Well, it seems the smoke has finally cleared over the last newsletter. It's funny how an opinion can bring out the best in people, and the ugliest.

I am grateful to know that the majority of the world is sane, polite and interested in conversation and the exchange of ideas.

As for the other two percent, well, where do we start? Besides smears heaped upon my character, insults on my innocent girlfriend, the impostering of Art Directors and Authors on the comments board, and well, what didn't they say? Oh, they also made accusations of my site harvesting emails for spam, as well as something about me promoting pyramid schemes. All to get you not to come back to my site.

You know this little episode would have made a hell of a research paper for psych class. It's like a feeding frenzy for sharks. You drop a tidbit in and they attack, but attacking for them is it's own high so they attack again. The attacks become faster and harder and are made blindly. Soon they're feeding on whatever they can get a hold of including each other and it's all because of one little tidbit.

Just another case of people behaving badly. (It is interesting to note that the majority of the slime comments left on my site came from the same computer IP address.)

That is a common reference that they use down there. I'd like to add two words to it:

The Nica's have suffered so much in these last fifty years, from horrible civil wars (Sandinista-Contra) to many devastating natural disasters (like Hurricane Mitch in 1999). Yet, the Nicaraguans have to be the proudest people I have met in all my travels to date. After going through so much they have maintained a great and diverse culture and exude a tremendous national spirit.

There are so many reasons to go there. The eco-tourism there is pristine: from beautiful serene crater lakes and rain forests to the hundreds of kilometers of empty Pacific beaches. A beautiful country with a horizon dotted with smoking volcanoes.

When you've seen all that, get ready for the real jewel of the country: the grand city of Granada. A throwback to old colonial Spain, Granada is full of charm. It also happens to be the OLDEST city in all the Americas. The architecture, the colors, the food! Ahh. I won't spoil it for anyone because you should see it for yourself. It's so close, and amazingly inexpensive. If you go, be sure to stay at the beautiful Hotel Alhambra on the square. Then ask for Juan Pasos, the owner who will do everything to show you his beautiful city.

I'll definitely be back.

I've included some fun snapshots of my trip below, I hope you enjoy!