In Belize, I was taught by a local teacher how to make Mayan chocolate. This chocolate got its name because Mayans were the first to make it centuries ago. It is special in the fact that it has honey and no sugar. The ancient Mayans added this chocolate with chili, cinnamon, five spice, or spicy pepper. Now let me share how to make the chocolate! First, I was given a cacao fruit. The cacao fruit is bumpy and yellow. The fruit is soft on the bumpy parts and hard on the other parts. It is the same size as my hand. Second, I used a knife to cut the cacao fruit in half. After I cut the cacao, I could see some white sticky triangles. I could eat the white part off or cut it off. When I finished, I could see dozens of cacao beans. They look brown and tasted bitter. The cacao beans are the size of jellybeans. Third, I grinded the cacao beans into one big chunk. The beans were grinded three times by a manual grinder. The grinder, as my teacher told me, was from the Mayans and made of stone. What was more special about the grinder was that it was made from a lava stone and was passed down from generation to generation. This lava stone cannot be bought or sold in Belize because it is illegal. Fourth, I poured the chunk of chocolate in a bowl of warm water. Then, I mixed the water three times with a wooden spoon. I made sure that there were no more chunks of chocolate left. Fifth, I put in honey and cinnamon as my favorite. I picked them to make the drink sweet. I did not have sugar to add, because I guess sugar was not used when the Mayans were alive. Then, I added chili, five spice, spicy pepper, and more cinnamon. As a result, the chocolate drink had more flavor. Finally, I was ready to drink the chocolate! Even this was my first time making Mayan chocolate, my chocolate came out successfully, with rich flavor and flowy taste! It was exciting to have such a new experience.
travel
My Trip to the Great Wall of China
I was born in the year of the dragon. I was always dreaming that one day I could visit the Great Wall of China, a giant dragon stretching over mountains and deserts, and walk on it. And this day had finally come. It was July 2019, and I was in Beijing, the capital of China. Standing in the front gate of Mutianyu, one of the best-preserved Great Wall sections in the Greater Beijing area, my body was full of excitement. I had been waiting so long to climb it. But getting to the Great Wall of China was not easy; I had to climb many stairs that seemed like a million steps. And since the Great Wall of China is on mountains, I had to ride a mountain cable car afterwards. And then came a bunch of other stairs. When I finally got to the Great Wall of China, I was tired and sweating from head to toe. I wanted to sit down and rest, but my excitement pushed me up and got me to start walking. Walking there was amazing! There were little holes in the brick walls that helped soldiers in those ancient times spy on their enemy and know that they were coming without being seen; the soldiers could also shoot arrows at the enemy through the holes and the enemy couldn’t shoot them successfully through those tiny holes. I saw and passed many fire towers that were once used to “message” soldiers in the next fire tower that enemy were coming, by making thick smoke during the day or lighting a fire during the night. The soldiers would see the light or the smoke and one by one, they would light every fire tower and prepare for the intrusion. I’d say that is a pretty safe and smart way of warning. When I left the Mutianyu Great Wall, I was exhausted. All I wanted then was to take a nice shower and go to bed. But I couldn’t wait for my next adventure to explore other sections of the Great Wall!
Travelogue: Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially known as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is located on the western part of Asia. It is the 5th largest country in Asia and is 2nd largest Arabian country. Capital: Riyadh Currency: Saudi Riyal Language spoken: Arabic, EnglishCities covered: Al-Qunfudhah, Jeddah, Yanbu, Al-Umluj, Tabuk, Al-Ula This road trip was from the south to north of Saudi Arabia. My family and I started on our longest road trip in Saudi Arabia to date on the first of January, 2021 at around 5am. We traveled from Jizan to Tabuk (1,678 km). We stopped at various different destinations. First, we went from Jizan to Jeddah, which is approximately 713 km. In between, we took short break at Al-Qunfudhah. When we reached Al-Qunfudhah, it was clear my sister and I had been sleeping the whole while. Yup, the whole while. Although Al-Qunfudhah is a big city, we went to a small beach and park. After eating lunch, we played for what seemed like an hour in the playground. Oh, no, not 3 and a half hours more! We left Al-Qunfudhah around 1.00 pm and reached Jeddah late in the evening and I slept like a log. We stayed at Platinum Suites, a 3-star hotel. It has 10 floors and one room costs SR.350, which comes with a breakfast buffet. We ate our dinner at “The Village,” an Indian restaurant which serves mouthwatering traditional Indian cuisine. After our meal, we went back to our hotel and watched the movie Avengers: Infinity War. The next morning, we got up early, went for brunch at “Chennai Darbar,” a south Indian restaurant, and started for Yanbu. Yanbu, here I come! While traveling to Yanbu we saw some mesmerizing views. After a 3-hour ride, we reached our hotel in Yanbu, “IBIS.” Ibis is a 3-star hotel and has small rooms that are well maintained as well as hygienic. One room at “IBIS” costs around SR. 355. This price is without breakfast buffet, if one needs breakfast then they need to pay extra. This hotel is fun for children, with a swimming pool and a Cafeteria where you can eat muffins, ice-cream, cakes and more! After resting an hour, we went to Yanbu lake park. This park is full of man-made lakes with lots of fishes, and if you’re lucky you’ll see some birds in the park too! It was so picturesque! Next, we went to young China beach. And don’t ask me why it’s called that! I have no idea why they named it that. We played at the beach till our hearts were contented and finally went to have dinner at “Aryaas,” a south Indian restaurant full of delicacies from all over India. Mmmmmm… The following morning, our next destination was Al-Umluj, also known as “Maldives of Saudi Arabia”. It is indeed a hidden paradise. It was a 2-hour ride from Yanbu, and when we reached it all paid off. Al-Umluj’s coast was surrounded by boats and if you buy a ticket they take you for a boat ride. We appreciated every site of this place, as it was a well maintained picturesque beach. Our boat driver was polite, friendly, and on top of that, he could speak English. He even allowed me to drive the boat for awhile–it was remarkable! In the middle of the sea, there is a small island full of birds. Our group stayed here for half an hour. The water here was crystal clear, with white sand at the bottom. Our boat left this island and our driver took us to the most remarkable place, where we saw dolphins playing in water. Oh, what a sight!!! The sea is all different colours–it depends on the depth of the water. Another amazing part of this ride was taking a dive in the middle of the Red Sea, where the water was shallow. Also, there were corals of all different hues and islands full of greenery. Every spot in this place is magnificent! After such an amazing experience, we came back to Yanbu and had an amazing pizza party! The pizza tasted scrumptious!! The next day we headed to Tabuk, the north-western province of Saudi Arabia. My ears got blocked on the way there, so remember to chew gum while traveling! It took us almost 7 hours (644km) to reach Tabuk. Let me advise you here to have a heavy breakfast in the early morning (6am); and to buy packed food items from the closest grocery store (we had breakfast at Aryaas). We searched a few hours for a hotel and finally settled in “Grand Millennium,” a 5-star hotel. Although it was expensive, the rooms were as big as an apartment. And guess what? The spa was for free! (only if you stay in a room) The package was awesome!! The following morning, we went to Astra Farms. This farm grows various types of plants and shows that plants (flower and fruits) can grow anywhere, even in deserts. Since its establishment in 1979, Astra Farms has been the Kingdom’s leader in the production of fruits and flowers. Their way to grow plants is unique, easy and environmentally friendly. A must visit spot for plant lovers, but be sure to book it beforehand!! Finally, our last stop of the day was Tabuk castle… One of the historic site and is famous for stories of wanderers traveling to Mecca from different parts of the Gulf nation. This Castle also beautifully preserves the utensils and essentials of the ancient travelers. We had our lunch at “Curry Palace” (a great place for Indian food) and left for our hotel. After resting, my sister and I got a tour of the hotel’s architectural significance. The sofas in the hotel all have different prints. This is because the theme of the hotel is a railway station, and the prints represent different cultures. For example, the leopard print represents Africa. And the rings in the between the sofas are made by the metal parts of the train. Here
