My trip to Costa Rica was a lot of fun and I would like to repeat it when I have the use of all my limbs. There were so many things - like swim - that I just could not do. I didn’t think it was safe for me to do the zip-line canopy tours and most of the fun required hiking. There are no elevators anywhere in Costa Rica as far as I could tell. Living on the 2nd floor at the resort was a challenge, as was almost everything else I did, but it was all worth it. I’m [View Full Entry]

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How did I not know that know that coffee is the seed of a berry? And is there a hard, bitter seed at the center of the fruit that is Costa Rica? I learned a heck of a lot on the tour of the coffee plantation we went on after we left the national park. I have become a heavy coffee drinker over the years - starting with debate in college and peaking in my many years working in the Texas Legislature. But there is so much I did not know about coffee or how it is grown and prepared before [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday I went on a combined tour of a national park and then a coffee plantation. In a small country that is home to more bird species than all of the United States and Canada combined, I assumed I would see some birds on this tour, but so much of what I saw - birds and more - was because we had a good guide. We drove about an hour and a half from the resort while our tour guide, Manuel, talked to us about the history of Costa Rica and about the tour we were taking. Along the way, the [View Full Entry]

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I have many new stories and pictures to share, but this internet connection will just not allow me now. I look forward to telling about my day in a national park and a coffee plantation. I got some great pictures and have made a lot of new friends. I hope to update again soon... [View Full Entry]

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Last night I and several others had a nice dinner at the resort French restaurant. I guess I should say now that "all-inclusive" is more of a temptation that I am capable of resisting. I have consumed and consumed ever since I've been here. The food is great and it is available 24 hours a day. The only limitation I've discovered is that room service will only bring four beers to your room at a time. Do they not realize how much time they could save themselves if they lifted this restriction - if even for this bunch of Texans I'm [View Full Entry]

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i have a few minutes before dinner so I stopped by the internet cafe. One very different thing about being in Costa Rica is the sun. While there isn't a time difference, there is very much a light difference. I think the sun cam up around five this morning and now at 8 p.m. it has been dark for hours. Oh, well I see people heading to dinner so I think I'll go. Will send more updates later... [View Full Entry]

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Lesson 1: The San Antonio Airport "long term parking" has no shuttle service. I think I expended most of my energy for the day by 6:45 a.m. hiking the half mile or more from where I parked to teh ticket counter on crutches. I was offered a wheelchair at the counter, but at that point I had something to prove: I am fit for this trip; I had to convince at least myself. I am traveling in a large group. Somehow I was under the impression there were 30 people on this trip - I missed a zero. Two planes and [View Full Entry]

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I made it to Costa Rica and I have seen no Mariachis; in case you remember my last out-of-country experience. This place is beautiful. I am here just after the wet season ended, so everything is beginning to bloom. We're staying at the Playa Conchal Resort in Guanacaste which is the Northwest section of the country. There is no cell phone service and it is not easy to get on the internet, so you will not likely get too frequent of updates from me - and it may take until after the trip to post the pictures. I'll have more interest [View Full Entry]

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I want to summarize my trip to Taiwan, but I don't know where to begin. First, I want to thank all of you for reading what I wrote. I had hoped a few friends and family would read the blog but had no idea how many people would read it and who those people would be. [url="http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/legislature/entries/2007/06/25/legislative_aide_reaches_taiwan_sees_mariachis.html" target="_blank"]Gardner Selby and Robyn Hadley had something to do with that; [View Full Entry]

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I don't think I fully had a perspective on my time in Taiwan until I got back to the U.S. and began to acclimatize back to the world I am used to. I mean, certainly, there are people in the U.S who every day feel like they are unique (and are) in their environment. I had a conversation with one of my fellow travelers during our wait for our disparate flights here in San Francisco about the difference between the minority-experience in the U.S. and our experience in Taiwan. It was odd to be the only people like us everywhere [View Full Entry]

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