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healthbetold · 3 years

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SA vaccination call as lockdown hits another state

South Australian health officials urge more people to get COVID-19 vaccinations after a record week of vaccinations at state clinics as parts of Queensland are subject to a snapdown lockdown.

Photo: Tony Lewis / InDaily

Prime Minister Steven Marshall told reporters this morning that South Australia has a “good rate, an increasing rate” of vaccinations, but some people are having trouble booking appointments.

He said SA Health has set up pop-up supermarket stations in areas with lower vaccination rates where people can get help making appointments.

“We want to avoid a lockdown in South Australia,” he said.

“We put in some constraints that we think will help provide extra layers of protection, but the best people can do is take a test when they get sick or develop systems to make sure they use QR codes wherever they go so that they check in and thirdly – if they are authorized – go in and get vaccinated. “

Australia has the lowest vaccination rate of any advanced economy in the OECD, with only about five percent of the population fully vaccinated.

Shadow SA Health Secretary Chris Picton this morning accused Marshall of being dishonest in his comments on the introduction of the vaccine.

“Across the country we’ve had premieres talking about the really bad efforts we’ve seen on the vaccine program that puts us at the bottom of the OECD and, in the 120s, countries around the world for fully vaccinated people.” said.

“Still, here in South Australia, our Prime Minister Steven Marshall went out yesterday and said the introduction of the vaccine had been excellent.

“Of course it’s a race and other countries around the world are doing a lot better than us.”

Commonwealth government data released yesterday shows South Australia has so far administered 217,379 doses of vaccine in state clinics.

The data places South Australia behind NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA.

“We currently have about 67,000 doses in the state government’s supplies, according to data released by the Commonwealth government yesterday,” said Picton.

“A vaccine left in a state government refrigerator does not protect the community.”

But the chief public health officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, said last week SA Health vaccinated more than 33,000 people – the largest intake since the pandemic began.

She said the sites would increase their range of Pfizer vaccines and bookings.

“If we look at adults (in South Australia) – that’s 1.1 million – and our vaccination goal is 80 percent, well over a third of those people got their first dose,” she said.

“On average, around 25 percent of the population is eligible for vaccination.”

Spurrier said new evidence showed that the vaccines not only reduce disease severity and hospitalization rates, but also prevent people from becoming infected.

“When you become infected, it (the vaccine) stops transmission between you and another person,” she said.

“That is why we are so keen that everyone is vaccinated.”

It comes after the National Cabinet agreed yesterday to put in place a flawless compensation system that will allow GPs to administer AstraZeneca to all adults regardless of age.

Anyone willing to speak to their doctor about it can now get AstraZeneca vaccination, while Pfizer remains the vaccine of choice for those under 60.

Spurrier said she supported the decision.

“We need to make sure that the vaccine is available and accessible to everyone,” she said.

“Ultimately, with any drug, it is the patient’s choice and as long as they have had a solid discussion and understood the risks and once they have done this with their GP, it is really up to the individual to make that decision.

“I have no particular problem with this announcement.”

Two new coronavirus cases have been discovered in South Australia in the past 24 hours – a woman in their forties and a man in their fifties who have entered from overseas and are currently quarantined at a Medi-Hotel.

The couple are not related to each other.

There are currently eight active cases in South Australia.

“This means that while we are in a good position in South Australia, there is always a risk of transmission in a hotel. For this reason I will support the prime minister who says that vaccination is the best form of protection, ”said Spurrier.

It comes when the Queensland government announced this morning that the state’s southeastern, Townsville, and two islands would initiate a three-day lockdown after two new COVID-19 cases in the community.

The lockdown begins on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and will be lifted on Friday at 6 p.m. unless the situation worsens.

It includes residents of Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley, the Scenic Rim, Gold Coast, Townsville, Magnetic Island, and Palm Island.

Spurrier said she doesn’t want South Australia to be forced into the same situation.

“It’s so damaging, it’s damaging to our economy, it’s awful for us citizens of our state to have these lockdown orders,” she said.

SA enforces local restrictions

State Emergency Coordinator and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens signed a series of new local restrictions last night, which are expected to last for a week.

Masks:

Mask requirement in “high-risk situations” such as in hospitals and care homes for the elderly and the disabled

Mask requirement for people who offer personal care services such as hairdressers

Mask requirement in indoor areas with seating such as cinemas and theaters if their capacity is over 50%

Strongly recommended wearing a mask on public transport, including Ubers and taxis, or any other place where it is not possible to keep the required distance of one person per two square meters

Sealing caps:

A distance requirement of one person per two square meters in all locations

Licensed venues with 50 percent capacity (up from the previous 75 percent cap)

A cap for 150 people at private gatherings, including weddings and funerals

Maximum capacity of 75% in venues with seats

In inpatient elderly care facilities, where less than 70 percent of residents have received an initial dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a resident is limited to two visitors per day

Food and alcohol consumption:

Food and alcohol consumed indoors must be consumed in licensed locations

Common areas with food and drinks (e.g. buffets) are not permitted

It is not allowed to prepare food in a bar

Activities:

Dancing is not permitted in licensed venues

Singing is not permitted indoors unless the singers are playing or rehearsing or singing in an educational establishment

Shisha / Shisha is not allowed

A COVID Safe Plan is required for fitness, recreational and sports activities

Spurrier said the visitor limit on elderly care facilities was imposed in response to the introduction of the vaccine.

She said 89 percent of the state’s elderly care facilities were unaffected by the restriction as 70 percent of their residents were vaccinated.

“This is just one example of where we are moving nationally and also in South Australia,” she said.

“When we know we have high vaccination rates, we can easily make different decisions about such restrictions.”

Stevens told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning that limiting pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes to 50 percent of capacity would have the “greatest effect”.

“In the last few months we have worked with three employees per four square meters, which corresponds to about 75 percent of the capacity. So this is a reasonable step backwards for these companies and that will obviously have an impact, ”he said.

“The harsh reality is that we have a worrying situation in New South Wales, Queensland is of particular concern to Professor Spurrier and we are also seeing that the Northern Territory and Western Australia are also taking steps to control a possible outbreak there .

“I think it would be naive to expect that we avoided it completely.”

Stevens said authorities could not give an “absolute guarantee” that the restrictions would only last for seven days, but they were “hopeful” that the week-long deadline would give them enough time to see how other states are doing with theirs Circumvented COVID outbreaks.

“It’s a seven-day goal at this point and hopefully after that seven-day period we can go back to where we were 24 hours ago,” he said.

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Australian Hotels Association SA general manager Ian Horne told InDaily that he “estimated” the impact of the restrictions on the state’s economy would be on the order of $ 30 million.

He said the estimate is based on data from the Center of Economic Studies collected after the three-day lockdown last November.

“The cancellations were the same – we got calls from five-star hotels to caravan parks saying the bookings are just falling off,” he said.

“The immediate impact is on workers whose shifts are being cut or reduced, and this time they have no JobKeeper to fall back on.”

Meanwhile, Colin Shearing, CEO of South Australian Independent Retailers, said some supermarkets are already facing the depletion of toilet paper supplies caused by the return of panic buying.

He told InDaily that supermarkets currently have no shopping restrictions, but “that could change in a moment.”

“It’s just moronic behavior,” he said.

“At the moment there is no problem with the supply, but the problem is that the other states are blocked and we are only a small part of the market, of course South Australia will feel the effects as well.

“It’s not as bad as it was last year when we had a full lockdown, but it’s definitely noticeable.”

SA Pathology tested nearly 7,000 people yesterday.

– with AAP

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irarelypostanything · 7 years

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Leftover

Every week, I volunteered at the soup kitchen. The best thing about this was telling people I volunteered at the soup kitchen. It could have been in any conversation, maybe at work or maybe at the bar, when I’d tell everyone in earshot about the constant contributions I made to society.

But this story isn’t about the soup kitchen, and this story isn’t about me (actually it kind of is, but not entirely). This story is about David, a college student I met there. David was promising, intelligent, and...for reasons I will soon discuss...the reason I no longer volunteer at the soup kitchen.

Glide Memorial is located on Ellis street, within walking distance of Powell Station and surprisingly close to Ghirardelli Chocolate. You can actually see the neighborhood get poorer as you walk towards it, starting with the hotel where rich people stay and ending with the sidewalk where homeless people sleep. Outside it smells of piss and sweat, but inside is fairly decent.

We had all sorts of volunteers, mostly high school students filling in their mandatory hours, but occasionally we’d get a college student like Michelle. She had one of those last names that made it difficult to look her up on Facebook (not that I ever tried that).

I signed in at the front desk, glad to see that Michelle’s name was already down. I went through the usual motions. First was the handwash, which lasted however long it took to mentally sing “happy birthday” (I was probably one of the only people who followed this rule). Then came the gloves and hair net. Last, and this was my favorite part, I’d pick a random high school student and tell him to clear the sink for cooking. Clearly I looked older, so high school volunteers usually listened to me.

“Hey,” I said rudely, tapping the first person I could find on the shoulder, “mind washing these dishes? I need the sink clear.”

“Sure,” he said brightly. When he turned around to acknowledge me, I could see that he probably wasn’t a high school student at all. “I’m David, by the way.”

“Dan. Are you from a high school?”

“No, I’m a law student at the University of San Francisco. Why, are you?” I actually don’t know why he asked that. Obviously I wasn’t.

“I work at City Hall.”

“Doing what?”

“Data entry. Let’s go downstairs.”

“Didn’t you need the dishes cleared?”

“Nah.”

The upstairs of Glide Memorial is something of a mini-kitchen, but downstairs is where things really happen. There’s a much larger kitchen, adjacent to which is a serving queue. Past that are enough tables to serve 200 people, and they have a sign to confirm this.

The two of us started cooking. Somewhere there was a volunteer coordinator, but I didn’t bother to check.

Michelle was already here. Talking to her was my second favorite part, but that night she really hit it off with David. Oh my gosh, you go to USF, too? Wow, I’m also in the law school. Hey, we have the same professor! God, that midterm was so hard. Occasionally I’d interrupt to ask for a spatula or something, but that was pretty much it.

The interesting thing about staying in a large city is that you can do the same thing for years, but change will still happen around you. San Francisco was growing a lot. I don’t know if the change was good, and I’m not someone who likes to discuss my opinions at length.

Every time I returned to the soup kitchen to volunteer, the two of them would be talking. I would eavesdrop. David seemed to show no interest in her, romantically, and maybe it was his lack of interest that made them connect so well.

Seeing David every time was a change in routine...at first. But then it became the new routine, and time went on as it always had. Days were long. Weeks were short. Alongside Glide Memorial and Netflix and all the other random things I did on the Internet, work continued on. Everyone at the office was always really bored, but our boss understood where we were coming from. She let us listen to music as we worked and pretty much take breaks whenever we wanted. In fact, if I remember correctly, the job description originally said “Note: This job is really, really boring.”

Eventually there was a change, and maybe I should have seen it coming.

I don’t want to disappoint you by saying that something big happened between David and me. To be frank, almost nothing happened at all. It’s the fact that something almost happened that made me decide to avoid David altogether from that day on.

We agreed to go drinking after our shift one night, something that already struck me as different. I didn’t even know if he was of legal drinking age, but I honestly didn’t care if he wasn’t.

He said he was short on cash, so we just bought some IPA at Walgreens and drunk at the park. It was that tiny little park, the one across the street from City Hall where we held a rally so many years ago. In my mind’s eye, I saw myself in high school climbing to the roof of a nearby storage container with my friends. I remember wondering where all of them were now.

He didn’t say a word the whole time we sat there. It was the first time we really hung out at all.

“Where’s your car?” he finally asked, when we were done.

“I don’t drive.”

“Why not? Do you not have a license?”

“I do, I just don’t really like being behind the wheel.”

“My car’s nearby. I can drive you home.”

It didn’t sound like a bad idea at the time. David had had two, maybe three beers at the most. I was the one was actually kind of drunk, and riding in a car sounded a lot better than riding Muni.

It was night, and it was getting kind of late.

When you drive someone, there’s a universal rule that you’re supposed to play upbeat, mainstream music. Ideally you should have these songs on a playlist, but if you must use the radio then it has to be an upbeat, mainstream channel that preferably can be categorized as “easy listening.”

David did the opposite. He must have had a CD called “disturbing music,” because that’s all I heard. First it was “Climbing up the Walls,” the least upbeat Radiohead song I knew.

We were slowly edging out of downtown and making our way to the freeway. His speed increased considerably when he merged onto it; he was one of those drivers. I enjoyed looking out the window because Muni was underground. You pass all sorts of houses when you put enough distance from downtown, and they’re not nice. This is the part of San Francisco you’ll never see on a poster, or a Woody Allen movie, or the website background on one of those emerging tech companies.

He played “Goodbye,” by Apparat. Hearing the song for the first time was...an experience. I never figured out if it was about depression, rape, or both, but the tune was chilling enough for either subject.

He was going about 90. He still hadn’t spoken for the entire ride, which seemed out of character for him.

“If you were to die right now,” he said, as if that were a normal way to break the ice, “how would you feel about your life?”

“What?”

We seemed to slide the slightest bit toward the lane of oncoming traffic, but I thought I was only imagining it.

“Have you seen ‘Fight Club’?”

“No.”

Okay, so maybe he was just making a reference. I didn’t want to think about this. There were some things on my mind, probably small, but I wanted to go home and think about them.

Not a minute later, he pulled the stunt again. This time, it was clear that he was edging toward the wrong lane. But just as quickly he brought the car back, swerving, and the combined movement was so fast I didn’t even have time to shout.

“What are you doing?” I tried to sound angry, but didn’t. It’s like I was dreaming.

“Do you want to die, Dan? Every time we talk, you tell me that you want to die.”

Did I? Maybe I had mentioned things like this before, but I was only joking.

“I joke around a lot. I don’t want to die.”

“You constantly tell me that life is meaningless.” Hm...he had a point there. I definitely said that to him on occasion, and we had been talking for months.

“I didn’t mean that I wanted to die, and I was kidding!” I really was. My way of joking was by saying things that were bleak, constantly. He’s the one who took me too seriously.

“No no no,” he said, and the car was picking up speed, “you’re right. You understand. There’s no reason to live. Everyone is going to die. Why not get on with it?”

My head was still throbbing, and the car’s speed didn’t help a bit. I tried to think of something intelligent to say but my head still hurt. “No one wants to die. Really.” I emphasized that last word, like I was pleading.

“Everyone wants to die,” he said. “They just haven’t realized it yet.”

“I don’t want to die,” I said.

“Yes you do. I can tell.”

“What about the person you hit? What if they don’t want to die?”

“We’ll hit a truck. They’ll be fine.”

This time I grabbed the wheel, and I held it steady. He didn’t provide much resistance. He probably wanted the car crash to involve only a few people.

I didn’t really know that much about this guy. I guess I sort of made up a person, called him David, and then didn’t give it another thought.

My adult community service club held weekly meetings, and all of our officers spoke very highly of David. Here he was, this ambitious, bright new member who seemed like he could really bridge the gap between our older members and our younger ones. We started to talk a little bit about his background, but at that point he was just another person. He was a person, but he was still just another person.

“David,” I said, still guiding the wheels, “what is it you think you’re doing?”

“Oh my God,” he said. The car began to slow, but not so much that it was dangerous.

“Exit here and let me off as soon as you can,” I said. I couldn’t believe my luck. It’s like he was in a trance for a few minutes and was just now snapping out of it.

“Okay,” he said.

He offered to finish taking me home, but I said I would call an Uber. He seemed to understand. He reacted the way a driver might react if I just realized his car was unsafe, or he wasn’t actually licensed. He also looked scared, and even after all this time I can’t make sense of what happened. Is he like two people? Was he possessed by one thought in one instance?

“Dan?” he asked me, uncertainly.

“Yeah?”

“Please don’t tell anyone about this.”

“I won’t.” And I didn’t.

There’s this really shitty coffee shop about two blocks from City Hall. The coffee isn’t great and I don’t trust the neighborhood, but the owner is nice and there’s rarely many other people there. So I can think.

I would use their wi-fi and for a long time, I would just check in on David. I didn’t follow or friend him on anything, at any point, but I still felt like I knew him from this. I could trace his steps.

And he seemed fine. I can’t think of any other way to put it.

I started volunteering at the SF Marin Food Bank, instead of the soup kitchen. It’s the same idea, only the coordinators are way nicer and you don’t have many interactions with people.

I received no indication that anything with David was wrong, and three years passed. He’s still fine.

So I just went back to my life, and he went back to his, and that was that.

#short story #fiction

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rachelmorris305 · 7 years

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The Blog Societies Conference Recap

Earlier this month I attended The Blog Societies 5th Annual Conference (AKA #TBSCon), which was held in Chicago. I joined The Blog Societies, a blogger community, back in January and I’m so glad I did. I’ve been able to network with so many others bloggers and takeaways tips to help grow this little side hustle of mine. Now, I haven’t been to a blog conference since LuckyFABB back in 2012! But this conference was so much better than that. I honestly never pictured myself still blogging in 2017 but it’s amazing to look back on where I started and how far I’ve come.

I thought I would share with you all a little recap of the weekend because it was filled with so many great moments.

The Blog Societies Conference was set to begin early Thursday evening so I hopped on a plane earlier that same morning. I coordinated with my blogger friend and conference roomie, Victoria of ViciLoves, so we could Uber together to the hotel. We arrived a couple hours before scheduled check-in and since it was Lollapalooza weekend, we knew it was going to be crazy so we checked our luggage and headed out for lunch. We went to Lou Malnati’s for lunch with Tara of Lace & Grace so we could enjoy a slice (or four) of some deep-dish pizza! Continuing on our tourist checklist, we wanted to go to Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) to see spectacular views of the city from the 103rd floor and take some photos on the glass balcony. From there we headed back to the hotel to get our room keys and get ready for the evening.

Our conference was being held at The W Chicago Lakeshore. I haven’t stayed in a W property in quite some time but as soon as we walked into the hotel lobby, I remembered why I love this hotel so much. The rooms are very modern and chic, and the beds are SO comfortable!

Once we had freshened up, we headed to the Welcome Party at Sugar Factory hosted by Vera Bradley. Have you ever been to Sugar Factory? It’s basically an eatery meets candy shop and the food, drinks and décor are very over-the-top. They had huge flat screen TVs with photos and video of the Kardashians on loop. They must have equity in this company, right? I just got word they are opening a location in Pentagon City for my DMV locavores. Anyways, I had a cocktail that tasted like the children’s cough medicine, Dimetapp, and it was surprisingly delicious. They had some tasty little hors d’oeuvres and more over-the-top cocktails you could choose from (if I recall correctly, they even had a drink with a lollipop as a garnish). From there, a small group of us headed to dinner at The Hampton Social so we could snap more photos of the “Rose All Day” sign.

Friday morning was jam packed with workshops that bloggers pre-selected at registration. I was super excited for my workshops, which included learning the basics of running your blog like a business, tutorials on Tailwind for Pinterest and Instagram, and Lightroom photo editing tips and tricks. Each workshop went by so quickly but my notebook was filled with great tips and takeaways that it only left me hungry for more workshops!

Marc Fisher hosted lunch on Friday (only the “it” shoe line right now that every blogger is obsessed with). We hopped on a bus and headed to The Boarding House. Lunch off-site was great because I was able to mingle with some new bloggers, learn more about Marc Fisher’s fall collection and indulge in some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

We arrived back at The W for the Interactive Networking and Gifting Suite. The TBS founders weren’t kidding when they said we would need some extra luggage space! My Vera Bradley duffle bag (gifted) was filled to the brim with goodies from brand sponsors. Marc Fisher gave us a pair of the cutest gold slides, Physicians Formula passed out the latest makeup products, Charming Charlie revealed its new Kendall and Kylie accessory collection, it felt like Christmas! Aside from the free gifts, it was great to have some face-to-face time with brands I’ve followed and hope to work with in the future. Another fun highlight—Lauren James had a legit donut wall!

Our agenda for Saturday was filled with great blogger and brand speakers. I learned how to introduce travel content into my blog thanks to A Southern Drawl and Shop Dandy. I was most excited for the keynote speaker, Rachel Martino, who shared her story of how she turned her passion into a career. I was able to chat with her in person and she was very humble and sweet. During her presentation, she admitted she was not an overnight success and it was hard work and consistency that got her to where she is today—a great reminder for micro bloggers like myself.

We also listened to Brittany of Lawyer Cookbook speak about the latest FTC Guidelines and contracts with us. Hands down, Brittany is the best motivational speaker I’ve witnessed in-person. She really knows how to light up the room. It was really refreshing to hear another blogger explain how important it is to value the time you put into your business (whether it’s a blog or not) and work with brands that also value your time.

Our closing session was a brief panel discussion with some of the leading brand sponsors of the event. It was great to hear their honest thoughts on collaborating with bloggers and how we can work together on projects that are mutually beneficial.

Before Vici and I left for the airport, we made one more touristy stop at Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate (aka the big bean!). I actually was lucky enough to see this last year when I came to Chicago last summer but it was nice to see it again and take more photos.

Special thanks to The Blog Societies founders Cathy and Jessica for organizing such a great event. My previous full-time gigs first exposed me to the work that goes into hosting conferences, and trust me it is no easy feat. I am thoroughly impressed with such a well put-together event and I am definitely planning to attend next year!

Photography by Julie Kennedy

If you’re a blogger or have any questions about my experience at this conference, feel free to ask! If you’re not currently a member of The Blog Societies community, learn more here!

Source Politics of Pretty

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theofficialcurlybae · 7 years

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I recall sending out my final texts to all of my loved ones prior to making this trip to Haiti. I was super excited. I must have packed and unpacked a million times. Thinking of all the amazing food that I will eat. All the great places I would see! The great people I would meet. “It was discerning when I got replies back such as, “HAITI! WHYYYY?”

Uhm??? Why not? Before, I would have let that scare me away from venturing another country.

I was freaking out if I had the right clothes, if I had enough bug spray. If I had the right shoes. I started packing a month before the trip.

I have NEVER in my life thought about visiting Haiti. With the stigma people placed on Haiti, I was a bit apprehensive. But living in America, I have had the pleasure of actually having conversations with Haitians, and regardless of the living conditions, they beam with pride talking about their island.

I thought to myself, how can I judge an entire country, without ever actually being there, let alone have a conversation with a Haitian.

Even before hitting the plane, I noticed a trend in the Haitians that I have met. They are caring, loving, and uphold strong values. They work together, love to help others, and have love for ALL people regardless of their background.

Eveline, the coordinator, was so sweet. She went out of her way to give us gifts for our trip. We all got journals which came in handy for me. They all had a personalized message and pages of inspiration and pictures. It was so thoughtful and cute!

June 15, 2017: The Commute

I’ve learned, when there is a will there is a way. When we got to Ft. Lauderdale, we had many bags filled with donations. Because the bags were overweight, we may have had to leave some bags behind. With only 20 minutes to be checked in, we had to figure it out.

As we panicked, Natalie and Eveline were a little too calm. Natalie said, we can figure it out and at least try. We threw the heavy donations in the trash and stuffed our carry ons as much as possible. Luckily, we were able to get through with 2/3 of the donations and our flight was delayed so it bought us some more time.

It was a long day! We left our homes at 11pm. Then we drove to Fort. Lauderdale, got there at 3:30. We made it to Port-au-Prince at about 7ish. We didn’t make it to the hotel in La Gonave until about 3pm. We haven’t been to sleep since the day before the trip because we all had to go to work. We were all beat, but our day had just begun.

So let’s rewind a bit, now that I gave you the jist.

We finally got on the plane, and of course, I got my window seat and I was knocked out! When I woke up we were just about to land. Then I heard a loud cheer! Clapping, rooting, laughter, happiness. WHAT?

They were celebrating life! They acknowledged the pilot for getting us safely to Haiti. To show their appreciation EVERYONE clapped and cheered as we landed. Even being on the plane was a party in itself.

Once we landed in Port- au- Prince, we met with Marven, Donald and Mr. Lucus (Eveline’s dad.) We put our luggage in the kanté (bus).

Eveline, Marven, and Jasmine ready for this 3 hour drive.

This is actually a tap tap

We got comfy, it was a long ride to the dock where we had to catch the boat. Immediately I noticed that Haiti had many untouched roads, really good drivers, and raw beauty!

MOUNTAINS EVERYWHERE! COLORFUL HOUSES! BEAUTIFUL, RICH LANDSCAPES! My jaw dropped!

I can’t believe I was this close to this structure.

Haiti is rich in soil. All of their plants are rich in color and fragrance. Unlike anything I have ever seen!

The water looks like something out of a magazine!

After our three hour drive, we finally made it to the dock. This was another hour ride on a speed boat! This was my first time ever being on one. It was hard to fight off the motion sickness, but the view was too breathtaking to miss out. I certainly, sucked it up in fear of missing out!

We finally made it to this rustic hotel. Old school flavor. I thought to myself, WOW, I bet this is what St. Kitts looked like for my mom when she was growing up. I felt as though I took a ride in a time machine.

Look it! A pay phone! When was the last time you saw this?

Waiting to be checked in to my room.

We were able to eat lunch and take a 15 minute nap before heading out to our first mission. I finally got to my room that I shared with Amanda. I wanted to hurry and take a bath so that I could sleep.

First thing I realized… NO HOT WATER!!!! WHAT? This is a common thing in Haiti. This helped me learn to conserve water and take shorter baths. I immediately missed home. In my mind, I just expected at least warm water. To Haitians, warm water is not missed because it is not normal to have.

Now, I somehow managed to shower without getting hyperthermia and I was pooped! I wound up oversleeping and missed the kanté to the church. Amanda, Sandra, and I were left behind. We were offered a ride by the hotel staff, but not a ride I expected.

I got my first experience on a 4 wheeler to the church! I was low-key happy that we missed it! Because….

That happened. I feel like I was in a scene of a movie.

Later I learned that 4 wheelers, mopeds, and other motor bikes were used as a form of taxi. I thought that was pretty clever. If you needed some extra cash, you don’t need an uber app. You just need your bike and a licenses! Pretty dope!

We finally got to the church for the award ceremony. The ceremony is something that Pathway to Hope put together to honor 10 schools that had exceptional students and honor the teachers & principals as well.

I thought it was pretty cool. The kids felt accomplished and teachers and principals felt appreciated! We help build morale in a place where these ceremonies are rare! It felt amazing.

It urged them to want to do better. It was really cool because even 2 days later, the students were still wearing their medals! They were so proud. I felt a little tug on my heart. I thought to myself, “mehn, I did this. We did this.” In America, we tend to take simple things like this for granted and here are these students and staff overly joyed for the simple recognition.

We came back and ended the evening with some reflection and an amazing meal. MY FIRST HAITIAN DINNER! I was too psyched…and hungry! It was a great feeling. I also had my first Haitian rum. Just a shot, for the culture. 😉

Twas a great day. I slept so hard.

I learned a few things that day:

I am able to adapt to uncomfortable situations for the sake of necessity.

I can appreciate a gift of thought over a gift of great expense.

I’ve learned to not prejudge a person or a place due to what others may perceive, especially if they’ve never visited themselves.

Do not take pictures of the natives. I learned the hard way. Then I put myselves in their shoes, how would I feel if someone came to St.Thomas and took pictures of me. It’s not that I have never seen Haitian people. I was admiring the beauty of the culture, but I could understand why they felt that way. Many people come to that island in hopes to “exploit” the poor living conditions. Yes. There is some poverty, but Haitians are rich in more ways than money. They are resourceful, have natural beauty, a sense of community and values. They know the true meaning of life. Something that many would never understand because the race for fame and riches is in the way.

On this trip, I broke many misconceptions of the island. I’ve become more respectful to other cultures. There I was, drunk with a sense of entitlement that I’ve never earned. I came to this country and was welcomed with open arms.

This was only the beginning. Stay tuned for the rest of the trip! And remember….

DREAM BIG. TAKE CHANCES. AND NEVER STOP LEARNING.

We are CurlyBae

Besos,

CurlyBae

My Breathtaking First Day on my Missionary Trip to Haiti I recall sending out my final texts to all of my loved ones prior to making this trip to Haiti.

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envirotravel · 7 years

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We Solemnly Swear We Are Up To No Good: A Harry Potter Bachelorette Party at Universal Orlando

One thing I’ve been hearing from you guys is that you want to hear more about my current travels right after they happen. Well, ask and ye shall receive! I’m jumping in to start sharing some posts from Florida and Tennessee, a trip so fresh I just unpacked from it. This post is brought to you by Universal Orlando Resort.

If there is one wedding trend you will never hear me grumble about, it’s destination bachelorette parties. A chance to get away with a group of my best gal pals? Sign me up! Let’s face it — the opportunities for girlfriend getaways are fewer and far between as time goes on, families get started and responsibilities pile up. So I’m all for making the most of indulgent time away well we can.

Plus, you know I can’t pass up an opportunity to raid the closest arts supply store! If my girl Angie’s Bachelorette Bonanza in Bonaire was any indication, it’s not a Wanderland-stamped bachelorette bash unless it’s replete with crafted and curated goody bags and coordinating outfits.

When I first told our dear family friend Ashlee that I was working with Universal Orlando for the year, she nearly fainted with excitement at the mere thought of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Not long after, she got engaged. My travel-idea wheels started turning, and soon a Harry Potter Bachelorette Party for Ashlee, my sister Olivia and I was born.

Both girls arrived on a Friday afternoon, and we spent a low-key evening enjoying dinner and girly giggles at the Royal Pacific Resort. I’d had a big week at Volcano Bay, and so I was thrilled we were having an early night in to prepare for the big day out ahead!

While we had a few delays in the morning and weren’t the first ones banging down the gates at opening time, we did take advantage of the extra hour of park admission for onsite hotel guests. We were visiting on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, so crowds should have been crushing. But by planning out our route and taking advantage of onsite guest perks, we really did make the most of our visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

My advice? Check to see which parks have early admission — on this particular day, only Islands of Adventure did. (Remember, Hogsmeade is in Islands of Adventure, while Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios, and they are connected by the Hogwarts Express ride. Thus, a park hopper pass is required to visit both in one day.) So we started our day in Hogsmeade, and rode all three rides there as soon as we arrived, waiting only for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey — which in retrospect, we totally should have sprinted to first out of the three rides, since it’s the only one that doesn’t accept the Express Passes that we received included in our stay at Royal Pacific.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is definitely the standout of Hogsmeade, and it truly left me speechless! Dragon Challenge is a traditional crazy coaster that you could ride twice and have two totally different experiences, and the Flight of the Hippogriff is a more family-friendly roller coaster.

Once we had all the rides under out belt, we wandered in and out of the beautifully themed shops, took a million photos, and giggled while Ashlee did spells. While neither Olivia nor I are huge Harry fans — though believe me, it’s growing on me! — we seriously were having a blast and loving how much fun Ashlee was having.

“Is this what it’s like to be parents?,” Olivia mused, as we watched Ash waving her wand around with huge smiles. While I’m normally not much of a souvenir-buyer, wands are an absolute must for the true Potter-head. They allow you to perform spells at mapped locations all over the Wizarding World!

While this was my third trip to Universal Orlando, I had never truly experienced Hogsmeade before, so it really was a blast for me. After a Butterbeer toast to seal the morning, we were off on the Hogwarts Express — which again, thanks to our Express Passes, magically had no line!

And after a whirl on the world’s only inter-theme park ride, we arrived in Diagon Alley! I was so excited to see the girl’s reactions to this truly magical place, one of the greatest themed lands I’ve ever seen in any theme park anywhere in the world.

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts was down temporarily, so we wandered the alleys doing more spells, splitting an ice cream, and checking out all the fab little shops and details.

Throughout the day, we were overwhelmed with super sweet and sincere compliments from Universal employees on our outfits, and Harry Potter glasses specifically. Considering they’ve seen it all, we were pretty dang proud of ourselves. The best part was, since I’d had to order an eight pack, we had extras to hand out to strangers who asked us about them — so fun!

Next up, it was time for a lunch — and air-conditioning! — break at The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar in CityWalk. I’d heard raves about this spot and while we were all boring and ordered (super delicious) salads and soda waters, I am totally coming back some night for their craft cocktails and signature Burgushi®.

After lunch, we headed back into Islands of Adventure to hit my favorite area of Universal Orlando… Seuss Landing! The girls humored me with spins on both The Cat in The Hat (which I’d been on before) and theThe High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride (which I hadn’t.) Neither had more than a two minute line.

Turns out the train ride has some of the best photography vantage points in the entire park — it’s so cool to see it all from above! So whether you’re a Seuss fan or not, if you’re coming with a camera you might just want to hop aboard for a spin.

After, we headed for my favorite ride in the park — Jurassic Park River Adventure. At this point, the late afternoon holiday weekend crowds were at their peak, so we decided to head back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and a nap before the rest of the day.

My big regret of the trip? Not taking the girls on my beloved Hulk coaster and not trying out the two water rides, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls and Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, when it was blazing hot! Sure, we could have fit it all in if we’d stayed in the park from open to close, but with a long weekend of fun ahead, we chose to pace ourselves — which is the exact reason I’d recommend travelers invest in at least a three day park-hopper pass so they don’t burn out while trying to enjoy all Universal Orlando Resort has to offer (which is, if you haven’t picked up on it already, a lot.)

Thankfully, by the time the sun set we were well rested for a night on the town — the town, in this case, being Universal’s CityWalk! One of my favorite things about a Universal vacation is you don’t have to get in a car once if you don’t want to.

You can eat, stay, play all in one compact, well-connected resort without fussing with rental cars, cabs, or Ubers. It actually makes it the perfect bachelorette bash port of call — between the security checks into CityWalk, the free water taxis back to the onsite hotels, and the peace of mind of keeping everyone in one place in a big group, you really couldn’t ask for a more worry-free destination for a girl’s night out.

CityWalk is bursting with dining options, which made it hard to narrow down our dinner reservations, though we finally settled on Antojitos for a festive Mexican meal. It did not disappoint! The modern and colorful interiors left us swooning — table for three in a birdcage? yes please! — and the menu left us drooling.

Don’t miss the ginger mojitos or the fresh guacamole made to your specifications right at the table!

After dinner, we rushed back into the park for Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, which we literally sprinted to when I read on the Universal App had reopened! With late summer hours, you really can make the most of your day — and night. Diagon Alley looks totally different at the dark, which made the ride being closed earlier in the day actually feel like a blessing in disguise. We got on what must have been one of the very last runs of the evening, and exited right as the nightly fireworks were going off. Talk about timing.

After, we strolled back into CityWalk ready to dance — and sing. We kicked things off at my personal favorite venue, Rising Star Karaoke, where you can croon with a live backup band and backup dancers. Unfortunately we arrived right as the band went on a lengthy break so the girls didn’t really get to experience Rising Star in all it’s glory, but our friendly waiter conceded that on a busy weekend you really need to arrive at opening to have a good chance of singing, anyway.

After a few drinks and sing-alongs, we were off to check out CityWalk’s two nightclubs, The Groove and Red Coconut Club. As very dedicated researchers, we did a thorough comparison of both — and while the dancefloors were packed and we had a blast at each, Red Coconut won out as our favorite for the retro kitsch decor (The Groove was more general-Myrtle-Beach-nightclub in comparison.) Both were totally unpretentious, with an all-age crowd all just looking to have a good time. And if you’re staying onsite, you’ll get free entry to every CityWalk venue by showing your room key — so why not check out both?

Not so much for the club scene? There are also some great bars in CityWalk — Bob Marley–A Tribute to Freedom has great live music (and Jamaican specialities on the dinner menu), Pat O’Brien’s boasts dueling pianos (and cajun food), and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville has, well, a margarita-filled erupting volcano (and cheeseburgers in paradise, duh).

CityWalk’s last call is 2am, but make sure you close out your tab a bit earlier to grab late night slices at the Red Over Pizza Bakery. We took them to-go and hopped on the last water taxi of the night back to Royal Pacific, which turned out to be one of my favorite moments of my entire eight days in Orlando. Why?

When we boarded the boat, I noted that the professional young captain was a girl around our age. The only other group on the boat was another crew of ladies coming back from a big night out. As we pulled away from the dock, the captain wordlessly turned on a speaker and started blasting Madonna’s classic hit Lucky Star. When she started busting some serious dance moves at the wheel, we excitedly began belting backup from out seats. We might not have made it onstage at Rising Star, but the boat become our grandstand, the seven of us aboard rocking out for a one-song headline.

When we docked, we laughed and thanked our lovely captain for an unimaginably perfect ride home. “Well, I figured it was just us girls,” she said with a wink.

Just us girls indeed! It was the perfect day at the parks, and a bachelorette for the books.

What’s the best destination you’ve discovered for a bachelorette weekend?

This post is brought to your by Universal Orlando Resort. I am a member of the Universal Blog Squad, and have been compensated for this partnership. I maintain full editorial control and as always all thoughts, opinions, and over-ambitious craft projects are my own.

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We Solemnly Swear We Are Up To No Good: A Harry Potter Bachelorette Party at Universal Orlando posted first on http://ift.tt/2k2mjrD

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buildercar · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://www.buildercar.com/sera-trimbles-rise-to-the-top-of-the-ranks-of-stunt-driving/

Sera Trimble’s Rise to the Top of the Ranks of Stunt-Driving

Sera Trimble isn’t trying to scare me, but she does.

By stomping a Lamborghini Huracán Spyder’s V-10 and flinging the wheel, she kicks out the tail abruptly in a plume of dust. I’m scoping her technique from the passenger seat before directing her in a video shoot, and despite the raucous, pebble-launching powerslides in a $300,000 car on a dirt road, the petite driver remains eerily calm.

Trimble, it turns out, is one of the last humans on Earth to warrant concern. As one of Hollywood’s most sought-after stunt drivers, her skill set has navigated her through a labyrinth of peculiar automotive scenarios. She’s jumped a ’72 Chevelle, drifted an Infiniti on polished concrete within inches of actors, steered, accelerated, and braked from the footwell of a Subaru while a dog “drove,” dodged explosions in a Camaro, maneuvered a Kia while wearing a hamster suit, and launched a Porsche 928 onto a dock that collapsed into a lake. The drifting-a-Lambo-on-a-dirt-road thing? Essentially a nonevent.

This particular driver embodies every automotive-obsessed personality trait you’d expect, despite the usual stereotypes associated with XX chromosomes. Case in point: She outfitted her Los Angeles home with a Gulf-liveried kitchen and a Martini Racing-themed bedroom and is more likely to chitchat about weight distribution and suspension mods than shopping or fashion. But in the grand scheme of things, the car bug took some time to mature.

Trimble must assume any number of appearances such as a hamster for Kia, a character on TV’s “The Goldbergs,” and as a stunt double for Oscar-nominated actress Ruth Negga.

She was born 80 miles north of Seattle in the tiny town of Sedro-Woolley an unspecified number of years ago. (Like many a Hollywood player, she prefers not to disclose her age.) A deep-seated automotive iconography is embedded in her psyche, including an irrational attraction to ’66 Sting Rays, a warm spot for the Jaguar E-type hearse from “Harold And Maude,” and a self-proclaimed giggle reflex triggered by big-bore muscle cars. But the serious signs didn’t manifest until later. Her first car, a Nissan Pulsar NX with seafoam green paint, was simply an escape vehicle from her parents and a way to make a few bucks in high school by delivering pizzas. After two years at art school and a job at Blockbuster, she valet parked cars at a Seattle hotel. Spoiler alert: True love, no matter how circuitous its path, eventually wins.

“I drove everything,” she recalls, “then I started having feelings about everything.” Darting between parking structure pillars revealed handling quirks, and opinions of cars were quickly polarized. That black-on-black Land Rover Discovery she coveted? Its lazy turning radius burst the bubble. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class? Surprisingly nice lumbar support. Any Dodge Neon? Don’t get her started.

“If you say, ‘I think there’s a better way we could do this,’ no matter who it offends, you live with someone being pissed off and not putting someone in the hospital.”

And then, the fate-shifting moment: Director Doug Taub, in town shooting a Lincoln commercial, happened to spot Trimble as she whipped cars around at the valet. “Have you ever thought about driving for a living?” he asked her. “What do you mean?” she answered, pointing to the valet stand. “Look at all these cars I drive for a living.”

Based on her facile maneuvering (and perhaps aided by her quick wit), Taub offered her a gig as a production assistant so she could dip her toes in the precision-driving business. Sensing an opportunity for change (and admitting to herself that her art education wasn’t doing her any good as a valet anyway), she paid a friend $40 to cover for her on a Saturday. “When I think back,” she recalls, “that $40 was the best possible career investment I’ve had to this day. I’m glad he covered that shift because it was totally life-changing.”

As with any rise, Hollywood or otherwise, success was anything but overnight. She kept in touch with the crew she worked with, and nearly a year later in summer 2007 she moved to Los Angeles and started working as a runner on commercials. Although fixed on her goal of being a driver, she methodically learned how a set worked: who was in charge, who (in her words) kissed whose ass, and how the puzzle pieces of hierarchy fit together. More crucially, she observed what made an exceptional driver, why top drivers demand respect, who hires them, how they save the production money, and why they never seem to complain. Before long she met acclaimed stunt driver Brent Fletcher, who heard she wanted to drive. “I don’t want to sleep with anyone to do it,” she announced, when asked about her aspirations. “I’ve only been in L.A. for a few months, but I’m beginning to understand that that’s an actual way people get work here. I want to get hired one day because I’m really good at what I do. I don’t want to hook up with some producer, and he gives me two jobs as a stunt driver, and everyone thinks I’m an effing joke.”

Leveling with Fletcher laid the foundation for a career-long friendship and mentorship. “When I knew that driving was all I wanted to do,” she remembers, “I never wanted to be on set and have an excuse that I couldn’t do what I was there to do.” That meant investing heavily in driver training, diverting much of her earnings into instruction over the next several years. She attended schools from virtually every major automaker—BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-AMG—as well as every conceivable type of course—Skip Barber, Bridgestone Winter Driving, Team O’Neil, and Dirtfish rally schools.

Trimble enjoys some rare time behind the wheel of one of her own cars, a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera with extensive suspension modifications.

The pressure of stunt driving can be immense, and the expectations — especially for a woman — are often crushingly anachronistic. For instance, the common request for Ken Block-like maneuvers must be tempered by a realistic portrait of the vehicle and conditions in question. In other words, a director who thinks a Chevy Cruze can pirouette in a cloud of smoke might need to rearrange his or her expectations. “The fact of the matter is if you seriously, seriously hurt someone, you have to live with that forever,” Trimble says. “If you say, ‘I think there’s a better way we could do this,’ no matter who it offends, you live with someone being pissed off at you and not putting someone in the hospital.” Also unsurprising is the tendency for some directors to be naturally biased against female drivers. If told a certain maneuver can’t happen, some directors “don’t want to hear it. They look at me like I’m a hack, like I’m a girl, obviously I don’t know how to drive, I can’t make it work, and I’ve wasted their whole day.”

On Preferred make of stunt car: “Any car with brakes. You really take brakes for granted, they boil over, and you almost go over the mountain or into a helicopter or camera-car crane.”

Ensuring she can deliver on her promise of automotive acrobatics requires vigilant attention to detail and exhaustive spatial awareness, often without the luxury of advanced preparation or in-depth rehearsal. Drifting the Infiniti around those actors on polished concrete was particularly stressful. Grip levels changed constantly because fresh rubber was laid down with each take, which could dramatically alter the car’s handling characteristics. Upping the X factor was the repositioning of actors and lights between takes, requiring on-the-fly recalibrations of turn-in and apex points. Some 17 takes later, the director was eventually satisfied and called, “Wrap!” Trimble recalls the aftermath: “I was so mentally exhausted, when I got home I couldn’t even feed myself. My brain just turned off because I had to focus so hard and couldn’t change anything.”

Maintaining a routine is essential when it comes to prolonged concentration. If Trimble takes a bathroom break and someone has reset her seating position because the car had to be moved, her whole world has changed. One of her favorite examples concerns a stuntman who’s about to leap through a plate-glass window and fall 20 stories. The stunt involves a detonating charge to break the window, but the stuntman senses that something isn’t quite right. There’s a small chance the charge will detonate at his head, so he asks for it to be repositioned by a foot. Stunt coordinator Andy Armstrong, aware of the importance of the stuntman’s opinion, stops everything. The helicopter lands, the crew resets, and they start over. The stunt then goes off without a hitch. “Every human has things they like to focus on, and sometimes they’re super crucial in moments like that,” Trimble explains. “I love the idea, and I will always think of that moment where this big thing is about to happen, and it’s like, ‘How does this feel? Does everything feel good? Are you comfortable with this?’ Because that stuntman’s ability to move something one foot completely changed his energy.”

Once that sense of rightness is established, there are countless degrees of subtlety involved with precision driving. Although she once rated her brake-pedal effort on a scale of 1 to 10, trading notes with fellow stunt driver and racer Tanner Foust inspired her to increase the resolution of her stopping effort, expanding it to a scale from 1 to 100. That exacting level of control can make it difficult to stomach rogue external forces, like ham-fisted Uber drivers. Even though she essentially operates as an aerobatic pilot in two dimensions, her fortitude flies out the window when she’s a passenger. “I’ve gotten ill in taxicabs more than probably anyone who exists,” she confesses. “During one trip to Thailand I puked on every moving form of conveyance.”

When the stakes can be life or death, Trimble’s preferences for stunt cars get improbably binary. When asked what carmaker makes her stunt-driver heart go pitter-patter, her response is simple: “Any car with brakes. You really take brakes for granted until driving on a mountainside, they boil over, and you almost go over the mountain or into a helicopter or camera-car crane.” She adds, “Any day I’m on the set and my car stops when I want it to stop, it’s a good day.”

Trimble’s personal 1968 Dodge Charger took two years to source and was discovered in Indiana by her so-called Mopar mentor, Mike Musto.

As for her personal automotive tastes, her garage reveals some rather varied proclivities. Her fleet includes a Porsche Macan S, an air-cooled 911 Carrera, a Ford Focus ST, and a meticulously restored ’68 Dodge Charger that speaks volumes to her eye for detail. After enlisting fellow ’68 Charger enthusiast and owner Mike Musto (host of “The House of Muscle” on Motor Trend on Demand), the two embarked on a two-year quest to find her ideal black-on-red steed. Although she started searching for a 440 (the inspiration behind her Instagram handle, @Trims440), her so-called Mopar mentor led her through a journey that involved a seemingly Sisyphean process of sharing listings of prospective cars, to which he invariably responded, “Sera, this one’s a big sack of shit.” When your prepurchase inspection involves a list of 36 detailed questions (and your undercarriage viewing process is “like, a 3,500-point inspection”), the wheat separates from the chaff fairly quickly. The search eventually led her to a 572-cubic-inch-powered Charger in Indiana. “I was like, ‘700 lb-ft of torque? Of course I need 700 lb-ft of torque. And 768 horsepower? Of course I need 768 horsepower.’ It’s like an Indy cylinder head with these crazy headers I can fit my calves into. Holy headers, Batman.”

Based on her car collection alone, Hollywood appears to have been very good to Trimble. But she plays down the lavish array with the fact that she lacks overhead such as kids, adding that her specialized focus on driving makes her a rare breed in an industry where most stunt people are well-rounded in the fields of weaponry, martial arts, and all manner of physical badassery. “Since I’m technically more ‘useless overall,’” she says, “I would be less likely to be brought along on movies for that reason. The fact I survive on a living wage at all baffles me, especially considering the amount of amazing talent out there.”

Follow Sera on Instagram @trims440

For someone who drives for a living, Trimble has little affinity for nonprofessional motoring, save the occasional jaunt up Angeles Crest Highway with friends or the Robin’s Rally, an annual on- and off-road shred she does with a small group of air-cooled Porsche driving buds. As for real racing, she is surprisingly nonplussed by the lure of competition. “I have no personal need to take corners away from people,” she explains. “I have more fun at slow speeds being super technical than I do going as fast as I can.”

As for my Lamborghini video shoot, after my initial ride-along I climb out and shoot car to car with a cameraman, calling instructions through a walkie-talkie for Trimble to execute. She tells me when things don’t feel right, and I adjust the shot as required. But when she’s on, she’s on, coaxing the Lambo with precise authority, driving with balletlike grace as the gray machine cuts an elegant arc through the desert.

I know she has reached that “just right” state when she executes a perfect high-speed drift in the dirt, nailing a satisfying yaw angle while staying completely in control. It is at that moment that Trimble once again proves her mettle, allowing me to finally let go and enjoy her performance.

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envirotravel · 7 years

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We Solemnly Swear We Are Up To No Good: A Harry Potter Bachelorette Party at Universal Orlando

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts was down temporarily, so we wandered the alleys doing more spells, splitting an ice cream, and checking out all the fab little shops and details.

Don’t miss the ginger mojitos or the fresh guacamole made to your specifications right at the table!

When we docked, we laughed and thanked our lovely captain for an unimaginably perfect ride home. “Well, I figured it was just us girls,” she said with a wink.

Just us girls indeed! It was the perfect day at the parks, and a bachelorette for the books.

What’s the best destination you’ve discovered for a bachelorette weekend?

Pin It!

We Solemnly Swear We Are Up To No Good: A Harry Potter Bachelorette Party at Universal Orlando posted first on http://ift.tt/2k2mjrD

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