Hawaii🏝️🏝️

                                                               Hawaii Time

                                                                  

 

One day, my dad asked me if I wanted to go with him. I was with my best friend and we were having a gala time. So I simply said, “Uhh, dad we are actually tied up. Sorry!” That’s when my dad said, “Okay. I am telling your mom to pack our luggage and get ready to go to Hawaii.” I was over the moon and screamed, “Hawaii!! No way. That’s my dream place. No way are you leaving me just like that.” Then, Sophia, my best friend said, “Okay then. Bye! And don’t forget to keep me in the loop after you come back” I waved to her; we packed our luggage, headed to the airport and then straight to Hawaii.

 

Day 1-

 

Let me ask you a question how long is your name. See most names are actually not that long like Sally, mike and josh but now I will tell you about a place where people's names are extremely long like this name- Healani Ikaika Kuakini Makaio, Tenaiya Kapua lehua ona pali kahila ka’ala, Kaneonahokuonalani Kentaeushi.   That is Hawaii! One of the most unique U.S. states where people have names that are so long they can barely fit on an id card because here names have meanings. So this name kaneonohoko nalani actually means ‘heavenly man of the stars’. Hawaiian names are not just words they can also be a sentence, a poem, thoughts or a feeling.

 

Day 2-

 

In many countries around the world, people judge you based on what you wear. If you dress a little bit different, a little bit off, then you're weird but not here in Hawaii. On this island, you can look as colourful as you possibly want and no one will judge you instead they will love you and put even more colours on you because even that boring business suit in Hawaii looks like flowers. So many people including me could learn a thing or two from these guys that life is not black or white so your clothing doesn't have to be either.

Day 3-

 

Homelessness, poverty and drugs. So many people say- be careful of the homeless. But an entire village with no houses. Shocked right? Homeless people are most likely to do drugs, steal and most likely they are dangerous. So, we tend to think the homeless are hopeless but this village is not. In this village, 200 homeless people got together and made their own village with their own rules that will surprise you. Here you can't make noise after 8 pm. You can't steal or do drugs. You can't even unleash your dog and if you do any of the above you are out. So this homeless village has become a place that's safe for everybody, tourists and locals alike. It is also a place where a community lives. They built a park for kids to play at, a gym to work out, a small zoo, a plantation farm and a small made-up beach. Every Sunday people have to clean this whole place up and every month they have to spend eight hours volunteering per adult. They celebrate Christmas and they teach each other sign language. Why? Because this village has one and only one deaf kid and they wanted him to feel included too.

 

Day 4-

 

I was lucky I was in Hawaii because in Hawaii there are no snakes. The Hawaiian Islands are so remote from the rest of the world that here there are no animals to be scared of no snakes, no tigers, no hyenas, no lions, no crocodiles even. Not anywhere in the entire state of Hawaii. The only things to worry about are tiny bugs, pigs, your neighbour's dog and a few sharks in the ocean. Tell yourself that at least on this beautiful island, in the middle of the ocean, you are safe.

 

Day 5-

 

This was the fifth day of our trip to Hawaii. We went to buy some things in Hawaii. We bought some Macadamia Nuts, 2 Hawaiian quilts, and a Hawaiian bracelet. We learnt that the designs are a throwback to the Victorian era, precisely; the Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 when Queen Kapiolani and Princess Liliuokalani received enamelled bracelets while attending the ceremonies in England.  We also visited many places like Monte Vista, Southtown the arts district.

 

Day 6-

 

This was the last day of our Hawaii trip. We did many things like surfing, whale watching, snorkelling and others. My favourite was snorkelling. I loved it. We ate at a hotel and then headed straight home. And that's how our Hawaii trip ended.

  

  

  

Travel Blog 🚢✈️🧳

 The stunning Vietnam you must visit

 

On the map of the world, some countries are known for the correct reasons. Like Egypt for Pyramids, the USA for NASA and Statue of Liberty, London for Big Ben and India for its cultures. But some countries are known for the wrong reasons. Take Vietnam for example. Most people know Vietnam for the Vietnam War that ended 45 years ago.

Once I went to Vietnam, with my family to explore that country. I was surprised. What we saw there was the exact opposite of war.

We saw coffee. No one ever told me this but Vietnam is the second-largest exporter of coffee in the world. Yes, in the world. That means more than Columbia or Ethiopia. In addition to that, their coffee is unlike any other coffee, really different from the one my mother drinks. They drink coffee with condensed milk, coconut milk or sometimes even with eggs.

But this wasn’t the end. We were even more shocked by their prices. Vietnam turns out to be one of the world’s most affordable places in the world for tourists. Expensive hotels can cost only ₹912.80 a night and delicious food will only cost ₹304.24 only. These prices I have never seen in India.

After that, we went to do different things like we went to the world's largest cave in Phong Nha National Park and we spotted some rare primates like the Orange-necked partridge, the Golden-cheeked gibbons and the silvered langurs, in the Cat Tien National Park. We also tried making lanterns and I made a cute one. 

The next day we went to another city named Hoi An in Vietnam. There, we saw shops after shops after shops, all selling custom clothes. It turns out that this little village is the tailoring capital of the world. We only had to choose the fabric and the style and they would measure our size and in 10 hours or less, we became a whole new person. All for less than 50 bucks. As we walked down the streets of Hoi An, dressed up like a million dollars, enjoying the peace and the culture of Vietnam, we realized that this is an awesome place with a hundred million people and most of them having a smile on their faces and ready to welcome us to their country. 

                       

- By Navya

 Princess Melissa part 2

This is the second part of the story, Princess Melissa. I will give you a brief introduction of the first part. To read it in full, please go to https://navyankar666.blogspot.com/ and go to the very end. You will find a write-up named ‘Princess Melissa.’ and click on it.  

                                                                                                                  

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Melissa in the kingdom, Cordoba. She hated people crying. In her whole life she never ever shed a tear. One day, when she was 6 years old, she saw a letter near her foot. Inside it was written, “Melissa, dear, if you’re reading this then please remember that I am not dead but trapped with a witch. Please don’t search for me. Just remember NOT TO CRY. You’ll understand why when you will grow a little more. But for now, DO NOT CRY.” And she got another letter at the same spot the next month. It said, “Honey, Did you cry?” She said, “No mom!” Then, the letter vanished. One day, as she was taking a stroll in the forest, she fell into a vortex. Then, she reached a wood palace.  She cried for some time and she heard some clinging noises. There were hundreds of pearls and each costs $2500000 (25 million dollars). She understood that she was a fairy. A sound called her name. Curiosity got into the best of her and she went in.  It was a fairy inside who was ready to grant her one wish.  Melissa wished for a kingdom that will completely be made of glass and sadness will not enter there. The fairy made a deal. “Ok, but you have to give me 15 thousand pearls every month because I am not the fairy of money and I am one of the poor fairies.” She said. “Deal final!!” said Melissa. She granted Melissa’s wish. But, she was a fake fairy and was the same witch who had trapped Melissa’s mother. But, Melissa had already recognized her and acted as if she did not. Once the witch went away; Melissa ruled her glass kingdom. For about two years, the witch came to take the pearls. Suddenly, she stopped coming. Now, Melissa was starting to get worried as she felt something happened to her mother. So, she decided to do an investigation. Melissa was herself a fairy, who had learnt magic from her grandmother, who was also a fairy! As Melissa was searching for the witch, another fairy appeared before her. Her name was Aria and was in a hole. Melissa helped her. When Aria was free, she thanked her and then placed a riddle for Melissa. Melissa gave the correct answer. Melissa explained her situation and asked for Aria’s help.  Aria agreed. With Aria’s magic, Melissa found where the witch was. She placed a trap for the witch and then thanked Aria. Due to the trick Melissa had planned for the witch, she fell into the trap. When she found out that Melissa was also a fairy, it was too late. And Melissa had saved her mother. Then, she and her mother moved into Melissa’s glass palace.

All of that went down in the first part. Now, I will continue my story right from where I left it.

 

 

Due to the trick Melissa had planned for the witch, she fell into the trap. When she found out that Melissa was also a fairy, it was too late. She was disappearing into the woods. And Melissa had saved her mother. Then, she and her mother moved into Melissa’s glass palace.

But Melissa had a special power. If Melissa wanted, she could control the entire world. Melissa’s mother knew that if someone controlled Melissa, that person could control the entire world. Remember how I said Melissa’s grandmother was a magician. And she taught Melissa to do magic. Yes, so Melissa’s mother told her to create a magical, invisible wall, inside which no wizards, witches, goblins or noblins could enter.

And Melissa obeyed her mother’s words and created a magical, invisible wall. But what she didn’t know was that her mother was the WITCH. She had sent the letters to Melissa when she was younger, she had killed Melissa’s mother, she had created a duplicate of herself that was disappearing in the woods and then she had disguised herself as Melissa’s mother to control Melissa and then rule the entire world.

After Melissa created the wall, she and her mother (meaning the witch) stayed there. Melissa always thought that it was a blessing in disguise that her mother is back with her. The witch would act like her mother. And every night, after Melissa slept, she would try to control her. But every time she would fail. 

Do you know why? Because Melissa’s mother had a special protection wall all around Melissa. And that special wall always had a special lock which had a 4-digit secret code.

One day, Melissa felt a little suspicious asked her mother, “Mom, why don’t your ever try to control me?” Her mother said, “Oh my child. Sweetheart, listen I don’t ever because I am afraid I might be greedy and lose control of myself. And then do something wrong.” That’s when Melissa thought and mumbled to herself, “My mom doesn’t explain like this. This is NOT my mom. This is the witch and she is trying to trick me.” Her mother said, “Melissa, you know that I don’t like mumbling. Now, go to your room. It’s time to sleep. I have some work to do.”

That night Melissa stayed awake to see what the witch was doing. Surely, after a few hours, the witch went to her room and tried to control her. She failed again. Melissa was awake. She confronted the witch. She said, “Hey, you are trying to control me, you witch. Well, you can’t. Because I only know the secret code and I am not going to tell you. What’re you gonna do?” The witch laughed and said, “Oh, so you think you can outsmart me.”

Saying so, she hypnotized Melissa and as soon as she was making her tell the secret code, the door broke open and the king (meaning Melissa’s father) came along with some of his soldiers. They attacked the witch and for real this time. Then Melissa and her father lived happily ever after in Melissa’s glass palace.

 

The End

 

And now, a question from Melissa to you. Here it goes:- Hi, Did you like my story about me and my adventure? Please write your answer in the comments section below and do read Nicole's other stories and write comments too.

Thank you, Princess Melissa. And thank you all.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

My cave adventure⛰️⛺🏕️

Cave adventure

It was raining heavily on a new moon night when suddenly came Blasted light. I was really afraid as me and my family was going to a hill station and we were in the aeroplane. The plane was not steady. For some time we all, the people in the aeroplane had to manage to keep the plane steady. It was feeling like we were going on a very bumpy road with large road breakers continuously everywhere. Suddenly came a very big and thick fog followed by a large mountain. Soon the fog was so big that we couldn’t see anything. We hit the mountain, the plane broke and all fell to the ground. But thanks to god and the parachute, all were fully safe. I saw that there was a noticeboard right in front of the mountain written “DANGER”. Oh my god, did you know that there was a werewolf sign? All the people got scared by just seeing the sign and all ran here and there. I and my family were a little scared but I consoled all, we went inside. Wow, I just can’t describe the beauty. Everywhere there were crystals. Actually, it was a crystal cave. I didn’t believe that a wolf live here and I think it didn’t really. The crystals were so shiny that as soon I just stepped into the mountain they caught my eyes. They were so fragile and ethereal that they broke as soon as a bird sat on them. The cave wasn’t so potent at all. I was jaunty by just seeing them but I was quite frantic as well. 

                                          

                                                     

Helping hands

Hands are for helping

                                  

When I help others I feel really happy because when I see a smile on their faces I feel like smiling. I can help others by helping them carry bags. I help my mom by handing her the vegetables she needs while cooking. I also help my sister by helping her in her online class and her homework. I care for my grandmother and help her by massaging her feet whenever she is tired.

Helping others is not only good for them and a good thing to do; it also makes us happier and healthier too. Helping others and our family also connects us to them, creating stronger bonds between us. If we help someone, we make it easier for them to do something like cooking or working.

Always remember, ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’. So, if we want to study, we will find a way to do so. One way is to lessen the play hours. It’s okay if we play less.

Everyone must feel loved and respected and we can give them the feeling by the act of helping. Therefore, I feel that we should help others when they are in need. So, in my opinion, helping is a good thing to do. 

 

😲😱Diwali without crackers 😱😲

       Should we obey the rule about crackers or do as we wish? 

Diwali!! What a wonderful festival it is! It is one of India’s most important and biggest festivals. But, without fireworks, it feels like a Diwali in lockup. Doesn’t it sound like a total disaster?

It is an Indian religious festival known as the ‘festival of lights’ because the word Diwali itself means ‘row of lights’. After 14 years of exile, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya on this day, after killing the demon king, Ravana, and it is celebrated as Diwali. When they came back to Ayodhya, everyone lit the kingdom with earthen diyas to help them find their way back home. That’s how Diwali started. This festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Not only Indians, but people outside India also celebrate Diwali with great joy of vigour and enthusiasm.

Coming back to the main question- Should we obey the rule about crackers or do as we wish? This time government has allowed burning crackers from 8 pm to 10 pm. Not everyone has a holiday. Diwali is a holiday for children and a few people. Many people work during Diwali and might get injured due to the firecrackers. Small babies and old people can’t sleep due to the firecrackers. Therefore, I think this is a very welcome move that the government has banned burning firecrackers.  People die while burning them as well. So, should we not burn them at all? No, we can burn a few crackers. Yes, a few crackers and they must be green crackers. Don’t think green crackers means they should be green in colour. No, they must be eco-friendly.  And, we can also burst garlic crackers.

So now you might ask, can we light lanterns then? Well, maybe, but we must be very careful and light them in a very open space. One major problem about lanterns is that when they fall on small huts they burn them causing issues to the people living inside. Another problem is these things get stuck in many places especially trees and when children hold them their hands get burned due to the fire that’s inside them.

Waiting for the bus.

Bus stop

People usually travel by bus for short distances.

The population of our country has risen so much that buses are always overcrowded even if they move from one place to another every five minutes.

Our school remained closed for the summer vacations last year. All of my friends started going to hill stations or other cool places with their families. My maternal aunt invited us to her place to spend the holidays with her.

On 10^th April, we packed our luggage and started for the bus station at Baramunda. By the time we got there, the bus bound for Angul had already left. Another bus from Bhubaneswar to Angul was to reach the Baramunda bus stop at 8-30 am.

But that bus was delayed. It was only after 9 am that we learnt the bus had a breakdown on the way. As there were no other buses to Angul, our anxiety grew.

Every bus stand seems like a stage where one completes his role and leaves for his destination and another joins to carry on the show. But our bus stand seemed like a stage where one completed his role and leaves for his destination and another joins very late.

It was scorching hot. Our bodies sweated all over. Even my clothes got as wet as water with the sweat. We felt very uncomfortable.

There were no trees at the bus stop. The sizzling heat of the summer sun was very painful.

Time wore on. But the bus did not arrive. It was 12 noon. The passengers went out every now and then to see if the bus was coming. I was very impatient. Some passengers returned back to their homes thinking that the bus would never come. But we had no other way out.

I felt hungry. We went to a hotel to have a meal. The nasty plates and the dirty dining tables at the hotel looked like a disaster. We came out in disgust and ate 3 sandwiches to satisfy our hunger.

At long last at about 1-30 pm, the bus arrived. We heaved a sigh of relief. There were quite a good number of passengers. The gate into the bus was jammed with passengers. With a great effort, I was pushed in and to our joy, we got a seat in a line together.