I could not believe what I am seeing when I first entered the Rocky Cave, I truly never thought that responding to that newspaper ad about the campervans for sale would actually lead to a roadtrip and now this! People used to call it the cave that no-one could reach its bottom. The narrow corridor formed by minerals and rocks is too steam to reach the bottom and the humidity is so high that hardly is there a person that nowadays can reach the very end without a breathin aparatus. However, never had I believed these stories since people are used to exaggerate the stories about these places. Although I was quite sceptical, as soon as I made the first step into the cave i realised people were not only right -they were exact in their judgements. The air smelled extremely strage -like the air near the clean lakes of Rilla Mountains -full of humidity and freshness at the same time. No noise could be heard except for the little drops falling from the ceiling. The place was extraordinary and so was the experience as it will be described further.

Once we entered my friends and I thought the first couple of metres were just enough to reveal the beauty of this place but our guide took a different prospective. Being influenced by different science fiction novels ( such as “A journey to the centre of the Earth”), I could not stop naticing the thousands of beautiful shapes the minerals had formed thousands of years before. The colors from the flashlight reflected in these mineral formations reminded me of how amazing our nature is, how perfect its creations are, how different shapes and materials interact and how extremely interesting is the process of natural interaction.

Almost 100ft in the narrow corridor of the cave we could not stop noticing unique figures and extraordinary rock formations. We had to go back because of the dense humidity and the lack of fresh oxygen, but what we have seen, influenced us deeply and inevitably. Even though no danger was in front of us, no Indiana Jones stories left to retell, we encountered the beauty of the nature and the pure natural creations that can be seen only where there is no external influencing, where the Mother Nature preserves its inner beauty, keeping it for us to realise that we have something unique we need to appreciate and properly protect.

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You do not get to see any of that unless you are a monk of the temple or very lucky. Guess I am in category two there then. As I entered the temple the door to the corridor swung open at the exact time that all the other doors were opened. Literally for a couple of seconds there it was, in the centre of a room, the casket containing one of the holiest of all religious relics. And then as suddenly the doors were swiftly closed like dominoes falling and as people scurried past oblivios to the event I smiled big and wide at what I had seen.

I headed back outside into the sun after enjoying the rest of the temple and took a drink break down by a snake charmer. Seriously cool watching this cobra rise up from it’s basket and I grabbed my smartphone to take a pic. Possibly not the brightest idea I had as it attracted the snakes attention and as I looked down the lens all I saw was this cobra mouth rapidly approaching my camera, and therefore me! As I jumped back this car pulled in behind me and I actually barrel rolled over this guys bonnet whilst going into fits of nervous laughter. I looked back to see the charmer had caught the snake by the tail and had sent it back into a trance with a sharp tap to the back of it’s head.

Some days you just get double lucky and I certainly think that was one of those days for me!

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The sky was dark but not beyond approach and being out of toilet paper, c fold towels, and diapers it was time to give it a go. We had to make the trip to the grocery. There was no other option. I loaded the stroller with baby bag and several large trash bags to put our supplies in on the way home. A blanket in the seat for the baby so that he didn’t get too wet and in goes baby fully stocked with a sip cup of water and an animal cracker snack. Now time to retrofit the stroller for the walk. A yellow poncho that was clear to see through was put over top of the stroller and tied down in all the appropriate places to keep it from flying up when a large truck passed by.

I threw on my rain jacket and cinched up the hood. Next it was time to bundle up my daughter in a poncho of her own, tying it up in all the appropriate locations much like the stroller. Off we went, knowing we would be completely soaked through by the time we returned. We started with the first half of the journey, a one mile down the back road to the main state highway and then just another mile after that to the grocery store. Wind and rain and wouldn’t you know the moment we were too far from home to turn back and not close enough to run to shelter, it started to pour a pelting rain. Add to this the seemingly endless number of dump trucks and logging trucks passing by and you have instant hysterics. We could do nothing else but laugh at how soaked we were and our insanely bad timing.

The saying “You don’t know what you have until it is gone” is completely on the nose. Life without a car can be a challenge. Loading up with two children and a stroller to go to the grocery is beyond adventurous. Add a bit of rain and you have instant humor.

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Mt. Kilimanjaro is situated in north eastern Tanzania. It stands 5895 m high and is the highest mountain in Africa. Hiking up the mountain is extremely rigorous but many people attempt it every day. Few years ago, my friend and I, accepted the challenge of climbing to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The first day of the climb was harder and colder than what we had anticipated, and by the end of the day our running clothes were soaked through. After four hours of strenuous trekking through dense forests, we reached the first camp or hut, called ’The Mandara Hut’, and stayed overnight.
Next day was colder than the previous day. We were forced to put on every winter gear we had. We also had to stop to rest several times during the climb.
We continued hiking until we reached Horombo Hut, our second destination, where we spent a day to acclimatize ourselves. On the third day, we journeyed to the highest hut, known as ’Kibo’, which is at 4700m. To our delight we found this trek to be the easiest. The view was breathtaking.
At 12.30 am, we began the final stage of our journey. The night was stunningly beautiful and the sky was filled with millions of stars that seemed so close that we felt we could pluck them.
As we were climbing, we felt very confident. But the higher we climbed the more breathless we became. The climb turned immensely harsh and painful. We had some frightening experiences like when my friend lost his footing and slipped backwards down the mountain. But luckily our guide was very helpful.
As we pushed on laboriously, we noticed that the bright stars, which had followed us so far, were disappearing gradually. Within moments we were engulfed by strong chilling winds and icy snow. Such harsh weather made it impossible for us to move ahead and even reduced our visibility to zero. Still, we didn’t give up.
We finally made it to the summit at dawn. I have no words to describe the feeling. We were filled with elation and a marvelous sense of achievement.

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British weather is sooo unpredictable, one day it is sunny and temperatures reach positive double figures yet the next day it is raining buckets. However the times when it is hot and sunny we really enjoy those days like its our last. IWOOT have five gadgets you need for a perfect summer.

1. Having a barbeque is great, but some people have ultra small gardens and balconies while others like portability. The Fold Flat BBQ is amazing as it literally folds flat and can be stored anywhere. While portable, you get a cooking area of 45×30cm and it is made from solid steel, so it is still very sturdy despite is being so portable. And it is under £25, much cheaper than many BBQ’s on the market. By the way, if you want something a little larger but like the folding style you can also get Party Style BBQ’s which can be folded when not needed and comes in two sizes, party and giant party. Even an uber portable briefcase BBQ that comes in a bag from £9.99.

2. A popular pet hate of a holiday maker is to put up the sun lounger before relaxing on the beach. But the Ergolife Chair blasts this issue into the sky. A comfortable and portable chair, easy to put up and as a bonus, recommended by Swedish physiotherapists. To fix it you roll it out and hey presto, a seat! It is priced at £29.99 but it soon pays for itself as time is money. No more wasted time trying to assemble the lounger any more!

3. If you are tired of the normal ski hotels, and can’t wait for your holiday in Spain or any hot climate and you’re still depressed in the office, the Lifetimer is for you. You can keep track of different aspects of life, all controlled by a series of different buttons. including your upcoming holiday, how long till your birthday or even till lunch.

4. If you love cool drinks in the summer, don’t plop ice into your cola watering it down, make ice tumblers instead. Ice Tumblers are just like regular silicone ice cube trays but in the shape of tumblers. Fill it with water and freeze and you get a pair of tumblers made with ice. Using boiled or filtered water makes them clear as glass.

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When I was younger I almost died because of Dirty Dancing. When girls are younger and watch Dirty Dancing it instantly becomes one of their favorite movies, coming in those beautiful bespoke packaging boxes, the special edition was something that no girl could ever resist. We imitate it and wish that we were Baby. One day my best friend and I decided to go exploring in the woods out by her house.

We found lots of fallen branches and trees that had been blown over. While hiking we found a tree that looked exactly like the one off of Dirty Dancing. It had fallen over a creek and made a perfect bridge to get to one side to the other. We could have just walked right over and had no problems at all. That just didn’t sound fun at all. We couldn’t resist the idea of being able to dance on the log like Baby did. We were dancing and I decided to do the move that Patrick Swayze does where he stands on one foot and moves the other around in a circle. I got my foot up and went to move my foot in a circle when the foot on the log slipped. I fell into the creek.

We did not know that there was a sheet of metal that had been stopped in the creek by the fallen tree. I held on to the tree for dear life. I tried to pull myself out but my feet kept slipping on the metal sheet. I was taking in so much water I was sure that I was going to drown. I got a hold of a branch and thankfully was able to pull myself out. When we got back to my friends house we explained to her mother what had happened. She called my parents and my friend and I were grounded for a month for not thinking.

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There are those who like music and those who love music and I am most definitely a part of the latter group. I listen to music when I am driving, when I am cooking, even when I am folding clothes for baby. At any one point during the day, I usually have one, if not two of my headphones in my ears and if I don’t, I am thinking about putting one in. There are a lot of companies now who produce MP3 and even MP4 players these days, the most famous of which are, of course, Apple, who produce the iPod.

The iPod is a stylish device and comes in many shapes, colours and sizes. However, as far as reliability is concerned, I don’t rate them. Too many people I know have had to replace their iPods on several occasions and many of them have issues working with iTunes (the software that allows you to put music on your iPod). They also cost a fair amount of money.

My MP3 company of choice is Sony. I have owned two players in my lifetime and both are still working today. I had to upgrade my original one, once it ran out of room but it still works flawlessly after four years of use. I have to listen to music daily, I don’t know why but it is a strong compulsion. I will also listen to virtually anything. I have classical music, drum and bass, pop songs and rock music as well as a bit of country and RnB.

My need to listen to music wherever I go means I need to have an MP3 player. I don’t know how I could cope with long car journeys, long flights or long coach rides without my prized Sony Walkman. I also couldn’t get through a day’s freelancing without listening to some inspiring music at some point. I guess a thank you to both Sony and music is in order.

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After two whole days on the dusty, rocky, and almost non-existent Himalayan road, we reached Leh, the capital of Ladakh. We were a group of eight, three daredevils on bikes and the rest of us in a car. We decided to rest for the day before heading to Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world. We could never have imagined that the next day would take us to the brink of oblivion.

Due to some delay, we could start only in the afternoon. Our local driver was reluctant because most vehicles would be returning to Leh, at the time, and he would have to evade the oncoming traffic. We discovered that the road to Khardung La was exceptionally narrow and steep but smooth, which encouraged reckless driving and could be potentially dangerous.

However, the day was fine, the landscape was breathtaking, and we were in good spirits. All of us in the car were enjoying the drive, while listening to Tibetan music. The bikers followed our vehicle at a distance. In an hour, we reached a bend on the mountain road and detected an army truck nearing us from the opposite side. Our driver stopped the car at the outer edge of the path in order to allow the truck to pass by, safely.

The truck driver, for some reason, decided to take the turn without slowing down. Perhaps, he had misjudged the space or he had lost control. In a sickening moment his vehicle struck our car and we felt it roll towards the yawning precipice. We were too stunned to scream as we watched our driver repeatedly slamming the breaks. Mercifully, our car stopped, right at the rim. By now, the horrified truck driver had halted his vehicle by smashing it into a stony wall.

We escaped fatality by a very narrow margin, that day. The bikers, who had witnessed the incident, seemed more shaken. Our poor driver was weak with relief. After spending sometime, recovering our wits, cleaning up the spills in the truck with c fold towels we found in the boot, and persuading our driver to continue, we were soon on our way. The splendid Khardung La was nearby and getting there took our minds off the almost calamitous adventure.

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I’d been CD hunting in town and was going through the stuff in my bag when someone said, “Hey, mate.” I looked up, expecting to see a friend or someone I knew. It wasn’t anyone I knew, it was a guy selling The Big Issue, and he looked desperate. Strangely, he was also smiling.

“Do I know–”

He stuck his hand out. “James?”

James? I didn’t know anyone called James. “I’m sorry,”I said, “But—“

He shook his head and raised his eyebrows. “James Ball, from school.”

The boy who was always in trouble, the boy who sometimes had a black eye. I did know James. Last thing I’d heard he’d moved away. That was ten years ago.

Turned out James had moved away, then he’d moved back. He’d fallen out with his parents and, after a string of bad luck happenings, moved back home. Now he was living in a squat.

“Want to see it?” he said.

I tried (and failed) to look like I wanted to see it.

“It’s not bad, I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not.”

James didn’t know what I was thinking. If he had done then he’d have been as sad as I was.

I expected a dump, a converted self storage container, something like that. No lights, no heating, no nothing. It was anything but. We climbed in through the kitchen window and it was like climbing through a portal. Inside there were people working on the house, plastering the walls, cooking and hanging out. Everyone said “Hi”. It wasn’t a dump, it was a commune. I felt privileged to be called a visitor.

I never did see James after that day, but I’m not sad any more. The way he looked at me said I’ll be just fine, it’s you I’m worried about.

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That said, I do know what a pod-cast is, and I am very keen on not wasting energy / making this world a brighter, more greener, less plastic ridden place. So when I went to the link that you’re about to see I was actually quite excited.

A pod-cast, yes! Enigin are not playing around! They are an energy-saving company, yes, but that isn’t where it ends, oh no. They are also experts on business and all things commercially related; in fact, their team is entirely made up of expert people, which means that us consumers are in safe hands. Which is brilliant. Finally, a company who cares as much about making money as helping the world to live out the rest of its days in peace.

As far as I’m concerned it’s definitely the right approach. By using new forms of media, companies like Enigin can reach far more people and with far more clout. And not just young people either. Podcast’s are ideal for people who have bad eye-sight, or can’t stare at the screen for too long without numbers turning in to letters and vice versa.

And before I leave let me make something clear: according to the aforementioned blog post Enigin really know how to do a podcast. So, if you can find one, expect only the best in quality and information.

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