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duchesschameleon · 3 years

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what if - chapter 4

summary: a long lost letter leads to an adventure in Italy for three people who find love and healing along the way. a letters to juliet au

pairing: Aaron Hotchner x GN!Reader words: 1841 a/n: alright, getting into some of the meat of the story! this one is longer and the original chapter 4 was so long I broke it up so now there is a planned nine chapters for this fic. chapter 5 is written and will be queued up for sunday’s post, but as my parents are visiting, chapter 6 might be delayed. I’ll try my best not to but no promises. a huge thank you to @qvid-pro-qvo for the beta!

what if masterlist

The next day, there’s less tension between you and Aaron. He’s more amenable to talking to you and even smiles at you in the rearview mirror of the car. There’s a smile on your face as you write in your notebook, keeping track of the Carolyn’s you visit and adding to your story. The radio’s on and once Dave had found a station he liked, he forbade Aaron from changing it. Not that he’s listening to the music. He talks over the music, filling the car with stories from his summer spent with Carolyn, the afternoons they spent together in the fields and the nights spent walking through the trees in the moonlight.

You smile wistfully as you listen to the adventures - and troubles - Dave and Carolyn had gotten into. Aaron even quirks his lips in a ghost of a smile. It’s a small thing, something you would have missed a few days ago but now find yourself noticing it. Even catching his eyes a few times in the rearview mirror.

So far, the Carolyn’s are proving to be a bust, no one Dave recognizes. The map you’d marked up with all their locations is spread out on the hood of the car and you and Aaron are leaning over it, trying to agree on where to go next.

“That one’s isolated! If we go there, we’re done for the day,” you argue.

“Exactly. One more for the day and then back to the hotel,” Aaron says, crossing his arms over his chest. You shake your head at him, trying to avoid looking at his forearms. The bands of muscles spanning his forearms are flexed and on display in his polo shirt, they keep catching your eye and you just turn back to the map.

“It’s early afternoon. We cannot just visit one more Carolyn, even with driving time that’s leaving too much on the table.”

“We’ll get those two tomorrow morning, they head out towards some of the others,” Aaron points out. You scrunch your eyebrows, bending closer to the map.

Shit, he’s right. You sigh and stand up. “Fine, we’ll do one more today.” Aaron just quirks his lips into one of his smiles, and you huff out a breath and fold up the map. Dave chuckles as he watches the two of you, Aaron smirking as he puts his sunglasses back on and you grumbling.

Choosing to visit only one more Carolyn Bartolini turns out to be a smart idea for many reasons. The one on the way back to Siena takes a bit to find. Since it turns out to not be a simple house, but a whole estate. There’s a winding drive to the large house that is surrounded by land, hosting gardens and crops.

“Look at that, Dave,” Aaron says, looking around as he drives down towards the house, “you may have gone from a girl who worked in the fields to a woman who owns them. And you got to skip all the messy bits in the middle.”

“Life is the messy bits,” Dave scoffs, hitting Aaron on the shoulder. Aaron clears his throat, looking a little sheepish and you smile softly, silently agreeing with Dave. The messy bits, the adventures, they made life interesting. You look out the window, heart squeezing with the missing presence of your partner.

You’re pulled out of your thoughts as the car turns off, shaking your head and taking a steadying breath. You and Aaron trail behind Dave, letting him do the talking. The person who answers the door beckons the three of you inside, leading you towards the garden and Carolyn. The garden is lush and gorgeous, filled with flowers and perfectly trimmed hedges. You walk along the hedges, letting Dave and Carolyn talk. You can overhear their conversation, talking about that summer Dave spent in Italy and Carolyn answering his questions, but you can tell that this isn’t the right Carolyn. Her answers aren’t right, not specific enough, and you can hear the disappointment seeping into Dave’s voice. But Carolyn keeps talking and responding, obviously trying to impress Dave.

You make your way back towards where Aaron is standing and cross your arms over your chest. Dave’s words from the car are still rattling around in your head and pulling your thoughts towards your partner, the messy bits of life you’d shared and the adventures you’d promised to share. You turn your attention to where Carolyn is fawning over a melancholy looking Dave, trying to impress him. It's not an unfamiliar scene at this point, Dave can apparently charm any woman, even if she’s not the one he’s looking for.

“I wish I was your Carolyn, I would have enjoyed a life with you,” she’s telling Dave as they walk over to you and Aaron, “but I also would not have let you go in the first place.” Dave smiles at her and you all say goodbye.

As you walk back to the car, step in step with Dave, you smile and ask, “What is it with you and Italian women? They just fall at your feet.” Dave chuckles and you catch Aaron’s quirk of a smile, happy you managed to make both men happy for a moment.

By the time you get back to the hotel, all three of you are exhausted. Aaron walks with Dave to his room, wanting to make sure he’s alright and bring him anything he might need. You head back to your room alone, already planning on spending the evening writing. There’s a good amount in your notebook and you want to start getting it into a document. You might even reach back out to your old boss, talk about coming back to work in a different capacity once you return to New York and feel ready.

You settle at the desk in your room, laptop out and booting up, and feel yourself get pulled into the rhythm of writing an article. The notes and thoughts in your notebook aren’t terrible, but polishing them into a more cohesive story fills your evening and you look up at one point for a break and realize it’s nearly dinner time. There’s a simple room service menu you order from before sitting back down in front of your laptop to continue working. The knock on the door announcing the arrival of your food pulls you from your trance. As the hotel employee wheels the cart out of your room, you hear a knock on the doorframe.

Aaron’s voice is calling your name and when you peak your head around the wall to the door, you see him holding the door open. “Oh, come in,” you tell him, standing up from the desk chair.

“Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to get dinner, but you seem to already have that figured out,” Aaron points out.

“Yeah, I’ve been working on the story and didn’t want to stop so-”

“Can I read it?”

You blink at him. “Uh. No, not yet. It’s not ready.”

Aaron takes a step towards you. “Come on, just a little bit. I want to make sure you’re telling the story right. That I’m being portrayed accurately.”

“Trust me, you’re being portrayed accurately. No worries there.”

Aaron huffs out a breath and shoves his hands into his pockets, raising his eyebrows at you. “Oh really?”

“Yes, really,” you laugh. You push off from the desk and grab Aaron by the shoulders, turning him towards the door. “Now leave me be so I can work in peace.”

He says your name, almost in a whine and you roll your eyes, opening the door. “Out. Goodnight Aaron.”

“Just one paragraph, please,” he protests as you shove him out of your room.

“Goodnight Aaron,” you say with a tone of finality.

“Goodnight,” he says, the door swinging shut in his face. You settle back in at the desk, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

The next morning, you search the patio for Aaron and Dave. They tend to beat you to breakfast and you figure today is no different. But you can’t find them anywhere so you simply grab yourself some food and sit at a table, facing the entrance to the breakfast area. You keep an eye out for them as you fix yourself a cup of coffee and pick at the pastry you’d gotten, pouring over your notebook.

“Ah, good morning.” You look up to see Aaron standing by the table. You smile, tapping your pen against your cheek.

“Morning,” you say as he sits down. There’s a comfortable silence as Aaron pours himself coffee and you concentrate on your notebook. It's still just the two of you at the table after a few minutes. “Where’s Dave?” you ask, eyes still scanning the pages of your notebook.

“He said he wanted to sleep in today.”

Your head snaps up and you look at Aaron. “Is he okay?” You can hear the slight panic in your voice, mind already racing with where the closest pharmacy is and what could possibly be wrong.

Aaron says your name, eyes locking on yours and cutting through your worry. “He’s fine, just tired,” he assures you. You let out a breath, nodding. “So he’s going to lie in for the morning. I was thinking about, uh, going into Siena and seeing the sights. Since we’re here you know.” He shrugs, glancing over to you.

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.” You turn back to your notebook, plans for working on your story filling your thoughts. Aaron lets out a soft scoff and you look up at him, confused. “What, it is a good idea! You should go explore. I’ll stay here and work on my story.”

Aaron looks out towards the city, his thumb running over his other fingers, nerves coursing through him. “Right, work on your story,” he mutters. “Of course.”

You look up at him, taking in his pose, how tense he looks. Quickly, you glance at your notebook and think it over in your head. You’d gotten a lot of work done the night before, the story was coming together quite nicely. Taking time away from it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. And the way Aaron’s holding himself, the way he was talking, it’s almost as if he wants you to come with him. You shake that thought, thinking of how callous and rude he’s been to you this entire trip, how dismissive he was of the entire plan to find Carolyn. But, you are here in Siena. Adventures in Italy, you hear your partner whisper, as if their voice had been carried by the breeze.

You sigh and place your pen in between the pages of your notebook, saving your place. “Since we’re here,” you say grabbing Aaron’s attention, “we might as well explore.” He flashes you one of his small smiles and you return it, before putting your notebook in your bag and standing up. “C’mon Aaron, show me the sights.”

taglist: @qvid-pro-qvo @averyhotchner @kelstark @hurricanejjareau @oreogutz @whentheautumnleavesfall

#aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #gender neutral reader #criminal minds #aaron hotchner fanfiction #criminal minds fanfiction #letters to juliet #letters to juliet au #my writing #fic stuff #what if tag #charlie rambles

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theotter99 · 5 years

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Uncovering Fables

Prologue: Part 5

When Alzena woke up in the morning, she found her breath was heavy as she grasped hold of her chest. Still trying to figure out the difference between fantasy and reality, she quickly looked around her room. There wasn’t much to the apartment that Dylan and her lived in and the same went with their room. It was fairly small and it didn’t have much walking space with the bed in it.

Alzena didn’t remember much of her dream. It was a nightmare, she knew that much. But she couldn’t remember anything else. It was strange since she never dreamed, let alone have a nightmare.

Still glancing around the room, Alzena stared at the clock and froze when she noticed that it was almost noon. Did Alzena have class? Wait, no. She graduated a few months ago. She didn’t have to worry about that…

Instead, she had to worry about getting a job.

Alzena looked next to her and wasn’t surprised that Dylan wasn’t in bed. He didn’t head to bed at all last night since he was busy editing a manuscript for a client. He’s been so busy over the past few days and Alzena couldn’t help but think that she should make lunch for him.

Dylan was drinking another cup of coffee. How much did that make it since last night? Dylan had lost count. That didn’t matter though. He was editing the last page of this stupidly long manuscript. He was sick of his red pen and if he had to see red ink for another hour, he would be sick.

He was on the last paragraph now. Yes. Almost there. That’s not how you spell canvas. A comma isn’t supposed to be there. Move that sentence in front of this one. He was on the last sentence now. Capitalize this name. Put in quotation marks. He was at the last word.

And then he was done.

Dylan cheered and slammed the whole printed manuscript onto the table. He then couldn’t help himself as he jumped onto his chair. He took out his phone and started playing, “We are the Champions.” as he sung along to it. Needless to say, Dylan felt accomplished. Halfway through the song, Alzena walked into the room and Dylan walked over to her. Dylan took Alzena’s hand and spun her around before he hugged her from behind. Dylan continued to sing as he swayed back and forth on his feet. Alzena’s face turned red as she blushed.

The two didn’t change much over the few years of college. Dylan now wore nicer clothing and had cut his hair but that was the major differences to him. Alzena on the other hand, was a little paler and had shadows under her eyes. Her hair was usually messy and she often wore the same dark beanie.

When the song came to an end, Alzena smiled softly at Dylan. “I made pasta for lunch.”

Dylan smiled widely at this. “Thank you so much, dear. I was getting hungry.”

“...Were you working all night without eating…”

Dylan, panicking a little but still trying to stay smooth, gently laid his finger on Alzena’s lip. “Shesh. It’s time to eat.”

“That only makes me worry more.”

“It’s time to eat!” Dylan picked up Alzena, who squeaks loudly, and jogged into the kitchen.

All throughout lunch, Dylan was talking about his struggles during work. He talked about how the author didn’t know how to spell and how a random plot line was also dropped in the middle of the story. Overall though, Dylan liked the story, he just got frustrated during parts of it and being sleep deprived didn’t help with his struggles.

As Dylan talked, Alzena listened as she ate. She smiled a lot as she listened to Dylan talk about something he loved to do, even if he complained about it a lot.

Towards the end of the conversation though, Alzena frowned as she slowly looked out the window. They were on the second floor of a building, so Alzena was able to watch the cars drive through the city that they lived in.

Dylan noticed Alzena drifting off and he tilted his head. “Hey, you alright?”

Alzena looked over at Dylan and nodded a little. “Yeah… Just thinking.”

“About?”

“It’s nothing. And besides, your talking about your edits.”

“Dude, I’ve been talking for the past 30 minutes about my work struggles. It’s your turn to talk so what’s on your mind?”

Alzena placed her hands on the table and stared down at her palms, trying to think. “It’s just… I’m still unemployed and you’re doing most of the work while I’m trying to find a job. I’m sorry…”

Dylan slowly took Alzena’s hand. “Hey. There’s no reason to be sorry. Work can be hard to find. I’m sure you’ll get something.” He gives an encouraging smile.

Alzena slowly breathed out and looked over at Dylan. “Do you remember all those years ago… When I used to write a lot. You remember that I said I would eventually come back to it. Remember when I told my fans that I would come back better than ever?’

“Um… Yes, I do remember that.”

“Well, all those fans probably moved on by now but, I haven’t. That post that I made still lingers in the back of my head everyday. And, um, maybe it’s time to get back to writing?”

Dylan’s eyes sparkled a bit at this. “Azzy! That would be so cool… But… Are you ready to do this?”

Alzena nodded. “I have no idea what I want to write about but I know that I want to get back into it. I remember writing being such an amazing thing. I kind of regret falling out of it.”

Dylan smiled and hugged Alzena. “Well, whatever you come up with, I know it’s going to be the best.”

Alzena flustered at this and quickly returned the hug. “Th-Thank you, Dylan… Just thank you so much for your support.”

“It’s nothing.” Dylan brushed Alzena’s hair a little. “So, do you have a plan.”

“Not really…” Alzena thinks for a moment before she remembered something. “But, I do know that Drew owns a bar now in Tennessee. He’s always texting me about weird stories that the patrons have told him. Maybe I could visit him and see for myself. That way I can get all the inspiration I need. Gosh, I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Oh, that would be cool. When do you plan to go?”

“Now.”

“Wait, what?”

“Well, you need to rest since you’ve been up for a while. So, I’ll be out of the house so you can rest. Right? You’re going to sleep.”

Dylan sighed and slowly nodded. “Yeah, I’ll rest.”

“Good. It’s time for the busy beaver to become the lazy cat.”

“Azzy?... What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing.” Alzena hugged Dylan more.

“Good luck on your adventure. I’ll call you later to see how things are going.”

Alzena was driving through the beautiful mountains of the southern part of the country. The sun was setting behind the outer parts of the forest making the mountains glow. The trees that grew just along the road was covered in leaves and vines making it was impossible to see the bark of the trees. The other side of the road dropped off into a steep, rocky cliff that fell straight down into the bottom of the mountain below.

Every time Alzena turned, it almost felt like she would fall off the mountain and tumble to her death. It wasn’t a really nice car ride.

Alzena tried to distract herself as she thought through her plan. After a minute or two, her mind lingered to an event that happened to her when she was a kid. She could have chosen any genre to write about. Fantasy, sci-fi, comedy. So why out of all of them did she chose thrillers?

Well, the answer seemed dumb to Alzena now but when she was a kid the answer was a big deal. One day, she was at a playground in a park. She didn’t have many friends at the time, so she was swinging on the swing set by herself. And that’s when she saw it.

It was most likely some kind of an animal, but all the ten year old Alzena saw was a dark blob with white eyes- eyes that seemed to be staring straight at Alzena. It was deep in the woods, covered by the shadows of the trees but Azlena wanted a closer look at it.

Alzena jumped off her swing and stared back at the animal. The animal took a few steps deeper into the forest and Alzena started to walk towards the woods, curious. The animal didn’t move and soon, Alzena was only a few yards away from the woods. Yet, Alzena was unable to figure out what the animal that was staring right at her was.

And then her father called her, saying it was time to go home. Alzena turned to her dad and stayed that she’s coming before she glanced back at the woods. The animal was gone.

From then on, Alzena was always curious in the weird and creepy. She talked about it with many other people and they’ve had similar experiences. From feeling like they’re being watched to walking into a spiderweb in the middle of an open field.

There was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation to all of that, but these conversations only made Azena more curious. It only made her wonder what things other people have encountered and did they really see ghosts or not?

Well, what was the harm in asking?

First

Pervious

#uncoveringfables #uncovering fables #uncovering fables remake #AlzenaPass #dylanflores #writing #My writing #writers of tumblr #prologue #part 5 #prologue part 5

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rememberthattime · 4 years

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Chapter 54. Scotland

“Sing me a song of a lass that is gone

Say, could that lass be Chelsay?

Merry of soul she sailed on a day

Over the sea to Skye”

Those lyrics are from an 1870s song about Scotland’s Prince Charlie fleeing from the British after his failed Jacobite rebellion. ...They’re also from the Outlander theme song, but just ignore that.

I’m using them because the lyrics are a perfect introduction to Chelsay and I’s Scotland escape following lockdown.

I wrote about the lockdown in the last post, but the past five months have been… uncomfortable. Chelsay and I made it through relatively easily, but months of stay-at-home orders, minimal social activity, and the daily onslaught of terrible news take their toll.

Chelsay and I also hadn’t taken a single day off since we started in London six months ago. Without the chance to travel, we didn’t want to waste our vacation days sitting at home. All of this culminated in a pent-up desire for adventure. To get away from the house, the city, and the news.

Flights and international travel aren’t quite safe yet, but luckily we have Chelsay’s favorite travel destination in our own backyard: Scotland.

One of the only small benefits of lockdown has been the extra time to plan trips. I mentioned in the last post that I booked fully cancelable trips throughout the year, preparing for whenever lockdown measures eased. I knew the Puglia and Lakes District trips in April and May had little chance, but a road trip to Scotland in July MIGHT be possible. I scoured the news throughout lockdown, interpreting every story in the context of possible travel: “Did you see France is opening up in May - good sign. And the UK said they might open restaurants in June...”

Chelsay quickly got tired of my over-analysis, but finally, in June, the Scottish government announced they’d reopen for tourists on July 15. I’d booked the trip back in April, but nailed the start date: July 17. Nostra(vel)damus.

With a flood of confidence and excitement, I used our remaining lockdown time to smooth any potential hurdles throughout the trip. Downloading offline maps, saving every possible location we’d visit, researching the best trails and how to avoid crowds - even trawling Google Street View to find where to park (difficult given how rural Scotland is).

We left a bit later on Friday afternoon than planned, so our six hour Day 1 drive had us crossing the Scottish border around 11 pm. That said, Chelsay downloaded some excellent podcasts to pass the time: Dolly Parton’s America and Serial Season 3.

Day 2 is when the trip really began. And within 5 minutes of arriving at our first destination, Glencoe, the dream of our Scottish escape became reality.

We’d visited Glencoe on our 2016 road trip through Scotland, but I planned the 2020 visit slightly differently. Namely, I accommodated a dog. I found a quieter trail far from the road, but still providing dramatic views of the undulating valley.

Maybe it was freedom from the previous day’s drive, but Indy seemed entirely in his element. He was darting off path, investigating small waterfalls along the trail, and thoroughly enjoying every bit of his border collie homeland.

Chelsay and I were swept up in the setting too. This wasn’t stuffy London – it was nature… Raw nature… Raw nature happening all at once: wind, clouds, sun, and rain all within 10 minutes. These are the elements in Scotland, but it didn’t bother us at all. In fact, it was invigorating. After months of being cooped-up at home, we felt so much freedom just steps into our first walk.

I was also overwhelmed by another emotion: adventure. It’d been so long that I hardly recognized the feeling. You start the day in one place – at home, in your routine. Then, suddenly, you step out of the car, train, or plane, and you’re transported to a different planet. What happened to your routine? Work, cooking, doing the dishes… all gone. Your attention is completely captured by what’s in front of you: colourful Italian villas, wild Australian outback, open Indian Ocean. Glencoe may only be a few hundred miles from London, but this adventurous feeling took Chelsay & I worlds away.

Now, when I say Scotland took us worlds away, I could have been more precise: it took us specifically to the Wizarding world (of Harry Potter).

This was especially true when visiting Glenfinnan Viaduct. Here, the Jacobite steam train passes through a scenic valley along a viaduct twice a day… But the picturesque backdrop isn’t what makes this experience so popular. It’s the fact that the train & viaduct are portrayed as the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter. As steam billowed into the air and the locomotive let out a whistle, Chelsay jumped around and triumphantly pumped her fist. Indy had the opposite reaction, running away from the booming train as it chugged by.

After a quick stop at fairy-tale castle Eilean Donan, Chelsay and I wrapped up our long journey from London, finally arriving in Balmaqueen on the northern tip of Skye. This trip was really to celebrate Chelsay’s 30th birthday, so I splurged a bit on a holiday cottage. Immediately upon our arrival, Chelsay and I wished we could move here permanently.

First, the cottage was completely renovated – it’s rare for a place this remote to offer Nespresso, Netflix, and digitally-controlled shower, but the owners had thoughtfully accommodated every modern comfort. Second, and far more significant, the cottage maximized its stunning scenery. Two reclining chairs faced out through the cottage’s wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows. Some of my best memories from this trip are the quiet mornings Chelsay and I spent in these recliners, sipping coffee while staring out at peaceful pastures and the surrounding North Atlantic sea.

We spent the next three days exploring Skye’s wild landscapes. We’d visited Skye in our 2016 Scotland roadtrip, but despite being a relatively small island (two hours from end-to-end), the 2020 itinerary was almost entirely unique. Chelsay & I only repeated one experience from the previous trip: the Quiraing, our favorite hike in the entire world.

Minutes into the hike, we were reminded of the Quiraing’s desolate beauty. My description from the last Scotland trip is still spot-on:

“I’ve never seen solid land twist and turn in this way – the blending brown and olive hues, the fact that there were no trees, and the smooth bending earth made land look like waves.

For some reason, there’s something about this desolate sight that I love: just us, empty space, and open sky (Skye, pun?). There are no city sounds or buildings or buses or people, and there are no boundaries. Just boundless expanse.”

Despite repeating many of the same views, this experience was still unique for two reasons:

First, Indy introduced a new dangerous element. In London, we worry about him invading an unsuspecting picnic. At the Quiraing, a wrong turn could lead him off a cliff. He earned our trust by staying nearby for the first 15 minutes, and we figured border collies are smart enough to safely stay on-trail. We let him off-leash and immediately regretted it – he’s an idiot. He started bounding around the bouncy moss and, next thing we knew, he’d jumped off a 12 foot crag. OMG – is he dead!? I was taking a picture at the time so you can see how big of a vertical drop it was... Thank god he popped up like nothing happened! The only reason he didn’t break both legs was because he awkwardly landed on his face and chest. Needless to say, he was back on leash until the path became safer.

The other difference from our previous visit was the weather. In 2016, Chelsay & I had to have visited on the hottest day in Scottish history (consequently, we packed extra water this time). In 2020, the weather was back to its normal, turbulent self. The hike started with patches of blue sky – Chelsay and I actually took our jackets off during a quick lunch. It was perfectly pleasant, until Chelsay quietly mumbled “Uh oh” under her breath. I turned around to see billows of rain tumbling over a cliff face about half a mile away. An entire ocean of rain. It looked like the dead invading Hard Home in Game of Thrones.

You could tell it was moving fast so as you read, keep in mind, the following sequence of events happened in under 20 seconds. First, I yelled “Initiate protocol!” (as if Chelsay & I had trained for this) and we hastily packed everything, especially hiding our electronics. Chelsay crouched behind a hill to brace from the wind & rain, and god bless him, Indy INSTINCTIVELY darted underneath her! I’ll never forget his terrified little body sprinting over and literally diving into the hillside. He’d seen exactly what I’d seen (the Army of the Dead) and wanted no part of it. The dowsing ambush only lasted 10 minutes, and thanks to our waterproof gear, we survived... though I’ll never forget Indy’s panicked reaction.

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There was actually a second memorable weather-induced experience this trip. Although the storm had passed, heavy clouds remained and completely enveloped the peak. The fog line was very unusual though: there was a distinct line between dense fog and unspoilt views, which gave us two entirely unique feelings. At the top, the brooding clouds felt ethereal and mysterious. We couldn’t see more than 50 yards. Meanwhile, the descent ensured we wouldn’t be robbed of the spectacular setting, providing pristine views of the sweeping landscape.

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Similar to our 2016 trip to Skye, the Quiraing was the highlight of our time on the island. That isn’t a surprise: as I said earlier, it’s our favorite hike in the world. That said, our other adventures on Skye were similarly invigorating.

After the Quiraing, we made a brief some at Neist Point, where a lonely lighthouse sits at the edge of a craggily outcrop. Chelsay, Indy, and I looked on as the North Atlantic waves crashed below, seagulls squawking as they swooped toward the water. What makes Neist Point especially unique is its undulating shape: similar to my quote from the Quiraing, I didn’t know solid land could twist & turn this way.

The next day, we’d embark on our longest hike of the week: Camasunary Bay, a secluded cove only accessible by foot or boat. This hike doesn’t really have a peak, but rather a long journey through open farmland, leading to a secret beach at the base of the Black Cuillin Mountains.

Along the way, Indy met a fellow border collie named Clyde. I’ll first say that it was extremely rare to bump into people in Scotland (which I loved), but when we did, they often had border collies (which I also loved). Indy had only met one other border collie while in London… and its name is ironically Skye! He met at least 10 in just four days on the island.

Anyway, Indy and Clyde played around in an open heath overlooking the quiet bay. Indy again jumped off a ledge from way too high, this time falling into a bush… He really is an idiot, but again managed to avoid injury.

We completed the long walk without further issue, though Chelsay and I were exhausted by the end. After the Quiraing and Camasunary Bay on back-to-back days, we could hardly feel our legs. Our massive Amatriciana dinner that night revived us, and was hands down the best meal all trip.

We moved very slowly the next day – I’d say we didn’t want to overwork Indy’s juvenile joints, but really our >30-year-old knees couldn’t take anymore. We managed one shorter walk: Old Man of Storr. This is actually the most famous attraction on Skye, but Chelsay and I had previously avoided it due to its popularity. Thanks to Covid though, the crowds were scarce, and we pretty much had the trail to ourselves.

The next day, we departed Skye for Scotland’s far north, Assynt, which is somehow more topographically extreme than Skye. This terrain pushes most Assynt hikes out of Indy’s (our knees’) range, though there was one feasible option: Stac Pollaidh. “Stac Polly” is just a four-mile hike, but its 1,700 foot elevation provides both a healthy challenge and a view that ‘punches above its weight.’

This view is hidden throughout the ascent, but once you reach the top, the scenery is stunning. It’s like nowhere Chelsay and I have been – like a Scottish Monument Valley: lonely monoliths looming over a basin of stony cnocs and boggy lochs. The setting beneath us had the topographical diversity of an entire continent!

We were due to stay in Assynt for a few days, but decided to make a rare mid-trip audible for two reasons:

Our entire Assynt itinerary was hikes, and we were exhausted. It was time to rest.

Our AirBnb was haunted.

In our 50+ trips while abroad, we hardly ever make such drastic mid-trip changes, but we’ve gotten to the age where we want a little relaxation in our vacation… free from ghosts. Thanks to my Booking.com status (and the Covid-induced absence of travel demand), we found a shockingly affordable alternative: Thainstone House, a country mansion in Aberdeenshire.

Aberdeenshire is in Scotland northeast, just above Inverness. Its known for its pastural setting (and steak), but also its salty sea coastline. It’s a few hours away from Assynt, yet our couple stops en route proved our audible was the right call.

First, we stopped in the small fishing village of Lossiemouth. I don’t remember anything about the town… We were really just visiting for the four-mile long beach, accessible by crossing a short bridge over the surrounding canal.

Well, the bridge was closed, but the canal’s water levels seemed low enough. After getting drenched at the Quiraing, crossing this dry creek wouldn’t be an issue.

Wrong. The next hour was eventful, so I’ll break it down in bullet form:

First, the creek was slightly deeper in certain places, but Chelsay remained dry in her tall rainboots. My duck boots were too short, so our solution was that I’d jump on Chelsay’s back, and she’d carry me through this short stretch…

This plan lasted two small steps before she dropped me in the river. My feet were soaked, but no worry. We had all our clothes in the car, so I’d just change when we get back.

We arrived at the beach, an immaculate stretch of empty sand and surf. Apparently, no one else ‘braved’ the canal, because Chelsay, Indy, and I had the beach to ourselves. Well, except the dolphins and seals we saw along the shore! The entire setting was gorgeous: wind-swept grass, endless sandy expanse, and clear waters quietly crashing along the shore.

After thoroughly tuckering Indy out, we decided to head back to the car. One problem, the tide had changed, and the dry creek was now a FLOWING RIVER! WHAT!? We hadn’t even considered the tide when we ventured out… It was too shallow to even think about!

…The emptiness of the beach now made a lot more sense.

Already wet (from being dropped earlier), we decided the only way back was through. The below video is from the SAFER portion of our fording experience. Imagine the scene on the deeper side: Chelsay and I. Waist deep in the river. Fully submerged in shame.

This story may sound familiar… In fact, it’s happened to us before. In Scotland. It was Loch Coruisk, and Chelsay & I were forced to ford a river to catch a once-a-day ferry. What is it about us and Scottish rivers…

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Back on dry land, Chelsay and I continued our Aberdeenshire tour through three more small towns: Fordyce, a 13th century hamlet where we stopped at the town’s Old Kirk (church) for lunch; followed by Crovie and Pennan, two salty fishing villages with single-row housing along the seafront. …After the river ordeal earlier, we didn’t stick around to see what high tide was like.

We pulled into Thainstone House around 4 pm on Thursday, and the car didn’t move until Saturday around 10 am. That kind of dormancy is RARE for Chelsay & I. The only other vacation where we didn’t leave our accommodation for 36 straight hours was Fiji… where the entire island was our accommodation.

The grounds of Thainstone served as an ‘island’ of sorts for Chelsay & I. There was no reason to leave because the manor met every need: elegant dining, dog-friendly trails, cozy rooms, soothing lounges, and plenty of wine & scotch to occupy our leisure time. Chelsay thinks the staff even tailored to our Americanness: they kept playing Chris Stapleton whenever we were in a room alone.

We were sad to leave on Saturday. Not only had we appreciated the slower pace, but we also knew the next two days required driving 11 hours on our way back to London. That said, we had a few noteworthy stops.

First, a brief visit to Castle Fraser, where we stopped for coffee, scones, and walk. This short break was a reminder of the perks of living in Europe: even road trip stopovers included a fairy-tale castle.

We also stopped in St. Andrews, a small, charming college town north of Edinburgh. Over the next few hours, we walked the campus grounds (regarded as one of the best universities in the world and alma mater to Prince William, the future King); took in St. Andrews cathedral (built in the 12th century); and walked the St. Andrews golf grounds (known as ‘home of golf’ and site of the first round in the 15th century). Indy wasn’t impressed – he pooped on the Old Course.

And that was it. That was our trip. We just had one overnight stop in Peebles, Scotland before arriving back home in London…

Well, except… This stop turned out to be the highlight of our entire trip. I’ve genuinely rushed through the last 3,000 words to finally get to this part.

Chelsay & I had an entire castle to ourselves!

Backing up: I’d initially reserved different accommodation in Peebles, but the owner had accidently double booked. They were very apologetic, and offered an alternative: the ‘Queen Mary suite’ in Neidpath Castle.

I had no idea what she was talking about… I checked the website: a 13th century castle that has hosted Mary, Queen of Scots, her son King James, and poet William Wordsworth. …Yeah, I’ll take the castle!

Despite this anticipation, our stay still exceeded my expectations. When booking, I thought we’d only be staying in the ‘Queen Mary suite’: a bedroom with accompanying lounge. There were probably other guest rooms though, right?

Wrong. We pulled up, the owner gave us the keys to the entire castle, and wished us a great stay.

We immediately began running up and down spiral staircases, through corridors, past dungeons, into dining halls, and around the castle’s chapel. We were like little kids. The only other time our hotel had elicited this reaction was in the Maldives (and two days earlier at the country manor… and four days before that at the Skye cottage…).

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The castle is so large that we actually lost one another multiple times. One time, Chelsay & I were together but had no idea where Indy had gone… I whistled, but we didn’t hear anything. No movement. We started to worry that maybe he’d gotten hurt or stuck somewhere. We whistled again, but still nothing.

Suddenly, a *scraaaaaaaaatttcch* came from behind a door.

Chelsay yelped, assuming it was a ghost. Maybe the same one from that Airbnb in Assynt.

We carefully opened the door *creeeeeek*, only to find Indy staring up at us with his mouth wide open. He was having just as much fun exploring the castle.

It had to have been at least two hours before we finally settled down, cozying next to the fire with a bottle of wine. We reminisced on what a spectacular trip it had been, scrolling through the photos to remind ourselves of all the jaw-dropping landscapes we’d visited.

We couldn’t believe some of the scenery… We had just visited these places… We were in the pictures… Yet the settings didn’t seem real. Glencoe, Skye, that train Chelsay loved, Stac Polly, the river in Lossiemouth…

Scotland’s rugged beauty seems unbelievable in normal circumstances, but the past week felt like even more of a dream given the preceding months. After nearly half a year in lockdown, our Scottish escape was a reminder of how effortlessly adventure awaits while abroad.

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andrewmoocow · 6 years

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Fooly Falls chapter 5: Don’t Lose Your Way (originally posted on August 21, 2017)

“Ah, another fine day in this dirty riff-raff town.” Preston Northwest said to himself as he overlooked Gravity Falls from his office window. “Perhaps I should've started out somewhere nice like Colorado.” he added before he heard the door open. “Mr. Northwest, sir!” an employee exclaimed as he rushed in.

“We seem to have obtained security footage from our Medical Mechanica factory last night!” he explained, which caught Preston's eye. He turned around in his chair to face his employee, only to find himself spinning in it. “Oh not again, can someone stop this chair?” the billionaire groaned before his butler grabbed hold of the back. “Thank you Phineas.” he thanked getting up.

“Alright Lawrence, show me the footage.” Lawrence turned on a screen to show footage of a group of individuals standing atop the factory. “Last night, two children accompanied by a pair of senior citizens, a Medical Machine and a girl with a Vespa bike have trespassed on factory grounds during the D.I.I's Satellite Geo-Saki's collision course with this town. Much later on, the footage started giving out as three more people appeared before it cut to static.”

“Wait a minute, rewind and zoom in on the one with the guitar.” Preston ordered as Lawrence did just that, focusing on a boy that was all too familiar to the philanthropist. “Oh goody,” he grimaced. “you.”

Dipper, Mabel and Ford were sitting down in the living room watching an episode of Ducktective. “I don't get it, what's the appeal of this series?” Ford wondered as the show's title character and his partner the constable solved another case. “The creator was inspired by his childhood where he and his pet duck would solve mysteries together.” Mabel replied. “Yeah, and he also made this with the whole family in mind.” Dipper added. “Silly jokes & fun adventure for the kids and some witty humor for the parents.”

Just then, they heard Haruko yowling as Stan came crashing down from the ceiling. “Hey, what's going on here?!” Dipper shouted to Haruko before turning to his grunkle, who was wearing a red jacket for some reason. “Aw come on babe, play nice now.” Stan muttered woozily, still reeling from the fall.

“NOT IN A HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS WILL EVER GET ANYTHING FROM ME EXCEPT TONS OF BULLETS TO THE FACE YOU OLD COOT!” Haruko screamed as she fired at Stan with a rifle. “Hey, calm down there!” he exclaimed in reply.

“What's with the red jacket Grunkle Stan?” Dipper wondered. “Oh, I got it from another one of Soos' anime. I think it's called The Wolf, about a cool thief with a love for the ladies.” Stan explained as we then cut to Canti washing dishes. “This was the jacket he started out with and a favorite of the original author Simian Slam. What, do you prefer the green one from Palace of Shamballa?”

“Okay, I'm going up there to give her what's what.” Dipper sternly proclaimed before marching up the stairs and opening the door to their attic room only to lay his eyes upon Haruko wearing nothing but a pink bath towel and shaking Gompers the goat in her arms.

“What, are you saying I have personal feelings for that kid?” she asked the goat, who bleated in reply. “I don't think so! The reason this mission has been delayed because the channel to N.O isn't open!” As she continued speaking to Gompers, Dipper watched in shock as she waved her butt in his face. “It's not about liking or disliking! Damn, the connection's dead.”

When she tossed Gompers to the ground, she turned towards Dipper smiling. “Oh my, were you listening?” she asked him. “Can you please put on some clothes? Puberty is pretty crazy you know.” the boy replied shielding his eyes.

“How's this?!” the Vespa woman exclaimed now dressed like Elvis Presley, complete with large pompadour while a chalkboard appeared behind her. “I meant normal clothes. And where did you get that board?” he said. “HARUKO'S MASTER THE GUITAR IN ONE MILLISECOND CLASS, YEAH! SIGN UP NOW!” she hollered.

“I think this is the part where I lose my mind.” Dipper said turning to the readers before he got fired at by Haruko with her rifle. “Grab a guitar and you can be a pop idol!” Haruko shouted some more. “Chicks dig it dude, pyon!”

“Pyon?” her younger friend questioned. “Like Filter, or Slash!” she continued on as her pompadour and her head got bigger. “Like Red Hot Chilli Peppers or Rage against the Machine or Richard Gene!” she screamed as her head became as big as the attic could take it. “Wait a minute, Richard Gene isn't a-” Dipper began before getting shot at again.

“You have to learn to say it like a cool rock dude pyon! Guys like Jimi Hendrix all started out like this!” she explained loudly before spinning her bass like a helicopter blade and hovering in the air. “Haruko wait! What's going on?!” Dipper exclaimed before getting shoved into his bed with Haruko on top of him, now back in her bath towel.

“You know it's dangerous to wave that thing around like that.” he stated blushing. “Use your guitar again Takkun, just one more time.” she purred. “Speaking of which, that was fantastic last night.”

“Not interested right now, now can let me go already?” Dipper responded. “I should teach you how to be a man Takkun.” Haruko giggled. “Yeah, like you know how!” he snapped back before he was shoved into her face by his horn until they locked lips, and conveniently enough Mabel & Stan walked in on them.

“Aha, I knew it all along!” Mabel cheered as she started taking pictures. “Wendy owes me big time!” The old trickster on the other hand was completely stunned as his face went red, then blue and every other color of the rainbow.

“Oh Takkun, that's more like it!” Haruko said. “No, this isn't what it looks like! It was my horn!” Dipper tried to make something up. “First kiss, good one!” she replied. “Liar, our first “kiss” was technically the first time we met when you gave me CPR!” he snapped back before Stan let out a mighty roar. “I can't believe it Takkun, you've been havin' sexy times with a hot chick and didn't bother to tell me!” he exclaimed. “And what's worse, that's my partner you were smooching!”

“Like I said, it was my horn!” Dipper tried to defend himself before getting shot at by his great uncle. “That's it kid, you're grounded.” Stan finally said whipping out a pistol. “And by grounded, I mean I'm putting you six feet under! We shall have a duel to the finish, winner gets Haruko's love and a box of Mrs. Pell's Fishsticks.” he announced.

“I'm for it!” Haruko interjected raising her hand. “You know what, forget the duel! My weapon's yours Haruko!” he exclaimed leaping out of his clothes before getting slammed into the wall by a boxing glove that came out of nowhere.

Later that day outside the Mystery Shack, the duel between great-nephew and great-uncle was about to begin. On one side were the twins & Haruko while the other side was Stan, Canti and Soos. “What's the matter kid, too chicken as usual?” Stan, dressed as some sort of heavy weapons guy, boldly proclaimed. “C'mon, show yourself and fight me like a true man!”

As Dipper was hiding in the tall grass, Haruko snuck up on him and tangled around him like a snake much to his displeasure. “What are you doing Haruko!” he exclaimed. “Aw come on bro-bro, Team HaruDip has to get along so that we can win.” Mabel said. “I even made team sweaters for everyone!”

She was currently wearing a yellow sweater with the P symbol from Haruko's Vespa and a blue pine tree on it. “This is no time for sweaters Mabel, one of us might be killed by our own uncle out here!” he replied.

“Are you sure about this Mr. Pines?” Soos stuttered as he tugged on the dogtags and red T-shirt he was now wearing. “I mean, it's perfectly normal for a little boy to have the hots for an older girl. Like when Dipper had that crush on Wendy.” he explained. “Not right now Soos, it's the principle of the thing!” his boss replied. “Oh Takkun, save me!” Haruko moaned from afar as she continued smothering Dipper. “Now's your chance Soos, fire!”

“I'm so sorry dudes!” Soos winced before he fired at the opposing team. “You better not be eating those fishsticks Ford, they're for the winner!” Stan called to his brother sitting on the porch, who already ate one. “Uh, they're all here Stanley!” Ford replied trying to hide the fishstick he ate before taking notice of a small car near the shack which a woman rose out of. “Can I help you miss?”

“Target sighted commander! It's blue, I repeat blue!” she spoke into a cellphone as she picked up an anti-tank rifle and aimed it at Canti. “Are you sure it isn't red Kitsurubami?” a voice on the other end asked, which happened to be Commander Amarao at a hair salon. “So the blue is confirmed then? I already have the unofficial consent of both Medical Mechanica and this town's resident billionaire Preston Northwest so we'll take care of it here so they can't interfere.”

As he put down the phone, everything turned into something out of an adult cartoon from 1997. “I have work to do so let's make it quick!” he said. “Okay, but I wanted to look cool, you know what I mean, in a manly charming grown-up kind of way!” He picked up the phone again to contact Kitsurubami. “If we screw up here, Medical Mechanica will be all over us! Just forget Raharu, she'll just complicate everything! Just take care of yourself til I get there.”

“You know, more mature-looking, something a woman that I haven't seen in a long time would think 'This guy really is a hero but also nurturing and supportive', something like that. That's what I'm looking for.” he turned back to his hairdresser before taking notice of a boy in a chair next to him receiving some candy. “Oh, don't I get one of those candies? I prefer the super sweet ones, the sweetest ones if you know what I mean.”

Dipper was charging into battle with his twin pistols before firing at and pouncing on what seemed to be his grunkle before he learned it was one of many traps set by him. “Y'know for a smart kid, you're easy to fool!” Stan boasted from afar as the boy continued falling into his traps.

“They seem to be playing some kind of game. Looks really stupid, I'm sure I can handle this myself. ” Amarao's right-hand woman continued analyzing the scene as she peered through the scope of her firearm. “Hm, who's the girl he hasn't seen in so long?”

“What are you two doing just laying around, you should be helping me!” Dipper complained as he landed back into Mabel and Haruko's hiding spot. “My guitar isn't plugged in.” Haruko replied pulling out her Rickenbacker. “Don't ask bro-bro, even I don't know why she brought it along.” Mabel added.

“Are you crazy, this is a game of life and death!” he snapped back at the girls. “And squeegee, and bungee, and grungy! Oh, we're in trouble kid.” Haruko said. “Well, can you at least give me some backup Mabel?” Dipper asked his sister. “Anything for you Dipps!” Mabel cheerfully answered. “Good kid, now go out there and prove that you love me!” Haruko exclaimed kicking the twins out.

When they got up, Dipper charged at Canti with a bloodthirsty look on his face while Mabel jumped in the air with her bazooka. “Check it out Dipper, I can rocket jump!” she exclaimed before crashing down into the ground. “Oh no, Mabel down! Mabel down!” But her brother didn't seem to notice as he and the Medical Machine went all out against each other before Canti started getting fired at itself from an unknown assailant, which was Kitsurubami.

“Blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, cobalt blue!” she exclaimed with each shot from her anti-tank rifle. “It's seven of nine, he's a sign!” When she got his head in her sights, she fired again. “CYBORG!!!” she screamed taking one last shot. “Cyborg my butt!” Haruko shouted back batting the bullet away from her as Dipper continued fighting Canti.

“Actually, confusing cyborgs with robots is a common misconception.” Ford stated. “But there are a few cyborgs who are mostly machine, like this policewoman I've met who's only organic part was her brain and strangely looked a bit like Scarlet Johansson-” He was interrupted when the bullet flung back at Kitsurubami's car, blowing it up and tossing her into the fray.

“Take this squirt!” Stan cried charging towards his great-nephew before being knocked over by the government agent and sent tumbling around. “Soos, Canti, you're on your own for now!” Dipper however saw this as an opportunity to land the killing blow. “Alright, one more shot and I win!” he proclaimed as he prepared to pounce on the machine before being interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Hi Dipper!” It was Pacifica, who had come by for some reason. “Oh no Paz, get out of here!” Dipper exclaimed jumping in front of her as Canti fired one last bullet at his torso, knocking him out. “Oh no dude, you alright?” Soos cried rushing to the boy's side. “I'm fine Soos, I just don't know how I could survive that.”

“And by the way Canti, I get three time-outs!” he turned to Canti, who blankly stared at him in reply. “Don't give me that look!” Dipper exclaimed much to the heiress's confusion. “Are you okay there Dipper?” she asked. “Oh, it's just that my great uncle wants to kill me because he thought I got 'busy' with his new friend.” he answered. “So what are you doing here anyway?” he wondered.

“Oh yeah, my dad sent me out here to tell you that he's kinda ticked off about you trespassing on his Medical Mechanica factory.” Pacifica said. “Speaking of which, is this Medical Machine like, your servant or something?” she asked. “Yeah pretty much. Hey Canti, can you go to the grocery store?” The machine did as it was told as it soared off into the sky. “And remember to get the candy Mabel likes!” Dipper called.

“So what was that about your father?” he asked turning to Pacifica. “Like I said, he got pretty mad about you and your family stepping on his territory when that big satellite nearly killed us all last night.” she stated. “And I saved us!” Dipper responded fiercely.

“Wait, you did what?” his rich blonde friend stuttered. “Yeah he did, he was all bang-slam-kerpow!” Mabel exclaimed getting back up with only a few scrapes on her. “With a Gibson?!” Pacifica continued, still utterly stunned. “It's true!” Haruko replied dancing into view and glomping Dipper, while Mabel chanted “Smooch, smooch, smooch!” several times.

“And I thought that lumberjack ghost was freaky.” Pacifica said to herself before discovering Ford sitting on the porch. “Hey, is that supposed to be your great uncle? He looks so different from when I last saw him.” she wondered. “Oh yeah, that is out great uncle, but he's not really Stan.” Dipper replied. “Yeah, Grunkle Stan had this weird portal behind the vending machine in the gift shop that he used to bring his brother back from some parallel universe or something crazy like that.” Mabel added.

“He-hey Sixer!” Haruko called to the polydactyl professor while pulling at Dipper's face before he started to feel faint.

“So this Haruko woman just decided to stay at your place after nearly killing Dipper?” Pacifica asked Mabel as they walked through the woods. “Pretty much, fate is crazy that way.” the sweater girl replied. “Plus ever since then, all kinds of crazy robots started popping out of this weird horn on his forehead like Canti for example. Plus Haruko really hit it off with Stan, even coming with him on a revenge trip.”

“And Dipper was stuck into some weird shootout after your great-uncle caught him making out with that Haruko?” the blonde added blushing. “Why would you ask that?” Mabel wondered for a bit before going silent and putting a coy expression on her face. “You like Dipper, don't you P?” she said. “What, no I don't!” Pacifica claimed blushing harder. “I just think he's a nice guy, okay?”

“So that was Preston's girl, huh?” Ford wondered with his mouth full of fishsticks. “Yeah, it turns out she doesn't have the best parents and she saved my life during Northwest Fest. How she's doing now I don't want to know.” Dipper replied.

“And are you sure you have a crush on her?” the old-aged genius added, much to his younger counterpart's embarrassment. “Okay maybe I kind of do, but I'm afraid to confess my feelings to her because I'm terrible with girls.” he admitted. “I can definitely relate Dipper. One time when I was your age, I held hands with a girl who suddenly freaked out and ran away because of my six fingers.”

“And then there's Haruko.” Dipper continued. “She was initially a complete annoyance to me but as time went on, I'm starting to like her more. Maybe it's because of all the crazy adventures we went on because of her.” Ford then came to a conclusion. “Maybe it's because she has connections to Canti.” he said. “Maybe it seems that this town's weirdness has brought her here and all the robots with her. “

“Y'know speaking of weirdness, where did Grunkle Stan go anyway?” the boy wondered before his other great uncle pulled a pistol on him. “Whoa whoa whoa, I thought you were better than this!” Dipper exclaimed. “Don't fret kid, Stan left behind one of his ten guns and I want to see how durable your head is with that horn.”

Meanwhile somewhere near the Shack in the forest, a battle-damaged Kitsurubami was retching up dirt and grime from her tussle with Stan as she contacted her superior. “I'm on the ground. The attack was a failure, some old man got me distracted and I lost the target.” she spoke into the phone as Stan got up and walked away. “

That little tumble was fun and all babe, but I gotta go find Haruko.” the con-artist said. “It's a horrific entity that flies around like it hasn't heard of gravity.” Unbeknownst to her, Canti happened to float near her until she turned around and screamed.

Meanwhile back at the salon, Amarao was still on the phone as Kitsurubami started making random noises. “Kitsurubami, Kitsurubami! Are you alright?” he exclaimed into the phone before he got hit with a splash of water. “Now hold still sir, we're gonna do the hair color next.” his dyer stated as she started rubbing his red hair. “Now who do you want it, auburn, chestnust or maybe even, fooly cooly color?”

“Fooly.......cooly........” It took Amarao a while to realize it, but he recognized that voice from anywhere and the two pulled weapons on one another, with the woman revealing herself to be Haruko.

“What's with the eyebrows loverboy? An attempt at bushy masculine charm?!” she exclaimed pointing a razor at his neck. “Chicks dig the clean-cut look, that what you were thinking?!” Amarao wasn't having it as he pointed a handgun at her forehead. “Raharu!” he growled preparing to pull the trigger. “Deciding to send your little commando on a mission!” And that's when they went all out against each other with tons of firepower.

“Ow, are you done yet Ford?” Dipper exclaimed as Ford fired a few bullets at the boy's head. “Guess I am, that noggin of yours is really sturdy.” Ford replied as he tossed away the gun. “Your horn's acting up again, could it be that fooly cooly Stan keeps rambling about?” he asked noticing his great-nephew's horn as it started to wiggle.

“Hey guys, whatcha talkin' about?” Mabel wondered as she returned to them and sat down on the couch. “We were just discussing how much Haruko has changed us and Ford shooting me to see how tough my head was.” Dipper replied before taking his sister's head. “C'mon, let's go find Grunkle Stan.” Meanwhile, Kitsurubami had enough and started emptying lead on Canti. “NOOOO! STAY AWAY!” she exclaimed.

In town, Stan was charging through the streets looking for Haruko until he ran into a overweight man wearing a shirt that had a pizza on it. “Hey big guy, you seen a young lady about yay high, has pink hair and pretty much mentally unstable?” he asked panting before the pizza guy pointed at the hair salon. “Cool, thanks!”

Back onto Haruko and Amarao's firefight, the two continued giving each other all they got before standing off. “I'm not a child anymore, I'm an adult!” Amarao proclaimed putting on a pair of sunglasses. “I can buy my own insurance and everything!” Just then, dozens of other agents assembled behind him carrying guns like him.

“That robot is too dangerous. If we don't take it out, Medical Mechanica will make its move.” he explained. “You understand what they're planning and how it would affect the planet. And that thing, when it turns red, it's Atomsk.”

That last sentence alone made Haruko really angry as she opened fire on pretty much everyone in the building, shooting agents that busted in left and right until the front door was opened by Stan.

“Haruko, I've been wondering where you were!” he cried before turning his attention to Amarao. “Hello there eyebrows.” he grimaced at the head of the D.I.I. “Stan Pines, I knew you would show up here.” Amarao replied pointing his gun at the old trickster. “I'm surprised you didn't recognize me at first last night.” the great-uncle replied pulling out a gun of his own. “Was it the fake mustache?”

“You didn't have a fake mustache you idiot!” Amarao roared before turning to his men. “Pines isn't important right now, just stop Raharu!” At his command, they all dogpiled and pointed their guns at Haruko before she blasted them off her and pointed her Rickenbacker at Amarao. “You've got to be kidding me.” he groaned surrounded by the unconcious bodies of his fellow agents.

“Two against one, sounds like pretty good odds.” Stan added brandishing some brass knuckles.

Meanwhile, the Pines twins were running into town searching for their uncle. “You know bro, you've been acting pretty different lately, a bit less awkward and more awesome.” Mabel said. “Maybe Ford was right, maybe Haruko did have a part in the grand scheme of this.” Dipper boldly deducted. “Seriously Dipper, you've become so much different ever since she came here. She taught me to be braver in the face of life-threatening situations.”

Meanwhile, Stan and Haruko continued duking it out with Amarao while nearby townsfolk ran for cover, with the two tricksters getting the upper hand.

“You already are pretty brave. By the way, what's with that weird thing on the back of your head?” Mabel responded staring at the gun that appeared on her brother's head without his knowledge. “Be honest, you like her!”

Dipper stopped right there on the sidewalk as he was taken aback by his sister's words, given that he wasn't very good with romance and that Mabel's personal goal this summer was to meet a cute boy that would date her. Suddenly, he felt something click in his head as his horn burst out and planted itself in the ground before pushing him skyward as Mabel grabbed onto it.

The siren from Medical Mechanica sounded as the boy's horn grew larger, large enough to be noticed by Kitsurubami & Canti, Pacifica and all the people of Gravity Falls. Amarao, now on the ground after losing his battle with the man of mystery and his pink-haired partner and losing his large eyebrows, got up to notice what happened.

“Oh no, where are my eyebrows?!” he screamed before turning his head to the giant horn in the middle of town. “Medical Mechanica is using these machines to destroy this town and the rest of the planet, we are so screwed!” he continued on, much to Stan and Haruko's annoyance. “Yeesh, for such a calculating government agent, he sure is a wimp.” Stan mocked him. “Your friend is the one who caused all this Pines, and now we're all screwed because of her!”

“I don't care you idiot, got it memorized?” Haruko added scowling at Amarao. “Your guitar's not up to it, that's it!” he replied. “You're a million years under-evolved, you primitive monkey!” she screamed. “Whoa, take it easy babe!” Stan exclaimed trying to calm her down. “That's discriminatory language against underdeveloped planets!” Amarao shouted back before he was hit in the head with Haruko's bass before she waved it around while chanting.

“You can't do that here! Where are my eyebrows, my eyebrows!” Suddenly, a small thing appeared on the redhaired agent's forehead. “A little small as usual, but it'll do.” Haruko said plucking it off before revving up her instrument and taking off. “You handle him yourself Stan!”

“Stanley!” a voice called from a nearby alleyway. Stan walked into it to find his brother hiding. “Thank goodness you're still alive! Listen, we need to save Dipper & Mabel and the town!” Ford exclaimed. “Yep, that's the biggest one this story might put out.” Stan replied turning back to the giant robot.

“I have a feeling Diamond Brandy might show up, so I've decided to bring this along.” Reaching into a duffel bag, the genius pulled out a stone mask with a red gem on it.

“Oh mama, that looks like mob-boss quality!” the con-artist exclaimed reaching for him before his hand was slapped aside. “This is the Eyes of Heaven mask, an ancient artifact that I've recovered many years ago from temple ruins. If Diamond Brandy dare touches it, it could bring about the end of days!”

“Seriously, what does that chick see in those kids, especially the one with the hat?!” Amarao whined still looking up to the sky. “I don't know, maybe it's because he sort of has a pair.” Stan replied with a laugh.

Meanwhile high up in the sky, Dipper and Mabel were clinging on for dear life on top of the new robot's hat as it started moving towards Medical Mechanica. “If this is our last moment together Takkun, then I want to say it's been an honor being your sister!” Mabel exclaimed hugging her brother.

“I love you too Mabel, now hold on!” Dipper replied as he tried to find a way to safely return to the ground until a red light appeared zooming across the sky. It was Haruko, surfing on her guitar and wearing a Playboy bunny outfit for some reason. “Hey, it's Haruko!” the shooting star exclaimed. “Wait, why is she dressed like that?”

“DAICON FIVE!!!” Haruko cried as she fired a small guitar like a slingshot at the robot, knocking it back a bit. “Stop it Haruko!” Dipper shouted clinging on for dear life. “Please Takkun, summon Canti so that you can save us!” his sister cried ducking for cover. “Wait, are you serious right now?” the younger by five minutes boy exclaimed. “Of course I'm going to save us! CANTI!”

The Medical Machine sprung into the air and landed by his side. “And by the way, you've always known me as Dipper, not Takkun! You better remember that!” he shouted before getting eaten by Canti's torso jaws and making it turn red. As the robot pulled out a gun and started firing at the Vespa Woman, she gracefully dodged all its attack before being knocked down to the ground by one. Suddenly, Canti soared down and picked her up, seating her on its back.

Haruko prepared to attack with the slingshot again, but it proved ineffective against the mechanical monstrosity. “Ugh, useless!” she groaned throwing the slingshot away before slamming Canti's head, turning it into a cannon which fired at the gun-toting machine. It landed quite a hit, knocking it over while Mabel nearly fell off before Canti swooped in and saved her.

“It's falling!” Grenda exclaimed as she and Candy held each other close. “If this is the end of the line, then it's been fun being your friend!” the Asian girl replied before they noticed Mabel landing right in front of them. “Well, it's official. I have a fear of giant robots with cowboy hats and guns!” she exclaimed dusting herself.

“FINAL ROUND?!” Haruko exclaimed as the robot toppled over. Canti launched one final attack, which proved nothing when the robot repelled it by firing back and sending it careening into a nearby billboard. “I'm all out of ammo!” she complained before leaping into the air with her Rickenbacker in hand, but the robot aimed and fired all its weapons at her as it formed into a hand-like shape.

“Commander!” Kitsurubami cried as she and Amarao drove into the action. “I told you this was impossible!” her superior replied in panic before they were hit by a stray bullet. The bass-playing bunny continued falling as the robot got back up on its feet before she fell into Canti's arms when his screen started glowing.

“This is bad, it's heading towards the factory, it's gonna activate it!” Amarao screamed in terror before he spotted a beam of light spilling out of the Medical Machine's head. It grabbed the light and pulled it out, forming a guitar-shaped object. “It's....” Amarao said. “It's Atomsk's....” Haruko shouted in surprise.

“GIBSON EB-0 1961 MODEL!” they shouted in unison. Dropping Haruko, Canti launched itself at the robot, smacking it with the bass and finally making it fall over. It tumbled a bit before bouncing atop Medical Mechanica and turning into a giant hand. “I can't believe it, that must be the one!” Amarao exclaimed as it continued falling. “It's the real Pirate King!”

Canti struck one final blow, creating a large hole in the palm and causing a piece of machinery to burst out. Suddenly, steam erupted from the factory covering all of Gravity Falls with it. Meanwhile, Stan, Ford, Soos and Wendy were on a Mystery Shack golf cart searching for the kids. “See them dudes?” Soos asked. “No way Soos.” Wendy replied. “But we do see some kinda meteorite headed right for us.” Stan added. “Wait a minute, that isn't a meteor-RUN!” Ford exclaimed as they all ran far away from the golf cart as it met its untimely end in the hands of the clump of technology.

The red ammo fell from the billboard as the girls all watched, later joined by the Stans and the Shack employees. The golf cart crashed into a nearby fire hydrant spraying water on the glowing bullet before it turned back into their friend Dipper, followed by Haruko landing right next to him as she gazed into Atomsk's screen. “Atomsk!” she moaned.

“Dipper, you're alright!” Mabel exclaimed as she hugged her brother. “I was worried for you too.” he replied hugging her as well, before they patted each other on the back. “It's nice that both of you have their heads still attached which means your parents won't try to kill me, but now let's head back home.” Stan said picking them up by the arms. “I think you might need some rest.”

As they all happily walked back to the Shack, everything became frozen as a portal opened before them, which out climbed none other than Diamond Brandy. “Oh, did I miss the party?” he wondered as he raised a bubble around him and the Pines family. “Well, at least I get a few goodies.”

“Someone help us!” Mabel shouted pounding on the shield. “Soos, Wendy, Haruko, anyone!” Dipper added also pounding. “That shield won't work children. Outside things are going normally but here, I get to slaughter you and nobody will notice.” Diamond replied. “Now Six Fingers, I sense you have the item that I've been looking for.” he said turning to Ford. “I said it once and I'll say it again, I will never hand you the Eyes!” Ford declared. “Well then, if I can't take the mask, then I'll take your family's lives instead.” When he finished that sentence, the rest of the family became buried neck-down in the street, struggling to escape.

“Now what will it be Stanford, your loved ones or my key to ultimate power?” Brandy offered as he summoned a sword caked in blood in his hand. “You should know this sword is painted with the blood of my enemies.” Ford quivered as his brother and great-nephew & niece begged for mercy as he lowered the sword at their heads. “I think I'll start with.....” he pointed it at Stan. “YOU!!!”

“WAIT!” Ford interrupted his brother's execution by pulling out the mask. “I'll give you the mask, just leave my family and this planet alone!” The ruby gem resting atop its forehead glimmered in the light. “Very good choice.” the demon thanked him before pulling the three up like vegetables. “Now hand it over.”

“Hey wait, before you go off and destroy the galaxy, why don't you tell us your backstory? You just can't be evil because why not.” Mabel asked. “Fine Shooting Star, allow me to let you relive my past.” His fingertips glowed before he touched the Pines' foreheads, sending them all the way back to a Mayan-looking village. “Welcome to the story of how I became the monster you see today.”

“Before now, I was just another weakling that was picked on by my kinfolk.” he narrated as a young boy that looked like Diamond was picked on by other children. “Stay back, I have awesome powers that would make you wet your trousers!” the boy that would become Diamond Brandy exclaimed before throwing his hands out, expecting to release an awesome attack but nothing happen.

“Face it Deh'Go, you're not gonna go far.” one of the kids stated as they all walked away. “If you want your own powers, then why don't you just walk into a mud pit, I'm pretty sure you'd get earth powers.”

“Good Lord, and I thought Crampelter was bad.” Stan said as they all watched the younger Brandy weep in sorrow. “I just want to hug that nice and chubby baby so hard!” Mabel exclaimed as she tried to run up to the child, but failed.

“Sorry girl, we're spirits now. Meaning we can't interact with others while in this state.” Brandy explained. “My life was pretty terrible, but then everything changed when Atomsk attacked.”

He fast-forwarded time to a point where he was standing in the flaming ruins of his village. ”I wanted to help ward him off, but I failed and our home was reduced to rubble.” A short man with a bushy beard and white robes marched up to Brandy, looking very angry. “Do you realize what you have done Bu'Ran'Doy, now we have to rebuild!” the man barked as many other equally upset villagers gathered behind him. “But Atomsk is gone, that's good right?” the taller man sheepishly replied before his fellow Pole People started throwing rocks at him. “I was exiled from my home that day, but then I found help.”

Fast forwarding a little bit more, an image of Brandy drawing a circle in the dirt surrounded by a set of eight makeshift candles. “Hey, this is just like when Gideon summoned....oh no.” Dipper realized. “Indeed Pine Tree, it was at this spot where I first met a being you might know as Bill Cipher.” the demon explained as they all watched him summon the three-sided terror.

“Egassem sdrawkcab. egassem sdrawkcab. Egassem sdrawkcab! Egassem sdrawkcab! Egassem sdrawkcab!” the younger Diamond Brandy chanted with his eyes glowing blue as a familiar shape began to form, manically laughing along the way until Bill Cipher appeared before him.

“Hey there pal, name's Bill! And I suppose you summoned me for your own goals?” the dream demon greeted Brandy. “Indeed I have oh Great Triangle God of Weirdness,” Brandy replied kneeling before him. “I seek revenge on my people for shunning me all my life for my lack of special powers.”

“You mean those Pole People? Yeah, I think I can help you with that.” Bill replied as he began scrolling through different types of magic. “Which one would you like? I got water, earth, fire, air, metal, blood, etc!” All of those sounded interesting to the young Pole Person, but one had caught his eye. “I would like fire please.” he answered. “Firestarter? That's pretty hard to master.” the triangular terror said as he turned back to Deh'Go with his hand covered in blue fire. “Now do we have a deal?”

“It's a deal.” the future destroyer replied as he shook the demon's hand. “Alright, Firestarter's all yours pal!” Bill exclaimed as he started to disappear. “And remember, THE MEANING OF LIFE IS A JOKE, I WILL RETURN HERE ONE DAY, HERE'S JOHNNY BYYYYYYEEEEEE!!!!!!!” Cipher had disappeared, leaving Buh'Ran'Doy with this paper rune as he cackled evilly. “Look out Cylindoria, I will return!”

“What I didn't realize was that a lone villager was spying on me and Bill.” And he was right, a villager with a prominent bald spot watched as Brandy laughed, fearing the worst for his people. “When he returned to the city of Cylindoria, he explained what he had saw to the high council and they decided to create a mask that would end my reign of terror. And the rest was history.”

With that, he fast-forwarded through the rest of his story, from the creation of the mask, him mastering his powers, the destruction of Cylindoria and being sealed by the last Pole Person, who turned out to be that same villager. “Now that we got my backstory out of the way, the mask please.” Brandy ordered, in which Ford complied handing it over. “Yes, ultimate power is mine!” He put it on and everything was silent. Then, beams of light burst out of his limbs as he felt his power growing.

Then everything went silent again as the mask crumbled into pieces and falling onto the pavement. “Thank you for your time mortal, I promise your planet will be left unharmed.” Diamond Brandy thanked Ford before summoning his sword and soaring into the sky while the shield disappeared.

“Hey dudes, we were wondering what happened to you.” Soos said with a concerned look on his face. “Yeah, while you were gone Haruko ran off with Canti because of some weird Pirate King stuff that isn't related to that pirate show Soos watches.” Wendy added. “We actually weren't gone, we were held captive by this crazy guy who wanted to kill us unless Ford handed over this mask he wanted!” Mabel exclaimed while Dipper gazed into the sky, wondering where Haruko had gone.

“Aw chin up kid, Haruko may be gone probably for good and the whole universe is in danger, but at least we got Mrs. Pell's Fishsticks!” Stan reassured his great-nephew which Ford blush. “Well that's a pretty funny story. I uh, ate them all.” he nervously confessed showing the empty box to his brother. “They tasted so good when they're raw!” Stan replied by punching him in the face.

Hello everyone, Ford here. Well this is it, the final chapter is almost here. I just want to say it's been a fun ride with you all and I really had a fun time, even if I nearly doomed us all. Join us next time for Fooly Falls chapter 6! Now go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

#gravity falls #flcl #fanfiction #crossover #fooly falls #dipper pines #mabel pines #haruko haruhara #canti #stanley pines #stanford pines #soos ramirez #wendy corduroy #commander amarao #lt. kitsurubami #pacifica northwest #diamond brandy

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aroundtheworldin18years · 5 years

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Why do we love Italia so much? In all honesty, do you really need to ask? Simply take a look at the photos in any of our Italy posts and it will become transparent as to why we are drawn to this wondrous land. With rugged mountain ranges, picture postcard landscapes, historical landmarks, and let’s not forget the delectable cuisine, favourable wine and friendly locals; it’s very difficult not to fall in love with all things Italian. Italians have certainly mastered the way of living life and Italy almost feels like our home-from-home when we visit. In 2018 we had a glimpse of Winter life in Val di Fiemme when we visited Cavalese and stayed at the Aparthotel Des Alpes. For our return in Summer 2019; we thought it only right to stay at the sister hotel, Aparthotel Majestic in Predazzo, in the Province of Trento.

Take a beautiful location and frame it.

APARTHOTEL MAJESTIC LOCATION

Located in the beautiful Val di Fiemme region of the Italian Dolomites, Aparthotel Majestic is just one of the many properties owned by Trentino Residences. Set in a valley with spectacular mountain views, this Tyrolean style chalet-apartment hotel is a short 5-10 minute walk from the main center of Predazzo, and less than 2 miles from Ski Center Latemar, just one of the fine ski resorts that the Trentino South Tyrol region has to offer.

FACT: Antonio Stradivari regularly visited Predazzo Forest, choosing only the very best quality fir trees to produce his musical instruments.

Aparthotel Majestic is perfectly situated for exploring the outstanding natural environment of Obereggen, Pampeago and Predazzo. Travelling by car will take you no more than 10 minutes and then a short journey up the mountain by cable car will bring you spectacular views of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. A great place to begin your Summer adventure and take a closer look at the flora and fauna, as well as admire the magnificent views. The Dolomites is the perfect playground for walkers, hikers and those with a bit more energy to burn, cyclists.

Ski Center Latemar in Predazzo

A BIT ABOUT PREDAZZO

Geological Museum of the Dolomites in Predazzo offers visitors a great opportunity to learn about the rock formations, mineralogical and geological properties of this mountainous alpine region. The short walk from Aparthotel Majestic to the main street in Predazzo is easy to navigate. Simply exit the hotel, turn left, keep walking and before you know it, you’re in the thriving hub of Predazzo. Right in the heart of the town centre, Chiesa arcipretale dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo, otherwise known as Church of Predazzo; draws your eyes to the characteristic 19th century architecture as the bells ring aloud! The church has been welcoming parishioners since 1872 when building work was completed. There are lots of quaint little shops, restaurants, bars and gelateria’s in Predazzo, and amiamo Italian gelato! So creamy, so yummy, so moreish!

The Church of Predazzo

Opulent decor inside the Church of Predazzo

The walk to the centre of Predazzo

SELF CATERING APARTMENTS

Having stayed at Aparthotel Des Alpes in Cavalese, we had a fair idea of what to expect from the Aparthotel Majestic self-catering apartments. Aparthotel Majestic ticked many of the boxes of what we like from our accommodation. Close to the main town of Predazzo for evening walks, a great location for exploring the region, a large indoor swimming pool for relaxing in after a day filled with adventure, and a spacious apartment with traditional Tyrolean styling and stunning views of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. Aparthotel Majestic has 90 apartments including Studios (2 and 4 occupancy) and 1 bedroom apartments (4, 5 and 6 occupancy). Although, the rooms are classed as 1 bedroom, our room had a lounge-come-master bedroom, plus a separate room with bunk beds, and additional bunk beds in the entrance hall of the apartment. A great family size apartment.

READ OUR REVIEW OF APARTHOTEL DES ALPES IN CAVALESE

Balcony views of the UNESCO Dolomites from Aparthotel Majestic

ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION

Check in at Aparthotel Majestic is available from 16:00 to 20:00, and check out is at 09:00. All was peaceful and quiet upon our arrival, not surprising really as we didn’t arrive until well after midnight. A phone call to reception earlier in the day explained we’d be late and the room was unlocked pending our arrival. Knowing that we’d be arriving late, we chose to dress the girls in their pyjamas at Malpensa Airport. Both Lily-Belle and Matilda were sound asleep upon our arrival to Aparthotel Majestic, so all we could do was carry them to the room and tuck them in. Mummy and Daddy unpacked the car, emptied the Leanpac luggage and then fell into bed…exhausted!

Main lobby at Aparthotel Predazzo

Aparthotel Majestic reception area

THE APARTMENT

The apartment room plan at Aparthotel Majestic is very similar in layout to their sister hotel Aparthotel Des Alpes. The only difference for this apartment was that it had two additional bunk beds in a separate room, and the decor is more traditional to the region. Lots of large wooden beams. The apartment was very clean, extremely spacious and could easily accommodate six people.

Our spacious apartment was split into 6 areas;

bedroom one (hallway) with bunk beds and a wardrobe,

spacious bathroom with sink, vanity unit (with mirror), toilet, bidet, and enclosed shower,

main lounge area/2nd bedroom (pull down bed, large wardrobes either side) with a dining table (bench seating and chairs), seating area with a sofa and TV,

small well-equipped kitchenette,

small separate bedroom with bunk beds and a wardrobe,

large balcony with patio table and chairs for al fresco breakfasts whilst watching the sunrise.

Regarding rooms and beds, Matilda normally fights with Lily-Belle to get the top bunk, but not on this occasion, two lots of bunk beds meant no squabbles…or did it? Safety conscious Daddy that I am, neither L-B or Mat-Moo were allowed to sleep on the top bunks and of course, this made me the worse Daddy in the world! I’ll get over it, as will the girls!

BEDROOMS, BATHROOMS, BIDET’S BUT NO BUBBLES

Open the apartment door, and you walk immediately into the hall where there are bunk beds. Directly opposite the bunk beds is the bathroom; within is a toilet, bidet, wash basin with under-storage, vanity unit with lights and mirror, but as expected, no bath. Ok, a shower does the job and gets you clean but a bath is the one thing I really miss when travelling, I love a good soak (if the girls leave me in peace to enjoy it) with bubbles…lots of bubbles! Just to say, our girls still find bidet’s strangely amusing! Will they ever grow out of it…probably not!

Bunk beds in the halway

Shower enclosure

Bathroom

LOVING THE LOUNGE

As can be expected with an apartment style room, there is a small kitchenette complete with a hob (no oven or grill), microwave, kettle, cutlery, plates, cups and other useful kitchen utensils. The main lounge area, which also serves as the master bedroom; has a huge pull down bed. As a family we love snuggles at bed time and the master bed easily accommodated all four of us on more than one occasion. Wardrobe space either side of the bed is more than plentiful. The lounge also had a dining table with a fixed bench seat and chairs. A two-seater sofa should you wish to take the weight off your feet and relax whilst watching the TV. The apartment summed up in a few words…a spacious and perfectly adequate home-from-home!

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SWIMMING POOL

25 METRE POOL

Open from 15:00 to 20:00 daily. The heated pool was large with a shallow end for children and a deeper end for adults. Around the edge of the pool there are loungers for when you’ve had enough fun splashing around. A swim hat must be worn (unless your head is bald or shaved like mine) as is the standard in most European swimming pools, whether public or private. The pool is an ample size for a few lengths to grab a little aerobic exercise, but, it’s also fun to just splash about with the girls. There was also a small area of the pool which formed the jacuzzi.

Lots of bubbles in the jacuzzi

Relax or take a dip

Wet and welcoming

WELLNESS CENTRE

JACUZZI and SPA

Open from 15:00 to 20:00 daily, age 16+ only. Beside the pool is the Wellness Centre. This excellent facility is very Romanesque in style with lots of mosaic tiles and intricate paint designs all with a calming influence. There is a Finnish sauna and a Turkish sauna (sorry, don’t know what the difference is), a whirlpool and little foot spas for easing the pain of troubled feet. The spa area is very spacious and a great place to relax and allow your mind to float away to distant lands filled with unicorns and fluffy clouds. Sadly, having two under 16’s in tow meant we didn’t get to try out the Wellness Centre facilities.

READ ALL ABOUT MY NUDITY EXPERIENCE IN OUR ALPE CERMIS POST

Wellness Spa

Come in, sit down, relax and converse

Kneipp, perfect for soothing tired feet

FOR CHILDREN

PLAY AND BABY ROOM

There is a spacious Play Room at Aparthotel Majestic. The room is inviting with brightly coloured alpine murals painted on the walls and lots of play toys for imaginative toddlers. Matilda particularly loved the toy kitchen. The Play Room is primarily for younger children, toddlers and babies (supervised).

For tots and toddlers

GAMES ROOM

There is a large Games Room at Aparthotel Majestic. The room has arcade games, a pool table, a table tennis table and table football, the latter two are firm favourites with The Callaghan Posse and we are very, very competitive! The Games Room is primarily suitable for older children and teenagers.

A chill out room for the teens

OUTSIDE PLAY AREA

To the rear of Aparthotel Majestic there is a garden with an enclosed children’s play area. There’s the usual swings, slides, a seesaw, climbing frame and a roundabout. There’s also plenty of grass to run around on. In the far corner is a pizza oven should you wish to bake your own pizza’s and dine al-fresco as the children play.

On a slippery slope to Slippyville

What goes up, must come down

I believe I can fly

KIDS CLUB

Beside the Play Room and Games Room is a decent sized auditorium where the Kids Club hold their evening sessions. Lots of dancing, role play and plenty of encouragement for children and parents to interact. This is where we struggled a little, the Animation Team spoke Italian (we were in Italy) and we basically guessed what was going on. Thankfully, an English speaking Italian tourist stepped in and translated for us, we were extremely grateful. The translation really helped us enjoy the Animation Team entertainment much more. Lots of fun and Matilda bopped and danced the night away. Lily-Belle (age10, moody, stroppy etc) was a bit more reluctant and chose to watch the show from a distance! Our Summer Activity programme was hectic for the whole week, so sadly, we only managed to visit the Kids Club twice.

Colourful Kids Club

WI-FI

Wi-Fi is always very important to us when selecting our holiday accommodation. We like to capture moments and take lots of photos and videos, even though we probably only use less than 5% of them. To try and keep our phones relatively clutter free, we tend to upload pics and vids to the fluffy cloud at the end of each day. Wi-Fi is free in the main reception area, and it is also free in your room if you book your stay at Aparthotel Majestic direct with Trentino Residences. For all others, the weekly cost for Wi-Fi is cheap at just €15.00 and a password is available to purchase at the reception. When we travel we like to chill every now and then and watch a movie, the Wi-Fi connected quickly and we never experienced any dropouts even in the apartment.

Reliable Wi-Fi in the reception area

RESTAURANT AND BAR

Aparthotel Majestic restaurant and bar is a decent size and can easily accommodate large numbers. The decor is bright and, as expected with Tyrolean restaurants; has lots of wood. The food range is extensive and of exceptional quality. Presentation was impeccable and always the freshest of ingredients used! We ate in the restaurant on more than one occasion, and always had a wonderful meal, not to mention a glass (or two, or three) of Aperol Spritz, honestly; it would be rude not too! On the nights a sit-in meal didn’t appeal to the girls, we used the available take-away service on offer at the restaurant and retired to our apartment to watch a movie.

Freshly made bruschetta

Mouth watering risotto

Tasty pizza

Luscious panna cotta

Delicious penne pasta

TRENTINO GUEST CARD

Staying at Aparthotel Majestic will give you access to a Trentino Guest Card. Here are a few benefits of applying for this card:

Free travel on public transport within Trentino (trains, ferries and some cableways),

Free entry to over 60 museums, 40 attractions and 20 castles in Trentino,

A range of events to taste local produce in the company of the producers themselves. (discounts apply on purchases and free guided tours),

A range of ‘unusual’ experiences and booking services with the dedicated App.

A Trentino Guest Card is a convenient way to enjoy everything that Trentino has to offer! As well as travel, the Guest Card gives you free entry to all of the main museums, natural parks and castles. The Guest Card also allows you to travel for free on public transport. Definitely worth picking one up, and the added bonus…they are completely free! (free for anyone under 18, free is you book a stay of 2 nights or more at an affiliated hotel in Trentino – otherwise cost is €40 per adult per week). For further info, visit Trentino Guest Card

FIEMME-MOTION CARD

The FiemmE-Motion offers holders once a day lift access in Val di Fiemme (Alpe Cermis, Pampeago, Latemar 2200 Predazzo, Bellamonte – Castelir). As well as admission into many attraction, the card offers holders up to 30% discounts on a host of activities such as: river rafting, biking and e-biking, trekking with lamas; plus a host of benefits and discounts in local restaurants and at local producers. The FiemmE-Motion Card is within your tourist tax that you pay to your hotel accommodation. Tourist Tax is compulsory therefore you may as well take advantage of and use the FiemmE-Motion Card. For further info, visit FiemmE-Motion Card

THANK YOU

We would like to take this opportunity to give a very special thank you to Chiara, owner of Trentino Residences. Chiara was excellent in recommending places to visit and also put us in touch with Cristiana, at the Val di Fiemme Tourist Board; who organised our Summer activities programme. Our stay was thoroughly enjoyable at Aparthotel Majestic and we really enjoyed all of the summer activities on offer in Val di Fiemme. We look forward to returning in the not-so-distant future.

WOULD WE GO BACK

A definite yes and without hesitation we would have no qualm in recommending Aparthotel Majestic to tourists visiting Val di Fiemme. Predazzo is the perfect base camp in Summer for hikers, walkers, cyclists and horse riders wishing to explore the flora and spectacular scenery of the Dolomites. And in Winter for skiers, boarders and thrill seekers in search of the ‘white stuff’. Predazzo is just a short walk from Aparthotel Majestic and worth an evening or two of your time. When Dorothy Gale clicked the heels of her ruby slippers and uttered the words ‘there’s no place like home’, we are fairly certain that she was talking about Italy. If you ask us, there is no place like Italy and just like a magnet, Italy draws us back time and time again. Cannot wait to return, until then…addio per ora!

LILY-BELLE (age 10) SAYS I really liked the pool, the water was warm and really clear so I could see under the water. The apartment was quite big and the beds were very comfy. I don’t understand why they give you two single duvets to fit a double bed? It was nice to sit and eat breakfast out on the balcony.

MATILDA (age 4) SAYS Daddy is a grumpy troll, he wouldn’t let me sleep on the top bunk! I liked going into the swimming pool and playing with the toy kitchen, oh and I liked the playground outside.

Aparthotel Majestic (itinerary)

Date(s) of stay: 3rd July 2019 until 10th July 2019 Cost: Aparthotel Majestic – gifted (see disclaimer below)

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[disclaimer: Our stay at Aparthotel Majestic was gifted by Trentino Residences. Gifted item(s) were provided in return for social media and blog coverage]

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APARTHOTEL MAJESTIC, PREDAZZO, ITALY – REVIEW Why do we love Italia so much? In all honesty, do you really need to ask? Simply take a look at the photos in any of our Italy posts and it will become transparent as to why we are drawn to this wondrous land.

#Aparthotel des Alpes #Aparthotel Majestic #italy #Predazzo #Val di Fiemme

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oovitus · 5 years

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I’d love to get started… I’m just waiting for the perfect time.

Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking — as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!” — rarely gets us “all.” It usually gets us “nothing.”

++++

Are you waiting for the “perfect time” to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?

Are you putting off that dream trip, or a new project, or that skill you’ve been meaning to learn?

If so, some of these phrases may sound familiar:

When I get a different job.

When things are less busy.

When I find a workout partner.

When I find the right equipment.

When I feel less awkward in the gym.

When I lose 20 lbs.

When I get the right workout routine.

When my fridge is full of the right foods.

Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

Human beings are always “waiting for the perfect time.” But why?

For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real—and risky—work of doing.

For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.

“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.

Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.

That’s why all-or-nothing thinking—If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless—rarely gets us “all.”

It usually gets us “nothing.”

There is no perfect time. There never will be.

Oh sure, there might be some magic moment in your fitness journey where the universe comes together… and you’re wearing your favorite t-shirt… plus your extra-comfy sneakers… and that song you love comes on… and your body is full of exuberant, bubbling energy… and your favorite piece of gym equipment is free (in fact the gym is empty today, hooray!)… and you bang out a set of ten reps like the angels are hoisting the barbell for you.

But that magic moment will be one in the zillion other less-magic moments that make up your real life.

Indeed, if we are talking about a moment as, say, approximately ten seconds long, that means you have somewhere between 2,398,377,600 to 2,556,165,600 potential moments in your life.

Which means that a single perfect moment is, well, a very very very small part of the whole thing.

Yes, celebrate that perfect moment when it comes. But sure as heck don’t wait for it.

Take your moments. Make your moments.

Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You have to take moments.

Hunt them. Chase them. Make them happen.

Scratch and gouge moments out of other times. Chip off tiny flakes of moments from the monolith of your day. Use your teeth if you must—bite off mouthfuls of those moments.

You are holding the chisel and the pickaxe. You are the miner of your moments.

This frustrates us, of course.

It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.

But it is this way. For everyone.

This is how it is, with moments. Moments resist expectations like water resists the intrusion of oil.

However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now.

Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.

Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Just start. At the beginning.

Here is another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.

All you have to do is start.

And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.

One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.

“But I can’t!” You say. “I can’t get started! That is the problem, you see!”

No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.

You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.

For instance, let’s say you choose to start with reading about nutrition.

That can be a good start—if it keeps you moving on to the next moment.

But it is not a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through a blur of blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for lights-out and you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.

So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.

It should be something else, like walking to the fridge and picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.

Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.

Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit, and picking out the salad option in advance.

Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. This is how you know it is a true start.

Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at the all machines in the arcade, deciding which one to play.

Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.

For some folks, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.

Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.

As long as something is moving, that’s a start.

Push through. Embrace resistance.

Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed.

That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.

That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.

That because their legs ache on the ascent, they are not ready to climb that hill.

No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.

Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.

Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through. It will switch tracks, eventually.

Remember: You don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.

You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.

Get support. For now.

In order for a rocket to leave the earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.

In order for a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.

We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it sure helps when someone gives us a push or a pull.

Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.

Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.

For a while, we can even affix ourselves to this someone or something else, like hooking that extra engine to our front. As we go along, we can unhook superfluous cars that we realize are weighing us down. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.

Eventually, we don’t need that extra engine any more. Our train is now whizzing along just fine on its own. The scenery blurs past the windows and we are heading on a grand adventure.

But in the beginning, we had to start.

What to do next: Some tips from Precision Nutrition

If you’re still “waiting for the perfect time”, try these tips to help you stop feeling stuck and start taking action.

1. Revise your expectations.

Recognize that there is no perfect time and there never will be.

There is only now.

2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.

Nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your fitness and health goals — a priority.

Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.

Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:

What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?

What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?

Instead of waiting for things to ‘slow down,’ start making something happen right now, in the middle of the mess.

3. Just start.

If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.

Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!

In PN Coaching, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions.” Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move yourself — even just a tiny bit — in the direction of your goals. Then, go do it.

Remember: action is a “vote” in favor of a different, healthier, fitter life. Vote early, vote often.

4. Expect resistance.

It’s normal. Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.

You only have to get through this moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. Luckily, it won’t last long.

5. Get support.

Let go of the concept of the lone hero. Instead, start building your support systems.

Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy, or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.

Want help becoming the healthiest, fittest, strongest version of you?

Most people know that regular movement, eating well, sleep, and stress management are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes stressful lives.

That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them lose fat, get stronger, and improve their health… no matter what challenges they’re dealing with.

It’s also why we work with health, fitness and wellness professionals (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to coach their own clients through the same challenges.

Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.

We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019.

If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.

You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.

You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.

If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.

[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].

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genruns · 7 years

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VMM 2016 - A Mountain Marathon to Remember

Hanoi and Sapa, 21-27 September 2016.

Like most runners who never learn, the memories of pain and suffering from past races somehow give way to stronger cravings for new goals and adventures. Despite the hiatus I promised myself after the UTA in May, I found myself signing up for the Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) in September. This was a 42km event in the mountains of North Vietnam, a beautiful place called Sapa.

I signed up for this with Danny and Vince. This would be Vince's first trail race, and he had only started seriously running barely a year ago. His last marathon was 10 years ago. I admired his bravado and secretly thought him mad. We were joined by Eus, who signed up for the 70km, having done the marathon event the year before. Andre signed up for the 100km race to obtain the remaining points he needed to qualify for a ballot in his dream event, the 170km Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in 2017. In comparison, my running aspirations are considerably meeker. I am content with taking part in and completing 50km races and marathons. For the foreseeable future I do not see myself going beyond this milestone until I feel that I could clock a reasonable timing for such distances.

Hanoi

Visiting the city of Hanoi was an event in its own right. When I first set foot there, so much about the city offended my sensibilities as an urban planner, and derailed my senses as a Singaporean. This was a city governed by basal human instinct and a ruthless desire for making a beeline for one’s destination. Elements of civilisation such as sidewalks, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, one-way lanes, double yellow line markings are but mere physical presences that mean nothing to the locals. The sidewalks are, if not rendered completely inaccessible by multitudes of parked motorbikes, plied by multitudes of speeding motorbikes. One can never tell if a lane is meant to be single or multi-directional, because motorbikes are going left, right, diagonal - you name it. It is easy to tell which pedestrians are local, and those who aren't, from the way they cross the road. Locals tread the tarmac with an instinctive feel for the speed of oncoming cars and motorbikes, expertly weaving through the confounding mess of vehicles and incessant honking. Foreigners take a brave step out onto the street, falter and freeze as five motorbikes nonchalantly hurl their way, fall back onto the safety of the path, mumble a quick prayer, and nervously start afresh. By the second day, becoming more familiar with how things work here, I felt that I would never have a problem jaywalking at home again. I learnt that the moving vehicles were already primed for pedestrians who blazed through the traffic adopting a fuck-all attitude, and that in order to survive this concrete jungle I had to, similarly, appear 'fuck-all'.

Traffic and a blatant disregard for rules and possibly human life aside, Hanoi holds a third-world charm that is perceptible from its architecture and vibrant street life. In the French quarter, remnants of its colonial past can be seen from its buildings. Views from some of the wider streets even bear vague resemblances to Paris's tree-lined boulevards. Women donned in traditional Vietnamese dresses and straw hats heaving up loads of street food and other wares on sticks walk the streets. And it is amusing how us Singaporeans often rave about al-fresco dining being a strictly western luxury ("It is just too humid here!"), when all over Hanoi, roadside stalls spill out onto the sidewalks where masses of people sit on puny little plastic chairs and eat at just as puny tables. Some lay back on their chairs, enjoying cigarettes as they watch the maniac traffic scene before them. Can it get more al-fresco than that? Here we have it, the established western principles of what is considered to be good urban planning: density, vibrancy, street life, diversity.

Of course, one has not been to Hanoi if one has not sampled their street food. To be honest, Vietnamese cuisine had never inspired me much - Pho felt to me rather bland and comfort food during a cold at best, and bahn-mi - my limited experience of them was from the little restaurant next to my apartment when I was living in London, i.e. expensive salad-filled baguettes proclaiming their authenticity just because they added sour chilli sauce and some rice noodles. Boy, was I wrong. In Hanoi, we had the most mind-blowing pho in an unassuming little restaurant. The broth tasted like it had been steeped in spices for a long time. One mouthful was all it took to dissolve in the burst of flavours, herbs and spices (beef, coriander, basil, spring onion, lime...ahh). On this trip, I learnt what proper street ban-mi was meant to taste like. Pate, with a heap of spices and herbs and delectably seasoned meat, sandwiched within toasted fresh baguettes, made all the difference. And yes, we had to go the bun-cha restaurant made famous by Obama's visit.

Sapa

We spent a day in Hanoi before the 5-hour journey to Sapa. I learnt on the way that Sapa is dominated by the Hoàng Liên Son range of mountains, which forms the eastern end of the Himalayan range. i had no idea that I was going to be running in the Himalayan range! That thought got me really excited. Arriving in Sapa town that evening at about 9pm, we were in for a pleasant surprise. All except Eus who had been there the year before (for the 42km event), we had been expecting a mellow mountain town. Instead, we found ourselves in a bustling lively town with neon lights and street life. It was an interesting blend of tourists and Hmong tribespeople adorned in their traditional headwear and clothes, selling their wares on the streets. The streets were alive with bustling roadside food stalls with all sorts of meats and seafood grilling on coal barbecues, and there were touristy bars crowded with people. Many persistent tribes children were touting their handmade crafts to tourists, following us closely as we walked.

The next morning, we had breakfast in the hotel and were presented with a spectacular view of the mountains. It was exciting though a little nerve-wrecking to think that in less than 24 hours, we would be running up those staggering slopes. We boarded our van for a jerky one-hour ride from Sapa Town to the Sapa Eco-Lodge, where the finish line would be. It was extremely beautiful scenery with perfectly sculpted rice terraces sloping down from the Lodge, and it gave us an idea of how exhilarating the finish would be. However, I wasn’t having a spectacular time as for some reason (probably due to the street food from the past 2 days), I was having the runs. We did not linger there too long, and travelled back to town immediately for some rest before the race. That evening, I sent Andre off for his 100km race.

The Race

I suppose it was the adrenaline but on the morning of, I felt pretty good despite having about 4 hours of sleep. Breakfast at the hotel was meagre, with a plain baguette and some butter and jam. It was a blessing in disguise that the chronically late Vince forgot to switch his clock one hour back. He had been up an hour too early, and met Danny and me out on the street just on time. After a 45-minute bus ride, we arrived at the race start. As usual I was too charged with adrenaline to be able to snooze. The race start was a track road flanked by hills. Many of us took off to empty our bowels in watermelon farm which everyone mistook to be a designated dumping ground thanks to a misleading “WC” sign (which we eventually realised pointed to proper sanitary facilities about 500m down a curved road).

Not long after, the race started with only a 5-minute delay (that is pretty punctual from experience). It started with a 2-3km hike upslope. We turned past a rubbish dump, and straight for a 3km downhill stretch. This stretch was strewn with huge and slippery rocks, and the runners were reduced to a single long trail, each and everyone single-mindedly focused on the task of not slipping on our bottoms. We had lost Danny by this point. The guy was too far ahead to be seen, which really impressed us as he had not trained in the months leading up to the race due to a foot injury. When I stopped to use retrieve my trekking poles (an amazing carbon fibre light-weight pair - a gift from Andre - that I soon realised were key to my survival in this race) from my hydration bag, I lost Vince as well. Having trained largely in a country where ‘off-road’ meant paved nature trails, I was really not used to this terrain. However, images of runners from the past year struggling here knee-deep in mud and terrorised by heavy rain did make me feel grateful for the wonderful sunny conditions under which we navigated this narrow trail.

Exiting this horrendous labyrinth, we found ourselves embarking upon more beautiful mountain scenery, where we confronted numerous switchbacks, hills adorned with wild herbs and flowers. When I was about 9 or 10km in, I ran into Danny and from there we kept a close distance to each other. However, I was feeling weak during the whole time - possibly due to the tiny breakfast (I am very much fuelled by what I eat), and the runs from the day before. To make matters worse, I could not stop sniffing. My nose was running like hell; I had not fully recovered from a bad cold I’d caught a week ago, and I felt awful. Nevertheless, I persevered on, distracting myself with thoughts of an early pre-20km race withdrawal, and a self-dignifiying image of myself attaining enlightenment on what was important in life - good health and a strong state of mind, not a mindless rat race to the end! This did not happen of course, but the thoughts did serve its purpose to distract me from my despair. 12km in, I remembered I had tailwind on me. God. How could I forget.. I took a swig; the miracle formula enriched me and I inched on towards the first checkpoint at the 14km mark.

There, I was happy to find Vince waiting. Danny caught up soon after. The villagers sold refreshments - soft drinks, bananas and sweets. I ran into some of the guys doing the 70km run here - runners from higher race categories never fail to impress upon me as a different breed of humans. They ran the bumpy terrain like I pounded the pavement from the MRT station to work, spurred on by my impending lateness at a meeting. After filling up my hydration pack, the 3 of us were off.

Whilst the feeling of lethargy had not left, I was feeling much more motivated having hit the first checkpoint. This next section was an interesting one where we followed an undulating road track which led to a beautiful karstic landscape. Here, the ground was awash with naturally sculpted white-grey limestone, spaced between little narrow streams that flowed within fissures widened from years and years of erosion. Here, it was extremely slippery and tricky. Runners would call this terrain “technical” (which basically means it’s not very runnable - people like to throw in some jargon now and then for the heck of it). Several people slipped and fell here and I remember this fellow racer who did, laughing, “Yeah, I get it now!” It was funny at that time because the landscape, though beautiful, did indeed feel punishing.

The trail then brought us running along the thin edges of the terraced paddy fields, where we had to keep our balance to prevent ourselves from falling headfirst into the flooded fields. This was fun and extremely scenic, but I found it extremely difficult to keep up due to my overpronation issue. A probable result of bad walking posture that accumulated over the years since my childhood, it has been difficult to correct the tendency of my feet to land, with more force than is efficient or safe, on the inner soles. This makes it difficult to keep my balance and run efficiently on bumpy and soft ground, and I felt like tipping over many times here. It definitely slowed me down, and I was overtaken by several runners at this point. After ungracefully pounding through the rice fields, I finally reached the road where we were drawn through several hills before we hit the second checkpoint at 20.5km.

Here and again, I met Vince who was lounging on a plastic chair and eating a banana. Apparently he had been there 10 minutes before me. The race volunteers were serving instant noodles, which I happily downed for all its warmth, salts and (some) carbs. We spent a bit too much time here chatting and filling up our hydration bags, and it was 15 minutes before we left the checkpoint. The road after was a 6km-long continuous uphill with >300m elevation gain. I actually felt really good from here on. Maybe it was the noodles and the MSG (hey, it’s not always a bad thing), but damn I felt on a roll. It took me 20.5km before I finally felt right again, and I definitely wasn’t about to quit now.

Even though it was all uphill, I really enjoyed myself at this stage. The months of training were paying off, as I scaled the mountains with a sense at last that I might prevail. I overtook several runners and luxuriously took in the breathtaking scenery, even snapping pics at one time on my iPhone (i never ever do that during races). Apart from several short downhills, it was just uphill all the way. I felt marvellous and while in pain, I was in control of that and could manage it. As compared to the weak tingling feeling I experienced earlier, this was a real boost. Vince (that guy overtook me again) was almost always within sight, while Danny was close behind me. It was a little over an hour by the time we got to the third checkpoint at 27km. I was thanking God at this stage for having brought me this far. This time, we were efficient with the checkpoint - we always learn this too late in the race! - spending just five quick minutes on a brief rest and filling up the hydration bag.

We were now led to a steep and continuous 7km of downhill route (total elevation loss of 400m). We broke into a run here. Though my ankles and legs were tired, I felt liberated from the non-stop uphill trudging and gave into speed. I probably overdid on the hard running at this stage, and promptly sprained my ankle on soft soil. This happened in the middle of a forest path, where there was a construction tractor digging up the soil (don’t ask me why). The two workers standing close by grimaced as I sprained my ankle, and kindly sat me down at a soft spot. Though it really hurt, I knew this wasn’t going to last for very long. My ankle had been weak since I sprained it years ago in school (during a soccer game). Spraining it during races seems to be a mainstay (it happened two years ago in Rinjani as well). Still, the two workers looked concerned, as did a group of Singaporean runners whom I’d overtook not long ago. I assured them I was fine, and would take a rest before going any further. After about 5 minutes of stretching, I felt fine again, bid my thanks and goodbye to the workers, and carefully continued my way to the next checkpoint. This period of stopping, resting and slow-walking after spraining my ankle slowed me down a lot, and probably affected my final timing quiet a bit. By the time I got to the fourth checkpoint, Vince was nowhere in sight. Nevertheless, I did not feel demoralised as I knew my aim was not to finish with an impressive race time, but to end in one piece within the cut-off time.

Crossing the final checkpoint at 34km, I arrived at a steep uphill forest track. This was at least a 40-degree incline. I wryly imagined congratulating the race organiser on a job well done for leaving the worst bit to the last, as I ascended the trail slowly with aching calves and crying quads. This was a punishing 300m ascent for 3 kilometres, with no break or downhill in between. I made a Vietnamese friend along this trail, who was also attempting this race for the first time. We continued together, and chatting about the race and why we were doing it lifted my spirits and egged me on harder. It felt like ages before we arrived at a pseudo, non-official checkpoint at 37km. I wasted no time here, and taking just the amount of water I needed, went straight to finish the remaining 5km.

From here on, it was a beautiful downhill run to the end. Just like UTA, the last 5k never feels like 5k. Winding down and around the never-ending switchbacks, I gave it my all - pounding the tarmac racing downhill even though my legs felt incapable of any further stress. I passed several on this final stretch. Though hills and villages on the other side were visible from the track, I simply could not make out where the finishing point, Sapa Eco-Lodge was. I gave up and focused single-mindedly on the objective to end the race. I was really proud of myself for persevering even though my legs felt like stinging lead - I had no clue where this energy and determination to push my battered body came from, but man I felt in control! During the very last few hundred metres, I crossed paths with finishers wearing medals around their necks, and knew I could not be too far off. A finisher warned me that a slight uphill lay ahead, but at that time I could not be arsed to worry about anything. I was so close to the end. Finally, the route took a slightly steep turn to the left, and lo and behold, I was confronted with a familiar row of manicured trees and country flags flanking both sides of the path. We were just here the day before checking out Eco-Lodge. This was exactly the last 100 metres or so of the race. I was feeling amazing - while completely battered - as I sprinted the final few metres past the finish line. 9:59 was my timing - Damn, just one minute to 10 hours. I know that I could have done better without the cold, and had I not felt hungry and weak at the start of the race. Still, I gave it my best shot given the circumstances and that was what mattered.

The first face I saw was Winnie’s, Danny’s wife, who cheered me into the stands. The sun seemed to be a few minutes from setting then, and was I glad to not have run into the night! Winnie told me Andre was not done yet, and we were still waiting for Danny. Vince was already there with his wife Charlene and 6-year-old daughter Sarah. I ran over to hug and congratulate him on finishing his first mountain race, and also pretty much out of this new-found sense of camaraderie of having suffered together, and seeing each other at our worst. (Though, yes, to be fair, he was mainly the one witnessing me ungraciously blowing my snot into my wrist buff throughout the race. I still claim that was done out of pure ethical reason - I could not and would not blow my snot onto the ground!) Sarah whispered conspiratorially to me, “I’m not supposed to tell you this but I got you flowers.” I didn’t think much about what she was talking about and simply chuckled in response because she looked so cute when she whispered.

Ten minutes after I crossed the finishing line, Andre did. There were tons of cheering and applause from the crowd as apparently - and I would find this out later - my boyfriend came in 6th place in the 100k category (18:46)! Rushing to meet him at the finish line, the familiar feeling of relief overwhelmed me. (Even though this was his 3rd 100km race, I still could not help but worry about his safety en-race.) We hugged briefly. I'd expected a longer and more affectionate embrace and then a beeline for hot food - as it usually turned out. However, he seemed fixated on one thing - getting a photo taken at a good spot before sundown. Puzzled but too tired to clarify, I followed his lead.

How I Got Engaged

By the time we found a scenic spot for photo-taking (which seemed the priority of the evening really), Danny had completed his race - turned out we all did within ten minutes of each other. Andre steered me to stand next to him, while our friends just stood on the other side taking pictures of us. Besides feeling completely exhausted and sweaty, I was really puzzled as to why we were the centre of attention. I thought we were supposed to take a group photo. I was also beginning to feel a little shy and self-conscious, even a little selfish as to be ‘grabbing’ all the good light before the sun set.

In the middle of all this photo-taking, Andre turned to me and said, “Thanks”. “For what?” Well, okay.. not quite sure what I did in the last 10 hours except suffer entirely for my own benefit.

“For everything.” Huh? Strange time to be so emotional.

Friends still snapping pics away on their phones, Andre suddenly did the completely unprecedented.

He got down on one knee, and holy moly it is happening. NOW? I feel so unprepared. I don’t even smell right. I am so effing tired.

All those thoughts completely arrested my response and when he said, “Will you marry me?” I stood there, stunned. Completely unprepared for this. I knew the proposal would take place at some point in time, but I just never thought it would be September 2016, Vietnam. This was a quick local race we would get into 2016 to obtain the remaining points each of us needed for our targeted races the following year. Of course, that was why he had been so anxious to get a “good spot for photos” right after completing a gruelling race. I just thought he would have proposed at some spectacularly romantic moment on my birthday that December, or perhaps even during the trip to New Zealand we would soon go at the end of the year with his family. I would be dressed up, looking worthy enough to promise a lifetime of marital bliss. Not covered in sweat, mud and not to mention, my snot (all ten hours’ worth). Then again, this is so typical Andre. Making me work and run 42km before I may manage to get engaged.

I realised I had been quiet far too long thinking these thoughts, when he nervously piped, “Uh, so will you?"

Feeling simultaneously unrehearsed and guilty for making him wait so long, I replied, “Of course!” The answer was always a yes, yes and a yes. Yet, the usually effusive person that I was had stumbled for a reply to this simple question, managing to fudge it up with such a fickle-sounding response, and even giving him the wrong hand to put the ring on (it is so unintuitive to reach your left hand out as a gesture of acceptance!). Even when the immensity of what had just happened - truly a life milestone - dawned upon me and triggered a twitch in my tear glands, no real tears could come to my eyes as I was truly dehydrated from 10 hours of racing. To hell with the picture-perfect proposal scenes you see on movies. This is real life!

Still, it was a truly beautiful scene. Where we stood, the mountains were serenely shrouded in blue mist behind us. Next to us were beautiful straw cottages. What a perfect setting for us both. And it was a quiet spot, with no one apart from our friends and ourselves. Our friends cheered and clapped as I accepted his proposal and ring. Sarah came up to me and gave me a lovely bouquet of flowers. Apparently some wits and charm had been deployed to acquiring those - she had gotten the rose from a restaurant manager by sweetly asking for it, while Charlene cleverly matched it with a bunch of small yellow wild flowers she’d retrieved from some bushes near her hotel. I later learnt that Winnie had safe-kept the ring from near the start of our time in Sapa - Andre had inconspicuously handed this to her through our adjacent balconies! - and nervously transported it from the hotel to the race finish point. I also later learnt from Andre that prior to asking my hand in marriage, he had tried to make a little speech (“Gen, you’re the one...”) - to which I had callously waved him off, saying “Can we leave that for later please?” (I recall looking very much forward to a shower at that time.)

That evening, heading back to our hotel on a very bumpy ride in the van, we joked about how both Andre and I nearly came close to giving up during the race, and how he would have then to come up with a Plan B. At the same time, I had so much to think about and to thank God for. For seeing me through the race in one piece, and for emerging victorious at the finish line not only with a finisher’s medal, but also with a new status as Andre’s fiancée. I felt proud, and marvelled at the determination of Andre and my friends who all did so well during the race. At the same time, a certain pride extended more deeply within, knowing I was now engaged to this beautiful, wonderful man. I guess I had never fully appreciated the weight of the terms “engagement” and “marriage” - having always viewed it as a rite of passage, some kind of mandatory process of social labelling - till that very evening, when I truly felt the simple significance of the little piece of metal (and very nice rock) secured to my finger.

In more ways than one, Vietnam 2016 will always be a sweet memory - of a race well run, and a very important engagement well made.