My wife and I were fortunate enough to win a trip to Costa Rica to a resort called Latitude 10. We had a wonderful time hanging out at the resort, relaxing and adventuring into the surrounding area. Latitude 10 describes themselves as follows:

It was designed to be small with beautifully arranged private casitas, so that guests may purchase the whole resort and enjoy with friends or families, and individual guests and couples can come knowing that they will feel like they have their own room on the beach with every amenity they could wish for, close at hand. Set on natural gardens, the whole eco-resort was created around the principles of sustainability so that you can enjoy this level of luxury while knowing the surrounding wildlife and nature is being protected. No trees were cut down to build Latitude 10 and we will be happy to show you our sustainable initiatives that guide our operations.

I would sum it up as “luxury camping.” Your casita is completely open to the elements and hidden from the other casitas. The shower and toilet are outdoors (which is pretty nice once you get used to it). They clean your room twice a day including setting up your mosquito net and lighting candles at night. There is a fridge in the room and a nice couch to relax on.

But… you are definitely outside. At night they close panels to keep the elements out, but you are still very close to nature.

Here are 10 tips for enjoying your stay at the Latitude 10 Resort:

1. Fans – This is the most important tip. As soon as you book your trip, request a fan for the duration of your stay. Our trip was really divided in to two parts – the nights we slept and the nights we didn’t. Costa Rica is hot. It’s also very humid. The fans on the ceilings of the master casita we stayed in did nothing to move the air. Once we got the bed-side fan (they only have a few) it was 100 percent different.
2. Itinerary and the beaches – The folks at Latitude 10 are great about staying on top of your activities during your stay. Lean on them to help you find plenty of things to do. They were always prompt at returning my emails before I went and kept us on schedule while we were there. Also, you can’t really swim on the beaches at the resort (see rocky shore pictures below). At high tide it looks harmless enough, but at low tide you can see why it is so dangerous. Make sure you talk to the Latitude 10 folks about where you can go to safely swim or surf.




3. Internet Access – There is very spotty Internet access at Latitude 10. They told me they are improving it soon, but currently they share access with the resort next door. Bad Internet access is actually a bonus, allowing you to enjoy your vacation by sucking up nature, rather than surfing Facebook. If you do need the Internet, the best access in the area is at a cafe called “The Bakery” in town. Latitude 10 offers safes in the room, and my 17 inch laptop easily fit.



4. Look out for flying fruit and lizards There are really funny red squirrels who hang out in the trees near the “clubhouse.” They like to take the fruit/nuts off the trees and throw them down at the people hanging around the pool. Also, were tons of lizards all over the resort and throughout Costa Rica. I ventured around the resort taking lizard photos and put a few of my favorites below.



5. Order a “Pina” – One of the gentleman who worked the bar/restaurant made awesome pineapple smoothies. I had one or two a day, a great way to relax by the pool (pictured below).



6. Get up early – The best pictures come of the resort and the surrounding area happen during the “golden hour” (an hour after sunrise). As the day goes on, the air becomes very steamy and sight-seeing and photography becomes much harder (not to mention that it gets very hot). If you get up early enough you may see these funny little orange and purple crabs (picture below). During the time we were there it was egg laying season. You can see in the picture all of the eggs this crab was ready to hide in the sand.



7. Bring mosquito sting relief – The resort provides natural/organic bug spray and sunscreen. Unfortunately, the bug spray didn’t work too well for Amanda and she ended up spotted like a Dalmatian. Be sure to bring some sort of lotion to combat the bites you do get.
8. Bring several good books – Amanda and I typically run all over the place when we are on vacation. Now that Parker is around, I’m sure we’ll spend much of our vacation time bouncing between zoos, aquariums and amusement parks (all good by me). This vacation was different. We spent the majority of our time sitting on the beach, swimming in the pool and generally relaxing. There isn’t a ton to do in the area if you don’t like surfing, so take advantage of the quiet time to kick back.



9. Rent an ATV – Amanda and I had a great time driving from the resort to Santa Teresa and then around the horn to Montezuma. This is a scenic route on mostly dirt roads (all of the roads in this area of Costa Rica are dirt and poorly maintained). From Montezuma to Mal Pais you can either go back the way you came or take this very adventurous road with tons of very steep roads and treacherous drop-offs. This route is NOT for the feint of heart, but is fun if you want an adventure.



10. Eat at Koji’s – This was easily the best restaurant we visited in Costa Rica and probably the best sushi I’ve ever had. Order the “Koji Roll.”

The last “tip” would be to get to know the people who work there. They are all very nice, speak clear English and can tell you all about this fascinating section of the world.

Latitude 10 was a great resort to relax – I 100 percent recommend it. Check back later for more posts about our experience in Costa Rica.

Here are some tips I have after a week of driving around Las Vegas as a tourist for 7 days this Summer:

1. Take your GPS – everyone has one, and they are expensive from the rental service
2. Don’t take the gas option – gas just off the Strip is cheaper than airport gas
3. Get familiar with the following North and South running streets:
   • Paradise Rd gets you from the Hilton to the airport with not too many stop lights
   • The Strip – besides 8p to 2a, this is a fun and exciting way to get around
   • Koval Road – this is the entrance road to most of the casinos on the Eastern side of The Strip
   • S. Valley View Road – a little more “seedy” but still useful for travel on the West side of the strip
4. Get familiar with the casinos on the strip and utilize the roads named after them including: Sahara, Desert Inn, Flamingo, Harmon and Tropicana
5. Be sure to pay close attention to the “self-park” signs for each casino, most are behind the casinos, but a few (like the Wynn and City Center) are right off of the strip
6. Stay in your lane – unlike in most cities, Las Vegas does not use paint to divide lanes, instead using round reflectors – this took me a day or so to get used to
7. Remember that half a mile from the strip, Las Vegas is a normal city. Make use of the restaurants, gas stations, Walmarts, Walgreens, etc.
8. Take your rental car back early. The complex is a bus ride away from the terminal and can take as much as 45 minutes to return your car and get to the airport.

Renting a car is a great way to see all that Las Vegas has to offer. I highly suggest renting one on your next trip.

(Edit on July 23): Chow (dot) com took my comment down linking back to this article. Very nice and community like.

I just read an article about “What not to eat at work” (previously linked) at chow (dot) com. This article explains discusses all the of the pungent and bothersome foods your colleagues heat up and consume in cube farms across the country. This article inspired me to recount two stories about folks and food on my recent travels:

Watch your coffee: I was sitting in the bulk head of an MD88 on the aisle to the right as you’re walking back to your seat. A lady, blabbing with her telephone jammed on her shoulder, was carrying a Starbucks coffee in her left hand (away from me) and dragging her bag with her hand closest to me. Sure enough, as soon as she hit the economy section her bag jammed into my knee causing her hot coffee to spill all over the guy in the row across from me. He was ticked – and the girl apologized, barely, and kept right on yammering on the phone. Had it been me, I’m not sure how I would have reacted, but it probably wouldn’t have been pretty as I’m typically headed to a client meeting.

Raining Sprite: Yesterday morning, on the way to Philadelphia, a woman set her 20oz bottle of Sprite in the overhead bin while she rummaged through her bag for a magazine. As she went to put her overstuffed bag in the bin she must have tipped the bottle (I didn’t see this, I’m assuming). She also must have not cleaned it up because as we began to take off, the gentlemen sitting in the aisle seat a few seats behind where she spilled her bottle received a Sprite shower. This was easily the maddest I’ve ever seen anyone on an airplane that hadn’t been sitting on the tarmac for 3 hours.

Either of the two incidents above could have been avoided had the passengers followed a few of my airplane etiquette rules… or just some common sense.

Vegas is smokin’, literally.

I was in Las Vegas this week for a convention in Caesar’s Palace. I had an outstanding room, ate great food, and had an enjoyable conference. I even got to meet Joe Montana. Tough to beat that.

I stayed in the brand new “Augustus Tower” of Caesars. It is on the southern most end of the complex (Caesar’s Palace is ginormous) with a beautiful view overlooking the fountains at the Bellagio.

The walk from the Augustus Tower to the convention ball rooms on the other end of the complex is a good 10 minute walk. On the first day of the conference I was walking toward the convention when a seedy looking guy started walking towards me smoking a cigarette. You can’t smoke cigarettes inside was the first thing that went through my mind (quickly followed by, why is this guy staring at me). I passed the guy and continued on to the convention, but I couldn’t shake the site of the cigarette in his hand.

I’m probably spoiled from living in cities with full indoor smoking bans. With all we know about the harm first and second hand smoke cause, I can’t believe people still smoke, period. Seeing people smoke indoors is entirely more foreign. Certain parts of Caesars (which I loved in whole) have very low ceilings, and you can feel the smoke burrowing into your pores. I’m also interested in if when people sit down and light up right beside someone obviously not smoking, do they feel self-conscience of their habit, or vindictive towards non-smokers who have taken over the rest of the nation?

Would a casino that disallowed smoking completely recognize a net gain or loss in gaming and food? I wonder if anyone has done this study? I would certainly sit longer and spend more if I was thinking about gaming and not about the sore throat I was getting from ingesting their bad habit.

Sound off below. Can casinos and other similar entities successfully market a non-smoking environment?

Picture credits: Superfantastic on Flickr

Here are some photos of my family from Easter Sunday in Parkersburg, WV.

Parker waiting on his Easter basket

Lily and Peepaw looking for Easter Eggs

Lily looking for that last egg

Picture time with Uncle Doug

What a crew on Easter (pick which one of us needs a tan)

Here are some pictures I took last year on a Caribbean cruise I took with my wife. Our five day cruise stopped for one day at the mega-resort, Atlantis near Nassau. My main reason for posting these pictures displaying these older photos is to test the “Share Slideshow” functionality of my Flickr site.

I got a new camera for Christmas, and I was searching for a way to put travel photos on this blog (so you can see “WhereisJohnWilson”) and Flickr seems to be the best photo sharing website.

There are tons of interesting plugins available for WordPress to post pictures on your blog, but none seem as simple and flexible as clicking “share slide show” on your flickr page. Here are just a few of the pictures I uploaded from our cruise last year:

This is my favorite picture from that set, and one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken:

Always put down the arm rests.

Seriously?

In all fairness, I’m not skinny. I have to be cognizant of staying on my side of the seat and have a tendency to take up more leg room than I really should. I understand it sucks to be heavy and I get how hard it is to lose weight. Therefor, if you sit beside me on the plane, make sure you follow these rules:

I strongly suggest, before anyone sits down beside you, you immediately put the arm rests to their lowered and locked position. Here’s why:

On a recent trip back from San Diego, I got stuck in the middle seat. This is never a good thing, even if two members of the Swedish Bikini Team are on both sides. You can’t stick your feet in the aisle, and you can’t lean or look out of the window. It’s just bad.

In this case, I was stuck between a self-proclaimed “big man” coworker and a gentleman who was no less than 400 pounds. I’m not kidding, this guy was not only in his seat, the aisle, and my seat, but he was also taking up all of the leg room in my section of the “under-seat area.” It was so bad the flight attendant felt bad for me and asked me several times if I needed any extra water, a pillow, and shot me the knowing – I’m glad I’m not you – glance.

Normally, I’m a pretty easy to get along with nice guy. But seriously, this guy was 100% invading my space, no matter how many times I huffed, sighed, elbowed him, wiggled or moaned. When he wasn’t snoring loud enough that the people around me were laughing, he was bouncing his leg hard enough to cause the people in the aisle across from us shoot me dirty looks.

About two hours into the flight, I decided my only defense was to put down the arm rest and at least get him kind of off of my side. I looked down at the arm rest but there was absolutely no way I could lower it on to this guy’s leg which was nearly 50% under the arm rest. I did the only thing a self-respecting business person could do, I lied about work.

When the guy woke up and noticed me kicking his leg to get to my computer stowed beneath the seat, I said warmly, “Hey, sorry to bother you but I need to get this report done before we land. I don’t want to elbow you so I’m going to lower the arm rest.”

Scales in the terminal?

The dude literally had to move completely off the seat to give me room to put down the arm rest. When the arm rest finally reached the full down position, it was like I moved directly to First Class. I could feel my legs again, I could reach the magazine pocket and my lungs could fully expand.

The guy got mad.

To rub it in, I powered up my computer, opened a Word document, sighed a big loud sigh, closed the laptop and muttered, “I guess this can wait until my layover” closed the computer, spread out in the seat, and drifted off to a warm nap, comforted of the rhythmic leg-bouncing all the way to Atlanta.

I probably should have known. A 7.5 hour road trip to see a band of 60 year olds is a bad idea. Not to mention it was on the same night as UFC 100, arguably the best UFC card in the history of the sport.

There was no way I could say no – it was on my wife’s bucket list, and she rarely asks for anything.

As I was closing up shop at work, a co-worker who knew I was going to the show pointed out that Aerosmith had canceled several of the last shows because of an “undisclosed injury to a band member.” I surfed the web before we left and found several sites that said, “Aerosmith confirms they will definitely have the Tampa show.”

I left work early, set my new GPS for Tampa, FL and started the 7.5 hour road trip. Of all the trips on the whereisjohnwilson.com Summer Tour, this was one I was looking forward to.

Upon arriving at the Holiday Inn Express in Tampa, the desk attendant guy says, “Hey, you guys going to the Aerosmith Concert? They canceled about two hours ago (insert evil laugh).” Mind you, they said, “we are definitely playing tomorrow night.” After doing a little research from the hotel room, Joe Perry called into some random local radio show and announced the cancellation. Nice. Don’t you think they probably knew early that morning. Wouldn’t you think they’d imagine people would be traveling to see them?

We did get to visit the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino where neither of us gambled a dime (the place was packed and the lowest blackjack table was $25 a hand). We didn’t really find much to do in Tampa, though we didn’t look very hard. We drove back the 7.5 hour trip to Charleston just in time for UFC 100.

Update: Three weeks later and Live Nation still hasn’t refunded our tickets. They state they can’t give us our money back until the band reschedules the show. This makes no sense to me. No service, no pay. The way I see it, Live Nation is sitting on an interest free loan from the Bank of Wilson.

Update: see here for instructions on how to get a refund

Lessons learned:

• Never trust a rock star over 55
• Never travel more than four hours for a concert
• Tampa does a bad job of being appealing on the Internet
• Live Nation will hold your money hostage