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	Electronic Financial Consulting Services 08/21/08

Antigua
Antigua is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. It's terrain is very dry, almost desert like. If you are into yachting, this is certainly the place for you since there are several well established (e.g. English Harbor) yachting communities on the Island. As for me I hated the place, although they have great beaches, great food, fantastic music (don't miss the steel drum (3 hrs.) and the reggae (3 hrs) on Sunday afternoons at Shirley Heights (great views)), the people are the most unfriendly and rude people in the Caribbean !
Aruba
Aruba is one of the more prosperous Caribbean islands. It is just less than 100 miles from the South American coast. On a clear day you can see Venezuela from one of the highest points on the island, the Haystack. There are lots of nice beaches with decent snorkeling close to shore. One such beach is dubbed Baby Beach and is like a large pool of warm clear water with just enough out of the way rocks to make snorkeling interesting. Food is good and varied. There are lots of casinos and fine accomodations. On a small desert island the sightseeing is limited but you could not tell that from the constant flow of Jeep caravans traipsing through the limited countryside on some jaded safari. Bottom line - this is a good place to relax, eat good food, explore sunken WWII wrecks, do a little gambling and if you are well heeled, shop. The water is desalinized so you can drink it. Dutch island? Don't worry if you don't speak Papiamento (the local shiboleth) English works quite well. You can do 99% of your business in US dollars.
Bali
This came earlier than I expected, but I'm not complaining. The only surprise was that there were many more tourists than I expected to see in mid October. There are no words to explain the exquisite beauty of Bali. The brilliant green terraced rice fields take your breath away. Volcanic mountains and lakes are testaments to the awesome power of nature. The gentle spirit of the Balinese is so apparent in the beautifully carved Hindu Temples that are everywhere on the Island. There are black and white sand beaches, waterfalls and natural beauty everywhere. Accomodations range from extreme luxury at Nusa Dua to inexpensive cottages at Kuta. I stayed in Sanur which has moderate prices (try the Bali Beach Hotel or the Hyatt. Food, tours and car rentals are inexpensive. Don't miss this trip of a life time. The memory will stay with you always!
Beijing
"When they arrived on the moon, American astronauts said that the only man made structure visible from the moon was the great wall of China". I visited the wall at Simatai, about 3 hours from Beijing. It is hard to describe my visit to the wall. It is spectacular ! Don't listen to the politicians. Mainland China is an exquisite place to visit.
England
If you are into history this is a good place to visit and the Theatre scene is the best. The food however is awful so stick to Indian or Chinese. The people are the typical reserved Brits, snobby and unfriendly. Make sure you get outside of London.
Ghana
Only travel here if you really want to experience Africa in the nineties. There are not many posh hotels but lots of other great places to stay with extremely friendly and helpful people. I'm lucky, with relatives there I only have to look for hotels when traveling to the north ( however when in Bogatonga as we checked out of the hotel we found that the owner was a cousin). The world really is a small place. There are 15-20 castles and forts on the coasts that were used to export slaves. The castle in Cape Coast is well worth the visit to this lovely costal town. There is also great shopping for gold, diamonds, and batik fabrics. If you are brave visit Paga and take pictures with some huge friendly crocodiles.
Hawaii
Go here for instant relaxation especially if you are a little afraid of foreign cultures and languages. As soon as you get off the plane and onto the Wikki Wikki tram you smell the fragrance of the tropics and peace settles over you. If you want to eat like the locals try the Rainbow drive-in or the Hukilau. Hanauma Bay has the best snorkeling. Be sure to go to the north shore and have shave ice. All the islands in this chain are great.
HongKong
Landing at the airport in HongKong was the most thrilling experience ever, there are zillions of tall buildings and the planes come close enough to look inside the windows ! I stayed at the Conrad Hilton (beautiful) with a fantastic view over the harbor, its the busiest habor I've ever seen. Stop by the HongKong Shanghai Bank building it has great architecture, almost all of the buildings are built using feng shui. Try a couple of boat trips out to the outer islands (usually takes 1-2 hours). Do go into mainland China, but PLEASE get a visa ahead of time. My favorite shopping was in the street malls on women's street, you can haggle over prices till your heart is content. There are lots of people in HongKong but the transportation (bus, trains, taxi, ferries) systems are all great. The people don't smile much but are usually courteous.
Jamaica
I'd like to move here so that every morning I could listen to the melodic voices of the Jamaicians and drink blue mountain coffee( locally grown), and eat akee and salt fish. The ocean is like a giant warm bath tub, and the reggae rhythms are everywhere you go, but you never get tired of hearing this music. The people are really great to tourist and go out of their way to make you welcome and to make your trip the best ever. A common phrase "no problem man" is used often and is meant to challenge you to leave all you worries and troubles behind. Please, Please don't stay at an all-inclusive, you will really miss out on all the local fun and experiences.
Japan
This is really a fascinating place, but take your wallet full of cash. It is very expensive. The Japanese are polite, but if you really want to impress them or make friends practice your songs for Karaoke before you go. Karaoke is a national pastime and they take it very seriously. If you go on business, make sure to take small gifts. The Japanese will be really impressed if you take the time to get your business cards translated into Japanese. The train stations are amazing, the trains area always on time. During commute hours they are mobbed. Take a trip to Osaka on the bullet train. It is really pleasant. You can buy box lunches and you will get to see much of the country side. You won't feel as though the train is travelling as fast as it is. You can find some very good restaurants, as long as you stick to Japanese or Thai. If you try European food you will be sorry. They try but it just doesn't cut it.
Mexico City
This is a big city 25 million people. Mexico City is full of history and lots of places to see. A few miles outside the city are the pyramids at Teotihuacan. The pyramids of the moon and sun are spectacular as is the entire complex. Don't drink the shot of tequila as I did before you try to walk to the top of the pyramids. I don't know which was harder, going up or coming down. But it was worth all the effort.
Scotland
Beautiful green rolling hills and the quaint town of Edinburgh are my most vivid memories of Scotland. The people are friendly and the food is good and hearty. Don't go in the winter.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Had a lot of fun here, but it has much of the feel of an American city. A local told me crime and drugs are bad but we didn't see any evidence of this. We went to a really great restaurant in the Tanama hotel called PIKAYO. For more local cuisine try Metropole its close to the airport. Please spend a day at old San Juan, walk don't take the tram, and go to La Bombanera for breakfast.
St Lucia, West Indies
Don't miss this island, it is very mountainous with lush tropical rain forests. Again, don't stay at an all inclusive you'll miss out on so much . Try the Candyo Inn, it is a great place and the owner is a friend of a friend. You'll save 50%+ and have all fresh ingredient breakfasts cooked to order. The food is fabulous and as always the music is terrific. You can't find friendlier people anywhere. Everybody knows everybody. The main roads are great but watch out if you get too far off the beaten path. Make sure to go to the sulphur springs for the healing baths.
Sydney
Sydney is a beautiful place not unlike San Francisco. Not to my surprise the people are fun loving and friendly. We got there on the Saturday of the Gay(?) parade. There were over 750,000 people from all over the world. It was really a crazy time. We did get a change to visit the Wine country and the Blue Mountains. Both trips were well worth the hassle of driving on the wrong side of the rode to get there. Try the "roo" at Edna's Table, a great restuarant in downtown Sydney. By the way when you are there you do feel down under as though you are on the bottom side of the world. They don't say put another shrimp on the barbee, they say put another prawn on the barbee (smile). I'm looking foward to going back !
Switzerland
This is a lovely clean country with the magnificant alps and beautiful lake Geneva. The people are friendly (except everyone drives really fast!). The food is just so/so and Switerland in general is an expensive place. Do go to Montreaux. There is an annual jazz festival there and if you begin your trip in Geneva do go to Bern or somewhere else in the north to see how different the life styles and customs are. French is spoken in Geneva and elsewhere, German in the north, some Italian in the south.
Thailand
Wow the traffic in Bangkok is really unbelievable. If you want to kool out and see a slightly different view, hire a boat and see some of the temples, but don't miss the Klungs. This is one of the most exotic trips we have ever taken, the people are warm and very friendly and the Thai food is fabulous. We stayed at the Oriental, it was rated at the time as the number one hotel in the world. I can see why. We spent the majority of our time in Koh Samui an Island in the south, quiet and extremely beautiful. The beaches were wonderful The water was sort of like a huge swimming pool you could walk in for a hundred yards off shore! They have trained monkeys there to pick coconuts at the rate of 50/hour. You will love this trip, but it is different!
Toronto
There is not much to say about Toronto it's just like a U.S city ... It is however close to Niagra falls. See what you can find about the local Indian culture (this might be interesting) and visit old town, otherwise this trip might be a bust. OK it was a little cold the summer we were there. Food of all types was good; fast, not so fast and fancy. Shopping is good for Yankees. You get a bigger bang for your dollar.
Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa
A friendly town with friendly people. Eat in Zihuatanejo and not Ixtapa. Try Rossys. In Ixtapa hang with the rambunctious at Carlos Murphys. The beaches are good and you can snorkel at Ixtapa island. If you have a chance visit Bara de Potosi on a lagoon on the other side of the airport. You could probably take a cab there and not break the bank. You can swim, fish, snorkel etc. Rent a guided boat from a local, inexpensively. After your trip on the lagoon is over have some cerveza and camarones a la diabla. If Senor Domingo's wife made it, it will lght your fire. It's off the tourist path yet. Watch out for ligatores and iguanas on the golf courses. Even when the signs don't say so they are there watching. At the so called locals' beach wear sandals to avoid making the painful acquaintance of hookworm ( from dog droppings). It is very easy to meet expatriates and they welcome you in and often invite you to their homes. You will love this place and want to go back often. It's really an inexpensive vacation.