Our New Office

You might be thinking … what kind of trouble? Sara, did you have a run-in with the Colombian drug cartel? Are you stranded on a tropical island with nothing to eat but coconuts and mangoes?

Unfortunately, our trouble is nothing that exciting.  But it is exciting none the less.

For starters, when we left Costa Rica for Panama last Saturday we had to leave an entire suit case worth of belongings behind. This is partly because I might’ve overpacked for our 4-month trip to Costa Rica and didn’t want to pay the fees for the extra suitcase on our flight to Panama. I also left a lot behind because I was tired of wearing some of the same clothes over and over again, and I couldn’t really justify bringing gallon bottles of soaps and shampoos along.

Mental note: Sometimes buying in bulk is not a bargain at all.

Once I managed to part with all that crap that I don’t really need anyway, we made our way to the Liberia Airport. Our first flight was on a small plane that was knocked all over the Costa Rican skies thanks to a wind sheer from these small hills that they call mountains. Although Jason was convinced it was going to be the last flight of his life, we did manage to land in San Jose just fine.

Our connecting flight to Bocas del Toro, Panama, was a bit of an adventure too.

We were the only ones on the plane to Bocas. It might be the first and last time I am able to fly on a “private jet.” I had to snap a picture of Jason to prove it too. Pura vida, honey.

As we descended on Bocas del Toro we couldn’t help but notice the partial fence that surrounded half of the airport. It was also hard not to notice the baseball field and baseball playing men located just past the the landing strip and within the boundaries of the fence. I wonder if baseballs pose a risk to take off and landings?

Anyway, we exited the plane and then aimlessly tried to find our way into the airport. There were no clear signs and no airport staff paying close enough attention to tell us where to go. After finally figuring it out, we waited in a small room with two doors.

One door said customs and the other door said immigration. Next to the doors was a desk where a man sat with his legs up while he slept. Apparently the immigration officer was on a lunch break and the guard was on siesta, so we just sat and waited for 15 minutes.

Once that was all taken care of and we had paid for the pretty Panamanian tourist stamps to be stuck in our passports, we headed out to find a cab. Cabs cost a $1US in Bocas, but wouldn’t you know it…we spent our last dollar at the immigration office.

So off to the ATM we went where we discovered that my ATM card did not work and that Jason’s ATM card was MIA.

Bummer.

In the end, we got everything all worked out, but it was an exciting six hours. All was forgotten once we unpacked our bags and started to explore all that is Bocas Town.

After Phuket we traveled to Chiang Mai, which is in northern Thailand and surrounded by mountains. Chiang Mai was an excellent stop and a place we wish we could’ve stayed longer.

Our first night there we walked from our hotel through the night markets, across the river, and to a restaurant called The Good View.

Beers are only $1 in Thailand and chicken curry is only a few more. Needless to say, it was a nice, inexpensive dinner overlooking the river.

About half way through our meal I looked up to the sky to see this huge orange light moving pretty fast. We started taking all these pictures because we thought it was a meteor or something. Then a few minutes went by and we saw six more and they were right on top of each other. We were freaking out a little not knowing what it was.

Jason finally turned around and asked a guy (who happened to be from Germany) what they were and he laughed at us, I mean really laughed at us. Apparently these were balloons of some sort that are lit on fire in order to make them float. Every year in November the Thai people celebrate the full moon and the coming dry season. This is part of that celebration.

Anyway in between bouts of laughter this guy said something like, “So did you think the Russians were coming?”

Well, yeah, something like that. Either that or the world was about to implode into a fiery mess.

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Holiday Gift Ideas for the Traveler

If you are shopping for holiday gifts for a friend or family member who loves to travel, check out the Our New Office travel packing list. We’ve got some great ideas for you.

We’ve had very few challenges or dilemmas arise since being in China. Knock, knock, knock (That’s the sound of me knocking on wood). Although there have been a few interesting moments.

1. While visiting the history museum in Shanghai we had to run our bags through a security scan. After picking them up on the other side of the metal detector, the security guard said: “Drink some. Drink some.”

Standing there looking curious it finally became clear that he wanted us to drink the water from the bottles in our bag. I guess if we drank some then he would know it wasn’t an explosive. Sort of like how the old emperors would make the concubines taste the food first to see if its been poisoned. Okay, I guess its not really anything like that, but that is what came to my mind.

This is us outside the Shanghai History Museum. Two really nice teenage boys stopped to talk to us and take our picture. Unfortunately, we thought they were going to try and sell us something so we didn’t stick around to talk to them longer.

2. We’ve been shopping a bit while here in China, or at least walking through the markets to look at the same crap over and over and over again. I’ve been too timid to haggle with anyone because it was just too much pressure, until suddenly one day the courage just came from no where. I helped Jason buy a gift for 25 yuan less than he negotiated and then I managed to get 330 yuan off of something for myself. The sad part is that we still probably got ripped off. Oh well, it was fun playing.

3. We had a woman in her 50s follow us for a half block begging for money. I’m used to being asked for money, but I’ve not been followed for any significant distance before.

She was holding a baby in her arms and managed to keep close enough to us so that the baby was resting her hand on Jason’s chest. The woman kept saying: “Hello. Money. Please. Thank You. Nie Hao. Xie Xie. Money.”

The thought occurred to me that we should run and see if we could shake her, but then I thought that would be cruel. It didn’t matter anyway because she did eventually give up to set the baby down. I guess her arms got tired.

4. We watched part of a Chinese opera singing contest at a mall. The singing is always in the mall and there are malls everywhere.

5. Don’t worry, we’ve managed to find the coffee shops here. There are a huge number in Shanghai including a few hundred Starbucks (I made that number up. I don’t actually know how many Starbucks there are, but I’m sure its a lot.).

One Sunday afternoon we took our laptops to a nearby Starbucks and cozied up with about 80 other coffee drinkers. The only seats available were two seats in the corner wedged up against a glass wall. On the other side of the glass wall was the entrance to a four-story grocery store. Hundreds of people were milling in and out of the building and it only took a few minutes to realize that most of those people had to stop and stare at us as they did.

I felt like I was on TV and everyone was so amazed that they had to stop and watch. Babies pounded on the glass, old men stopped and watched, couples stopped and walked around so they could look at our screens, women pointed us out to their friends.

6. It’s possible that those folks were staring at Jason’s newly bald head. Yeah, we shaved it in the bathroom of our hotel.

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008. We had sort of a bad morning leaving Xian.

First, we had to get a ride to the airport. A little bit of laziness on my part (I didn’t want to walk around on the street trying to hail a cab with my bags) and a mis-understanding with the concierge led to us over-paying about 40 yuan for the cab ride to the airport. While it was convenient, I didn’t start off my morning as well as I would have liked to.

Next, we got to the airport, and after checking in and making our way through security, we found a nice comfortable looking coffee shop. Coffee is considered a luxury in China (very often purchased by visiting westerners), and it is therefore very expensive. We’ve never found a cup of coffee for less than $2 (even just a simple cup), and it’s not uncommon to pay $6 – $8 here for a latte. Obviously, we’ve tried not to drink coffee very much, but Sara and I were craving coffee today. We sat down and ordered a latte, an espresso (same price for both, go figure), a ham and egg sandwich, and french toast. Total cost – $22. Granted, this is the airport, and when you compare it to the U.S. it’s OK, but in China it’s ridiculous.

French toast, cinnamon toast, and ketchup?!

My ham and egg sandwich was nothing special. It was a fried egg and a small piece of ham on four slices of bread with some cucumber slices. The addition of cucumber was unusual to me, but acceptable. Sara’s french toast was completely screwed up. Two small pieces with a big dab of ketchup right in the center! Ketchup on french toast isn’t *bad*, but it isn’t good either – I tried it. Sara was very perturbed (understandably). We left feeling ripped off and a little hungry.

Fortunately, our luck changed. For some mysterious reason we again flew first class (twice in one trip)! I hope that this continues, but there’s a good chance this will be my last first-class flight for a long time. Once the novelty wears off, it’s still an airplane ride. I certainly wouldn’t pay twice as much to enjoy it (at least not until I’m filthy rich). There was also some incredible turbulence during the flight. My laptop almost flew out of my hands a couple of times.

When we arrived in Shanghai, all we wanted to do was crash. Neither one of us was feeling very well, and our hotel, The Crowne Plaza Fudan Shanghai, was simply too comfortable not to enjoy. We upgraded our room to include access to the Club level – free drinks during happy hour, a “free flow of juice, tea, coffee, and water” all day long, snacks, free wireless internet (HUGE), and free breakfast for 200 yuan a day. It was a steal. As expensive as this hotel is, it’s still inexpensive compared to the hotels in Shanghai’s city center (we’re about a 40 minute cab ride away from the Bund, essentially the center of the city).

Because we’re feeling poorly, and because we’ve been touring at what has seemed to be a non-stop pace, we made a pact to take tomorrow off and enjoy our evening.

While visiting the tourist destinations in Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai, we’ve been baited into tourist traps a few times now. Here are some of the more memorable experiences.

- The “art exhibition” trap.

A young woman, who speaks flawless English, states that she is an art student and that her school is holding an exhibition nearby. She’s very engaging, and it’s hard to say “No.” We were tricked by a young woman inside the Forbidden City – once we entered the “exhibition room”, the door was quickly closed behind us. While we managed to escape, the more sinister tricksters will offer you tea and then demand an exorbitant payment for the tea you drank (and threaten legal problems or violence if you don’t pay).

- The “free chinese medicine clinic” trap.

When we visited the Ming Tombs, we were told that we would be following in the footsteps of the ancient Ming emperors who would rest from their travels at a nearby hospital. We were brought inside a “Traditional Chinese Medicine” clinic, given a 15-minute lecture about the benefits of ancient Chinese medicine, the diagnosis process, etc., and then invited to get a “free diagnosis” from a real-live Doctor of traditional medicine. The invitation, however, was false. The free diagnosis was nothing more than a sales pitch – “Your chi’s tell me that you sometimes have trouble sleeping – the shaved horn of a feral goal often helps. You can buy one months supply for 800 yuan – will that be cash or charge?”

The salesman in me admired their sales process, but it reeked of quackery.

- The “throw apples to the bears and pay after the fact” trap.

When we visited the Great Wall, there were bears performing tricks for food (pieces of apples). The apple pieces were sitting in plain site, and the temptation to throw them was overwhelming. Of course, the trouble is the man who owns the bears will charge you a lot more for apples you’ve thrown AFTER you’ve thrown them. As always, it’s best to ask if there’s a charge to do something before you begin.

- The “private taxi” trap.

Whenever you leave a toursit attraction in China, an army of souvenir pedalers and taxi drives assault you with offers for goods and services. The taxi drivers will walk you over to their black taxi, assure you that you’ll pay the metered rate [Travel tip #112: Before you get in a taxi anywhere in China, make certain they're going to charge you by the meter. Otherwise you'll be charged two or three times the meter rate.], and then shove you inside. Unfortunately, while the meter charges a very reasonable per km rate, the up-front fee for a “private taxi” is exorbitant. Think 5-10 times the rate for a normal taxi. Stay away from all-black cabs in China. If you happen to get tricked, don’t pay the huge rate. Instead, threaten to talk to the police – this worked quite well for some people we met.

- The “factory tour” trap.

I hesitate to use the word “trap” here, but the circumstances surrounding our many “free factory tours” are definitely suspicious. The scenario is simple – when you pay for a group tour to a place like the Terra-Cotta warriors, you’re often taken on short little “side tours” that seem to be worthwhile. We were told we could see how silk was made, learn about the history of jade (and how to spot fake jade), and even see the techniques used to build the Terra-Cotta Warriors. Our guide for the day would drop us off, excuse themselves, and dissapear for 20-45 minutes. During this time, we were “escorted” around the factory, given only a cursory explanation of the facility, and then offered a “special discount” on the goods in the factory showroom. Needless to say, the pricing was outrageous. I must admit, however, that I did manage to buy a few things (I bargained hard of course, but who knows how well I did).

Tourism, like most things in life, is an opportunity to be taken advantage of. If we hadn’t read-up on some of these scams beforehand we might have made an expensive mistake. Hopefully someone will find our experiences useful.

The first few days we were in Beijing the weather was beautiful. The temperature was just right, the sky was blue, the sun was out, and we were happy. We even talked to other travelers about how surprised we were that there wasn’t that much pollution.

But then day four came and with it the pollution. Coming from Denver we are both used to seeing hazy days and even seeing days where you can’t see the downtown skyline because of all the smog, but this….this is different.

It’s so smoggy that it looks like clouds. It’s so smoggy that you can’t really see the tops of buildings. It’s so smoggy that when I look down the hallway in our hotel (inside mind you) that I can see a haze. It’s so smoggy that the sun looks weird.

It’s most likely a combination of weather and pollution, but it all makes me a little sad. We talk a lot about the lungs of the people that live here and how it might be hurting the little babies and the environment of the whole world, not just here in China.

The up side is that I think this may make an environmentalist out of Jason, but don’t tell him I said that because he’ll deny it:)

August 18th, 2008. First thing this morning I returned our Suzuki Grand Vitara rental car to Budget – the three day rental was over. I expected to find out about a discount or something similar when I returned the car (as I discussed with a Budget employee on Saturday), but instead I was told they weren’t going to do anything. I explained that the vehicle I rented didn’t work as advertised, but the person on the other end of the phone didn’t care. To make matters worse, I was given this information in a rude manner. I had made a point to be calm and polite – I worked in car dealerships for years and I know what it’s like to have people yell at you – yet the person I was dealing with at the “main office” was aggressive and rude.

Here’s a photo of our Budget Aruba rental car – the one with the broken 4wd, electric windows that didn’t work right, a tailgate lock that didn’t actually lock, mediocre A/C, and a host of squeeks and rattles.

My response was to refuse to sign the credit card slip and inform the person on the other end of the phone that I was going to dispute the charge. Then I walked out.

Fuming mad, Sara and I headed to one of our local WiFi haunts (the Renaissance hotel) to grab a cup of coffee, a snack, and make a phone call. Unfortunately, the internet connection in the lobby of the Renaissance hotel in Palm Beach Aruba was too slow for Skype.

I packed up and headed off to the local McDonalds, another nearby free WiFi location, where the connection was fast enough for me to make a phone call. I was informed that the WiFi was broken and was not working. It actually hadn’t been working for the last few days (things take a while to get fixed in Aruba, btw).

I was ready to lose it. The Budget office, the broken wifi, the inconvenience, and my expectation that I would be treated fairly were conspiring to ruin my day. Frustrated, my last option was to return to our condo and try to work with the less than reliable WiFi connection their.

Did I mention that the birds at the Renaissance hotel lobby make loud screaming noises at random intervals? It’s kind of funny (and the birds are actually pretty cool), but I was in no mood for it this morning.

Luckily, the day got better from that point forward. I was able to place a Skype phone call to Budget’s US help line. While they couldn’t actually help me, they did offer to send a report to the international desk. The report wouldn’t be responded to for as much as 21 days, but it was something. Perhaps more importantly than actually being able to help, this Budget employee was the first person that was truly nice to me. He understood my frustration and tried to help.

Next, I contacted the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) and dealt with another helpful person – Castro Perez. He said he would be glad to forward a complaint to the owner of Budget’s Aruba franchise, and he was very cheerful and easy to deal with.

Reluctantly, I contacted the local Budget office here in Aruba one last time. My intent was to get some names for my complaint letter to the ATA. Instead, I managed to speak with the manager of Budget’s Aruba franchise, Larry Nyak (spelling?).

Evidently, Larry decided that I was more trouble than I was worth because after some arguing on the phone he decided to give me the rental car for free. He said he would cancel the contract and that would be it. So long as he does what he says, I’m satisfied with the result.

Before I move on, let me just say one thing – Larry and his entire staff screwed up. At any point in the process someone could have listened, been sympathetic, and diffused my anger. They could have then offered me a small discount and – guess what – I would have been happy! I wasn’t looking for a free rental car – I was looking for an apology and a small monetary expression of regret.

Instead, Larry tried to make me feel like a small and petty person when he begrudgingly “gave” me the rental. The staff at Budget Aruba needs some help – they need to learn how to better handle dissatisfied customers.

Whew! I feel better.

The rest of the day was devoted to work. As expensive as our weekend was, we’ve decided to stay in for the next few days, buckle down, and make some money online.

August 16th, 2008. Today’s big plan – drive from the northern tip of the island all the way down to the southern tip while following the rugged off-road trails of the northern coastline. The guidebook we purchased said it would be a nice way to see some wildlife, the history of Aruba, and to learn more about what a desert island is really like.

It started off well enough – we had a great breakfast, got some coffee, and then began our trek.

About an hour in, I got our little Suzuki Grand Vitara stuck in some deep sand. Stupid move on my part.

The sand dunes where we got stuck.

After trying for 30 mins in the mid-day sun to dig out, Sara and I managed to get about 6 feet. We decided we needed help. Sara flagged down a couple of SUPER nice guys (Terry and his son Terry, if you’re reading this, again, thanks a lot) and they graciously agreed to help us try to dig out one more time. It was at this point that we all agreed the rental’s 4wd system didn’t work.

When that didn’t work, they gave us a ride to the California lighthouse where we called a tow truck.

The “tow truck” was nothing more than a new Mistubishi Montero with a long cable and a couple of guys. The driver and his assistants pulled our little Suzuki out of the sand in less than 5 minutes, then informed me that I owed them $300. Cash. I said I’d give him $100, but he stuck to his guns. So, I told him we needed to go to the ATM.

When we got back to town, I asked someone working at a rental car counter (not the same one we rented from) about the tow expense, and I was told it was too high. So, instead of getting cash out of the atm machine, I called the police and told them I thought I was being ripped off.

The Aruba cops showed up just a few minutes later, and I told them what happened. They seemed to agree that $300 was too much…until they realized they knew the tow truck driver. Ya – that’s right – the cops and the tow truck driver were buddies. The police told me I owed him $300. Cough-corruption-cough.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned here (like don’t get stuck, insist on being quoted a price before you allow someone to perform work, etc.), but this one is the biggest for me: Locals are out to get tourists. Don’t trust anyone – not even the local police.

My next stop was Budget rental car, where we got the Suzuki. The 4wd system wasn’t working – that much was clear when only one wheel was spinning in the sand. I asked Budget for a new rental and a discount of some kind for my trouble. In response, I was told that it didn’t matter that the 4wd system didn’t work because I shouldn’t have been off-road in the rental. My response – Why did I pay extra for 4wd that didn’t work? After driving all the way to Budget’s main office in Aruba to talk to the manager, I was told someone would take care of me when I returned the car on Monday.

After our $300 tow and the rental car company’s poor service, Sara and I decided it was time to relax at the pool. Later that evening, we had some neighbors over for dinner.

Brad, daughter Evey (spelling?), and Kris.

Brad, Kris, and their 8 month old daughter Evey (I hope I spelled that right) came over for dinner and we talked about Aruba. Brad & Kris (originally from a small town in Canada) have been living here for nearly 6 months because Brad is going to school here. Without putting to fine a point on it, they’re starting to get sick of the island. They tell us about all the bad experiences they’ve had here, we tell them about our little adventure today, and we all enjoy discussing exactly why we think Aruba is worse than the U.S. and Canada.

Don’t get me wrong – Aruba isn’t bad – but it’s not great either. The people here can be rude, service is often slow, and everything is grossly overpriced. We even learn from Brad and Kris that Aruba has a secret two-price structure where locals pay about half of the advertised price. The fact that a secret “locals discount” exists should be proof positive of Aruba’s corruption.

In any case, we’ve resolved ourselves to focus on the positive aspects of Aruba (despite our experience today) and try our off-road adventure trek again tomorrow.

August 11th, 2008. Since I was feeling much better today (Sunday was a sick day), Sara and I decided we would make the most of our last full day with the rental car. We got up early, got quite a bit of work done, bought groceries for the rest of the week at the Ling & Sons, and then spent a little time at our local McDonalds working online.

I realize that I have yet to fully discuss the wi-fi situation. Here are the top 7 things you need to know about finding wi-fi in Aruba:

1. There is no such thing as a “normal” coffee shop in Aruba (normal isn’t the right word, but you know what I mean). You can’t find a latte-mocha-frappa-soy-chino here, and that’s OK.
2. Because they don’t have coffee shops in Aruba, no one is familiar with the concept of working/reading/loitering in a relatively quiet place that offers coffee, tea, free books, old magazines, climate-control, hobos, places to plug-in a laptop, and of course free wi-fi (most important characteristics in bold). Reasonably clean surroundings and a decent bathroom are nice too.
3. Free wi-fi can be found at a variety of restaurants, but they lack in one or more of the aforementioned important characteristics.
4. The best locations to “wi-fi it” in Aruba that I have found are, in order, McDonalds, HuChada before 11:30am, and Dunkin’ Donuts by the marina between the hours of 7am and 11am and then 7pm to 10pm. Dunkin’ Donuts must be avoided in the afternoon because the only booths with power outlets sit in a glass enclosure, meaning you’ll get quite hot.
5. McDonalds is like a freakin’ zoo for human children. Screaming, yelling, throwing, hiding, peaking, crying, and feigned attacks are all common. Working at McDonalds feels like an afternoon with 10 Will Farrell wannabes competing to see who can be most over the top.
6. HuChada is awesome. They have great coffee (strong stuff), pastechis (like hot pockets but they’re filled mostly with air – just a tiny amount of meat and cheese), and everything I need from a coffee shop. Yet, for some strange and inexplicable reason, the internet connection slows to a crawl right around 11:30am.
7. Dunkin’ Donuts downtown is nice – the only problem is that they keep the inside a little colder than a refrigerator. It’s downright cold in this place. Seriously. I know that I’m complaining about strong A/C in the tropics, but Santa would say this place is cold.

Working at the downtown Oranjestad Dunkin’ Donuts. It would be a perfect office for us if it wasn’t so darn cold.

Now that we’ve settled that business, we can get on with the story.

Sara and I were rested and energized about snorkeling. We were going to find the famous Antilles wreck and visit it. We were going to see lots of fish. We were going to snorkel for at least an hour. We were going to enjoy ourselves.

We had a little difficulty with our masks fogging up, but we started to figure it out. I saw a fairly large snake-looking-thing about 3′ feet long (probably was an eel, but it sure moved like a snake). Sara and I swam with a big school of yellow and white fish (they were small – 2-4 inches long – but there were at least a 1000 of them). We saw some starfish, lots of different corals, etc. It was a good snorkel.

On the way back to the beach, Sara and I steer ourselves into an exceptionally shallow area of coral. Shallow water is a little scary because your chances of touching something (and getting hurt) are greatly enhanced. Panicking, I do the best I can to turn around and get out of the shallow water. Unfortunately, I don’t turn around and find Sara – I just buzz off as fast as I can. Realizing that she’s still in the shallows (and probably freaked out) I turn back and charge in just in time to see her hit her back on a rock. I help her get out of the shallows, but it’s too late – her finger is bleeding and she looks scared.

I could see blood in the water from her finger, and I could see barbs and/or quills in her fingertip. We were both worried (and a little shocked), but the only thing to do was get to shore. We got back to the beach and Sara tells me her finger is starting to go numb. Uh oh. I don’t say it, but I know that means there was some venom.

Let me just pause right here and say that everything was fine. I’m not trying to be dramatic – it’s just a better story if you understand our state of mind. After all, we don’t know anything about this stuff. I’ve snorkeled half a dozen times in my life, Sara just twice. We’re like two cave people who just realized that fire can burn your fingers…

Realizing that Sara was stung by something, I get us in the car ASAP and we’re either headed to the condo or the hospital. After a few minutes pass (it takes about 5 minutes to get back to “town”), it’s clear that the worst part is over. Sara is going to be OK. The numbness is staying in her finger which means the venom is minor (like a bee sting). Still, I’m going to look online for more info.

After a tedious internet search and a phone call to the Diver’s Alert Network emergency dive doctor phone line, we reach the following conclusion:

Most likely, Sara’s finger was stung by some sort of fish. The dive doctor seemed to think it was a type of rockfish/lionfish/stonefish. He says that medically speaking it’s no big deal – happens all the time. It just hurts. Still, it was a little scary.

We spent the rest of the night working. It was an exciting day and work seemed to be the best way to relax.

August 6th, 2008. Today was challenging – at least mentally. Faced with the need to print, sign, and either scan or fax a document, I anticipated I would have little or no trouble accomplishing this simple task. However, it wasn’t nearly as simple as I had hoped.

The plan was to head to downtown Oranjestad and use a business center that we read about online. It would have worked just fine too, but the scanner (and therefore the fax) was broken. So, we walked around for a while searching, and I became increasingly frustrated.

This is a great example of the mental attitude that won’t work while traveling. Never expect anything to be fast, simple, or easy – at least if you’ve never done it before in the place you’re in.

I had what Sara would describe as a meltdown. As uptight as I am, it’s amazing they don’t happen more often. My apologies.

The second challenge of the day was trying to find the “ideal” working environment. I had hoped that Aruba had a coffee shop with free wifi and places to plug in a laptop, but so far nothing. I’ve come to expect (there’s that word again) the ubiquitous “Seattle style” coffee shop, but no luck. So far.

At least the local McDonald’s offers free WiFi. It’s not perfect, but it works.