Middle of Nowhere, Italy – I have been to Italy many times over the past few years. Normally the trips are focused on visiting various cities. I've been to Venice, Verona, Milan, Bergamo, Rimini, Rome, Pescara and several other cities in the country.

The past week has been my first trip in the Italian countryside though. And I must admit, I'm impressed. I have never been too impressed with Italian cities.

Venice is cool to visit for a day or two. It is a unique experience and something everyone should see. But after 1-2 days, that's enough.

It was interesting to see the balcony where Romeo made his famous declaration to Juliet in Verona.

Milan is famous for its fashion. Bergamo is a nice enough town.

Rimini is an overcrowded beach town.

PART I

Day 1

I am in Cali, Columbia, South Am.  I am coming here from Medellin, Colombia, where I spent about a week or more attending a Live and Invest conference and just checking the place out.  I rode on 2 wheels in a Mama-mobile from Medellin to the airport which normally takes about 45-50 minutes to reach.  Today we made it in 12 minutes.  I had to  change my pants and clean my behind even before I could check into the airport, needless to say I now know the enthusiasm which makes people neal and kiss the ground.

Being hired by Gran Pacifica in the year 2003 as a coordinator of Social activities has been one of the most important decision, challenges and opportunities in my life. I come from a very poor family. Accompanied with the tragedy of my mom’s death when I only was 8 years old, it was a huge effort to complete my primary and secondary school. Actually, I did not want to study English but finished my career successfully at a Public University in Nicaragua. Right after university, I started to teach English in a rural community where I currently live.

We’re now in Nicaragua. We’ve been staying at a resort on the beach, called Gran Pacifica. This is where Garry’s brother Murray and wife Teena live. What a beautiful place. You can see the ocean from their backyard. The sunsets are especially beautiful. Garry and I have taken numerous walks on the beach. Not only are we getting good exercise but I’ve been finding great sea shells.

Listening to the waves against the shore is just one of those really relaxing sounds. Its like listening to a stream in the mountains. We’ve decided that this is a great way to spend the winter!

The seafood (fish, shrimp, lobster, clams) is really good and the fresh fruit and veggies taste like they’re supposed to. I’m now totally addicted to watermelon.

On Friday, October 21, 2011, I boarded a plane in Waco, Texas. About 26 hours later, after stops in Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Brussels, and Banjul, I arrived in Conakry, Guinea West Africa. I arrived back in Waco on Wednesday evening November 2nd.

Conakry has a population of close to 2 million people, most of whom seemed to be walking, driving, or otherwise occupying the streets whenever my hosts drove me around town. If any of you have taken a cab ride in New York, you can begin to have a small sense of what traffic is like in Guinea. (For additional photos and videos, email me at ssappington@gmail.com, and I will send you a link. You will need VLC or another Media Player to watch the videos.).

I'm sitting in a sidewalk café in Mendoza, Argentina, at rush hour.  Plane trees -- or sycamores, as we North Americans call them -- line the street, reminding me of France.  The sidewalk cafés, serving espresso, tiny croissants and fresh-squeezed orange juice, are derived from Italy, as is much of this city's culture and food.

I've come to the café to work, as I often have while living in Mendoza for the past two months.  I live in a small, short-term rental apartment with a private terrace near the city center, and when I want to be around people while still taking care of business, I just walk a few blocks to one of the busy cafés so much a part of this city's vibrant street life.  Almost all of them now have free wifi, along with old-world charm.

Being a "baby boomer," I have a lot of memories as a kid of the late 1950s and the early 60s.  Hearing music (Elvis, Everly Brothers, Beatles, etc.), watching old movies (Bridge on the River Kwai, Ben Hur, Wild Bunch), and  seeing photos of travel (hot rods, muscle cars, jalopies) creates a mental image of life in a simpler time.