Gronox

Florence, home of the Italian Renaissance, is one of the most historic cities in Europe. It is the capital of the region of Tuscany and has a population of about four hundred thousand people. Florence lies on the Arno River and during medieval times were considered to be the premier financial center of Europe.

Florence is a very ancient city, which was first established in 59 BC. It was at first a settlement for Roman soldiers, and Julius Caesar allowed the valley near the Arno to be settled by veterans close to him. The city was conquered by Charlemagne in the year 774, and was later ruled by the Medici family.

Florence is arguably one of the most important cities in Italy next to Rome and Milan. Despite its cultural impact on history, it is a modest and pleasant place to visit. Even today, the city continues to maintain the medieval feel, which it has had for centuries.

The best times to visit Florence are from April to June. The weather is very opulent during this time, and prices are lower with fewer tourists. If you come during the summer, expect to sweat a lot though you will witness many Renaissance festivals. The early part of December may also be a great time to visit.

Anyone who is truly a lover of art will want to visit this city. Florence is considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance, and many of the greatest Italian masters worked there. Of the one thousand most important European artists in the last 900 years, over 300 of them either lived or worked in Florence at some point in their lives.

If you want to see beautiful Italian architecture, you will want to see the Basilica di San Lorenzo. As can be expected, Florence houses many art galleries and museums, which showcase Renaissance style artwork. While the city doesn’t have much of a nightlife, there are a few cocktail bars where you can relax and unwind.

If you enjoy walking, you will want to take a stroll along the Giardino di Boboli. It has excellent views, which will amaze you. For those that enjoy riding bikes, mountain bike tours are available so that you can get some fresh air and enjoy the landscape.

When you dine in Florence, you will taste a cuisine, which has a strong peasant influence. Fresh fillings are mixed together to provide great tasting dishes. Florence is a fairly expensive city, but backpackers and budget travlers can get by if they cut a few corners.

You are overlooking a highly effective and very low-cost sales tool if your marketing activity does not include postcards.

Here are some of the many reasons postcards should be a part of your marketing program.

1. Postcards work for any kind of business.

Postcards can produce all kinds of sales activity for all types of businesses. For example, they can produce web site traffic for online marketers, floor traffic for retail stores and sales leads for direct marketers.

2. Designing postcards is easy and uncomplicated.

Designing an effective postcard is not complicated. It can be as simple as printing your best small ad on a 4 x 6 card and sending it to a list of potential prospects.

Postcards usually work best when the message is brief and the postcard looks at first glance like a message from friend.

3. Printing postcards is simple and inexpensive.

You can print postcards with your own computer for about 1 or 2 cents each. Or you can have them printed professionally for about 4 to 8 cents each.

4. There is a special low postage rate for postcards.

You can send any quantity of postcards by First Class Mail in the US for only 23 cents each. The only requirement is that your postcards must be at least 3 1/2 x 5 inches but no larger than 4 1/4 x 6 inches.

5. Postcards always get read.

Because postcards are delivered “ready to read”, almost everybody will read it. Even people who usually throw out other types of direct mail without opening them.

6. Postcards produce fast results.

Because postcards are simple and easy to use, they produce results fast. You can mail postcards within a few days of deciding to use them and you will start getting sales activity 2 or 3 days later. 7. Postcards are effective for generating web site traffic.

One of the most effective postcard formats simply lists a few benefits of a product or service on the card and tells the reader to where they can get more information. This makes them ideal for generating traffic to a web site.

8. Postcards multiply themselves.

Postcards are like small billboards. They often get saved by recipients or passed on to others. 9. Markets can be accurately targeted with postcards.

You can accurately target your best markets by sending postcards only to mailing lists of prospects likely to be interested in what you are offering.

10. Postcard marketing results are easy to measure.

Postcards normally generate over 90 percent of their total response within 7 to 10 days. This enables you to quickly and accurately evaluate the results of a postcard campaign.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.losangelesprintingservice.com

Sharing of resources, ideas, joys and sorrows is a value and a concept that has been upheld since times immemorial. Sharing of time is a concept that has become widespread with the practice of duplication, franchising and networking. But when viewed from a commercial angle with holidaying and vacationing at the core, the idea becomes fantastic. But no! This has been made possible, practicable and pertinent with arrangements that are customized, well spread and flexible to suit every person. It is gaining ground.

In a layman’s language, time sharing is a concept that enables a person to prepare for future vacations by purchasing an interest in real estate in a certain location. There could be several reasons behind the purchase. However, the prime one relates to the quality of the accommodation and that of the service that a resort in question gives to the purchaser, owner and the exchanger. Next falls the flexibility that is reflected through the vacation exchange opportunities. This is followed by the cost control factors pertaining to vacation ownership in change with resorts that are spread far and wide in this world. What could be the economics behind such a deal?

How is vacationing bartered with the ownership of a property or any real estate holdings? On what basis things set off and pitted against one another? What would be the way out if differences arise in valuation of property over the passage of time and relative to location? These could be some doubts lurking in a person’s mind.

The concept is based on the assumption that one is in need of vacation lodging for a week or two in a year. The mechanics of the whole idea is simple. The ownership of a house, cabin, condominium or villa gets divided into fifty-two weeks. What gets purchased here is the time spent as vacation lodging and one of fifty-two ownership of the home. The next logical step in the development of timeshare lays in the ability to exchange time in these places between people who wish to take vacation in different areas each year.

Thus time share and an exchange company are two things involved. Timeshare is transacted through three systems that a fee simple, lease hold and right-to-use. The first enables buying of a portion of the property outright. The second has the arrangement of the person owning the property for a specific length of time. Under the third system, there is no ownership of the property but purchase of the right to use the property for a certain amount of time or for certain weeks of the year.

There are immense benefits for the person indulging in such a deal. The companies that could go in for an exchange are reputed ones. There is strong legality behind the ownership. What is remarkably significant is that the state and fine treatment enjoyed by a condominium owner cannot be compared with that enjoyed by a renter. The former is superior to the latter. Rent money is non-refundable where as money spent in timeshares is recoverable through their sale anywhere and at anytime.

One of the biggest joys of time share ownership is in giving a week at a luxurious resort to someone you love. Time share sales locators play a key role in making the vacation perfect and fit with the destination of choice. Time share vacationing makes this possible

Ever wonder just what the heck was an “OC48″? Not surprisingly many network engineers and IT managers aren’t up to speed (no pun intended) on just what OC really means…and what all is available to enahnce their company’s applications within this bandwidth category.

So….here’s a quick run down to set you straight.

The OC (optical carrier…fiber optic based broadband network )hierarchy goes as follows, starting with a T3/DS3 electrical carrier and then on to an OC-1:

DS3 (Electrical) = 44.736mbits/sec = 28 T1s/DS1s

STS1 (Electrical) = (1) DS3 @ 44.736mbits/sec with SONET (Synchronous Optical NET) overhead = 51.840mbits/sec

OC-1 (Optical) = (1) STS1 on Optical facilities

OC-3 = (3) OC-1s = 155.52mbits/sec

OC-9 = (9) OC-1s (not commonly used) = 466.56mbits/sec

OC-12 = (12) OC-1s or (4) OC-3s = 622.08mbits/sec

OC-18 = (18) OC-1s (not commonly used) = 933.12mbits/sec

OC-24 = (24) OC-1s (not commonly used) = 1.244gbits/sec

OC-36 = (36) OC-1s (not commonly used) = 1.866gbits/sec

OC-48 = (48) OC-1s or (4) OC-12s or (16) OC-3s = 2.488gbits/sec

OC-192= (192) OC-1s or (4) OC-48s or (16) OC-12s or (64) OC-3s = 9.953gbits/sec

The reason for the stair-stepping of the OC Hierarchy is due to the fact that the next available level of multiplexing (‘muxing”) of lower-level circuits is usually 4: (4) OC-3s = (1) OC-12, and (4) OC-48s = (1) OC-192.

This muxing scheme is usually dictated by the equipment manufacturers and is pretty much an adopted standard in the Telecom industry – hence the lack of the lesser-common bandwidth aggregations like OC-9, OC-18, etc. The only exception is the OC-3, which was needed to allow the upper-level hierarchy to work.

Hope this tidbit of info helps the network design decisions for your business now….and in the future!

All the way up the Yukon Trail, beyond the borders of the USA with Canada lies a bit (or rather, a lot, judging by the size of it) of Uncle Sam’s land. Alaska is somewhat of a forgotten American state. It is also the last one. Lands that are mostly in the Artic Circle, mountains as high as the Himalayas, Alaska is an ice-paradise on Earth.

Alaska is the 49th state of the USA. It was incorporated on January 3, 1959. The Alaskan population is 626,932 according to the 2000 US census. “Alaska” derives from the Aleut Alyeska (‘greater land’). Its borders meet British Columbia and the Yukon Territory to the east, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Alaska to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Arctic Ocean and the Beaufort Sea to the north. Alaska is the largest state in the United States area-wise and the 18th largest territory on the planet.

The first Alaskan inhabitants came across the Bering Land Bridge. This extinct stretch of land used to link Russia to Alaska during the Ice Age, but today it is submerged. Its first settlers were the Inuit, Yupik Eskimos, Aleuts, Inupiaq, and many other American Indian tribes. This route is widely believed to be the one taken by all pre-Columbian settlers of America.

Alaska over the centuries became part of Russia. On April 9, 1867, the US Senate purchased it from Russia for around seven million dollars at the time (around 134 million today counting inflation).

Alaska is not bordered by any other US state. A land stretch of 500 miles of Canadian soil separate Alaska from its homeland. Alaska is, again, the largest state in area in the USA with its 570,374 square miles. Its also has the longest coastline of the other 49 states. Since it has many islands, its shoreline is very tidal. There are some areas that have a 35-foot difference between high and low tide. Alaska is also a very wet state. It has three-and-a-half million lakes just counting the ones that are 20 or more acres large. There are also enormous marshland and wetland permafrost areas, all covering 188,320 square miles, mostly in the northern, western, and south western lowlands. Sixteen thousand square miles of the land are in the form of frozen water, or glacier ice.

Alaska’s main export is seafood. Agriculture there is only a fraction of the industry. It mostly attends to its internal needs within the state as it is difficult for Alaskans to import food from mainland USA. This difficulty comes from the poor transportation infrastructure to and within Alaska. This makes food prices soar compared to the food prices in mainland USA. There is also a strong military pole that grosses high on Alaskan income. They industrialize crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, etc.

The alcoholism rate is very high in Alaska. People there tend to get depressed due to the intense cold and isolation. There is also a high suicide, domestic abuse, and violent crime rate probably due to the alcohol. There is also something called “brain-drain”. When students achieve recognition in the academic field they usually flee to mainland USA and never go back, leaving behind the not-so-successful students. Nevertheless, the University of Alaska has been successful in taking care of this problem. It offers the best 10 percent of high school graduates a four-year scholarship.

So you see, Alaska grows year by year in the tourism field due to the magic of its arctic land. Don’t let the downside of it keep you away from seeing the beautiful side of it! You might die without ever seeing the Aurora Borealis!

A cruise is not just a vacation-it is an investment. And you need to protect that investment. How? Purchasing some type of travel insurance is a necessity for any travel booking today. The need goes beyond personal factors that could surface, like a family medical emergency.

The tragic events of 9/11 brought home the reality that the unforeseen can happen and disrupt even the best-laid travel plans. As a result, the purchase of travel insurance has skyrocketed since then. And natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina or the tsunami which devastated Asia are two more examples of how the unexpected can disrupt travel.

These have caused the scope of travel insurance to completely change. Suppliers defaulted, others went into bankruptcy and travel insurance companies went through major overhauls of what they cover and how they price their coverages, with more options varying with the type of coverage needed.

Two Travel Insurance Options

When looking into insurance options for your group, you can consider two possibilities purchasing travel insurance offered by the cruise lineor buying a separate retail travel insurance policy. Regardless of which option you select, it needs to be clearly included in the trip offering description. Secondly, if your group opts to take a separate insurance policy it needs to be done immediately, at the time of deposit. Why? Many retail travel insurance policies will waive certain exclusions (such as pre-existing medical conditions that might be under control at time of booking) if the insurance coverage is purchased immediately, usually within a week or two of when the original deposit was submitted to the cruise line.

Even if your group opts to take insurance through the cruise line, it should be included at time of the actual booking. A few cruise lines even require that the insurance cost be submitted with the initial deposit. Finally, if anyone declines coverage, it is imperative to have the person sign a waiver stating they were offered insurance, declined it, and are aware of the cancellation penalties that apply. Be sure to get it in writing, as a verbal, We are going and do not want to take any insurance, is not sufficient. Be sure to always have clients pay by credit card, as the Fair Credit Act provides some protection not available to those who pay via cash or check. Finally, most insurance coverage plans are usually available for purchase by U.S. citizens only.

How do you Choose a Policy?

First and foremost, each group member needs to decide on his needs, just like buying car or homeowners insurance. What exactly should be covered if an emergency does come up and that group member cannot travel? Think in terms of the worst case scenario and work back from there. For instance, are there any pre-existing medical conditions that could result in last-minute cancellation, when penalties are in effect? Do any of your group members have any elderly immediate family members or young children not accompanying them on the trip who could have an emergency and cause that member to cancel the trip at the last minute, or result in having to fly back during the trip? Also, travelers may already be covered under existing insurance or through their credit card, although some coverage may not extend out of the country.

Cruise Line Insurance

Many cruise lines have customized plans developed with their insurance carrier. Most base the premium cost on the price of the cruise package, although Carnivals is based on the number of days of the cruise. Recently some lines have begun to offer an upgraded insurance package, as well as the basic coverage. Princess Cruises, for instance, has a Princess Travel Care Gold plan, which doubles the limits of certain insurance coverages. And Holland America Line now offers a Platinum Cancellation Protection Plan.

Source: Group Travel Blog

For more information Visit Group Travel Directory

There is an enormous array of women’s lingerie online for instance the best nightwear lingerie, satin lingerie, exotic lingerie & to name a few. There are many wonderful styles of women’s lingerie online that you will undeniably be mystified and want to understand which particular 1 to purchase now & which 1 to purchase later. Because there is no way, you can ever say no to women’s lingerie on the internet!

Women’s Nightwear Lingerie: If you are perplexed about women’s nightwear lingerie to purchase & which will ideally suit you & the setting the most, this is the ideal place to get all the important info about nightwear lingerie.

Sexy Ladies Lingerie: Even though all ladies lingerie is sexy lingerie, its very important to know if you will seem sexy in particular piece of lingerie or not. For example corsets and bustier may not look correct on every person, so even if you spend a great deal on this sexy women’s lingerie, you might not look sexy whatever.

Ladies Satin Lingerie: Satin is a material, which can come across sexy in any case. If you get satin lingerie, the odds are you will never wan to come out of it. The 1st thing why women as well as men love about satin lingerie is the sheer smoothness & shine of the fabric. If you want to look striking and attractive, it is worth giving satin lingerie a try Get stunning and sexy thongs at great prices from designers such as Lola Luna, Bracli, Sensualle, Atlantis, Spoylt and Luxxa.

Women’s Exotic Lingerie: If you want to appear out of the ordinary and wish to buy exotic lingerie, lace courtesan chemise set, is the best option for you. There are countless exotic lingerie styles available on the Internet, all of them are bold, gorgeous and of course, strange. Your men would have never even imagined you could look so amazing, as exotic lingerie is something that comes into view more frequently. Besides, you can also purchase fetish sets as they work as exceptional exotic lingerie. The finest exotic lingerie available to buy online is ‘Shangai Sweetie’ – if you get to lay your hands on this sexy lingerie, just do not give it away!

Broadband can often loosely be defined as astonishing fast worldwide web and has all but taken over from slow dial-up wordlwide web access. old fashion dial- up connections, which were the 1st connections to provide properties with www access via a dial up modem, use all of the available telephone line & ordinarily run at only 33 kilobits per second. Broadband technology, that uses ADSL ,also known as Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, technology through conventional copper land lines, is able to provide you with at the very least two times that dial up modem speed which is superb & as if that wasn’t enough already it will often not cause any disruption to the telephone line.

Fast broadband has become progressively more reasonable & very accessible over the past four and a half years or so and is currently tried by the majority of house worldwide web consumers in the British Isles. There are a enormous number of broadband agents who offer super fast broadband services, each supplying several priced promotions with different benefits. One of the big league current focus points for Broad-band is the its speed with users now becoming gradually more interested in getting the fastest connection available as online games, music & videos turned out to be even more and more fashionable & broadly possible on the net. The dial up modem speed of a broadband internet connection depends on a number of different things, the most critical being how near the House is 2 the nearest land exchange box and the quality of the copper cable between the box & the home. Get some help from broadband deals and find the best price you.

One of the ways Super quick broad-band speed can be hugely enhanced 2 with the use of fibre optic cables, which do not suffer from speed depreciation over large distances. a diverse number of other countries in the world have extensive fibre optic networks & some, like Japan and South Korea, are supplying Fast broadband top speeds of up to 100mbps this is really extensive The United Kingdom. is anxious to bring itself in line with all these countries & people will probably be pleased to know that British Telecom just revealed their plans to provide a considerable fibre optic network in & around the country, at a cost of 1.5 billion pounds, al the way up to 10 million areas by 2012 and supplying speeds of up to 100mbps in a lot of homes, with an average of 40-50mbps.

When you are on vacation with your family and children or when booking reservations for lodging and accommodations, there’s a lot to think about. Not only do you have to have all the right traveling documents, but then there are snacks and games and maps and travel books and tickets and guides and cheap discounts and great deals, needed low costs, specials, umbrellas and sunscreen and cameras and money and … the list goes on and on. That’s why its important that you aren’t worried about your kids at the same time, but know exactly where they are at all times. This is an easy task if you talk about it ahead of time and make sure things are established before venturing into the wonderful, but crowded Orlando attractions.

Follow these guidelines to have a safe and enjoyable time in Orlando at the attractions:

• Talk about it before you get there – Before you go into the attractions and theme parks of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, or Sea World, talk about everything that morning. Not to scare the kids, but to let them know how important it is to stay with, around, close, and near you at all times because there are going to be so many people.

• Choose a place to meet — Look at the map of the particular theme park and choose an easy place to meet if anyone gets lost. It could be the ticket lines in the front of the park or even a ride or attraction in the park, but make sure everyone knows where it is and how to get there. This will make things so much better if someone does get lost. They will hopefully not panic, but just follow the plan and be reconnected quickly.

• Have a buddy system – If you have a family of four or more, this is a great solution to getting lost and getting scared. Whether it’s mom and dad together and the kids together or visa versa, it will help keep your family together as you experience the attractions and theme parks of Kissimmee, Davenport, and Orlando, Florida.

• Stay connected by staying attached – If you have little kids who can walk and like to wander off by themselves, invest in a “leash” that hooks onto their clothing or their wrist and connects to you. This way you don’t have to worry at every moment when you are walking around attractions such as Walt Disneyworld.

• Stay connected by cell phones – If you have kids in their early teens or older, make sure that at least one of them has a cell phone as well as you. This way if anything happens or any miscommunication takes place, you will not have to waste time and energy on finding where everyone is in crowds and big theme parks.

• Where the same color – If you have a large family, where all the same color T-shirt. Though this may seem silly, it will help your kids recognize you and your group faster than otherwise and allow them to catch up if they get left behind in the shuffle.

• Remind your kids of safety tips – This is lowest price to pay for safety. Tell them not to talk to strangers, not to take anything from anyone, and reassure them that if they are lost or need help they can ask anyone who is dressed in a Walt Disney World, Sea World, or Universal uniform. Remind them to be aware of their surroundings and to stay close to you.

• Remember Orlando attractions are safe! – Reassure your children and yourself that Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios are all very safe and family oriented places. There are many people working and watching out for you and keeping things safe. Don’t worry about anything happening, because it probably won’t, but being ready for anything is half the battle.

Now that you’ve got these tips down pat, make sure to double check with the following ones when you are sight-seeing other places in and around the Central Florida areas such as Kissimmee, Davenport, Orlando, Cape Canaveral, Daytona Beach or Coco Beach.

Tips for traveling to other Central Florida attractions:

• Know where you’re going – Don’t wait until the last minute and just get on the road with no road map, no directions, and no idea and just think that you will make it to the beach eventually! It doesn’t work that way and usually this is how an accident happens or dangerous driving takes place. Of course, your holiday will be ruined and the luxury feel will be gone. Ask the people at the front desk at your hotel or resort for directions and if they can’t tell you, call the place and ask or look them up on the Internet.

• Always wear sunscreen – Florida is hot! However, many days it is overcast and cloudy. Whatever the whether may look like that day, put it on you and your kids! If you are out in the sun at the attractions all day, at the beach, by the pool, or sightseeing elsewhere, the sun is still the same and still likes to burn. Keep a bottle near or close-by at all times! Sometimes the cloudy days are the most dangerous because even though there are clouds and wind, the sun is just as strong. Just wear the sunscreen and you will be happy you did.

• Make sure your villa, hotel room, suite, time share, or town house has a safe – You can never be too safe when you are on vacation, and if you have money, jewelry, passports, and anything else of great value to you, simply lock it up during the day when you are gone. There will be maids in your room and though they are trustworthy enough, you can never be too safe. This is just a simple, cheap, and easy act to ensure that your things are safe and will not be harmed on your vacation.

• Swim together – If your kids are pretty young, make sure that your eyes are on them at all times at the vacation beach or resort pool. It’ so easy for a child to fall in to a pool or get out too far into the ocean. All you have to do is watch them closely and/or always swim with them and this tragedy can be prevented.

• Drink lots of water! – If you and our kids are out walking around all day at the attractions, at the beach all day in the sand, or even driving and getting in and out of the hot car, you must drink lots of water. Because of the heat in Florida and because you may not be used to it, it can be so easy to get dehydrated and even faint. Make sure to keep water bottles close by you in the car and to purchase a few at the attractions, even if they are a bit expensive.

Don’t be freaked out by these warnings and cancel your vacation to the sunny areas of Kissimmee, Davenport, and Orlando, Florida. Just take them into consideration because they are only here to make your stay and time in Central Florida an enjoyable one. Warn the kids of safety importance, but don’t dwell on it. Tell them about plans of action if you get separated and then go have fun. Don’t stress because your scared something is going to happen, because it most likely won’t. Just be confident that if anything needs to be done, you will know what to do. Come to luxury Florida and have a great time! Be aware of your surroundings and you will have no problems and memories to last forever. We welcome you to the sunshine state!

http://www.islandhideaway.net
Art McCarty
Orlando florida lodging expert

PART 2.

Oh how Colombians love their music. The type of music coming from the smoothie vendor boom-boxes always seemed to set the distinctive tone of that town. They always played the music that was popular in that particular area. Whether it was “Salsa”, “Costeo”, or whatever type, it was always pure Colombian music.

As we were waiting for our smoothies, my eyes began to wander. I started to take in the sights and sounds of that little village in the mountains. I saw two soldiers who looked about seventeen years old standing across the street in front of a small cafe. They were holding machine guns, and giving me the eye. These were Colombian Government soldiers who were stationed in little towns like this to keep them out of the control of Leftist Guerillas who live in the jungles that surround them.

Some of those remote Colombian towns have an aura of unrest, and that one was definitely one of them. I dared not pull out any cameras at that moment. The last time I decided to videotape in a town like that, I was immediately approached by two soldiers and promptly escorted away. I thought I would never be seen again. Lucky for me, my wife’s brother-in-law was with us at that time. He happened to be a Colonel in the Colombian Military, so he interceded on my behalf. He explained to them that I was just some “crazy Gringo” who was in Colombia to visit his wife’s relatives, and to surf the waves that Colombia had to offer. They released me to the good Colonel, and I promptly put my cameras away. Apparently, Guerillas have been known to come into town and videotape the soldiers and the police. Then they hand the footage over to hired assassins who slip into town soon afterwards and kill them. I can understand the soldier’s apprehension with cameras. After that incident, my M.O. on the trip was to stay low-key, and not draw attention to myself.

My wife and I were getting some evil stares from several local folks that were wandering around the streets. I wanted so badly to pull my cameras out and pass the time documenting everything we were experiencing, but I could not risk it. Soldiers are not the only ones I needed to worry about. Being kidnapped by Guerillas was always in the back of my mind. Although I was able to get a lot of great footage and photos along the way (when it was permissible), my memory was my camera most of the time.

It was going to be dark in a couple of hours. We did not want to be in that village after dark. I would much rather have been viewing that town from the safety of a bus seat just passing through, but sometimes you have to stop to change busses. In that case, the bus we were waiting for was running late, thus the unscheduled and excruciatingly long delay.

As I was thinking about how glad I was going to be to get back on one of those colorful busses, a crusty old man on a Burro walked past us and gave me the stink eye. I tried to ignore it as I turned my glance upward and away from him. I began to stare at the thick mountain foliage that surrounded that little town. It was still a very wild and untamed country out there. Civilization barely had a foothold. I could see how maintaining control would be difficult for the Colombian Government.

Suddenly, I received a tap on my back and I jumped as if I had been electrocuted. It was the smoothie guy, letting me know our freshly blended fruit smoothies were ready. He handed them over to us, and we paid him with a few Colombian coins that equaled about ten cents in American money. The smoothies on that trip tasted better than anything you could ever buy in the United States. The milk they used was so fresh it seemed like it was squirted straight from the cow into the blender. They also blended in all kinds of exotic tropical fruits with names like “zapote”, “tomate de rbol”, and “maracuy”, all of which are incredibly delicious and can be found growing wild in the areas around the towns we visited. Those smoothies were like something a Slurpee aspires to be in it’s wildest dreams.

As we were enjoying our smoothies, another local man walked up to us and made a sales pitch for a very interesting product; dried iguana eggs. He had several strings of them hanging around his neck like necklaces of giant white pearls that were about the size of quail eggs. His semi-white tee-shirt had a sweat stain from his neck down to his belly that had a brown border of dirt gathered on the edge of it. It was really hot out there, but he did not seem to mind. His face and hands told the story of a man who had worked hard his whole life in the South American sun. He was probably only about fifty years old, but his skin was wrinkled beyond it’s years. This man claimed that the iguana eggs provided magical powers of fertility and sexual stamina to anyone who eats them. He then looked at me and winked. I could not help but wonder at that moment how many kids this iguana egg vendor had back at home. My wife and I chuckled at his bold claim, and politely declined his offer. As my wife turned away for a moment to find something in her backpack, I quickly handed the man several crumpled up bills on the sly. He then winked at me again, and handed me two strings of iguana eggs, which I promptly concealed in my day-pack. I figured I may be able to use these eggs on a romantic moonlit night in beautiful Tayrona, after a long, arduous journey.

Copyright 2006. Michael P. Connelly-