After being in Tahiti for about a week I was itching to go for a hike and maybe get lost in the jungle.
In Tahiti, and especially in Teahupo'o, it rains quite frequently. Maybe "rain" isn't the best way to describe it. It's more like the clouds are dumping millions of gallons of water in a 3 mile radius for 10 hours a day for 3 days straight. I was lucky to have arrived on the island on a day where the sun was out and the puddles had dried, however the next four days were filled with rain. When I woke up that morning and saw the sunshine I had a silly grin slapped on my face and I knew this was my chance to get out and explore.
Because of the heavy rains the waterfalls had a healthy flow of water. I could see them from the footbridge and decided to make my way along the river in that general direction. I strap on my Chacos sandals- which are ideal for walking on river rock and dealing with mud- I grab my bottle of water and begin the trek.
Walking around Teahupo'o, you'll realize that the path leads you through the front yards of many houses. Since I was born and raised in Indiana, I was pretty sure that I would be pissing someone off. I mean I was clearly walking on their grass and sometimes the path led me around the backside of their house. If I were to do this back home, I'd be half expecting an old man with a shotgun waiting for me on the other side. So it really threw me off guard when I came across a group of men sitting on chairs around a table enjoying their beers. They watched as I walked along the path that led me around the side of the house and through the backyard and pretty much right up to where they were sitting. I thought for sure they'd be at the very least annoyed that there was some stranger all up in their property, but no, of course not, this is Tahiti after all. They smile, ask me where I'm going, and where I'm from. I ask them where they're from, the older man says he's Tahitian... then laughs when he realizes that I'm making a joke- it's pretty obvious where he's from. I tell them I'm heading up the mountain to see the cascades (French for waterfall) they nod and tell me bonne chance (Good luck).
I find my way to the river and walk along the edge as far as I can until I have to cross it. The current is a little on the strong side and it takes a lot of balance and carefully placed steps to make my way to the other side. The river is a meandering one so I have to do this quite a few times. After about a good 3 hours of walking I find myself getting into the thick vegetation. I veer off the edge of the river and begin exploring the bottom of the mountain that's thick with bamboo trees, vines, moss and large-leafed plants. I'm walking on mud that seems to be more than a foot thick, filled with decomposing vegetation and still soggy from the past rains. I'm so happy that I bought myself a pair of Chacos sandals. The straps on those babies kept me from having to finish this hike barefoot. At one point I was walking in mud that went up to my mid-calf. I remember hoping so hard that my sandal would stay on as I pulled my foot from the slop.
*If you plan on doing any hiking around a river and dealing with mud or river rock I highly recommend getting yourself a pair of Chacos, they make men and women styles and they're very durable. - I am not a spokesperson for them, just a huge fan after having them for this hike.
I manage to find some solid ground and I'm able to take a good look around. I'm enveloped in a green glow, everything around me is green. The sunlight is fighting through the leaves overhead to reach the forest floor. It's filtered through the large green leaves which creates this beautiful green, golden ambiance. I'm surrounded by so much vegetation that everything seems muted, yet there's a distinct echo of the tropical song birds calling to one another and I can hear the drops of water falling from the sheer wall of rock to my immediate right. I feel free to relax and take in this moment and realize the degree of solitude I'm currently experiencing. I'm on an island in the middle of the ocean, I'm near a city that's populated by less than 2,000 people. I'm on a spot on this island where many of the locals haven't even explored, I'm wondering how many people have even set foot in this exact spot that I am standing right now. Probably not many. I feel like a true explorer in a world where it seems like every inch has already been discovered.
Once I've stood still long enough I realize that I'm being feasted upon by hundreds of mosquitos. I make my way back to the river to continue my hike. Why does it seem like the little gnats want to get sucked up my nose and into my brain? I swear, at this point I've inhaled more than the recommended amount of insects up my nose. I'm getting sick of trying to get them out, and I hope I don't end up on one of those TV shows where the person has a bug lay eggs somewhere in or on their body from a tropical insect.
I'm on a mission to find a waterfall. I keep my ears open for any signs of rushing water and I think I hear one. I follow the river a bit more until I feel I should follow the sounds of the falling water. I begin climbing up the natural steps created by rocks until I see it. The angelic sight of fresh mountain water falling from a hundred feet up and splashing into the natural pool made from the impact of the water. I found my first waterfall and it's awesome. I take some time basking in the waterfall letting the cold water cool my face and back. I cup my hands and taste the refreshing water, forget about the stupid water bottle I brought, this is so much better!
My feet are starting to hate me and my stomach has been empty for quite some time now so I decide that this was a good enough adventure for the day and begin my trek back to civilization.
I felt good when I got back, my endorphins were running high and I felt accomplished at the end of the day. I was pretty tired once I got back to my room so I laid down and drifted off to sleep. But around midnight I was sitting up straight in my bed wondering "What the F---- just bit the back of my neck!!" I jump out of bed and flip the light on. I don't see anything on my bed or sheet. I shake out my pillow case and out falls the biggest centipede I've ever seen in person. It's about 5 inches long and about as thick as my ring finger. It's brownish with red legs and I'm absolutely horrified. Without missing a beat I put on one of my flip flops and stomp on it with all I've got. It doesn't squish and it's still moving. Holy crap it's got some good body armor. So I begin jumping up and down on it about 20 times until I'm satisfied and certain that of it's demise. Meanwhile the bite is still stinging and burning and it's getting worse as time goes by. I do what anyone else would and get on google. I'm horrified to learn that I've been bitten by a "poisonous, giant centipede" that's native to this island. My paranoia reached an all-time high when I read that the type I was bitten by is the only centipede that has caused a human fatality. And I was bitten on the neck. After many more minutes of quick clicks and skimming stories, I learned that I was bitten by a relatively small sized one and I shouldn't expect any serious injuries other than the intense burning sensation, and that would subside in a couple hours.
After I disposed of the remains...
I learned the next day that it's pretty common for those centipedes to take shelter from the heavy rains by hiding out in the room I've been staying in. And also, the chickens and roosters that they have on their property actually love to eat the centipedes. This changed my opinion of the roosters who would wake me up everyday at 4 in the morning by cock-a-doodle-doodling RIGHT outside my window. Now instead of scaring them off I would lure them in by feeding them my leftovers.
It seems like I've covered just about everything from my trip to Tahiti, but I haven't even begun to tell you all about the beautiful, crystal clear ocean I would go dive in everyday, let alone the famous and formidable wave that breaks there that everyone knows as Teahupo'o.
What's your process for writing your posts? You've putting out high quality writing and perfect pictures every day. Very impressive. Maybe a post on your process would help aspirants steemians. Keep up the awesome work!
That's a great idea I'll work on that tonight!
Great work Heidi! I am a fellow traveler and Steemer. I am wondering how you make the pics look so good on Steemit, for example, where do you host them and what size do you use? All my pics are on currently on Flickr, so I think it will work to just post the url to the file I want to display, but I am not sure approx. what size image to use on Steemit for best viewing. It seems like many of your pics have different sizes? I've read a few posts about how to post images but nothing that answers all of my questions so I'd love any feedback if you have time between adventures! Keep up the good work!
That's a really nice idea. Would like to see that too!
Agreed, I'd love to know your process behind your posts.
Keep up the good work though.
Great idea @eeks - Looking forward to seeing a @heiditravels blog-posting tutorial! :)
That's pure tittytainment, stupid!
dude, we already get to know your pathetic behaviour. Just stop it! If you don't like to read about creative travelers who are having actually something to say, then stay away please.
You live an interesting life! Upvoted in case next time you trespass you need bail money 😉 you do a great job making an interesting post without bloating it with far too many words. One of the few travel blogs I've truly taken the time to read start to finish.
That makes my day :) very happy you enjoy it!!
Btw, would it be okay if I link a post of mine I just submitted? Since you have studied economics you know more than me about it but its just my views on the current situation and how blockchain technology will influence the world and make the economy prosperous again. (I think you mentioned in a post that you are a eth holder too - so you probably know what I'm talking about) (been reading all your blogs, I wonder if you remember my username) :)
https://steemit.com/money/@getssidetracked/voting-is-the-new-tipping
Stay safe!
No problem! Here's to many more safe traveling adventures!
Of course I recognize your name, feel free to share your posts here, I'm happy to help you get more traffic :)
I'm guessing that reply was meant to be directed at me, hehe. :D
Thank you so much. :)
Same here
BTW not that you really need any more publicity, but I thought for those searching for quality posts I'd add your name to the list https://steemit.com/steemit/@bendjmiller222/three-great-steemit-users-whose-content-you-should-read#@bendjmiller222/re-craig-grant-re-bendjmiller222-re-mctiller-re-bendjmiller222-three-great-steemit-users-whose-content-you-should-read-20160721t004012148z
Can't wait to see where your next adventure leads!
Thank you @bendjmiller222 :) That's awesome!
"One of the few travel blogs I've truly taken the time to read start to finish."
Same here, I never read blogs before, but thanks to steemit and Heidi's writing style its so fun and exciting and really broadens your views on how big the world is and how little you have seen of it yet. Well that's mainly speaking of myself. :)
It has the same feel to it as knowing movies exist but never watching one and then the first time you do you get hooked. :3
don't break your arm jerking yourself off, Morty.
I thought this comment was funny and real. though I can see why some would downvote, I am giving an upvote in these early days as thanks for real comments.
if you are a whale, consider whaledropping on people in the comments sections as they are some of the most overlooked in the ecosystem!
I can't agree more with this, as an ex-redditor the best section of every post was the comments. Even when people sometimes uploaded old stuff, and everyone knew it was re-uploads etc, the comments were still fresh, by real people and most of the time more unique and real than the upload.
Now with votes that have actual power, not just imaginary karma, the comments will be funnier, wittier, original and more creative then ever. People need to realize this is going to be the Reddit 2.0, the social platform that makes sites with copy-paste content and unoriginality like 9gag, funnyjunk, etc all obsolute. Even reddit.
I would appreciate it @officialfuzzy if you could take a minute to read my last blog post, @heidi_travels already dropped in. It seems hard to get your blogposts out there now in the early stages, but I've tried to bring original and thoughtprovoking content here the last couple of days.
Thanks in advance, and thanks for giving credit to the comment sections, they will one of the highlights of this site!
Thanks... Rick.
Hi @heiditravels. Great post. I'm going to be taking a year off here soon from my job. I'll be traveling the world over. No set itinerary at the moment and I like that. I'll buy a 1 way ticket to somewhere and go from there.
If we ever find ourselves in the same part of the world, would be great to meet up. Always good to meet a fellow traveller and fellow Steemer.
Happy travels.
Good luck with your travels! I'm excited for you and I hope you're able to share your experiences here :) I'd love to try a meet up with a fellow steemer!
Absolutely!
I pray you guy meet some day
You tell great stories about really interesting and inspiring adventures. I hope you keep sharing your journeys with us. Hopefully, I'll be like you someday.
Careful now, you wait too long and suddenly you won't know where the time went. Make a plan and commit to it! Don't procrastinate ;)
@heiditravels I really appreciate the advice. I'm trying to figure out what I'd like to focus on in my pieces. I often tend to ramble. I hope that I can connect with the great creators here, and maybe even collaborate eventually... I have big dreams and hopefully I can get there.
Collaboration? check...
Big Dreams? check...
Attempt to try? (lets hope)
Archiving the Journey (steemit is a great place for it!)
You are an inspiration to other travel bloggers and provide good quality content, which is needed in Steemit! Hope to see more of it! Thank you for inspiring us and sharing your beautiful experiences!
Thank you @travelista :) It's so encouraging to read comments like these and to be recognized for quality work. I'll be sticking around!
Great! Just what I wanted to hear! Hope to see a post with how you plan your trips and advise for us as well :)
Welcome back Heidi i hope your planning the steem only funded trip and its trading shortly !
Thanks @ph111p, the planning has begun! I'll write a brief post tomorrow focusing on where I plan on going :)
Another good post! @heiditravels
Too bad didn't check your snap quick enough! Already has 94 votes!
thanks @jasonmcz, maybe I'll give a better heads up next time
Whaaat is this?? Thanks for posting and where did you find this?
Also when will you be posting again @ryanjohnson?
You can find this at steemd.com, there you can also see your Voting Power % if you go to steemd.com/@yourusername :)
This ^^
nothing more valuable than teaching others!
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
You can see it at this link: https://steemd.com/richlist . I hope you have been helpful @heiditravels
awesome, I probably should know that by now but thanks :)
Thank you for the vote and I hope that someday I can travel as much as you. If you ever go to Mexico I recommend visiting Holbox. It's a Virgin Island that few people know
It is the richlist for steem. You are on th 11th place with 9646 Steem Dollar:
11 heiditravels $9646.252
And 312th for Steem Power.
312 heiditravels 48.482 M (it count it as Vesting Shares)
You are absolutely amazing at creating content on here..simply great shares!!!
Thank you @arcaneinfo!
Hello @heiditravels, I invite you to support my charity event. This is not spam: https://steemit.com/steemit/@jennamarbles/a-new-stage-in-the-development-of-steem-now-we-can-do-more
I really like this idea and it's totally doable. I left a comment on this post too, but like I said, I'd be more than willing to research a specific project and write a post about it, then donate all proceeds from that post directly to that project. :)
Blockchain based charities will take over soon! I read that the Red-Cross spends the lowest % of donations on their projects and other expenses but it was still at 8%. All other charities take more, not to forget Kony2012...
Blockchain will revolutionize everything we know and believe in. :)
Lol....Koney 2012...
How can we forget that horrid attempt to start chaos?
it will be better to eat something on last photo. Be strong - be like a Bear Grills!
Love me some Bear Grylls!!
Hakuna Matata
I've always wanted to travel outside of the US but haven't mustered up enough courage yet to get out there, any tips?
I'd try out Europe first, somewhere where English is the main language since that will pretty much ensure the most comfort for you. Ireland would be an amazing place to visit. It has both incredible history behind it with its castles, along with gorgeous views of rolling green hills and a raw ocean. If you're not trying to spend all of your money, I suggest doing some research on hostels, be sure to read reviews and check many different places. Lots of hostels have a community kitchen so you'd be able to buy your own groceries and cook your own food, its another great way to save money, and also learn about the local foods there. I myself haven't spent very much time at all there so I can't personally recommend a specific city to visit. But the internet is an amazing place ;)
Always so active in participating with commenters @heiditravels :)
Honest question: How the heck do you keep inet access?
another amazing post, every time i read one I literally want to stop what I'm doing and go off on an adventure. why can't i just do it!!!!!
Literally watched that video you posted 5 times, looks amazing.
can't wait for the next post!
hey Heidi, really enjoy your posts. You mention South Africa is still on your bucket list? get it out of the bucket quick. Check out a recent trip to one of our National parks that I did with my family
https://steemit.com/travel/@sanjayramjee/africa-calling
Lol using chickens against centipides haha laughed so hard on this one, good job.
Love your work! You are amazing!
So let's talk about that centipede for a moment.. Lol That thing has got to be bigger than my grandmothers rat dog!! That is freaking insane and give you bravery points on getting such an amazing picture of it... If it were I would be taking it in mid-air while screaming like a little girl... even after death. Looking forward to tomorrows blog
Ha! I had such an adrenaline rush I was shaking for a while haha then I thought I'd better take a photo to be able to identify what it was. It was at night so I turned my flash on my phone and held it as close as I could manage, I totally thought it could have a zombie moment and get me again so I took a quick 3 photos and let the ants feast ;)
I give you made kudos lol. I can barely handle the ones we have here in CO and those are maybe half the length of the leg of the one in your picture. Lol i can handle horses standing over me but cannot handle little centipede 10ft from me. O.o
Nice blog, cant wait for more post like this.
Hope you like steemit.
-Regards
I adore Steemit!!
me too...it feels awesome to be a baby whale and upvote comments of people and reward their own unique talents and input :)
The paths in Bluefields Nicaragua are somewhat similar to the paths you describe.
You are brave for venturing into the jungle like that!
I hope this is the next $30,000 post. Why? Because you're out there doing something awesome then bringing it to the community. Exactly what the platform is for.
I've seen the haters in this thread. To you people I say, grow up and wake up. You're going nowhere while you stay jealous and think small.
Wow, glad you're okay! That centipede's real nasty and I probably would've freaked out waaaaay more than you did.
I didn't know you grew up in Indiana! I'm just next door in Illinois so I can definitely relate to feeling weird about walking through other people's property. Pretty crazy how different people are in other parts of the world, eh?
"I was clearly walking on their grass and sometimes the path led me around the backside of their house. If I were to do this back home, I'd be half expecting an old man with a shotgun waiting for me on the other side."
Haha that's so 'Murica!
Those Chacos seem to have come in good use! I saw your snap just now and rushed to the pc to read the post, hehe. :) You should snap more often if you got time! :)
"but I haven't even begun to tell you all about the beautiful, crystal clear ocean I would go dive in everyday" that sounds amazing, I haven't even been swimming this year yet, here in Finland the water is still very cold, haha.
Take care! :)
So what types of snaps do you think I should send? I don't want to bore you all!
Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the snaps you did send, I just almost forgot I had snapchat until I saw your notification haha. Any short clips and previews of your posts maybe more often would be cool! :)
I love waterfalls, there's this small little town in Colorado called Lake City.
Has some of the best waterfalls I've ever seen in my life. The cool thing about it is they look awesome in the winter or the summer. I mean have you ever seen a frozen waterfall and tried to ice climb on it, so fun.
Thank you for sharing again.
Climbing up a frozen waterfall?? That's gotta be exhilarating. Where abouts is Lake City? I lived in Castle Rock for about 5 months last summer.
It was very exhilarating it was one of the funniest things I have ever got to do. I hope the map shows you where it's at.
If not it's in Colorado near Denver near Gunnison it's basically the Little Red Dot on the map LOL and the waterfall we climbed.
That last bug is terrifying ! Im ok with bugs and everything but I would run for cover from that one.
That's probably a good natural instinct to listen to.
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Awesome post! I love traveling, especially tropical and Tahiti is pretty damn hi up on the list. Great pictures and vid! Hope to see more.
How much would it cost there to buy a beer and a meal at a mom and pop restaurant?
The most important question for sure. Gotta love those mom and pop shop restaurants in random countries!
I feel like I can cross Tahiti off my bucket list now! Great pics and video!
No! You've gotta go! :)
N I M B L E
I
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B
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Something people may or may not know, but since Centipedes are becomming such a big part to this story (that everyone here will remember) I figure it is worth giving a little factoid:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropleura This is a cousin of the Centipede and would get upwards of 8 feet long (tall) and could attack with not only its body, but with its venom...
Thank god they do not exist anymore! :O
Hey Fuzzy, I'm wondering if you could answer some of my questions about the Steemit network. Thanks! https://steemit.com/socialnetwork/@limitless/important-questions-about-the-network-effect-of-steemit
Yowsa, bugs, ick! Great post! :)
Beautiful playas! Xd
https://steemit.com/travel/@maximkichev/once-one-good-man-said-if-you-want-to-come-to-koh-phangan-you-must-understand-where-you-are-going-koh-phangan-is-modern-tortuga
Thanks for sharing and great pictures! :)
Отличный пост! Красивые фотографии, прикольное путешествие.
Thanks for sharing! Love the travel photos your work is good! Wish I traveled as much as you.
Quality work doing it consistently, also good information for travel and adventures. Keep up the good work!!
Nice to read!
Likely it is cool, to travel, wandering about the novel jungle and to open that that new to?)
You have amazed me with awesome photos every time, well done!!!
i wish you have a safe trip!
I really like what you do and the cool pictures you take and the places you visit
every time i see you travel pictures I wish to be there .
keep up the good work:)
Tahiti looks beautiful! I would love to visit this place at some point of my life:D
Hi @heiditravels
Where's your next travel destination gonna be? :P
You could survive a Zombie apocalypse.
Similar to SP, SMD tokens cannot be purchased directly on an external exchange. SMD are primarily earned through contributing but can be purchased by converting STEEM tokens to SMD tokens.
Actually Steem Dollars can now purchased on external exchanges !
https://poloniex.com/exchange#btc_sbd
https://bittrex.com/Market/Index?MarketName=BTC-SBD
PS Abbreviation of SBD = Steem Backed Dollars
or just SD = Steem Dollars (not SMD please edit)
Those centipede bites are no fun at all. . . got bitten on the arm while camping near the North Shore on Oahu when I was a kid. And killing them is an art. . . if you mistakenly stomp on the tail instead of the head, they'll do a backflip and try to bite you again! Fortunately there's no permanent damage, just another great story to tell. Safe travels!
really appreciate your snaps 8]
You tell great stories about really interesting and inspiring adventures.Good luck with your travel
welcome @heiditravels
BEAUTIFL. BREATHTAKING! <3 LOVE the photos. And you are a very good storyteller! I am happy the centipede did not attack, lol!
I upvote you!
BTW, should steemit let us steemers advertise using steem?
Be sure to tell everyone you know to come vote here at: https://steemit.com/steemit/@kingtylervvs/if-steemit-ever-does-decide-to-advertise-there-is-only-1-way-it-could-work-in-my-opinion-debate
This is a democratic community decision.
