Today was the day to spend building a new website for the taqua nut (vegetable ivory) products we became familiar with yesterday. We met this artist at the spa who works with vegetable ivory. After talking to him, looking at his work and doing some research we decided to make a business deal with him to sell his products on the web.
That took some time, by the time the research was done and the first products purchased, it was time for my husband to build the site and me to enter the content. I now know more about taqua palm nuts and the value the ivory has than probably the majority of the people on earth! It was interesting and will be rewarding to know that the products Andres creates and that we sell will actually help save the rainforests in Central and South America. I learned that the taqua palms produce enough nuts which when dried have the same density, feel and look as elephant tusks, to have a higher ROI than the banana plantations that people have been destroying the rainforests to plant. Anyway, there is a whole bunch of information on our site and when I get the pictures loaded (tomorrow!) I'll pass on the web address and you can see what I'm talking about.
I bought one piece of the ivory for one of our granddaughters. I believe she will enjoy the design and especially appreciate the fact that by having this she will have something totally unique to the rest of the world. No two pieces of art are identical, how cool is that?
When you decide to take that much needed vacation and want to find the rental that will be perfect for you and your family or the group you are traveling with you will want to check out VLBO. This site has rentals in many different locations including such places as Myrtle Beach vacation rentals for you to choose from to meet your needs.
If you are traveling to South Padre Island in Texas you will want to find the best rental available. The island has changed for years past when there were miles of open beach, a couple beach combers and the Jetty to eat at and watch the shrimp boats go out for the days catch. Today it is filled with hotels, condos and businesses designed to keep the visitor busy and spending money from morning until well after dark!
You can take a boat ride out to see the dolphins, you can take your pick of many different places to eat, you can buy trinkets and souviners to show that you have been there, but you won't have the open beach area of the past, but there is still beach and the Gulf to entertain you if that is what you are wanting.
Wherever you go, enjoy your time away, meet new people and come home with happy memories.
The longer we are here at Madre Tierra Resort the more I love it. The view from our balcony of the mountains is just stunning!
We can sit on the balcony in the morning, work on our laptops and breath the fresh air, listen to the sounds of the horses and mules, chickens and birds and start the day with a really good attitude about life.
The fact that we don't have the eternal question of "what are you hungry for?" is just great! In the morning you go down to the dining area and they bring you your breakfast. Now, every one we have had so far has been pretty much the same, but it's so good who cares? It's fresh fruit in yogurt with granola to add to it, fresh, warm, homemade multigrain bread, an egg if you want and either juice or coffee (you can actually have both) along with the beautiful floral arrangement on the table!
I can testify to the fact that we don't have fresh floral arrangements on our table at home everyday! There are also fresh flowers in our room, roses, babies’ breath and lilies. How sweet is that!!
At dinner you are served what ever the cook has prepared, tonight was T-bone steak, mashed potatos, tomato soup, fresh salad, fresh veggie mix and some kind of desert thing (which I didn't like so I didn't eat, neither did my husband.) But everything else was wonderful…and again, we didn't have to think about it, just get served!
The fact that we have great internet allows us to work whenever we choose, whether is it early in the morning or like now, rather late at night. Whenever the creative juices flow we just sit down and go to work.
Right off our balcony is a banana tree with a huge bunch of bananas hanging there, still really green but beautiful.
The owner, Carol, told us that by next year the resort will be totally self sufficient. They have just received a grant to purchase the farm next door that has been supplying them with many of their organic produce, now they will own it and continue with the organic growth but not have to buy at retail (or at least a higher rate then to produce it on their own.)
The staff is just great, we asked our waiter if he was always here, seemed like every time we were down at the main desk area (which is right off the dining area) he was there. He said he works a split shift. 4 hours in the morning for breakfast and 4 in the evening for dinner. He's a capable, pleasant young man, they are lucky to have him.
Each day there are local artists that come to the resort and show their wares. We met one today that had some quality items made of Tagua (vegetable ivory). We have worked out an arrangement with him to sell his products on a website that my husband is getting set up right now. We will be working on that tomorrow to get pictures loaded and content built.
Tomorrow is the end of the Mayan calendar year. They call it a "non day" where there is no work, they get together with family and friends to eat, play games, have music and enjoy the time together. Sounds like a wonderful way to spend a day!
The only thing that could be better is if our kids and grandkids were here. They would love it as much as we do, I think.
There is a new school opening in the village this year for the younger kids. According to Andres it will be a vast improvement on the public facilities that have been available in the past. Advanced learning and a private school. It sounds like something that was needed for the area, we hope it does well.
I just had to throw in another shot of the mountains so that our kids can see how they would love it! They all love the mountains in the distance or up close. Well, here we have both!
There are lots of sites that sell inkjet cartridges but the one I use most often is 123inkjets.com because the shipping is quick, the prices are fair and the coupons are great! Using coupon codes to find a coupon for this site and many others is just a click away, be sure to check it out!
I did have a problem with one order with them so I notified their customer service department and was immediately taken care of. Not all companies do that, they either blow you off or offer you some cheesy reason for the problem…and rarely will they admit it's their fault!
We have two different printers and of course they are not the same brand, that would be too logical, so ordering for them needs to be from a company that can supply just what we need, 123inkjets has satisfied that need.
If you are looking for good coupon sites, coupon chief is one that should solve your needs. They have lots of stores that they provide coupons for and the ease of using the site is great!
For the first time on this trip, today is the lazy day. Seriously not wanting to do anything too demanding, in fact, may just have to take a nap later.
The sun is out, the clouds that are around are the big puffy ones that make you want to just look at them and see what you can "see" in them, may do that later too.
We met Cristian's brother-in-law (they don't call them that here but he is married to Cristian's wifes sister) today. He makes these really neat artworks out of dried coconut slices. The substance is called Tagua (Vegetable ivory). He etches on the surfaces, leaving some of the brown outside for coloring and detail while carving out the white to the design he chooses. They are not very big, little bigger than the size of a silver dollar (at least most of them are) but pretty cool. There is one that I will probably pick up for my granddaughter, it is of a dragon (that is if she is still interested in dragons, will have to ask her mom.)
His wife makes earrings out of parrot feathers and other exotic birds that are in the area. They go on feather hunting expeditions and collect feathers for her to use to make her jewelry. They are really pretty. I may bring some of each of these peoples work home with me to see if they will sell on the web. We have to negotiate a price that is acceptable to both of us yet, haven't quite reached a consensus, but we probably will. I checked other sites to see what they were selling for and so kind of have an idea of the range that would be logical. We'll see.
I walked down to see the horses this morning but didn't find them. I'll ask later where they are and what the schedule is for riding. Tomorrow may be a day for riding, today, no energy!
This morning I got up and from the balcony off our room saw the mountains peeking above the forest of trees too beautiful to describe. The outline showcases the beautiful valley we are located in.
The horses at the resort were letting us know they exist and the roosters were saying good morning! The resort was quiet, a wonderful place to relax and reflect on the adventures of the past and the experiences yet to come.
After having a breakfast of fresh fruit in a milky sauce to which you add granola and have your beverage of choice (mine of course was decaf coffee but my husband had pineapple juice) and fresh baked whole wheat bread toasted the day had officially begun.
We sat on our balcony and read for the majority of the morning, it was delightful to have the peace surround us! Then I decided it was time to go get a body massage and a facial. Now, if you truly want to feel pampered you want to have the staff here take you under their wing and do a facial followed by a full body massage. All of this for a total of $33!! The facial was scheduled for 30 minutes, but in reality it was an hour of pampering and relaxation. The body massage was supposed to be 30 minutes too; it was an hour and 10 minutes! My husband commented that I sure had been gone a long time when I came back to the room, but it was a heavenly break!
We walked down to the pool this afternoon, the pool is tiny, I commented that even I could do 10 laps in a pool that size! And our grandson could certainly do two widths of the pool without having to put his feet down, it's pretty small, but very pretty. It is surrounded by fresh flowers, candles and a small water fountain feeding into it. As we were sitting there (at the bar area by the pool) we decided to order a pizza. We asked if we could get served there or if we had to go to the main dining area. Cristian, our fabulous front desk, cook and everything else person, said not a problem, order and they would serve us at the bar! We ordered a mixed (?) pizza, not knowing just what we were going to get, but whatever it would b we figured it would be good and we were right. Lots of cheese and veggies and some meat, I assume was ham but hey, who knows!
As we were sitting there we visited with another guest from
Not sure what tonight will bring, we will find out when we go down for dinner and visit with Carol, the owner of the resort. She is really a neat gal, wild gray hair and all. Her husband was an actor prior to retiring. I asked what he had been in and found that he had been on Broadway in a number of plays and was an actor on Hill Street Blues and Dynasty. He bought his contract out of Dynasty, according to Carol, because he did not like the way Joan Collins treated the other actors and he felt it was worth the money to get away from her. Now that must have been pretty bad!! Carol said that the people here in
Last night we went to the conference center with Carol, her husband and some local people and watched "A Street Car Named Desire" with Marlon Brando. I had never watched it so it was really a kick to sit through a true classic that I hadn't seen, black and white and all!
The local guy, his name was Pat, was busy telling me that the world is doomed if there isn't a change in the leadership. He believes that there is "one with his finger on the button" that wants to bring about Armageddon. I cut the conversations short and sat down to watch the movie. This guy has to be 80 with long gray hair, skinny as a rail and teeth that haven't seen a dentist in awhile, but he thoroughly enjoyed the movie!
Getting to bed was a treat, popped a Tylenol PM and slept like a baby. The pillows were actually soft enough to enjoy and the room warm enough so you didn’t need 15 blankets! In
I have taken loads of pictures of this beautiful place, but forgot the cord to load them so they will all have to wait until we get home.
It seems that having a good relationship with your mortgage broker when you move from one state like Connecticut to Arizona is critical to getting a good rate in a timely fashion whether it is an Arizona mortgages or Connecticut Mortgages, a good relationship is important. Recently our daughter and her husband applied for a Tucson mortgages for a home in the Tucson area. Due to the fact that there was a relationship with the broker prior to applying for the loan, everything went through smoothly.
With the internet having a web site such as PersonalHomeLoanMortgages.com available to help you with locating a mortgage rate and gathering information on what you need to qualify and having up to 4 different brokers contact you to assist you through the process you will have the opportunity to choose a mortgage broker you feel you can work with and get to know.
Buying a home is one of the most important purchases most people make in their lifetime, whether it is a first home or moving on to a bigger home in a different area, having a mortgage broker to work with makes the transition easier.
If you choose to have more than one home, it is nice to have one broker to contact for information on a given area, what is the loan rate? How many homes are selling in the area? Do you want an adjustable or fixed rate loan? Are you planning to keep the house for a number of years or are you looking at it as an investment and plan to turn it in a couple of years? These are questions that a mortgage broker can help you with finding the answers.
http://www.personalhomeloanmortgages.com/connecticut
Last night I asked the gal at the front desk if there was someplace good to go get dinner since their cook decided not to show up for work. Ahh, the joys of the hospitality industry! Anyway, she asked what we were hungry for, always liking Italian I asked if there were any Italian restaurants around. She said sure, there was a really good one not too far away. She called and booked a reservation for us at La (something), a $2 cab ride from the hotel.
The atmosphere was wonderful after you got inside. When the cab pulled up front I wondered what in the world we had gotten ourselves into. The street was dark, there was a guard at the gate to the restaurant and the sidewalk leading to the door was less than inviting (had a 1 1/2 foot unfinished area right in the middle). But, alas, when the door was opened by the guard the aroma of wonderful Italian cooking made me forget all about the entrance.
The host seated us at a table near the blazing fireplace (which was really welcome since it gets down right nippy here at night). The owners son, about our grandson's age, was busy putting wax from a candle into the flame. It made me a little nervous to watch him, but decided that with all the wait staff around and his father there it wasn't my concern to fret over what he was doing, obviously he had done it many times before.
The waiter brought over the wine list and menu. The choices were fabulous. Although the descriptions and titles were somewhat different then we were used to, the menu listed things in Spanish and English. What a delight! Both my husband and I ate until we were stuffed. I told him we really need to go to Italy and eat our way through the country….he wants to know where that fits on my "we need to go here" list which continually gets longer! So much to see and exterience!
The whole meal, wine, pasta, and appetizer came to just $22 for the two of us. What a great experience for so little money.
The staff called the cab when we were ready to leave and we were back at the hotel another $2 later!
We just returned to the hotel after a day of siteseeing in Quito. That included a tram ride to the top of some very high mountain. The view was fabulous, very modern facilties and enclosed tram ride. Quito is a very long and narrow city in the valley surrounded by mountains.
On the ride down the people we were with started discussing politics, I told them we were not going to discuss politics but that it appeared there was a great deal of building going on which would lead us to believe the economy is in pretty good shape, Then, to thwart any further comments about the government I said that the President of Ecuador graduated from the same college my husband did. That immediately put a stop to the political discussion.
We saw the statue of the Virgin Mary that towers over the city with the human sacrifice burner right below it. Our guide said the human sacrifice furnace is now a museum, I chose not to go see it from the inside! The statue of the Virgin is made of Aluminum standing on top of a stone base which allows people to enter and climb to the top of the statue. I passed on that opportunity since we had just climbed half a mountain earlier in the day!
We had lunch at a restaurant on the third floor of a building with an atrium to look down into in the city center. The "square" (at least that's what we call them at home) was just outside and filled with an assortment of people, it appeared they were from all over the world.
Only one kid came up and tried to sell us something, other than that it was a beautiful opportunity to see beautiful buildings and interesting people. When our driver came back to pick us up, I decided it was time to come back to the hotel, have a drink and relax. I'm tired although my husband says he hasn't hit the exhaustion point yet, I have.
Not sure what, if anything, we will do tonight. We leave for Loja tomorrow afternoon for some true rest and relaxation.
After a long wait in the Atlanta airport we finally boarded our plane for Quito. Delta moved us from one gate to another (three times) but we aren't complaining! We were waiting for a flight to arrive from someplace..can't remember where, but apparently they decided that since they were already overbooked by 37 people for the flight they were just going to load up and take off when the weather broke and it was possible to fly. So, we left Atlanta 3 1/2 hours late, but we did leave!
There was a police officer at the entrance of the plane talking on his cell phone to his Captain about someone they were detaining. Don't know any of the details, just what I overheard the officer say, something about detaining the Ecuadorian for pick up. He asked us what gate we were at and then we boarded so I didn't hear any more.
Although we have had problems with Delta in the past, this flight was great. The crew was outstanding and the flight without incident. That always means a good flight to me, although the landing was really fast and a little rough we did indeed land safely!
Going through customs and immigration was not a problem, they actually were quick and polite. The dinner was hot, if not very good (icky would be a better word in my book), but it was served and believe it or not they were actually serving free alcohol drinks (one per person) with dinner. I got a tomato juice (as always on flights) and Greg got a Coke. Somethings never change!
When we arrived at the airport and went through security there was a guy waiting in the huge line of people near the door with a sign with our name on it to take us to our hotel. He picked up a full load of people to deliver and away we went, screaming through the streets of Quito, red lights to be ignored! We dropped two young students off at a hostel someplace in a less than desirable area (at least it looked that way to me) and then off to our hotel.
We drove for a long time (probably 30 minutes, but since we had been on a plane for hours and the hotel was supposedly just 10 minutes from the airport it seemed a long time. When we arrived at the Hotel Sierra Madre the front desk clerk was wonderful. He helped with our bags and even spoke some Engligh (which is a good thing for us.)
Our room is on the top floor (that would be 4) with a balcony overlooking the city and mountains. It is actually a lovely view. 
The room has two beds, at double and a single. Although there is no heat in the room there were lots of blankets so it was actually a good sleep on a hard mattress. There is a bathroon in our room, the water kind of dribbles out, but there is water. I didn't shower this morning, didn't have the patience to wait long enough for water to reach the pipes so far up, yesterdays shower is just going to have to last until tonight when we arrive in Loja!
The lobby of the hotel is filled with Ecuadorian charm, lots of less than new but decent furniture, the walls are salomon and green. The doorway has a window arch over it and the hardwood floors shine where they aren't covered with new footprints. It's obvious the floors are cleaned every evening to maintain their shine. There are huge tiles in the TV area (where I am now to get internet service). The area is probably 12 x 12 (3 tiles across and 3 down) so not too large, but large enough for my purpose!
The restaurant is open until 9 am for breakfast but all I've had is coffee. Just not ready for food yet this morning.
The front desk gal is going to assist with getting us tickets on the airline to Loja, hope we can make it there today..time will tell. She will be calling soon, they don't open until 9 and it's 8:37 am here now.
