?”
“More or less identical… though it's not like you need to go into a parallel universe for that sort of thing. There’s already a ‘you’ out there somewhere right now, to say nothing of past and future ‘you’.” Sam scratched his cheek idly for a moment “It's just the math. The universe is so vast that there are exact physical cosmic twins of us out there somewhere, not to mention even more almost-twins.”
“Sam’s right!” Sammi perked up excitedly, bouncing on the sofa. “Then there are quantum cosmic twins - which gets weird because particles exist in multiple states and you’d sort of overlap… but the easiest one is probably just another us elsewhere in the universe right now! That's sort of the point where the universe is bigger than you can imagine!”
“So exactly the same… or almost.” One of the twins giggled. “Just like us!”
“Pretty much,” Sam nodded, slowly emerging from the depths of his coffee. “Another you out there on another Shil, or another me on a whole Earth, even - just a little bit different.”
“What? Like an Earth that never met the Imperium?” Marin canted her head, tossing out the obvious. It was hard to remember her life before, and she didn’t want to contemplate the alternative.
“Oh, I don't like that idea.” One of the twins stuck out her lip. “We want to come to Earth!”
“Yeah,” her sister nodded, though she suddenly looked glum. “I don’t know if Professor Warrick would mind though. He’d be with his wife and daughter, there.”
“Oh…” her sister's face crumpled. “I didn’t think of it that way.”
“Well, don’t…” Sammi hugged them both a moment, though they held the first twin a bit tighter. “The point is, somewhere he’s with them right now!”
“Wow, I guess so.” she brightened. “Just imagine! A whole Earth that never met the Shil’vati!”
“I wouldn’t worry, sis.” her twin nodded. “I think Professor Warrick is pretty happy right now.”
_ _ _
“I am not happy about this!” Tom glared at his omni-pad before tossing it down in frustration.
Miv looked up at her husband.
“It’s an honor!” She tucked her chin in and gave him a long, considered look, “What is it that’s bothering you - really? It wasn't Monsignor Barcio. Are you certain this isn't the same sort of thing?”
“Yes, I’m sure!” he growled, looking away like a guilty child. “Alright, maybe… but this uniform is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ll look like a mushroom, and the hat only makes it worse!" Tom grimaced at the omni-pad accusingly, "They won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, so now I’m on the rolls as a Warden Captain - whatever that is - and this ceremony is ridiculous!”
“The ceremony is traditional. Very symbolic... Besides, they don't make wardens out of anyone below the rank of captain - I looked it up. You were one before, so it's appropriate to make you one instead of a Warden Major or Warden Colonel.” She smiled at him serenely. “Surely, it can’t be the worst thing you’ve ever done.”
He turned to wag a finger her way. “I’ll take that bet!”
“Worse than our wedding reception…?” She crooned, teasing him. “Or maybe pre-term night? I swear by the Goddess no one will pinch your ass, except for Lea and I.”
“Fine…” Her smile grew wider as he grumbled, but he was calming down already and there wasn't heat in it. Still, he stubbornly clung on to the point a while longer. "It’s in my top five.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive, husband. Now then, I have meetings all afternoon, so why don't you finish reviewing the menu? You’ll feel better when all this is over and you can go back to cooking, chess, or starting that eeeyiy club… You might even give Ce’lani a call or message her?” She gathered her coat and smiled demurely, though it harbored nothing innocent. “If I’m not here you’ll have perfect privacy… Just don't promise anything you wouldn't promise to me.”
“It’s iai-do…” Tom groused, but he was already picking up his omni-pad.
She blew him a kiss and made her way toward the commons. Tom would probably stew a while, but he’d make the call.
There would be time to meet with Ce’lani on the common, before she had to come home for dinner.
_ _ _
Tom looked over the banquet menu as if it might reach out and bite him. The words stared up at him with perfect innocence.
Appetizer: Fruit and Cheese Platter - Slices of various cheeses and fruits on a platter providing a delicate mix of sweet, tangy and creamy to invigorate the dining experience. Serve with a selection of sweet and semi-sweet wines.
Soup: Choice of Tomato or French Onion Soup - Served with a piece of baguette and cheese.
Salad: Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing -- an assortment of greens and fruit with a balsamic grain dressing to cleanse the palate.
Entree: Cornish Pasty - This herb-infused meat and pastry dish provides a counterpoint to the tangy taste of the salad and soup. Served with a creamy buttered mashed potato (a vegetable, humanely prepared!) with chives (also a vegetable). Served with a selection of wines or ales.
Dessert: Chef’s Sorbet Surprise - A sweet treat complemented by a palate cleanser, ending the meal on a piquant note.
His last call with Bherdin had been a trial and a half. Omni-pads were the definition of ‘high fidelity’, and hearing the little Shil’vati hyperventilate for ten minutes over the plan was pointless. At least Melondi had easier going with Vedeem on her side... one way or another this was happening.
As a final consolation, he relented on wearing matching suits. Bherdin frequently bemoaned Tom’s 'lamentable' fashion sense, and he perked up at that, promising to get him some appropriate formalwear for the occasion.
Privately, he suspected his Shil’vati friend was looking for a convenient alibi if a riot started.
In fairness, it probably wasn't a bad idea.
“Too late to use it myself…” he muttered. It wasn’t quite noon, and Miv was probably right. Instead of Chess Club or starting Iai-do practice or just cooking out at Human Food, he was stuck here at home. Miv’s place was bigger, but most of his stuff was still in boxes; it left him listless and climbing the walls. If this worked, at least things could get back to normal.
…Mostly normal…
He flipped back to the picture of the Warden uniform on his omni-pad. It was bad enough, but the hat made the whole thing look like a blue toadstool in silver filigree.
He swiped the picture away like an act of revenge, but didn’t toss the pad back on the table.
…Miv was right... and I promised to call Ce’lani…
Tom centered himself, pulling up the number. The universe was always in motion and a good Taoist accepted their part in what came. That was the lesson of ‘the Vinegar Tasters’, and it held true… The painting showed three men standing around a vat of vinegar. Each has dipped his finger into the vinegar and tasted it. The expression on each man's face showed his individual reaction.
The painting was an allegory for Confucius, Buddha, and Lao-tse. Confucius wore a sour look on his face. He believed life was out of harmony with the universe. As the second figure in the painting, Buddha had a bitter expression. Like the vinegar, life was painful and filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The last man, Lao-tse, was smiling at the taste. To him, harmony existed naturally and could be found by anyone at any time in any experience.
He thought about his buddy Dave. The old Marine would probably shake his head and tell him to ‘embrace the suck.’ It pretty much boiled down to the same thing.
Not that he was against calling. Miv and Lea had practically taken turns urging him on and giving their views on why it was a good idea. They hadn't harped about it, but he knew which way the wind was blowing. And Ce’lani’s message had been short, sweet in the literal sense, and the sound file she’d offered up had been…
…Pretty nice, really…
If he still said no, or decided he didn't like where this was going, they’d back his choice, of course. He didn't have a doubt in his mind… But with everything else in his life turned upside down, calling Ce’lani seemed like a calm in the eye of a storm.
…It's just a phone call. Leave the chaos at the gate…
He settled down on the couch to check his messages before giving her a call. It was nearly lunch…

I don’t write a lot of reviews but there isn’t much info on the Alua properties which Hyatt bought last year and rolled into WOH early this year. So hopefully, my impressions will be of use to someone.
I just got back from staying at the AluaSoul Costa Malaga in Torremolinos, Spain. I spent about a week there in a Junior Suite. I am a WOH Globalist. I had a “Half Board” rate which included breakfast and dinner. I also had access to the “My Favorite Club” which serves refreshments all day (more on that later). Rates were incredibly affordable, around €80 per night for the junior suite. A regular room was just a few euros cheaper so I booked the higher category, I didn’t want to chance the lack of an upgrade given this is the start of the busy season. (the hotel was pretty full) I did not book a club room but was automatically upgraded to one. Points redemption was 12,000-15,00 per night for a standard double room so paying the rate was preferable.
Location: The hotel could not be better located for nightlife and food. You are in the center of town and surrounded by literally hundreds of restaurants and bars. You are also a 5-minute walk from Torremolinos’ main train station which connects directly to the airport, Plaza Mayor (large mall), and Malaga City. The airport is about 15 minutes via train, and Malaga is about 30. The walk from the train station to the hotel is an easy one with a wheeled suitcase. Escalator and smooth sidewalk. The hotel is also right next to the LGBTQ+ area, which is huge in Torremolinos. Lots of entertainment options and trendy places there as well. It is a walk down a cliff to the beach, but I found it very pleasant. There are 2-3 ways to take to the beach, and I found none of them boring. The town also offers an elevator to the beach at a rate of €0.50 each way, but I never thought to use it. An Uber from the airport to the hotel costs around €15-18 euros. There is a mini-mart 2 doors down, and another 5 doors down and there is a medium-sized supermarket a 3 minute walk away. There is a pharmacy next to the supermarket.
Check-in: The lobby is clean and modern, nicely decorated in a 4-star Spain way. Front desk staff were quick and efficient but the man who checked me in didn’t explain things so well, but I arrived VERY late. The female desk clerks the next day were far more helpful. Upon check-in, I was upgraded to a My Favorite Club room, and I was on the 10th floor (the hotel only has 11 floors).
Room: Room was ok. Fairly large but not a true suite. There is a sitting area with a couch long enough for a grown person to sleep on and a double bed that was 2 singles pushed together as you often find in Europe. The beds were not attached together, and the floors were smooth laminate, so they had a tendency to move, creating a gap in the middle. The bathroom was notably small, featuring just a sink, toilet, and shower. It's enough for 2 people, but just. There was also a small balcony with an ocean view, although also with many buildings. There were 2 large glass bottles of water on the table and the refrigerator was stocked with a few types of beer, a bottle of cava, and some sodas. There was a Nespresso machine and capsules and a boilekettle with tea supplies. This was complimentary. The room, and bathroom, were very clean but everything was about 10 years out of date. The TV was large, but didn’t feature any smart features and the HDMI cables were a bit hard to get to as it was firmly mounted on the wall. BBC News was the only English language channel (no regular BBC, and the guide showed CNN but it was not available) but they had several German and French channels as well as any Spanish of course. WiFi was good enough to stream and do video calls. The A/C worked great, shower pressure was good as was the hot water.
Club: My Favorite Club is basically their version of a Regency Club, except that it runs all day and is stocked with alcohol at all times. They had coffee/tea/soda, 3 types of beer, 6 types of wine, 8 spirits, and bottled mixers as well as 3 juices and milk. They also always had 4-6 types of tapas and they were refreshed often with different types. The spread was quite impressive and not many people had club access even though the hotel was full. That is good because the club literally only has 8 seats! I was actually amazed at how little the lounge was used given the hotel was busy.
Food: Meh. During my stay, I only ate breakfast 3 times and dinner 2 times even though it was included. That is mainly due to the fact that the food in Spain (outside of the hotel) is amazing and affordable. If you have to pay much extra for food options I wouldn’t. When weighing half board or all-inclusive places in Spain, Portugal, or Greece, consider the fact that local restaurants are incredible and usually cheap. The wine was €2-2.50 a glass for a generous pour at a restaurant. There were literally hundreds of places within walking distance. You could be better off getting a hotel with a nice pool, a great location, and perhaps a breakfast-only option. Even breakfast could be a waste as you often stay out late in Spain and would have to rush to shower and get ready just to eat some eggs, cold cuts, and a croissant to save €5.
Pool: Very nice pool with some shade and some sunny areas. Not huge but clean and relaxing. They feature live music at night, but end at about 11:00 pm to avoid disturbing guests. One night I had to go back to my room which was 10 floors above the pool, and the music was quite loud. Something to consider if you sleep early or get a low floor. People in club rooms also get a reserved area by the swimming pool with loungers, etc. This means a better chance of snagging a good chair. Poll was quite busy. Guests are a mixture of ages and nationalities. I heard Dutch, German, French, UK English, American English, Russian, and of course Spanish. There were college kids to retirees.
Edit: They were working on a rooftop bar when I was there, it looked nice, but it was not yet open. They were actively constructing it, so I suspect it will open in a few weeks. It will have basically the same view as my room.
Globalist recognition/benefits: As I mentioned above, my late arrival didn’t help. There was no verbal recognition upon arrival and check-in but I was upgraded to the club room.
Overall, I would say it’s a 3.5-star room, 4.5-star location, 4-star staff, 3-star food, 4.5-star club. The value is 4.5 stars, though. I would stay again based on the price for quality and the excellent location (for someone who likes local culture and food more than the beach).
Hotel site https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/costa-del-sol/costa-malaga-adults-recommended/ascma

Hi everyone
I’m a 22 year old trans guy living just outside of Newcastle. I moved here about 18 months ago, but I’ve struggled to make friends, and I only really have one person, who is more of an acquaintance. It gets pretty lonely at times, so I’m trying to put myself out there a bit more. Bonus points if you live nearby, but I’m happy to chat with you wherever you’re from.
In terms of hobbies, I’m really into music. I love listening to it, with my favourite genres being rock and rap, but I also play piano, and I’m starting to learn guitar. I like video games but I’m definitely more of a casual gamer. I also like hiking, and I’m lucky that there’s lots of beaches near where I live that I love walking along. I find it great to hear about other people’s hobbies, so let me know what you’re interested in!
I’m definitely an introvert and prefer a quiet night in, or something like going to the cinema, than bars and clubbing. I am pretty shy when I first meet people in person, but I come out of my shell when I get to know someone better. I find myself being a bit more confident from the get go online, because I can think about what I want to say, and be myself a bit more without the fear of being judged directly, if that makes sense. I’d like to think I’m a friendly person and a good listener if you need it.
I have been struggling a fair bit recently with my mental health, and I think a lot of that is down to loneliness. I’ve always found it hard to form connections with people and I don’t think I’ve ever really been close with anyone. I’d love to have people I could potentially meet up with in the future, or even just someone to chat to about anything. Please don’t let this put you off, as I don’t want to seem desperate, and I promise I’m much more positive irl. It’s just that things can be hard sometimes and it would be good to have someone around that understands.
Please feel free to comment or send me a message if you’d like to chat. Just please be LGBT+ friendly and around my age. Thanks guys :)

Throughout the series, we’ve been treated to a lot of great matches, and lots of key moments from the Karasuno players. Today I ask, what do you view as the best and worst performances from each of the starters over the course of the series?
Here’s my list, with a disclaimer that picking the worst for some of these guys was pretty hard. It’s not too often the manga has a player being actively bad, and usually when they do they end up making one hell of a comeback and being key to the Karasuno victory. So some of the picks for worst are admittedly less that they played bad, and more that they had a poor stretch, or that they were below their usual standards in the match. Anyway, without further ado, let’s proceed,
Hinata
Best Game: Kamomedai
I think this is one that clearly goes without saying. Hinata was absolutely on fire in this game, playing like a kid possessed and just constantly upping the ante against what was easily the best blocking team he had ever faced. It was almost poetic, really. When we started with him, he wondered what it looked like behind the wall of blockers. And in this game, they couldn’t do a thing against him.
Worst Game: Nekoma
This is an interesting pick, because this was Hinata’s first game having a really solid grasp of receiving (to the point where it won them a set), and it’s where he first started to get the hang of his “Dun” jump, which was key to the win over Nekoma. That being said, that jump came near the end of the second set, and it was something that he needed Kageyama’s four set in order to accomplish. Before then, while he wasn’t playing bad, and had still got some nice kills, he wasn’t nearly as effective as he usually was, with Nekoma’s strategy doing an absolutely number to slow him down
Kageyama
Best Game: Inarizaki
It was acknowledged within the manga that Kageyama was on one during this game. Be it his serving, his setting, his blocking, he was constantly able to rise to the task. Be it his running under the net to still set the ball, his block against Aran, or his long set towards Tanaka + his service ace to force a deuce, Kageyama was the best player Karasuno had that day, and evolved constantly within the game to begin reaching his full potential.
I will say I also considered Nekoma here, just because I really liked the way he managed to free Hinata from the shackles that Nekoma’s gameplay had put him in.
Worst Game: Seijoh 1
Not much needs ti be said here, really. For the entire first set he was in his own head which pit Karasuno in a hole, and though he did great after he came back from being subbed out, it was still clear he had a long way to go before he could truly become the King of the Court.
Tsukishima
Best Game: Shiratorizawa
It shouldn’t go without much surprise that this is Tsukishima’s best game, as it was this game that got him hooked on volleyball. Tsukishima stayed consistently on top of his game with his blocking and funneling, working in tandem with Nishinoya to make things much harder for Ushijima and the rest of Shiratorizawa. He was no slouch on offense either, with his delayed spike and his bluffed slide attack providing very key points for the team in clutch moments. Though his final plan against Ushijima didn’t work, it was still an excellent display of his analytical mind.
Worst Game: Wakutani
Honestly, I don’t think Tsukishima necessarily played bad either. However, Nakashima was simply a mad matchup for him, with his ability to tool blocks. This wasn’t the first time Tsukishima would face hitters who blatantly countered his blocking, but with Suna and Hoshiumi, Tsukishima was able to at least utilize larger strategies to neutralize them even a little.
Tanaka
Best Game: Inarizaki
Tanaka had a rough start to this game. Inarizaki were doing a great job blocking him, and his precision line and cut shots were still a work in progress. To make matters worse, he hit a bad mental block that only built up as he continued to struggle offensively. However, he got himself out of it, nailing an insane angle on a cut shot to win them the first set. Later on, down 24-22 in the third set, he was trusted to make the kill, and he did so while going the complete opposite way, saving his team with a sharp line shot. Tanaka came out of this match a much better player than before, clearly showing why he was Karasuno’s next ace
Worst Game: Date Tech 2
Full honesty? It was hard to pick a worst match for Tanaka. He was targeted early in the first Seijoh, but got himself out of it quickly enough and was back to his normal self before long so the damage was minimal. Instead, I had to just kind of raise my hands and point to the Date Tech match. it wasn’t even that he was bad, but with the focus on Asahi and Hinata, Tanaka was mostly left to the side and wasn’t as present. This is easily my weakest pick though, so I won’t fault anyone for completely disagreeing.
Nishinoya
Best Game: Shiratorizawa
Similar to Tsukishima, this should go without saying. Faced with the best ace in Japan, Nishinoya made constant digs that almost no one else could. Not only that, but they were fantastic passes too, allowing Karasuno’s offense to still shine. Furthermore, his strong mentality meant that even as Karasuno came out weak in the first set, he was able to inject them with enough energy to keep them going, slowly building momentum towards a win.
Worst Game: Inarizaki
Inarizaki marks the only time Nishinoya was outright picked on. His weakness in overhands was exploited to its limit by Atsumu, and was something that troubled the team for all three sets. He gave up constant service aces, and made poor bumps that compromised Karasuno’s ability to control the fistfight. He was eventually able to work himself out of it thanks to Kinoshita’s help, but the damage that was done got very close to being too much.
Asahi
Best Game: Kamomedai
Similar to Tanaka, Asahi had a rough early go against Kamomedai. They were like a superior version of Date Tech, the team that gave him absolute fits the previous year and almost broke him completely. He was in danger of falling into the same hole in this game but, backed by his team, he came out stronger than ever, breaking down the forest and opening the way for Karasuno to begin picking apart Kamomedai’s blocking.
Worst Game: Date Tech 1
Admittedly a cop out answer given this game wasn’t shown in full, but Asahi was pretty great in every full match we saw, which is fitting for an ace. So instead we point to the game where we’re explicitly told he was shut down, and even quit the club for a while.
Daichi
Best Game: Inarizaki
I actually had Johzenji initially when I was typing this up. He proved to be a backbone for Kageyama and Hinata, preventing them from getting swept up in Johzenji’s rhythm and saving them from a few mistakes. He proved his role as captain there. But he does that again in Inarizaki, and contributes even more so with his scoring. In addition to being the solid foundation, he shows here how he embraces the team’s philosophy of scoring, which was noticed by Kita. Always a steady rock for Karasuno, Daichi went above and beyond in this game, showing that he too is just as capable at scoring.
Worst Game: Kamomedai
Similar to Tanaka, it’s hard to pick a bad game for Daichi because one of his main strengths is just how consistent and fundamental he is. While he isn’t a fantastic player able to control everything, his digs have saved Karasuno constant times to the point they took it for granted, as evidenced by the Wakutani match. So I choose the Kamomedai match solely on the concept that Daichi wasn’t as much of an offensive threat as he usually was. It’s still a pretty good game from him, though.

Just got back from a solo trip through South Africa, and despite all the cautions and reservations I heard on- and off-line, I loved every bit of it! Sharing some quick notes here for reference, and happy to answer any queries from people thinking of travelling there.
Profile
34 yo Indian man. Not the primest of targets for crime, admittedly, but I didn't really look like a poor write-off as well.
Dates
21 May 2023 - 31 May 2023
Itinerary
2N in Johannesburg with visits to Apartheid Museum, Soweto, and Rosebank Mall. Stayed at Clico Boutique Hotel in Rosebank. Found the city to be pleasant and well worth the stopover, also perfectly safe if navigated using Uber or through join-in tours.
3N in Greater Kruger, specifically at Nyati Safari Lodge in the Balule Reserve, with 2x game drives daily (morning and evening). Saw 3 of the big 5 (missed out on Rhinos and Leopards but have seen them earlier in India, so no heartache) as well as animals unique to Africa - hippos (right outside my room!), zebra, giraffes, and more antelopes than I can remember the names of. Also did a bushwalk, and loved all the bush sundowners and breakfasts. It was absolutely safe inside the lodge, the bigger threats mere mischeivous monkeys raiding the mini-bar. This was my first African Safari experience, and I loved every bit of it - can definitely see myself become a safari hoe in the years to come.
2N in Franschhoek, with a day-long self-cycle through the region (the road from Berg River Dam to Huguenot Memorial is beautiful), and more wine tastings (highly recommend Eikehof and Glenwood) than I'd had in the entirety of my life till the day. The place was my favourite in SA - beautiful, delicious, creative, and a bubble of safety. Stayed at the lovely Chanteclair guesthouse (the host Allan is a gem).
3N in Cape Town, with visits to Table Mountain, the waterfront, a peninsula tour (Camp's Bay, Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak, Cape of Good Hope, Boulders Penguin Colony, and Muizenberg), Kirstenbosch, Company's Garden, Zeitz MCAA (fantastic if you're into art) and Bo Kaap (with the lovely and free Cape Town Walking Tours). The city is easily one of the most, if not the most, beautiful in the world - the setting is spectacular, even in the cold, windy, rainy weather I was there in. It was also markedly safer than Joburg, and there were several parts of town where walking around didn't make me feel as on-edge. Stayed at Taj Cape Town (stellar downtown hotel which allows easier access to the actual city than the tourist enclave hotels of the lively but sterile Waterfront area).
Safety
Almost everyone I spoke to before visiting South Africa painted it as a free-for-all crime zone. I'd be mugged, raped, killed, or whatnot here, they said. Don't go alone. Don't go at all. All of it, ofcourse, turned out to be overblown, panic-stricken hogwash. I navigated the country without incident. BUT I didn't just stroll into town with an open wallet either - I made sure to stay at good hotels (within my budget), keep my valuables hidden away like in a secure backpack or an inside pocket, check locally for safety advice, and use Ubers or tours wherever recommended. These weren't special safety procedures designed for South Africa, mind you, they were just common precautions I'd use in any country I was visiting. It helped my travel remain incident free, and the only time I was approached by someone mildly unsavoury was when a drunk man stumbled past saying 'Good day brother' in Bo Kaap. The biggest threat to my safety in SA turned out to be marauding monkeys at my lodge near Kruger who raided the neighbouring room's minibar and made away with milk and coffee sachets. Also, contrary to some advice, things left lying around in my hotel room as well as check-in baggage at the airports remained absolutely safe and untampered.
Power (Cuts)
Load shedding is rife, and Joburg was seeing 10-12 hours of load shedding while I was there. However, all my hotels had power backup, and all the spots I visited had power backup (wherever needed), so I effectively only ever noticed loadshedding during the switch-overs between supply and gensets in my smaller Joburg and Franschhoek hotels. I even disabled the push notifications for the power supply app (ESP) because it was of no real use to me any more. Moral of the story - make sure your hotel has power backup, and carry a power bank in the unlikely event you find yourself at a cafe without electricity. Also, check up on the power points - I didn't do my research properly and had to buy two overpriced plugs in Joburg.
Weather
Joburg had crisp weather with lots of sun, but cool temperatures. Kruger had warm days and cool nights - layers were essential! Franschhoek was kinda like Joburg weather, while Cape Town was windy and rainy. The only place I could contemplate swimming was in Kruger and in the heated pool of my Cape Town hotel.
Food
EXCELLENT everywhere, even in remote Kruger. Franschhoek, however, was a highlight - if there's one place you'd want to splurge for good food, it's here. Also helps that the wine is cheap and plentiful and sublime. For vegetarians and vegans, most restaurants had symbols identifying suitable menu items, and everyone speaks English so its easy to clarify. Would recommend making online reservations at the more popular fine dining spots.
Costs
On the whole, South Africa is very affordable for someone used to American or European or Japanese or Singaporean prices, especially with the unabated fall of the ZAR. Coming from India, however, it was a bit of a mixed bag - dining out was very cheap, and hotels were great value, but domestic flights and longer taxi transfers (like Cape Town - Franschhoek or the day tours) felt expensive. Uber rides and high street shopping were just a tad pricier than I'm used to in India while the coffee and alcohol prices were an absolute delight. Entrance tickets to most sights, however, are fairly steep and much closer to the European norm than the African or Asian. That said, major sights are professionally managed, clean, safe, and have power backup.
Tipping is expected, I'd round things upward of 10% of the bill amount, except at a fine dining experience in Franschhoek where a service charge was explicitly included and informed about. Tips can be added to the card machine and need not necessarily be paid in cash.
Paying by card is practically universal in tourist-friendly spots (including entry tickets and even for smaller payments), and I didn't need to exchange any extra cash or use an ATM. Visa and Mastercard work everywhere ofcourse, and Amex has appreciable reach as well. Diner's Club and others, however, won't help.
It's good to exchange a small amount like 100 USD to help with petty payments like parking tickets or small tips or quick bites from convenience stores.
Communication
I purchased a Vodacom sim on arrival at Johannesburg, and it worked well everywhere, even giving 5G in most of Joburg, Cape Town, and Franschhoek centre. Data and talktime prices were a tad expensive (I'm spoilt because it's dirt cheap in India), but it was easy to top things up online or at stores on-the-go.
Free WiFi was widely available at airports, tourist sights, restaurants, malls etc, and worked quite decentl
Getting around
Uber works well in Joburg and Cape Town, with many local recommending Uber X. Bolt, however, was universally NOT recommended because it wasn't very reliable. I didn't try public transport, but heard that the Gautrain in Joburg and the Myciti BRT in Cape Town were safe and good quality.
I also flew from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit and Hoedspruit to Cape Town with Airlink, which was a great little regional airline with good service, punctual arrivals/departures, and a very tourist-friendly schedule and network. The tickets were quite overpriced though, and Amex refused to work on their own website, but I did get to check-in on to business class seats on economy tickets so I guess it was good overall.
I didn't self-drive. However, I met several travellers who did it (including a German lady who was campervanning solo across the entirety of southern Africa), and they reported it being easy and safe. The only precautions were to make sure you were hiring from a reputable company, not driving too much at night (out of fear of being stranded more than anything else), and purchasing the insurance plan with the agent. I did use plenty of roads, and generally observed that most highways were in decent shape and allowed for 100+ kmph speeds. Petrol stations were plentiful, and many came attached with convenience stores and mini-malls, usually with power backup. For parking, you'd usually have a local tout popping up helping you manouevre the car and watch over it for a small 5-10 ZAR tip (don't skimp on this, as petty thieves have been known to break into unattended cars to pilfer whatever they can, though I never ever saw this in action - practically every street in every town had a parking attendant on hand).
I did cycle around Franschhoek by myself and it was fantastic, much better than the kitschy Wine Tram experience. It was also very safe, and I even biked through town for dinner and some moonlight photos. The only bugbears were car traffic on the main roads, and a caution by the bike rental shop against leaving the night lamp on the bike unattended (had to unlatch it and keep it on me instead - but still, safer than biking in Amsterdam lol).
Getting there
Joburg is the biggest international airport with the better flight deals and has direct flights to all inhabited continents. It's a fairly modern and easy-to-use terminal, and I didn't observe any of the usual scams. Cape Town is the better looking airport, but has fewer connections, although it's still easy to get here with a simple transit at a major hub like London or Dubai. Durban also has a middle-sized airport with a handful of long haul links.
Most other airports are small - Hoedspruit was basically a collection of open-to-air pavillions - and have only domestic flights to the likes of JNB or CPT. Nelspruit, in southern Kruger has a few Airlink connections with Victoria Falls and the Mozambique coast, aimed at holidayers.
As an Indian, I was eligible for an evisa but the system never worked, taking my documents but never letting me pay the application fee. I instead applied manually at Delhi's VFS centre, and got my visa in 2 days (the VFS staff also told me that the evisa portal was hopeless and I shouldn't even have bothered). The evisa system finally budged while I was en-route to JNB, telling me that my application was rejected because I never submitted a bank statement (which I did) and completely ignored the fact that I never paid for my application (thanks to the inactive payment link). The rejection clearly didn't get slotted in anywhere because Immigrations was absolutely fine with my stamped-visa and didn't bother asking me anything other than why I was visiting and when I'd leave.
I flew in on Etihad via Abu Dhabi (decent airline but the airport needs a lot of work to compete with its neighbours) and back on Emirates via Dubai (excellent airline with very generous meals and a great IFE, as well as a huge and modern megahub airport experience albeit with overpriced food and shopping). Flight timings were fairly convenient both ways, with day-time arrivals and check-ins.
People
Some of the friendliest I've ever met! Everybody is happy to have a zany chat, and conversations can quickly become pal-ly and banter-ful if you're open enough. On the whole South Africans felt fairly extroverted and loosened up - very informal and sleeves-rolled-up. You'll have to excuse yourself out of a conversation, else you'll be left talking to them the whole day and not have any time left to sightsee.
Race
Speaking as an outsider who only observed things for 10 odd days, I felt that there's still a decent amount of racial segregation at play in SA.
While many lower-paying jobs are almost exclusively held by blacks and the colours thanks to the country's history of institutionalised racism, Blacks and Coloured peoples can now also be commonly seen in upscale areas as guests and visitors. However, the majority of patrons in these locations appeared to be white and Afrikaans speaking. I also only ever saw one mixed group - a white lady entertaining a black man and his daughter at a Cape Town waterfront restaurant where I was having dinner.
I did share a few drinks with Joburg-based white couples at my safari lodge, and on the whole, they didn't feel inherently racist. They in fact remembered the Mandela and Mbeki days with pride, and felt that most of the crime in South Africa was thanks to the corruption in the African National Congress (they were all praises for the opposition who holds sway in the Cape) and immigrants from neighbouring countries - they rather trusted Black South Africans for everyday affairs. At my Cape Town hotel, meanwhile, I met a few black businessmen and politicians at the pool and gym, and they told me similar things - that the ANC was corrupt, immigrants are to blame for crime etc, and didn't really have any strong opinions about whites. These experiences contrasted greatly with my conversation with a white Afrikaner pensioner in my Zanzibar hotel ten years ago, who was spewing hate against black crime after two whiskeys.
Since I'm Indian, I was often mistaken for a local - everybody (regardless of their race) would be taken aback when they heard my accent and learnt I was actually not South African (which has a large South Asian origin community) or even African (many South Asian origin peoples in eastern Africa and Mauritius especially). This spoke volumes to me - in the UK, where I studied and which now has an Indian-origin PM and a hugely visible South Asian diaspora, people would still ask me 'what country are you from?' on appearance alone. It really did emphasize how SA was more of a rainbow nation than just a slogan.
What did I like?
Practically everything, even Joburg. The safari experience was better than I expected, Cape Town was breathtaking, and Franschhoek became my favourite little town in the world. Also loved the food and the wine, and loved meeting and chatting with the locals. Of all the countries I've visited, SA is the one I'm surest about wanting to return to - and I'm not trying to be diplomatic - I honestly felt like I need more time here.
What didn't I like?
I disliked how such a great country with excellent basic infrastructure is being mismanaged. EVERYONE I spoke to was complaining about how corruption killed the country's power supply system and railways and is now threatening other aspects of life. None of these directly or visibly impacted my travels, but I would've liked being able to take a train instead of flights or not spend a premium to stay at places that had generators.
Anything I'd change?
While Joburg turned out to be a pleasant place, had I the option, I'd have skipped it to spend more time in Cape Town. I'd also spend a few more days in Franschhoek and around - the area turned out to be my favourite. Now that I've also had a lay of the land, I'm more confident about self-driving next time I visit. Also, I only realised how convenient it is to travel from SA to neighbouring countries, and would like to latch on visits to the Namibian desert, Botswana's game parks, the Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, and the beaches of Mozambique alongside a return to SA.
I realise I could have managed some things better on this trip, but bottom line is that I enjoyed it, and that this is not a 'who had the best trip' competition. I'm just sharing my positive experience of South Africa in the hope that it encourages others to properly and safely plan a trip to the place instead of avoiding it out of second-hand-scares.
Happy to take any follow ups in the comments :)

Title correction - I meant Workation not staycation I am a software developer with permanent WFH option. I want to take a week long workation in July or August.
Requirements:
1). High speed internet 2). Laundry 3). Beach or Backwater access 4). Swimming pool. 5). Access to good food and alcohol near by.
Please recommend a good hotel that fullfill these requirements. I am flexible with budget.

Here are some meetups that are on the radar, both physical and virtual:

• Last Week, May 27

online

• Sunday, June 4, 9:00a MDT: Thrive, casual discussion on zoom verify

Idaho

• Sunday, June 4, 10:30a MDT: Idaho Falls, casual meetup at Panera Bread at 2820 South 25th Street E. verify
  
• Sunday, June 4, 11:00a MDT: Pocatello, casual meetup, location dependant on weather
  

Oregon

• Sunday, June 4, 10:00a PDT: Portland, casual meetup at Coava Coffee Roasters at 1300 SE Grand Ave

Utah

• Sunday, June 4, 10:00a MDT: North Utah County, casual meetup at Harmons at 1750 W Traverse Pkwy in Lehi. Combining AF/Saratoga Springs/Lehi meetups at new location; check link for notes.
  
• Sunday, June 4, 10:00a MDT: Provo, casual meetup near the Starbucks inside of the Marriott Hotel at 101 West 100 North verify
  
• Sunday, June 4, 10:00a MDT: Utah Valley, casual meetup at Vineyard Grove Park 350 N 100 E. in Vineyard. Check link for notes.
  
• Sunday, June 4, 1:00p MDT: Salt Lake Valley, casual meetup at Bingham Junction Park at 1085 River Reserve Court in Midvale.
  
• Sunday, June 4, 1:00p MDT: St. George, casual meetup of Southern Utah Post-Mormon Support Group at Switchpoint Community Resource Center located at 948 N. 1300 W. verify
  
• Sunday, June 4, 2:30p MDT: Davis County, casual meetup at Harmons at 200 Station Pkwy in Farmington. Meet in the cafe upstairs. verify
  

Wyoming

• Saturday, June 3, 10:00a MDT: Rock Springs, casual meetup at Starbucks at 118 Westland Way verify

Upcoming week and Advance Notice:

• Sunday, June 11, 11:00a MDT: "The Good Book Club," virtual meetup for Ex/Post/Nuanced mormons to read and discuss other good books. For details contact HoldOnLucy1. Upcoming book: "Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone" by Brene Brown.
  
• Sunday, June 11, noon PDT: Sacramento, casual meetup at Urban Roots at 1322 V Street.
  
• Idaho Falls ...first Sunday
  
• Las Vegas
  
• Salt Lake Valley Religious Transition Group, next meeting: June 11
  
• Salt Lake Valley postmos
  
• Seattle
  

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Beginnings of a FAQ about meetups:

• rules for publicizing a meetup on reddit platform
• what happens at these meetups?
• solidified50 gave some general advice for starting a meetup and keeping it going.

I've searched the sub a lot, but still feel like I could use specific help.
In two weeks, we'll be staying at a villa at Ko Yao Noi for a few days. We'll then have almost three full days before flying back out of Phuket airport.
I'm looking for a place to stay that has more activities for teens, especially since it's rainy season and we'll have just stayed in a private residence where there's less social stuff on hand. It'd be nice to have a pool good for swimming and some activities, like tennis, biking, fitness center, archery, movie nights--but not "entertainment" or "night life". We're usually turned off by the mega resorts and prefer something quietesmaller. I don't need opulence, but would prefer a full-service property. It would be great if we didn't feel stuck on the resort, and I'd love to be near one of the quieter beaches, like Surin, Nai Yang, or Mai Khao (though that's less important).
Budget is not too important.
I've considered The Slate (but doesn't seem to have that much for older kids), Anantara Layan (active zone looks very cool), Centara Grand (seems too big).
I've thought about taking the boat to Krabi after Yao Noi just to explore a different part of Thailand. (We've been to Kho Lak before, though not Phuket proper.) But that seems maybe needlessly complicated, and perhaps Krabi is really just best for exploring the islands, which will have just been on.
Finally, one of the kids has celiac disease, so if you know of any hotel (or even restaurant) that is good with GF stuff, that would be amazing.
TL;DR: I'm afraid we'll be tired of entertaining our young teens and are looking for a relaxing, quiet place to stay where there will be enough on hand for them to have some fun on their own, while we explore the area.

On the 4th of February 1990, a body was discovered in Deptford Township. It was found in what was then a wooded area, between the Pathmark Supermarket (Now the Edge Fitness Clubs Gym) and The Club at Locust Grove Housing Department on Clement's Bridge Road in Deptford Township, New Jersey. Apparently the location was littered with car parts.
Her remains were skeletal and incomplete. According to NAMUS, she was missing "one or more limbs" and "one or more hands." There were sweatpants tied around her neck, and her cause of death is believed to be ligature strangulation.
She is believed to have been between 16 - 20 years old and to have been dead for 1 to 2 years before her discovery, placing her time of death around 1988-1989.
It was determined that she was between 5'5 - 5'8 (165cm - 172cm) and 120 - 145lbs (54.4 - 65.7kg). She was white, with medium to dark brown hair, misaligned teeth (several of which had silver fillings), a crooked philtrum (the groove between the base of the nose and the upper lip) and a nasal septum deviation to the right. According to a newspaper from the time, she also had an overbite.
Several pieces of jewelry were found with the body, and multiple items of clothing were found inside the sweatpants around her neck. The jewelry includes a 14k gold horseshoe earring with a spiral pattern, a yellow/gold ball earring and a 16'' faux pearl bead necklace. The clothing inside the medium sized, Tultex branded sweatpants were a pair of Nylon pantyhose, a mid-length sock and a knee-length nylon stocking.
No fingerprints were found, however DNA, dental charts and dental X-rays are available according to the New Jersey State Police. The full DNA profile was uploaded to the Federal Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in 2008.
The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children reached out to investigators in 2020 asking if they could review the case, and investigators are also working with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification in an effort to use genealogy to identify the victim.
The current theory from law enforcement is that she was a runaway from a different area, as "she would have been identified by now if she was from the area." The fact she was found in an area near the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 55 seems to support this theory.
According to unidentified-awareness 10 women have been ruled out as possible matches. They don't list them on the site, however I was able to find 4.
Carol Donn, disappeared from West Palm Beach, Florida in 1980.
Tracy Kroh, disappeared from Millersburg, Pennsylvania on August 5th 1989
Alicia Markovich, disappeared from Blairsville, Pennsylvania on April 26th 1987
Tiffany Sessions, disappeared from Gainesville, Florida on February 9th, 1989.
She has remained unidentified for 33 years.
With genealogy underway, I have hope that she will be identified in the coming years. Hopefully we have a breakthrough soon. This is one of my first ever posts so I'd love some feedback as I'm keen to make some more and would be happy to see where I can improve. :)
If you have any information regarding the case, contact:
The Deptford Township Police Department (Ph: 856-686-2227), and The Gloucester County Prosecutors Office (Ph: 856-3845680; Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]))
I used these sources:
https://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/2022/02/32-years-after-woman-found-strangled-detectives-hope-new-effort-will-help-identify-her.html
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/121ufnj.html
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/1489
https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Gloucester_County_Jane_Doe_(February_1990))
https://www.gloucestercountynj.gov/745/Jane-Doe-2

Hey all!
Heading to your fine city in August and have a few questions
1) From what I understand the beaches aren’t really swimmable. Realistically, how far south would I have to drive to go somewhere to swim? I read possibly Santa Cruz? Looked like it was only a little more than an hour. I would also specifically like to swin in the pacific.
2)I know it’s cliche but, I can read what’s the best bars or clubs but, what do you all think? I’m trying to be a lil boujee on this trip and want to hit some nice places.
3)Same as number 2 kinda, just about Hotels. I’m leaning towards the Fairmont or Driscoll. Are these worth it? Something nicer? Trying to live the high life out there.
Appreciate any and all help!

I suppose I’m glad Amy took her laptop to the campsite. Well, not glad obviously. It’s hard to be glad of anything when I know my life can now be measured in minutes, but thanks to her need to be connected to everything all the time I can tell our story in the time I have left.
I’m currently lying on my back in a hotel room which I am struggling to accept will be my tomb. The bed is comfortable, the lights are bright, the TV on the wall is huge. It all seems so friendly and welcoming. My heart is fluttering like I’ve been running, but it’s just fear. Adrenaline. It’s like my heart’s trying to act as alive as it possibly can, to squeeze a lifetime of beating into these last frenzied moments. It’s finding this as difficult to accept as I am, the fact that I will die here before the dawn slips over the horizon, when there’s really no reason why we couldn’t have carried on for another sixty or seventy years.
But there is a reason. And it’s a reason I need to tell you about, whilst I try not to listen to the desperate thumping in my chest, each rhythmic beat counting down to a grand finale I’ve come to almost accept is now inevitable. Almost. The occasional stab of hysterical fear still grips me, but there’s nothing I can do. Not against them.
They call them the Quiet Ones, or at least that’s what the old man told me. It’s the name the old folks gave to the shapes in the dark, the things that crouch in the shadow just beyond the edge of sight. They are the ones that creep unseen through the underbrush at night and dance beneath the moon away from the eyes of humans.
And so they would have remained, living alongside us in their dark, hidden world, if we had not broken the ancient laws –
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
It was a sunny morning as we drove up. I can hardly believe this was only two days ago; my friends were still alive then. I mustn’t think about how many times we could have turned back, how many words I could have used to change the plan.
I knew there was something wrong with that place. Of course there were no signs, no warnings of any physical kind to prevent us driving off the road three miles before the campsite and crashing off through the undergrowth. I almost feel that we were being drawn there, and perhaps we were. In fact, I’m sure we were.
The car was being scraped and brushed mercilessly by the overhanging trees, and more than once I asked Amy if she was sure this was even a trail let alone a road. She insisted she’d seen a sign of some kind along the road, though she couldn’t describe it. It was like a mixture of confusion and pride alone was keeping her foot pressed on the accelerator. We bumped and jolted along, the two boys grinning widely in the back, until at last the mud-track opened up into a clearing.
The grassy area was maybe fifty feet across, surrounded on all sides by thick forest. Old trees stretched up around us, their old and gnarled branches reaching like twisted fingers into the darkening sky. As I got out of the car, I realised how deathly quiet it was. I could hear nothing of the road we’d left behind, though it couldn’t be more than a mile or two behind us, and no birds fluttered above. It was like the world was holding its breath, or perhaps that the world itself was just…different…here.
I wanted to leave more or less the moment I stepped out of that car and looked up at those horrible trees. I’d looked up the campsite we were actually aiming for and it had showers, a club house, a coffee and bacon sandwich van in the mornings. This was a clearing in a forest, and I did not want to be there.
The boys, of course, loved it. We’d barely stopped before they started pulling the bags out and setting up the camp, almost falling over themselves to be the first to get their tent up. Amy and I watched them with that resigned, world-weary expression female friends of overgrown man-children tend to adopt when they get together and act – well, like overgrown man-children. I remember watching them yelling and shoving one another, enjoying themselves, and not quite being able to shake that horrible sense of foreboding. But nothing I said was taken seriously, and eventually I gave up, resigned to the fact that we were spending the weekend in that dark, quiet place literally in the middle of nowhere.
That night was when it started. We had a fire going, and Tom had his feet too close to it. He didn’t think anything of it, the night was cold and we were all trying to get as close to the flames as possible. But when he stood up to get a beer, he realised his left hiking boot had almost fallen apart. The heat had melted whatever rubbery glue held it together, and the sole was no longer attached. After a lot of laughter, swearing and general hilarity he threw the ruined boot off into the darkness. We didn’t know it at the time, but that was what had sealed our fate.
The next morning Tom was gone. We weren’t worried at first, thinking he’d just gotten up early and wandered off, but then Simon noticed the boot. Melted and ruined. The one Tom had thrown into the darkness. It was sitting, innocently enough, in the tent on his sleeping bag. But there was no sign of Tom.
We all assumed as the morning wore on that Tom had walked into town to buy a new pair of boots. But when he didn’t return by mid-afternoon, what had been a tense atmosphere soon became one of fear. Of course, there was no cell phone reception in that cursed clearing, so we were left with no choice but to search the woods and shout for him. We found nothing. No tracks, no Tom. As the light faded we tried searching with flashlights, but when Amy wandered away and fell into thick stinking mud, losing her flashlight in the process, we abandoned the search. Amy was near hysterical by this point, and I wasn’t far off myself. It was only because I had Simon with me that I was able to cope, and together we took Amy back and got her into our tent. The next morning, we decided, we’d leave in the car and ask around the town, nearly three miles away. Surely that was the only place Tom could have gone.
When I woke the next day Amy was gone. Just gone. On her sleeping bag, as if it had every right to be there, was her flashlight. The one she’d lost in the forest. It was caked in mud, as though it had been pulled from the quagmire by someone and returned to her. I was terrified by this point, but Simon insisted that she must have resumed the search for Tom as soon as the sun rose, and had no doubt walked into town after finding nothing in the woods. She’d known that was our plan anyway, so it made some (though not perfect) sense. We were desperate at this point, on the verge of panic, so I suppose it’s understandable that we weren’t thinking straight. We took Amy’s keys and left for the town; Simon’s face was stony and grim the whole way there. We barely said a word.
No one in town would speak to us about our friends. The villagers simply stared at us, made suggestions about other campsites, acted like they knew nothing. But in their eyes I could see something more. An understanding. A fear. Like they knew perfectly well what was happening but wouldn’t say. Simon said I was being paranoid, and had to drag me out of the police station by force when I lost my self-control and started screaming at the officer behind the desk. He’d barely even blinked, just given me a bland assurance that they’d look into it, without even a hint that he meant it.
The sun was setting by the time we walked with resignation into the little shop by the edge of the village. An old man, careworn and ragged, was about to close up when we arrived. As we silently grabbed sandwiches neither of us wanted, he asked if we were the ones he’d heard were asking about their missing friends. By then I’d given up hope, so those words were like a fire inside me and I almost threw myself over the counter. He smiled sadly, told us there was no chance of finding our friends. He explained to me what I now know; what I didn’t believe at the time.
The Quiet Ones have always stalked us, flitting between the shadows and murky unseen depths just beyond our world. Sometimes, in ancient forgotten places, their world and ours overlap. Out in the dark, untouched wilds, the forests and the mountains, some places remain where the barrier between them and us wears perilously thin. If we keep to our side, they must keep to theirs. But for the unwary fool who strays one dark night too far, beyond the wispy veil of our territory and into the Quiet, only horror awaits. Because the age-old pacts, struck millennia ago by our terrified ancestors, still hold even now. Those who violate their world belong to them; just as it has always been. Tom’s shoe, Amy’s torch. Both carelessly thrown into the darkness, both returned in place of their owners. A terrible balance restored; a terrible bargain fulfilled.
Simon flew into a rage before the old man finished speaking, shouting and threatening like a lunatic. He knocked a stack of papers off the counter as he lunged for the old man, but just then the police officer from the station arrived and curtly demanded that we leave.
I expected Simon to drive us away, to leave the hideous place far behind. But he was incensed, in an impotent fury that stole his reason. I pleaded with him to drive on, but he was just as angry with me for believing the old man’s lies. To prove a point he drove us back to the clearing, and leaping from the car ran into the woods, screaming and daring whatever demons lurked there to show themselves. I was too terrified not to follow, tears streaming down my face, my cries rebounding from the half-seen boughs of ancient trees. Simon was far ahead of me, his hysterical screams echoing into the woods, before they rose in a final horrified shriek and were abruptly cut off. I turned to run and fell in a blind panic. I flailed and thrashed, imagining spiny hands clutching at me, dragging me towards a gloomy otherworld from which I’d never escape. But I got up, and I ran. Somehow I made it back to the clearing, slammed the car into gear and drove away, still crying, heading back to civilisation without looking back.
Shortly after that I arrived here. A cheap hotel by the roadside. Warm and inviting. Thinking I was safe. But then I realised my watch was missing. My left arm was caked in mud, with scratches from where I’d fallen amongst the brambles and roots. I must have left it there. Or somewhere between there and here. The same place the boot had been thrown. The same place the flashlight had been lost. The place where Simon had crossed over and…not returned.
So they’ll be coming for me. I don’t have long. Just enough to warn you.
Remember me, and beware the Quiet Ones.