Hannah gets back up after a minute. She’s still not feeling all too well, but she’s ready to get back to problem-solving. We flew, then hiked all this way to explore this temple, we’re not about to back down.
As she’s standing there, idle, a tarantula the size of my hand dives from the ceiling and lands on her shoulder.
She doesn’t panic — instead, in the split-second it takes me to gasp, she’s already reaching for her pocket, and pulls out a spider repellant.
One brave pshit, and there goes the tarantula.
I’m thoroughly impressed. A bit too much, maybe, as I don’t even notice the bright blue lights that have gathered around me.
These electric fireflies really hurt.
While I’m contemplating hoping back on the first plane back home, Hannah is now bursting with newfound confidence — because that’s apparently what surviving a hairy spider’s attack does to you. She gives the brass bowls another try.
And she succeeds! Well done, darling.
I look like hell, and everything hurts, but I’m happy she’s happy.
We swing by the bungalow for a nap, then when we wake up, we head back to the Marketplace. We’re already well into the night — the nights fall fast in Selvadorada — and the Marketplace has metamorphosed.
No longer soaked in the burning sunlight, the place now relies on the billion fairylights hanging around the place. It was colorful and pleasing to see this morning — now it’s pure magic.
Hannah and I head back to the food stall, and we try something new.
This time when we check out the stalls, we don’t necessarily go for the survival gear. Hannah buys three typical Selvadoradan ragdolls for Cleo and Cyril.
Gotta work on my culture. Yerba Mate for the energy, Horchata because I loved the taste. They’re actually okay together.
The deeper we go, the more overbearing the vegetation becomes. And the more incredible the vestiges we run into become.
There’s the carcass of an airplane, crashed and forsaken right in front of the grandiose entrance to what must have been a temple once. The two tall, llama-headed colons tower over the clearing, ready to judge the mortals that dare venture between them.
This scene tells a thousand stories, and though none of them are reassuring, they leave us in respectful awe.
The stairs are broken, uneven, and lead nowhere that we can see; what’s more the inn owner didn’t talk about this when she gave us indications to find the temple. We’re both relieved we won’t have to risk upsetting the llama gods.
In this clearing, we find a stone chest. It’s closed by a heavy slate. Ceremoniously, Hannah approaches, then with a glance at me she braces and pushes against the stone.
The lid slides, slowly, inch by inch, and a bright golden light starts pouring out.
Hannah found a treasure!
It’s a golden frog, a relic of the old civilizations. It’s the first she’s ever found, and she’s filled with pride, and joy, and —
But then I see her freeze. She grabs her throat and gasps. Out of thin air, a sinister dark cloud materializes around her, and gathers above her head.
“Mom? Mom I don’t feel so good… I feel… sad…”
We should have known; after all the inn owner did warn us.
Hannah’s been cursed. The Curse of the Sadness Cloud is upon her, to be broken only by joy beyond bounds.
And now we’re into the proper forest. This is where everything gets bigger, more beautiful, more impressive, but also more dangerous.
Hannah doesn’t mind, or really pay attention to, the dangers. She’s busy marveling about everything, trying to take it all it, buzzing from one spot to the other like she needs to see it all, to take it all in.
I have to remind her that we’re here for a week. She’s got some time to explore around.
“It’s not that,” she tells me, grinning. “It’s not that I’m afraid I won’t see everything. It’s just that I can’t get enough.”
I’m working on opening another gate, and Hannah found an avocado tree. She loves avocados, and I feel like seeing them outside of a San Myshuno grocery store is enough to make her trip. She carefully picks them all and puts them in a satchel.
Then without a thought for its sturdiness and the hopeless void below, she runs across a bridge of wood and ropes. Her footsteps on the planks are barely audible above the sound of the roaring waterfalls. It’s a beautiful sight, but my mother heart can’t really get over how the bridge sways with the wind and her stride.
I’m really not feeling all that safe in this forest.
Hannah still isn’t worried in the slightest, and it’s with utter bliss that she reaches the other side of the gorge, where she spots another potential excavation site.
Right there, Hannah. There is danger right there, why are you not caring more?
Yet she keeps digging as an unidentified green snake slithers by her.
This kid is either really brave or impossibly reckless.
In search for information, we go inside the bar, where we meet the owner. She’s a very classy woman, and she’s incredibly friendly.
She asks us where we’re from, what we know about the country, and generally makes conversation. Hannah leads most of it for me. She explains her childhood dream was always to explore new places, and that Selvadorada was at the top of the list.
“Ha,” the owner says. “So… you will be looking for the Hidden Temple, I suppose?”
“… Tell us more.”
I did bring us here to let Hannah fulfill her exploration dreams, but I didn’t find any information on a hidden temple; now not only are we both intrigued, we have a goal.
I take the time to change into a more appropriate outfit, then we head to the edge of a jungle. There’s an archway that signals the start of a forgotten path, but it’s blocked by branches and vines. I’m not about to let my sixteen-year-old daughter struggle with a machete, so I send her exploring elsewhere.
“I got this,” I tell her, confident.
This is when twenty years of building muscle through yoga is going to come in handy.
Hannah doesn’t idle about while I get to work on the branches. She founds a suspicious spot and immediately takes out chisel and hammer, and gets digging.
A thorough, rigorous explorer who takes pictures of every discovery stage worth capturing. The sun emerges from behind a cloud just in time for her to take a good shot.
And as the sun touches it, I put the last strike to my machete work, and the first door opens
For Hannah’s birthday, we Hugo and I cooked up a surprise that took many months of planning.
The day after she blew the candles off the cake, I dragged her to the airport, and watched her face light up as it dawned on her.
The next day we were in Selvadorada, a tropical destination charged with the history of ancient civilizations and the mysteries that literally came with the territory.
It was Hannah’s first time out of our home country, and we knew when we booked the ticket that it would be perfect for her.
If you’re wondering, the toughest part of planning this trip was deciding who would get to accompany her, and who would stay home with the twins.
In the end, we decided to make it a girls’ trip.
The first thing you’ll wanna do in Selvadorada, right after putting your luggage down, is heading to the Marketplace, where you’ll find a bar, food stalls, and vendors that will provide all the necessary supplies to get exploring.
Hannah is READY.
Since she’s her mom’s daughter and the food on the plane wasn’t all that great, she heads to the food stalls first!
Only when she tries to order does she remember — she doesn’t know the local dialect all that well.
Also, I have the money.
Mom to the rescue! I picked up the basics of the language from books bought in preparation, and I manage to order us some local food.
Hannah doesn’t wait for me to get my plate — food bought straight at the exotic source makes up for the meh restaurant we celebrated at.
I opt for a Horchata, a sugary drink elaborated from some type of plant, from what I gathered. Hannah’s got her platanos fritos and since she doesn’t talk for the whole three minutes it takes her to gulp them down, I think it’s safe to say that she likes them.
Then she heads straight to the vendor’s stall,. Though she has to wait for me to get explanations on the produce, she’s still imagining all the possibilities that this gear offers.
The statue of the Madre Cosecha is apparently a place of contemplation for the Selvadoradan sims. They have the highest respect for this figure of their history.
Hannah and I are now done buying aaall of the things from the vendors.
As Cyril, Cleo and Hannah have all aged up, we’re moving on to the fourth era soon. It’s the last era pre-Seasons, and also the last before Hannah turns into an adult and Azalea passes the torch of legacy heir to her daughter.
So I just want to stop there a moment and share some more of the family shots I took during their trip to Granite Falls. I hope you like them ❤
The day of Hannah’s fifteenth birthday, we head, at her request, to the Shang Simlan restaurant that has recently opened in the Spice District.
It’s actually on top of the karaoke bar Hugo and Shanna fought to save. And it worked! The first floor was renovated and turned into this beautiful place that Hugo and I have also been able to try.
Hannah’s request to go eat there is not motivated by Spice Market nostalgia: she just wants to discover tastes from another side of the world. She’s super excited to try dumplings — and not the kind you can find in food stalls Uptown. She saw Lily Feng try them out and recoil once, and ever since she’s want to get the authentic taste.
They did an incredible renovation here. This used to be a sad, empty space.
The hostess receives us with a warm smile. We’ve made the opening, and apparently we’re the very first clients!
Hannah is thrilled that she’ll now have the same birthday as what she is sure will become her favorite place to eat. She chats with the host about every possible simlan food-related thing she can think of, while the rest of us are already going through the menu.
It all looks so appetizing! We agree on a big family meal with a bit of everything.
And then we wait for the food to come, taking in the beautiful atmosphere of this new Spice Market spot.
Last time Hannah was here, she blasted off on a small electric bike. We’re not about to buy her a full-sized bike now that she’s older, so instead, she gets a skateboard this time.
Hugo teaches her the basics — though to me he reveals that he hasn’t done any skateboard since he was Hannah’s age — and then when Cleo asks for a turn on the board, he teaches her as well. Hannah leaves her place gracefully to go hug her curious but timid brother.
Hugo is out with the twins, and I am alone at the lodge, catching up on books I’ve wanted to read. Or trying to. I’ve been glancing at the clock every three minutes. Hannah agreed to be home by nightfall, and the sun is just about to set already.
I’m starting to get worried. Maybe Hugo was right. Maybe it was too risky to let her go alone.
Before the night gets completely dark, I jog outside to go look for my daughter.
Turns out she wasn’t far away. Just too busy catching fire ants to realize she’s breaking a promise.
Oh, kiddo, I could have told you this was a bad idea.
Yep. You got stung alright.
I’m here to make sure she doesn’t get hurt any more than that.
When she sees me walking up to her, she’s clearly expecting a scolding.
As I explain to her, I’m just relieved she’s alright. Still, she’s sheepish from disobeying my request, and still hurting from the fire ants. I feel like this is all punishment enough.
As we’re walking home under the moonlit canopy, and the Granite Falls lampposts, Hannah looks up at me. “Mom? There are fireflies right there, can I…”
The Stewarts Family (and other shenanigans) 