Using Your Cell Phone Abroad

Using your cell phone abroad can be nightmare or impossible. If you are going outside the country for vacation make sure your cell phone carrier has an international plan and make sure you get the actual cost per minute when calling back home. Charges can add up quite fast. It isn't uncommon to get home and receive a $300 bill for the week that you were away.

There are several options you can use. We have done these three:
1) Use our own phone with an international plan and roaming charge. First you have to set this up through your carrier. They transfer you to someone to verify who you are and to check your records to make sure your not a terrorist (and they go way back in your files). And then when you do get to your destination your phone sometimes works and sometimes doesn't but you do have a phone to connect to your family and work back home.  Now it's a little easier because you can send a text and when you do get a slight signal it will go through.
Not all carriers have international plans:
AT&T – YES
Verizon – NO
Sprint – NO
Nextel - NO
T-Mobile - SOME

2)Rent a international phone. This is pretty handy. You can rent a cell phone for a short period of time without a contract. They will send you your phone via mail carrier and it is all set up and ready to go. All you have to do is rent the phone and prepay for your minutes. Possible rates as shown*

*Rental Rates	$3 per day (Min 7 days)
Optional Theft & Loss Protection	$1 per day (with $40 deductible)
Call charges
Incoming Calls	$1.50 per minute
National Calls	$1.50 per minute
International Calls	$2.50 per minute

But this phone should reach most places. Just verify the exact location that you will be traveling to to make sure your not carrying around extra weight for no reason. It also helps by renting a phone instead of bringing along your $400 Black Berry (I think that is how much they are these days) into the salt air or into the rain forest for a hike. You can contact companies like http://www.cellularabroad.com/ 
http://www.mobal.com/cell-phone-rental/ and there is plenty of companies out there with different rates.
Now you can buy an international phone cheaper than you can rent one. Just find one that doesn't charge monthly fees. Mobal I think has a phone for $50.00 bucks without a big contract.

http://www.paradise-computers.com

3)Renting a phone in the country you are traveling to. This in my opinion is the best. It is a lot cheaper to call back home than to pay for roaming international fees from your local carrier.
And you can preorder your phone before you get there, and have it delivered to your hotel or airport.
It's a lot easier than you might think. Most computer shops have them also for rent.

We have also tested our Majic Jack phone. We packed a simple phone and when we got a wireless signal we were able to use the Majic Jack. And since we were calling home, it didn't cost anything extra!
So if you will be staying more than a week, I would suggest buying one of these and a cheap phone to bring with you. It was worth it.

Grillied Pineapple

Grilled Pineapple
Heres an attractive dish that goes perfect with any grilled food.

You will need the following ingredients.

• a ripe pineapple (imagine that)
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1-2 shots of Tequila ( I also like to substitute with flavored rum, like coconut) 

First lets go over the selection of the perfect pineapple. When at the market or the produce stand carefully thump the pineapple with the side of your thumb. You are looking for a thump sound and not a tap sound. you will here the difference as you do it. This will give us a ripe Pineapple. I have found that the ones from Costa Rica or Honduras seem to be sweeter.

Slice the pineapple length ways  through the top but leave the top. I usually slice the core almost all the way through on both sides so that I can just pop it out after its done.
Place the 2 half's face up on a cookie sheet or pan that will fit into your fridge.

Next in a small boiler heat the soy sauce, brown sugar, and honey. Stir the contents until almost liquid. Once its ready take it off the stove ( I say this for safety purposes) and add tequila.

Baste the pineapple with this and save the remaining liquid to use later.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for minimum of an hour.

Now you are ready for the grill. Its not necessary, but if you have it, use aluminum foil to place the pineapple on to keep it from cooking the bottom to quickly.

Place the pineapple face up and off to the side. Let cook for about an hour while basting every once and a while to keep it moist.  At the end of the hour, turn the pineapple face down on the grill to finish cooking and will add the perfect color and grill marks also. Let grill until your liking.

Now you have a perfect side dish or desert. Great hot or cold.
                                                                                          

Petey the cool parrot

    So we're in our room on the second floor trying to get a internet connection. The wife and I are balancing the computer on the window ledge trying to keep it from falling to its doom. When we looked up and there is this cool parrot less than 2 feet from us, peering in as to say hello and what are you doing? It only moved a little at a time and that was mostly its head trying to get a better peek.
The next morning at breakfast we asked Jeff the owner of Casa Calico about the parrot.
He said the bird was there when he bought the place. Its name was Petey.  While we ate breakfast that Jeff prepared (which was great and more than I could eat), Petey came for breakfast also, waiting patiently for a bite of toast.
He walked across the outside deck like he owned the place. What a great bird. We fell in love with Petey and he was one of the highlights of our trip to Roatan Honduras. We had a great time while we were there and it was so relaxing without the typical resort hustle and bustle. No schedule and no shoes.

 

Time for Halloween

Witches, goblins, vampires, gouls, pirates, wenches and all of your favorite Halloween characters will be out in force, nudist style, at the Hedonism II Pre -Halloween party. Join in the spooky fun. Spend a week at Hedonism II before Halloween, and then you can be back home to do it all again at your local club!

Click on the Banners for More info or visit  NFN Travel

 http://travelnfn.com/pre-halloween-party-at-hedonism-2.html

Vampires & Virgins

U.S. National Go-Topless Day

U.S. National Go-Topless Day!

Hundreds of semi-naked women converged on the boardwalk at VeniceBeach in Los Angeles on Sunday for the fourth annual "Go Topless Day." Our favorite yearly event calls for equality for women, saying that if men can go topless, so can women. We wholeheartedly agree.
Carrying signs such as "Men and women have nipples. Why should women hide theirs?" and "Equal topless rights for all or none," women bearing their breasts or wearing pasties marched up and down the boardwalk. Men joined them too, enjoying the view -- of the ocean, we mean.
The event was held in several other U.S. cities, and will be held in two Canadian cities next weekend. If you happen to be up north and looking for a little topless action of your own make sure to mark down Sunday
The event is organized by a group called the Raelians. Members believe in UFOs as well as equal rights for all, hence its topless views. A little good publicity for a cult-like organization never hurts, either.
"This is a basic civil right, just like blacks and whites being able to use the same water fountain," said Nadine Gray (above), a Raelian who helped organize the rally.
Fellow Raelian Tara Terstenjak said, "The Constitution says women are equal to men in every sense of the word. But if we don’t have the Constitution supporting equal rights in all forms, what good is it?"
-opposingviews.com

Tools to help get the good stuff from the coconut

This tool is seen @ Young coconuts.com, and also seen in the Islands magazine.

Young Coconuts.com has a lot of great info on coconuts and gives great presentations.

 And although on their website they have these tools for sale it looks like they are out at the moment, but you can find them on E-Bay for about 12-14 dollars! There different versions out there from different companies.

Please don't forget to buy a funnel! You will need it to add your favorite Coconut Rum!!

Young Coconut Opening Tool

Here is your chance to purchase a hard-to-find young coconut opening gadget.  This item is imported from Asia, and is rare.
This item would make a great gift for people that like to eat young, thai coconuts. Great for living or raw foodists.  Amaze your friends on how easily you will be able to get the water out of a young coconut!
This item is really easy to use:
1. Stick the coconut opener into the coconut.
2. Rotate the coconut opener right and then left while firmly pushing into the coconut.
3. The tool will cut through the coconut, then pull it out.
4. Use the cap to push the coconut plug out of the tool.
5. Place the cap back on the tool.

Features:

• Will Open Young Thai Coconuts, also known as Green Coconuts (as shown below)
• Will Open Young green coconuts in Husk (as shown below)
• Not for opening older coconuts (white/brown) coconuts that are out of the husk.
• This item is very sharp. Always be careful while using this tool.
• Do not point it at anyone or push it to into a direction towards yourself. Use at your own risk.
• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Instructions are in not included in english. Please see picture below or instructions above.
• It's a fairly easy tool to use. 
• This item is sharp.  Please use caution when using this coconut knife or any other knife. 

Are you ready to make the fresh German chocolate cake? This is the tool to do it with! Dont forget the coconut bread! (drooling now!)

Coconut Shredder with Stainless Steel Blade

Here is your chance to purchase a hard-to-find mature coconut shredder.  This shredder allows you to make coconut shreds out of a mature coconut.  It will also work on a young coconut, but is not needed, as the young coconut meat is much softer.
This rare and hard-to-find item is imported from Asia.  This item has stainless steel blades with dual bearings and a wooden handle.  This item is sometimes also called a coconut grater or scraper.

This item is really easy to use:
1. Crack the mature coconut in half.
2. Clamp Shredder to a table or counter-top.
3. Hold half of the coconut with one hand and push it in towards the blades
4. Spin the handle so the blade contacts the coconut
5. Rotate coconut to shred different parts of the meat until all the meat is shredded.
Look at all the things you can do with the coconut shreds

• Eat fresh
• Use in recipes
• Put the shreds in a "nut milk bag" and press out coconut milk
• Dehydrate the shreds for dried coconut
• Dehydrate the shreds and then run through a masticating juicer (A few times) with the blank plate to make your own coconut butter.
• Dehydrate the shreds and then run through a masticating juicer with the juicing screen to make your own coconut oil.

Now this tool is simply amazing!! WoW! Talking about make a great coconut shrimp dish!

 Coconut Noodle Making
and Shredding Tool

The coconut noodle making tool allows you to make up to two foot long noodles out of 100% fresh coconut.

This tool is great for people that want to eat whole, real and raw food. 
The coconut noodle making tool works best on young thai coconuts that are more on the mature side.  It will also work on middle-aged (white) coconuts with flexible meat.  It does not work so well on the older brown coconuts, the meat tends to be more dry and flakey.
Using this tool is very easy.  Just insert it into the coconut meat, and turn the coconut.  
This unique tool allows you to make raw coconut noodles that are similar in texture to cooked noodles.
Just imagine all the ways you can use your coconut noodles:  In pasta and noodle dishes, in soups, in salads, eating straight, appetizers, deserts, rolling in sushi, and much, much more.
Benefits of the Coconut Noodle Making Tool

• All Stainless Steel Construction.
• Reinforced and spot welded which prevents bending and breakage of the cutters on the tool.
• Convenient for travel.. Small and  compact size
• Can also be used on hard vegetables such as carrots and zucchini.

Driving in Paradise

I thought I knew how to drive, I started traveling when I was 15. I had an adventurous spirit that took me all over the United States and Canada. Then I lived in Alaska for a while, with all the icy roads, blizzards, caribou and of course the motor heads that love to drive big foot at 80 miles an hour in a snow storm. But I found out real quick when I landed in San Pedro Sula, Honduras that there was a difference between knowing how to drive and actually driving! 

My  wife and I were headed to Trujillo to look at real estate. We  had flown  into San Pedro Sula which was almost on the other side of the country. We thought it would give us an opportunity to see the country. ( What was I thinking? You can't see the country and watch the road, too!) Soon as we exited the airport the craziness started! As an American, traffic laws are important. So you're thinking this should apply here also. Wrong! The speed limit sign was just a

recommendation. I tried to follow the speed limit so as not to get stopped for a traffic violation. That caused even more problems. Stop signs, "ALTO" were just there to let you know there's an intersection up ahead.  As we left San Pedro Sula, I was almost in tears by the time I had reached the out-skirts of town. I was in no way prepared. I had a map and the road system seemed comparable to that of the U. S.What could possibly go wrong? 

There wasn't anyway I could have prepared for the insanity. Auto and foot traffic, bicyclist pedaling with me and against me. And of course we can't forget the mule drawn wagons that happened to be in my lane. I didn't want to pass due to the chaotic traffic that steady flowed at and around me. C'mon, who doesn't pass a mule?  Once out of town, the congestion slowed and the beauty of the country opened up.
Wow, talk about deja vu it was all coming back to me. My first time driving through Nashville at rush hour. Yeap, that was the feeling. I wasn't in control then, and I wasn't in control now.  

We meandered through a few small villages that were surprisingly picturesque. At this point mainly scooters and bicycles dominated the road. Having driven for several hours, we arrived in Le Ceiba. The directions we had were sketchy and the roadways were hard to navigate. But, we had made it this far and the sun was going down. Half lost, the traffic was just as crazy as before. Taxi's everywhere and despite what you might have heard they are far worse than any New York cabby. And everything has a horn. If you pass someone, you honk. If you see someone you know, you honk. If you are aggravated with the car in front, you honk. If the sun is shining, you honk. Everyone honking for one reason or another. All the honking and chaos will confuse the hell out of you, add a side order of nervousness  and you'll be totally as freaked out as I was.

The next morning we headed off to Trujillo, except for taking a wrong turn it was a pretty mellow trip. After doing a walk through of the property we had came to see, we were headed to Roatan to visit an old friend. We dropped the car off in Le Ceiba and caught the ferry over to the island.

We grabbed a taxi to take us to our friends house which was halfway across the island. Thinking this was a good idea since I was a nervous wreck from driving back on the mainland. But then we weren't too sure about anything at that point. Let's just say we now know where all the guys that run the NASCAR must come to try out. I think the gas pedal must have been pressed to the floor the entire time. Our stock car driver only applying the break when absolutely necessary. Wow, is all I can say, truly amazing. By the time we reached the water taxi, my stomach was turning. Fortunately the boat trip was very pleasant, and the guy that shuttled us across the inlet was helpful.

We weren't sure where we were going exactly, there had been a fire a couple of days previous that shut down all cell tower service and we hadn't been able to reach our friend, John. With the aid of our driver we were able to locate our friends house and it was great when we pulled up, he was waiting to greet us at the dock. It was nothing but relief to just relax in the hammock and drink a cold one after the taxi journey. We have been back several times and have somewhat gotten used to unique Honduran traffic.


Taxi are the only way to travel. You get to sit back and enjoy the country and let some one else worry about what all that honking is about. (This also give you 2 free hands to hang on for dear life during your journey). So, if you haven't experienced driving in paradise, may I suggest  a taxi ride first. Get a first hand look at how the locals drive, then and only then rent a car or a jeep and go see what paradise has to offer.

And for all those who have had the luxury of this experience, please do share!