Secret places.We knew we were getting somewhere when our cellular phones went dead. I recently took a couple of days off to enjoy the hospitality of friends who live on a farm by the Pacific. They live in a lush, green valley where horses still pull turn-of-the-century plows. Where the pavement ends a few kilometers from a nearly empty beach. Where cowboys in traditional ponchos and spurs congregate on horseback on the back of a horse; mounted or riding on a horse or horses; in the saddle. See also: Horseback , and it's neither a holiday nor a parade but a workday conversation. A well-meaning government minister--I'm told she is a public-relations executive in private life--recently arranged for more than 80 foreign consuls to visit the town, to see a place in her country that globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation , so far, has not changed. I wish she hadn't. In this issue, we spend a lot of pages helping you, the traveling professional, make the best choices about where to stay, where to eat and what to see, in every major stop in Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. and in some of the planet's most vibrant business cities as well. But I have no plans to tell you how to get to where I spent my recent vacation. Sure, the folks there, like many in Latin America, are feeling a bit squeezed by a changing world. Between shots of aguardiente A`guar`di`en´te n. 1. A inferior brandy of Spain and Portugal. 2. A strong alcoholic drink, especially pulque. flavored with wild cherry wild cherry, n Latin names: Prunus virginiana, Prunus serotina; part used: bark; uses: coughs, colds, respiratory ailments, diarrhea, astringent, bronchial sedative, possible anticancer agent; precautions: pregnancy, lactation, children; may , our host lamented the rise of agribusiness, for example. But I find it hard to believe hell want his lifelong home overrun by tourists, however well meaning. So, not even a hint. What made our stay special was the hospitality of the people we know there. Go find your own secret place, In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , our Best of Latin America destinations await with open arms. Enjoy. Greg Brown gbrown@latintrade-inc.com |
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