Hey dear,
I just came back from camping. It was fun, did a couple of exciting stuff like kayaking, canoeing, strawberry picking, etc. I have quite a few bruises and scratches to prove it too. =) Creepy crawlies were all over the campsite. especially those furry ones with thousands of tiny feet; uGh. Caught them climbing up my calves a few times, g-r-o-s-s!
We were a couple of hours behind schedule (as usual), which explained the total darkness surrounding us by the time we got to the campsite. It was right beside the lake, which was super cool. We set up camp in the dark with only a torchlight, lit up the bonfire and everything.
Because it was so late (about midnight-ish?), everybody else staying around us were already asleep or something, so it was dead quiet and dark. Like, pitch black. Which I thought was really cOol coz it's not like everyday we get to be in total darkness. I couldn't help but marvel at the way how the blackness always had to give way to the shining light. It's like, everything is pitch black right, and whenever you flash your light at any direction, it just reveals all the things that are on the path, ya get me? Like the trees, the roads... everything. It was
awesome. It's like a metaphor for something bigger and greater, don't ya think? *gRin*
But it wasn't so cool when the 3 of us girls went to the pit stop nearby with only one torchlight. See, the one who goes into the small hut would be holding the torchlight, which leaves two of us standing outside in
complete darkness. But it was fine; the holy light that is Jesus was shining from inside me. =D
Sleeping in the tent with two other girls proved to be less of a challenge that I'd originally thought. Although it did get really cold in the middle of the night. I dreamt of you honey! It wasn't a very pleasant dream though.
Went kayaking the next morning. We rented two kayaks (for one person) and a canoe (for two people) for three hours. Three hours of constant rowing and involuntary sun-tanning. But it was fun, heh. Saw a couple of people capsizing along the way, which was kinda funny. Firman capsized too, though I missed that coz I was too far ahead. Halfway through I exchanged with my sis; she was in the canoe with May coz May couldn't swim. And not long after we start paddling, we hit the riverbed,
hard. The impact was so great both of us lurched forward and landed on the canoe floor, which hurt my butt and knees real bad. See, they're blue black now. *pOut* Kiss it better?
Now that I have disgusted away some of my less ardent readers, let's move on. ;) We passed by some strawberry farm on the way back to the campsite, and decided to give it a shot. Strawberry picking sounds totally country and... quaint, don't you think? Hehee. And we had fun doing that, although I feel kinda bad squashing a few pretty strawberries while crossing the beds of strawberry plants. We got quite a bundle; in fact, I'm slurping on our handpicked, homemade strawberry milkshake right now! Ahhh... perfect refreshment for a frigging hot summer day like this.
Did I mention that July is the hottest month here?
The cooking part of the camping experience was interesting. We had burnt corn, too-much-black-pepper capsicums, perfect hot dogs and the good ol' instant noodles. But don't worry honey, or worry a lot, depending on your current preference; none of us have lost a pound because of the depriving camp meals. I found a new way to cook mushrooms though; can't wait to cook it again, hehee.
Oh and the squirrels! The squirrels here are the equivalent of monkeys back home. They stole our crackers, our corn, our bread, even our Hershey chocolates for S'mores! We had left our food outside when we went to sleep; how naive we were. When morning came, I actually saw a baby squirrel coming out of a torn graham cracker box, munching on our goodies! Grrr... squirrels might be cute, but they're actually sneaky li'l thieves, with their oversized front teeth and furry tails. =P
We had a brainstorm for ways to trap and torture the squirrels throughout the day, but of course we didn't do anything.
We played around the beach (the lake beach) and saw the sunset; it was beautiful. The water was clear, the rocks and pebbles were smooth and colorful; I even took some, hehee. Not sure if that's allowed, but hey they're just a bunch of rocks. Who'd sue for a couple of displaced rocks? ...
The only horrible thing was the fact that we couldn't shower for two whole days. By the time we were leaving, our odor could probably be smelt all the way from Timbuktu. Naw I'm just exaggerating. But it felt that way; my hair felt oily and my face; oh goSh. And to think I'm not the clean freak among the others. You can imagine the state May and my sis were in.
That's about it I suppose. As usual I wish you were here, but one's gotta accept what life dishes out, right? =) I felt blessed throughout the trip, in many ways. I felt blessed to have a sister I can go to the bathroom with, to have an able body to enjoy the joys (and pains) of kayaking, to be able to feel the warm sunshine on my face, to be able to waddle in the cooling waters of the Great Lakes...
I love you honey; muAh! Til next time yea? *huGgzz*
With love (and smOoches!),
-CiNdY-
