A Not So Traditional Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner in Boston...e-version coming soon!

Surfing in Paradise

“Hurry!” yelled my mum. I eagerly approached the car after a calming break on the toilet. I couldn’t wait till we arrived at the surfing center. After a long but short journey I hastily jumped out the car and sprinted towards the shops quick as I could. when all of the other people arrived I took the closest board over to the beach and started to wax the board so I wouldn’t fall off. I looked to the sea and found myself watching the spectacular waves that I was going to surf.

The awesome sea was so clear that I felt like you could fall right through. As I wriggled into the water the instructor started to paddle to the set of waves that were starting to form. I couldn’t wait until I was finally on a wave enjoying the beautiful moment.

The first wave was a nice medium sized one to get me going but I just couldn’t get myself to standing up. It was a long time since I had been on a board and I felt it right away when I found my self on the board but Unfortunately the wave didn’t last forever and before I knew it I was lying in the water getting back on my board. After some warming up in the shallow part we moved out where all of the locals were hanging out to catch the perfect wave.

Then-- on the horizon I saw that there was a tremendous wave stretching to reach the sky but I decided to let it go since there was another wave covering anything that was hidden behind the ginormous wave. Because most of the locals had gone for the first it was easier for me to compete for the second wave and before I knew it my arms were paddling as fast as I could snapping my feet up to the position that I needed them to be in.

I could feel the wave crashing down angrily behind me in a white scramble but right before me the wave was as smooth as silk and as clear as glass.

The ride felt memorable.

It ended with a calming decrease of the wave. I jumped of the board but needed to got back on again since I had to get back out to the amazing but furious waves. This was not an easy task since all of the other waves were coming in as I was going the opposite way. BOOM there was a big wave coming my way that had just smacked me right in the face. BOOM, again another wave smacked me off my board and into the water. There was a quick gap for time until the next big wave came and smacked me off my board. I used the gap to my advantage and quickly paddled my way as far out as I could. Out at sea from the middle of nowhere a huge wave popped up but I had time before it crashed and probably would have swung me off my board and thrashed me into the sea.

I ferociously paddled my way over the towering wave-me and my board made it safely over the wave. But this time as a team. I was a back with the group of locals. Ending the same way that I started. After a few more beautiful waves I headed back in to the beach.

After all that surfing my arms were hurting already and I had to squeeze out the last of my energy to get me back home. At 6:30pm and after 4 hours of surfing I was hungry and dying to get something into my mouth. Luckily the food was heaven in a place like Hawaii. 

Johnny

Being High!--Las Vegas

I sat down on a sofa with its skin ripped off; waiting for my turn to actually do something I will love to do again in my life. The place was crowded, cold and big, the other customers there were very loud when they laughed and they did not stop or quiet down at all. My family seemed to be the only people that sat down waiting quietly and normally for our turn.

As I walked into the preparation room it shocked me because the people there were very nice, completely different from the people outside, they gave you advice and taught you moves some of the most comfortable and the safest in their opinion. The reason I came here was because people say skydiving is a culture or a tradition in Las Vegas.

“You will be about to enter on an menacing flight and we are not responsible for any injuries.” The manager said.

Every part of this should be a good experience for me and this is part of taking risks, almost everyone in Las Vegas has done this once or twice in their life – I was not afraid!

I think everyone has now known a little bit of my identity, I am a student and a traveller, I go to places and I do things (they have to be a tradition or something famous in that region).  

Guess where I am going to land for the end of the trip?

Yup, nowhere because the place I am in is an indoor skydiving base located in Las Vegas (I am too small for real skydiving!). For events like this, my family usually allows me to do this in the morning or the afternoon because there might be a lot of people trying to skydive (this is usually an experience, people who have travelled a lot know this like my family and me. Probably some other people too!) You may wonder what people do in a gigantic tube with a fan below. Blowing them up and down, giving them a headache. At the “tube”, the people inside will do some tricks like this:

My brother and I did not know what we would look like inside the “tube” so we asked the manager to take photos of us while we were flying or gliding in the middle of the “tube”! The camera was used to take videos and photos for customers that paid extra so we decided to pay the extra amount that was required. 

Soon after this we were sent into the “tube” for the first time in our lives and to see what it was like in there. Nothing was there for me to do and I was not responsible of anything but to go in and enjoy and get out; there was a coach that will guide us through the process, he held our suits so that we won’t fly very high up in the air. Some of the suits were baggy so that the air could get in and out. Inside the “tube” the fan was extremely loud and I could feel my ear beating; luckily the flight was only 15 minutes long.

 The whole progress was amazing even though it was only 15 minutes long; it felt like 30 minutes because there were only two people, if there were more people, less flying time for everyone!

The dive is done now, the tube has been sealed again waiting for its next diver. Next time it will blow them up in the sky and let them drop – Indoor Skydiving was really fun!

Albert 

45˚C in Las Vegas

The plane was closer and closer to the airport. I looked out the window: It was practically a desert with barely any greenery; land was flat all over but it was crowded with tiny little houses; and there were humungous buildings like other cities in the world. Las Vegas is the driest place I ever seen but also, it is very interesting. Scrutinizing the surroundings, I spotted our tour guide who was waiting to drive us to the hotel. The moment I walked into the parking lot a burst of heat went coming onto me-- it was boiling hot, the atmosphere was humid and it was 45C˚ Celsius.

About 30 minutes later we arrived at the hotel. Quickly, my family all hopped off the car except for me. I looked in the distance of the interesting buildings in Las Vegas. A hotel even looked like a pyramid. We all entered the hotel we  were staying in. Mandalay Bay hotel’s lobby was noisy, crowded and busy. It took us half an hour to check in for a family suite. To go to the hotel elevators, you had to go straight pass the casino. I’ve never seen anything like this.

At two o’clock we were ready to check out the restaurants since my sister and I were famished. We came by a restaurant and made my stomach satisfied. It was a Mexican restaurant with many different kinds of tacos. Also there was a strawberry drink that tasted so good and cooled me down very quickly. After lunch, we pretty much stayed in the hotel room for the day.

The next day we woke up at four.

The sky was burning blue and it was far from sunrise but people were still on the streets walking and amount of cars were as much as day. Neon lights were shining so bright—It felt like it was always morning in Las Vegas.

The bus ride to the Grand Canyon took four hours and I slept for the whole ride. After four long hours we finally arrived at the Grand Canyon. The tour guide chose for us to tour the Grand Canyon with a helicopter. Soon he bought the tickets and we waited for a long time.

In the afternoon the officials called out our number on the ticket. This was the first time I’ve ever been on a helicopter. Soon enough the helicopter rose and it was a different experience than from riding an airplane. You could see the atmosphere all around you including beneath you. You could see the extensive river beneath you and all the cliffs of the canyon.

Very quickly we arrived at the downer part of the great canyon where all the water flows. The river was murky, cloudy and very orange. We had to ride a boat in the river to the ticket center. The tour guide was explaining the history of the Grand Canyon but I didn’t hear a thing because the boat’s motor was too loud.

Lunch was quick and we soon left. Half way back to the hotel we stopped at the hoover dam. This part was most interesting. When we arrived at the hoover dam we first had to pass the security. Then, two guards went on the coach checking for explosives in our bags. This took the most time because in their office, they don’t have a proper air conditioning so they wanted to stay on the coach for a longer time. They were also extremely slow when they got off the coach.

Soon the day trip was over but in the night there were more exciting things going on. The tour guide was very thoughtful and bought us tickets for a show in side one of Las Vegas’s most luxurious hotels. The show was called “LERÊVE THE DREAM”. When I was watching it the divers and the actors fascinated me. One of the actors made me laugh my tears out. One “Splash” after another, divers dive from ten, twenty meters from above the water. The stage that was there was so incredible. The stage was a combination of water and concrete, the lights were bright, vivid and full of colours and all the actors were full of talents. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen.

After the show everyone left the theatre going in different directions. The direction we left just happens to go to the Car expedition and I soon bought tickets for it. Red, yellow, white and black cars with sports brands and antique cars were all in one expedition. In the end of the expedition we even received a green screen photo shoot that you could sit in a Ferrari and choose different backgrounds you want to be in.

In Las Vegas the weather is burning all the time. However, there are interesting places to explore, fascinating things to see and exciting things to do in the end of the day.

Hongzhi