Mexican Pace - Oh!!

Manana. It's a well-known, laid-back Spanish word for "later" or "tomorrow" or "leave me alone, you silly Gringo." What it represents, however, is a fabulous place to relax at a bargain price. The pace in Mexico is much slower than in the US, and right now the Mexican Peso (thus the title play-on-words) is near an all-time low. Considering Mexico is home to some of the most elegant all-inclusive hotels around, particularly comparing to Caribbean standards, it's a great time to visit our friends South of the Border. Although the economy is stale here in the US, and most travel is down 30-40%, Mexico actually had an increase for 2008. Granted we're talking a 3% increase overall, but who's going to argue with success in the midst of a world-wide economic downturn?!

Some Mexican hotels have gone even further with the idea of all-inclusive. As an example, the Palace Hotels figure SURE you want your meals, drinks and gratuities built in. But you're also coming to Mexico to experience the culture, and the world-class sightseeing of its historic past. For that reason, they also include numerous tours when you book a stay with them. The longer you stay, the more tours are included and we're not talking about a 2-hour shopping jaunt. They include such things as a full-day excursion to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, home of the Great Pyramid (recently named one of the 7 Wonders Of The World), for visitors in the Cancun or Mayan Riviera area. Or, you could take an excursion to the island of Isla Mujeres. There are other ruins tours, such as Coba or Tulum, or you may elect to take a day of snorkeling. If you're on the West Coast in Puerto Vallarta, you may opt to take a Sunset Cruise, or visit the Sea Life Park. Again, these are INCLUDED with your stay! They have other optional trips, which are available for purchase, still at excellent value prices. If you want something exotic like swimming with the dolphins or horseback riding, they can arrange it for a fee. But your US Dollar goes a very long way in Mexico, and comparatively it's one of the best travel bargains in the last decade. Grab your suitcase and call us now!

"If you build it, they will trade you for it." An upstate New York man apparently was still hungry for seafood after he finished his lobster dinner, so he devised a plan. He took the lobster shell, put it back together and re-built it to look as it had before his meal. Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies said the 57-year-old man brought back the re-assembled lobster to his local Price Chopper store, claiming the crustacean smelled spoiled. The store manager was about to let him trade the lobster for a $27 bag of king crab legs, when he became suspicious and discovered the lobster was just a previously-eaten shell. Deputies said the man ran from the store clutching the crab legs when he was confronted by the Manager. They had his home information from the sales receipt he dropped, but by the time Deputies arrived at his home, the man had already devoured the crab legs. He was given a court appearance ticket, where he will have to answer to a larceny charge in court.

Italian customs police have arrested five people on drug smuggling charges, including two Brazilians whose method was quite unusual. They attempted to bring in $10.4 million dollars worth of cocaine, hidden not-so-discretely in their suitcases. Police at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport said Tuesday they seized 33 pounds of the drug mixed in with fresh meat. Police Lt. Giuseppe di Stasio said officers became suspicious, when they opened the suitcases of the Brazilian man and woman, only to find packages of red meat inside. It was clear something was a-miss, and further inspection showed packets of cocaine hidden between the meat slices.

DUDE -- I don't know if it's just the munchies or what, but these burgers are AWESOME!!