DLabbs

I normally wouldn’t write a TravelBlog entry for a domestic trip, but this is about my 40th birthday celebration extravaganza, and it has been a while... I felt a kitschy vibe coming on as my 40th birthday approached... a sort of Frank-Constanza-Elvis-in-the-70’s-Rhinestone-Vegas-Jumpsuit-White-Patent-Leather-Shoes-1982-Lincoln-Town-Car-With-Leather-Seats-Paul-Newman-Color-of-Money kind of feel. As the 40th approached I felt like embracing the inevitability of the impending over the hill, golden year, silver fox lifestyle that, although still on the distant horizon, is closer at 40 than it ever has been before. Wait... I don't have any hair on my head at 40, so would that make it an impending bald fox lifestyle rather than an impending silver fox lifestyle? Deep thoughts... by Drew Labbo... I have enjoyed Vegas ***and have left quite a lot that has stayed in Vegas*... read more

We left Prague on Tuesday morning and rode a train for 9 hours to Poznan, connecting through Berlin. The main train station in Berlin where we transferred is ENORMOUS, like a small city - super crowded with all sorts of restaurants and shops. Nine hours is a LONG time to be on a train, especially when worn out. We weren’t able to both doze off for a nap, as we’ve heard a few horror stories from fellow travelers that it’s best for at least one person in a group to stay awake on the train to make sure nobody steals anything while you are sleeping. There are stories of people waking up to find that somebody used a sharp knife to slice open their backpack and luggage and steal things while asleep. I have to wonder ... read more

All systems calibrated *check*… ready for lift off, *check*… Houston, we are a go… T-minus 10, 9, 8… I board a plane in Denver this evening at 8 PM, connect through London, and arrive at 6:00 PM tomorrow evening in Prague. Long flight… but it will be worth it. I am already a few cocktails in and expect quite a few more on the plane. (FYI - I will post many more pictures that I take while on this trip in the rest of the travelblog entries) I am traveling again with my buddy Rob - we go way, way back - who joined me as part of the travel crew and international sin set on the recent trip to Nicaragua and Costa Rica in May of this year. We will spend 2 weeks in the ... read more

Tuesday morning early we all took a private shuttle from Granada to San Juan del Sur (which is on the southwest coast of Nicaragua on the Pacific side). Although it was hot and muggy in Managua and Granada, the heat was not oppressive. Well San Juan del Sur was a good bit warmer and muggier. Fortunately there were breezes from the ocean at times, but at other times there was no wind and it was pretty damn hot. After checking into the hotel we walked around town a bit and then down to the town beach to check it out - beautiful scenery for certain, although not many people were on the beach or in the water there. Most people venture to beaches north or south of town where the water is a bit cleaner. Not ... read more

Real quick aside... that steaming pile of dolphin excrement they refer to as an airport in Miami is a disgrace to the entire state of Florida. Thank you. In the Managua airport all arriving passengers are required to stand in front of a thermal camera after departing the plane and before being allowed to head to customs. While you stand in front of the camera you peer at a huge screen that displays a thermal inprint of your body with all the associated colors listing your body temperature in Celsius. Two ladies in medical uniforms and wearing masks would look at the screen and stare for a while, then motion us on. I assume they were monitoring body temps looking for fevers to prevent the spread of swine flu. I do not want to know what ... read more