AvatarMeet 2013 - As it happens

[Alan]

Yep, that was Ikxeru with the Kaltxì on his txim. It was his T-shirt. And the moth was fine

It was the last full day of AvatarMeet 2013 and what better way to round off than with cosplay!! The day started early with painting up for those who were taking part. Those taking part were Ikxeru, Sarah, Fiyerwall, Wiesel and DJ Makto. It took them several hours to get all painted up, but once transformed, you can imagine the reaction.

The other visitors to the lodge who walked past wanted their photos taking with them. Even the staff came out the woodwork too, with some of them poking their heads above the fence like meerkats! We were keeping the Avatar spirit alive, and everyone knew Avatar!

After the mini photo shoot we were directed up to Blackrock, which was a five minute walk away and overlooked the valley. The view was...outstanding and the perfect setting for some Avatar/Na'vi shots. No doubt these will be posted so keep a look out

The next port of call was a waterfall that was located near by. It was decided to walk there as it was only a mile or so.....more 'so' than 'mile' I think! As we walked along the sidewalk cars kept slowing down. Some took photos. Some stopped to find out what we were doing. It was amazing we didn't cause an accident!

Eventually we made it to the start of the path that lead to the water falls. We were joined by some of the others from the camp including Paul and John. All of a sudden, the natural environment with our Na'vi seemed to take on a Pandoran feel to it...until we met some tawtute! Hehehehe.

It was interested seeing the different reactions from people from those who pretended not to see anything through to those who stopped for a good chinwag, which was great. We had a video camera with us and a number of people asked if we were filming the next Avatar! We soon corrected them.

Eventually we made it to the falls where there were a load of people doing their thing. That soon changed to a mass photo shoot of Na'vi around the waterfalls, making sure they did not get wet!

Eventually we exhausted the photo opportunities there and continued to the very bottom of the falls. DJ Makto wanted to do a piece to camera for AvatarNation....away, ten takes later... Hahaha

Now came the hard bit, climbing up Iknimaya! While is it that thinks seem steeper going up rather than down? Well we are a sturdy bunch and so 'photo opportunities' were taken every once in a while. Raiden managed to catch a couple of snakes along the way and educated us about them. Near the top we saw a log balance across the stream and so one more photo opportunity was taken. This ended up being a bit of and expensive photo shoot for Mikko, who dropped one of his lenses in the drink! Fortunately it was insured.

Once at the top some opted for a ride back to base, whilst a few of us took a trail back through the woods. Back at camp cameras and laptops littered the tables as photos were downloaded and camera talk filled the air....oh and Mikko poked at his 'damp' lens.

Whilst we waited for the rest to arrive the campfire was started - eventually! However once it got going with the help of a 'wafter', AKA chopping board, it was soon roaring away. Chicken was the order of the day, with steamed veggies, oh, and a S'mores cake that Raiden made. Om, yom, yom.

The rest of the evening was spent with general chit-chat whilst we observed the lightning in a cumulonimbus cloud in the distance. There was a really good discussion with Paul about how in the film making process, some of the Na'vi had to be shortened to fit the film. The reason being that English it a relatively compact language compared to others, especially Na'vi.

As the evening turned to night, people began to drift back to their beds, but not before some heart felt 'kiyevames' and 'Eywa ngahus' were expressed...

Alan.