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From the evocative cobblestone streets of Antigua to the lush cloud forests of Costa Rica, get off the tourist track and discover the colour and spirit of Central America. Explore ancient Mayan ruins at Copán and visit small villages for insight into the region's vibrant culture. Unwind on the white-sand beaches of Roatán and then delve into the jungle of Costa Rica to explore volcanoes. With its combination of included activities and countless thrilling options, this trip offers you the chance to personalize your adventure into something special.
What's Included
Your G for Good Moment: Posadas Mayas Homestay, San Juan La Laguna
Your Foodie Moment: Cooking Class, Antigua Guatemala
Your Discover Moment: Roatán
Your Discover Moment: La Fortuna
Your Discover Moment: Manuel Antonio. Copán guided tour. Beach time in Roatán and Manuel Antonio. Guided cloud forest night walk (Monteverde). Free time in La Fortuna and Monteverde. Internal flight. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.
Explore the Mayan ruins of Copán, wander the cobblestone streets of colonial Antigua, hike through the mist of a cloud forest
Dossier Disclaimer
The information in this trip details document has been compiled with care and is provided in good faith. However it is subject to change, and does not form part of the contract between the client and the operator. The itinerary featured is correct at time of printing. It may differ slightly to the one in the brochure. Occasionally our itineraries change as we make improvements that stem from past travellers, comments and our own research. Sometimes it can be a small change like adding an extra meal along the itinerary. Sometimes the change may result in us altering the tour for the coming year. Ultimately, our goal is to provide you with the most rewarding experience. Please note that our brochure is usually released in November each year. If you have booked from the previous brochure you may find there have been some changes to the itinerary.
VERY IMPORTANT: Please ensure that you print a final copy of your Trip Details to review a couple of days prior to travel, in case there have been changes that affect your plans.
Itinerary Disclaimer
While it is our intention to adhere to the route described below, there is a certain amount of flexibility built into the itinerary and on occasion it may be necessary, or desirable to make alterations. The itinerary is brief, as we never know exactly where our journey will take us. Due to our style of travel and the regions we visit, travel can be unpredictable. The Trip Details document is a general guide to the tour and region and any mention of specific destinations or wildlife is by no means a guarantee that they will be visited or encountered. Aboard expedition trips visits to research stations depend on final permission.
Additionally, any travel times listed are approximations only and subject to vary due to local circumstances.
Itinerary Notes
Due to recent political protests, we have rerouted this itinerary to avoid Nicaragua for all departures through Dec 31, 2019. See the full itinerary for details of the changes.
Important Notes
1. As this trip crosses national borders, please be prepared to pay some border fees for certain countries ranging from $1 to $13 USD. Please check with your local embassy or consulate for up-to-date visa requirements, or see your travel agent.
2. Antigua's nearest airport is approximately 1 hr away in Guatemala City.
3. Costa Rica will not be allowing anyone to enter the country without proof of a departure ticket (bus, airplane, boat, etc.). If you are travelling through a few countries in Central America, you will need to show proof of your itinerary and a departure ticket from your last destination. Please print the itinerary and voucher and bring it with you.
It may be required to show a Yellow Fever certificate upon entering Nicaragua if you have travelled to certain countries with Yellow Fever risk prior to arriving. Please check in with your local health expert for advice on Yellow Fever and other inoculations required for this area.
Group Leader Description
All G Adventures group trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders, a G Adventures representative, or an expedition team. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. They will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting- we think it's the best of both worlds.
Group Size Notes
Max 16, avg 12
Meals Included
1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 2 dinners
Eating is a big part of traveling. Travelling with G Adventures you experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available out in the world. Generally meals are not included in the trip price when there is a choice of eating options, to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility, though generally food is cheap. Our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. There is no obligation to do this though. Your group leader will be able to suggest favourite restaurants during your trip. Please refer to the meals included and budget information for included meals and meal budgets.
Public bus, private vehicle, ferry, plane, walking
Local Flights
From Roatan we will board our internal flight to Managua via San Salvador, in order to continue our adventure to León. Occasionally, due to fight availability, the order of the flight segment may be switched with the ferry segment.
Solo Travellers
We believe single travellers should not have to pay more to travel so our group trips are designed for shared accommodation and do not involve a single supplement. Single travellers joining group trips are paired in twin or multi-share accommodation with someone of the same sex for the duration of the trip. Some of our Independent trips are designed differently and single travellers on these itineraries must pay the single trip price.
Hotels (19 nts), homestay (1 nt, shared facilities).
My Own Room Exceptions
Days 12-13
Joining Hotel
For details of your joining hotel please refer to your tour voucher, G Account, the G Adventures App or contact your travel agent.
Joining Instructions
The best way to get to the arrival point hotel is via taxi from the airport – there are fixed rates at the airport counter. It is a 1 hour drive from Guatemala City (where the international airport is located) to Antigua, where the joining point hotel is located.
If you have paid in advance for an arrival transfer, a G Adventures representative will be at the airport to meet you. If for any reason you are not met at the airport, please call our local support line. If you are unable to make contact for whatever reason, please make your way to the joining point hotel via taxi.
Please note that Day 1 is an arrival day and no activities have been planned for that day other then your welcome meeting in the evening, so you can arrive at any time. Similarly the last day is a departure day during which no activities have been planned.
A G Adventures Representative will organize a short meeting soon after arrival, during which you will meet other tour participants and receive information about general and specific aspects of the trip. A welcome note will be left for you in the hotel so you have all the necessary information regarding the meeting time. If you arrive late, s/he will leave you a message detailing what time and where you should meet the next morning.
**Please note that Antigua's nearest airport is Guatemala City, Guatemala. Don't get caught flying into the Caribbean island nation of Antigua; it's nowhere near the start of this tour!
Arrival Complications
We don't expect any problems, and nor should you, but if for any reason you are unable to commence your trip as scheduled, as soon as possible please contact your starting point hotel, requesting that you speak to or leave a message for your trip leader (if you are not on a group tour please refer to the emergency contact details provided in this dossier). If you are unable to get in touch with your leader, please refer to our emergency contact details. If you have pre-booked an airport transfer and have not made contact with our representative within 30 minutes of clearing customs and immigration, we recommend that you make your own way to the Starting Point hotel, following the Joining Instructions. Please apply to your travel agent on your return for a refund of the transfer cost if this occurs.
Emergency Contact
Should you need to contact G Adventures during a situation of dire need, it is best to first call our local office in San José, Costa Rica. If for any reason you do not receive an immediate answer, please leave a detailed message and contact information, so that we may return your call and assist you as soon as possible.
G Adventures San José, Costa Rica,
Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm local time (GMT –6).
Tel: Int. Dialing Code +506 2224-5560.
Costa Rica Emergency Cell Phone: +506 8322 9140 (after office hours).
If you are unable for any reason to contact our local office in Costa Rica, we have a toll-free line within North America (or our regular direct line), which will connect you directly with our Toronto office.
Toll-free, North America only: 1 888 800 4100
Calls from UK: 0344 272 0000
Calls from Australia: 1 300 796 618
Outside North America, Australia and the UK: +1 416 260 0999
Costa Rica Water Activities:
• Drybag (Will help keep cameras and essentials dry)
• Sport Sandals or Water Shoes (if you plan to do waterfall rappelling and/or rafting)
• Flight info (required) (Printouts of e-tickets may be required at the border)
• Insurance info (required) (With photocopies)
• Passport (required) (With photocopies)
• Required visas or vaccination certificates (required) (With photocopies)
• Vouchers and pre-departure information (required)
• Binoculars (optional)
• Camera (With extra memory cards and batteries)
• Cash, credit and debit cards
• Day pack (Used for daily excursions or short overnights)
• Ear plugs
• First-aid kit (should contain lip balm with sunscreen, sunscreen, whistle, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, bandaids/plasters, tape, anti-histamines, antibacterial gel/wipes, antiseptic cream, Imodium or similar tablets for mild cases of diarrhea, rehydration powder, water purification tablets or drops, insect repellent, sewing kit, extra prescription drugs you may be taking)
• Flashlight/torch (Headlamps are ideal)
• Fleece top/sweater
• Footwear
• Hat
• Locks for bags
• Long pants/jeans
• Moneybelt
• Outlet adapter
• Personal entertainment (Reading and writing materials, cards, music player, etc.)
• Reusable water bottle
• Shirts/t-shirts
• Sleepwear
• Small travel towel
• Sunglasses
• Toiletries (Preferably biodegradable)
• Watch and alarm clock
• Waterproof backpack cover
• Windproof rain jacket
Warm Weather:
• Sandals/flip-flops
• Shorts/skirts (Longer shorts/skirts are recommended)
• Sun hat/bandana
• Swimwear
Laundry facilities are available at almost every stop on the trip. If you would prefer to do your own laundry, we suggest you bring non-polluting/biodegradable soap.
Visas and Entry Requirements
All countries require a valid passport (with a minimum 6 months validity). Contact your local embassy, or consulate for the most up-to-date visa requirements, or see your travel agent. IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE THE CORRECT TRAVEL DOCUMENTATION.
Effective January 1st, 2018, those traveling to Nicaragua from Panama via Costa Rica will now be asked to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccination at border crossings.
As of November 1st, 2007, the Costa Rica government, requires those entering Costa Rica from certain countries in South America and Sub-Sahara Africa, to have an International Certificate of Vaccination against Yellow Fever. Those affected countries are: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, French Guiana and Venezuela.
You should consult your doctor for up-to-date medical travel information well before departure.
Spending Money
Every traveller is different and therefore spending money requirements will vary. Some travellers may drink more than others while other travellers like to purchase more souvenirs than most. Please consider your own spending habits when it comes to allowing for drinks, shopping and tipping. Please also remember the following specific recommendations when planning your trip.
Money Exchange
Credit cards and debit cards are very useful for cash advances. Visa cards are the most widely accepted cards. While ATMs are widely available, there are no guarantees that your credit or debit cards will actually work in Latin America. Check with your bank. You should be aware that to purchase products or services on a credit card a fee of 5%-10% usually applies. Do not rely on credit or debit cards as your only source of money. A combination of US dollars cash and cards with travellers cheques as backup is best. Always take more rather than less, as you don't want to spoil the trip by constantly feeling short of funds.
CURRENCY EXCHANGE TIP: Please be advised that slightly torn notes, notes that have been heavily marked or are faded may be difficult to exchange. It is best to bring notes in fairly good condition, in denominations lower than 50USD (or equivalent).
GUATEMALA ATMs: Please note that daily withdrawal limits in this country are extremely low, currently set at 1000 quetzales – less than 140 USD. It is advisable to arrive with enough cash, if your daily needs exceed this amount.
As currency exchange rates can fluctuate often we ask that you refer to the following website for daily exchange rates: www.xe.com
Emergency Fund
Please also make sure you have access to at least an additional USD $200 (or equivalent) as an 'emergency' fund, to be used when circumstances outside our control (ex. a natural disaster) require a change to our planned route. This is a rare occurrence!
Departure Tax
Guatemala entrance tax: 10Q ($1.25USD)
Guatemala exit tax: 10Q ($1.25USD)
Honduras entrance tax: $3USD
Honduras exit tax: $3USD
Nicaragua entrance tax: $13USD
Nicaragua exit tax: $2USD
Costa Rica entrance tax: free
Costa Rica airport exit tax: $28USD
It is customary in Latin America to tip service providers such as waiters, at approximately 10%, depending on the service. Tipping is an expected – though not compulsory – component of your tour program and an expression of satisfaction with the persons who have assisted you on your tour. Although it may not be customary to you, it is of considerable significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels. There are several times during the trip where there is opportunity to tip the local guides or drivers we use. Recommendations for tipping drivers and local guides would range from $5-10 USD per day depending on the quality and length of the service; ask your tour leader for specific recommendations based on the circumstances and culture.
Also at the end of each trip if you felt your G Adventures Tour Leader did an outstanding job, tipping is appreciated. The amount is entirely a personal preference, however as a guideline $20-25 USD per person, per week can be used.
Optional Activities
All prices are per person, in USD amounts and are subject to change as services are provided by third party operators.
City tour $20
Bicycle tour $40
Coffee /Macadamia nut Plantation tour $20
Massage $25
Copan Museum $5
Horseback riding $25
Bird park $10
Ride to/from hot springs $20
Intro Open water course $300
One tank dive $30
Two tank dive $60
Snorkel rental $5 – $10
Moped Rental $40
Boat tours $10 -$20
Bicycle rentals $12
Fishing $60
Kayaking $10
Leon Viejo Entrance $25 (10 Cordobas fee for video footage)
Ruben Dario museum Free – donations appreciated
Cordobas City tour $15
Transport to Las Peñitas beach $10
Boat tour of Juan Venado Reserve $25
Las Isletas boat tour $15
Las Isletas kayaking tour $30
Visit to Laguna de Apoyo crater lake & Mirador Caterina $15
Taxi to/from Masaya market $20
Tour of Mombacho Volcano $25
Canopy tour on Mombacho Volcano $25
Horse carriage ride around the city $10
Climb Volcan Concepcion with a guide $25
Climb Volcan Madera with a guide $25
Bike Rentals $12
Scooter or ATV rental $40
Ojo de Agua spring $2
Island tour including petroglyphs & Charco Verde $25
Horseback riding $20 (4 hours)
San Juan del Sur:
Surfboard rental $20 day
Surf lesson, board rental, transport to beach $40
Shuttle to Beaches $10
Bike rental $5 day
Sunset boat cruise $40
All day sailboat trip $90
Snorkel rental $10 day
Diving (2 tank dives) $60
Fishing trips $30
Night fishing $30
Sea turtle nesting trip (seasonal) $30
Horseback riding $20
Canopy tour $20
Ziplining $45
Hanging bridges $25
Horseback riding ($25 for 1 ½ hours, $30 for 2 hours, $45 for 3 hours)
Butterfly garden $12
Trapiche Tour $30
Coffee tour $25
Frog Pond $12
Serpentarium $10
ATV $50 for a single, $75 for a double
Night Walk $22
Orchid Garden $10
Cheese Factory $10
Bat Jungle $10
La Fortuna/ Arenal:
Rafting Class III and IV (Full day – 7 hours) $75 (includes fruit on the river and lunch)
Rafting Class II and III (half day – 4.5 hours) $65 (includes fruit on the river and lunch)
Canyoning/Rappelling tour $75 (includes breakfast or lunch depending on tour time – 4 hours)
Mambo Combo (Rafting II and III with Canyoning) $139.50 (8 hours)
Venado Cave Spelunking $55 (4 hours)
Stand up Paddle $65 (4 hours)
Mountain biking $59 (4 hours)
Caño Negro Reserve $55 (8 hours)
Volcano walk/viewpoint/dinner and entrance to hot springs $45 (incl. transportation)
Viewpoint/dinner/entrance to hot springs $36 (incl. transportation)
Hot springs only $20
Hot springs with dinner $25
Cerro Chato Extreme Hike (6 hours) $59
Safari float $45 (4 hours)
Horse trip to waterfall $42 (4 hours)
Bike Rental $15/day
Volunteer Program at Proyecto Asis (feeding animals, playing with animals, baby monkey, and some physical work, includes snack) $59 (4 hours)
San José:
Adventure Combo (Canopy & Horseback Riding) (L) $107
Adventure Combo (Canopy & Rafting) (L) $107
Combo Tour ( Doka – Poas – Cataratas) (B,L) $96
La Paz Waterfall Gardens (Late departure) $75
Manuel Antonio National Park
(Tues,Thurs,Sat and Sun)(B)(L) $99
Poas Volcano ( Half Day ) $46
San Jose City Tour $39
The Best of the Pacific ( Punta Leona) (B)(L) $115
Rafting Class IV Pacuare (B)(L) $99
Irazu, Orosi and Lankaster Gardens(L) $81
RAM LUNA ( Show and Dinner) $69
Please note inoculations may be required for the country visited. It is your responsibility to consult with your travel doctor for up to date medical travel information well before departure.
You should consult your doctor for up-to-date medical travel information well before departure. We recommend that you carry a First Aid kit and hand sanitizers / antibacterial wipes as well as any personal medical requirements. Please be aware that quite often we are in remote areas and away from medical facilities, and for legal reasons our leaders are prohibited from administering any type of drug including headache tablets, antibiotics, etc. When selecting your trip please carefully read the brochure and itinerary and assess your ability to cope with our style of travel. Please refer to the Physical and Culture Shock ratings for trip specific information. G Adventures reserves the right to exclude any traveller from all or part of a trip without refund if in the reasonable opinion of our group leader they are unable to complete the itinerary without undue risk to themselves and/or the rest of the group.
Safety and Security
Many national governments provide a regularly updated advice service on safety issues involved with international travel. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest travel information before departure. We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while travelling, for the safe keeping of your passport, air tickets, travellers' cheques, cash and other valuable items. Leave your valuable jewellery at home – you won't need it while travelling. Many of the hotels we use have safety deposit boxes, which is the most secure way of storing your valuables. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage. When travelling on a group trip, please note that your CEO has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it is deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Your CEO will accompany you on all included activities. During your trip you will have some free time to pursue your own interests, relax and take it easy or explore at your leisure. While your CEO will assist you with options available in a given location please note that any optional activities you undertake are not part of your itinerary, and we offer no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the operators running them. Please use your own good judgment when selecting an activity in your free time. Although the cities visited on tour are generally safe during the day, there can be risks to wandering throughout any major city at night. It is our recommendation to stay in small groups and to take taxis to and from restaurants, or during night time excursions.
Protests and Demonstrations- Protests and demonstrations, even those that are well intended, have the potential to turn violent with no warning. Counter protests can also turn violent. Action by security forces to disperse demonstrators and protesters may occur at any time. If you are in an area where demonstrators or protesters are gathering, avoid the temptation of staying for a good photo opportunity and leave the area immediately.
Water based activities have an element of danger and excitement built into them. We recommend only participating in water based activities when accompanied by a guide(s). We make every reasonable effort to ensure the fun and adventurous element of any water based activities (in countries with varying degrees of operating standards) have a balanced approach to safety. It is our policy not to allow our CEOs to make arrangements on your behalf for water based activities that are not accompanied by guide(s).
Swimming, including snorkeling, is always at your own risk.
We take all prudent measures in relation to your safety. For ways to further enhance your personal safety while traveling, please visit:
Trip Specific Safety
Like any city where tourism is on the increase, crime also tends to increase and while San José is not a noticeably dangerous city, there are certain precautions you should take. Make sure that you are aware of your things at all times and don't go out carrying expensive gear or jewellery.
A Couple of Rules
Illegal drugs will not be tolerated on any trips. Possessing or using drugs not only contravenes the laws of the land but also puts the rest of the group at risk. Smoking marijuana and opium is a part of local culture in some parts of the world but is not acceptable for our travellers. Our philosophy of travel is one of respect towards everyone we encounter, and in particular the local people who make the world the special place it is. The exploitation of prostitutes is completely contrary to this philosophy. Our CEOs have the right to expel any member of the group if drugs are found in their possession or if they use prostitutes.
Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance: Travel insurance is compulsory in order to participate on any of our trips. When travelling on a group trip, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance has been sighted by your CEO, who will take note of your insurance details. When selecting a travel insurance policy please bear in mind that all clients must have medical coverage and that we require a minimum coverage of USD 200,000 for repatriation and emergency rescue. We strongly recommend that the policy also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects. If you have credit card insurance we require proof of purchase of the trip (a receipt of credit card statement) with a credit card in your name. Contact your bank for details of their participating insurer, the level of coverage and emergency contact telephone number.
Planeterra-The G Adventures Foundation
The Planeterra Foundation planeterra.org is a Canadian non-profit organization that helps empower local people to develop their communities, conserve their cultures, and create humane and supportive systems for their endeavours. Planeterra provides capacity building and catalyst grants to get community social enterprises off the ground. These businesses address local challenges by providing benefits for indigenous people, empowering marginalized women, and granting disadvantaged youth access to education, employment, and brighter futures. Planeterra also works to ensure these businesses have a thriving customer base by integrating programs into G Adventures' itineraries globally.
G Adventures is Planeterra's largest corporate donor, covering all operating costs so 100% of your donation will bring opportunity to people in need.
Dollar-a-Day Program
G Adventures' Dollar-a-Day Program provides travellers with the opportunity to give back to the people and places visited on our tours by donating one dollar for every day you are on trip. 100% of these donations go directly to support community development projects worldwide that are implemented by Planeterra.
After your travels, we want to hear from you! Your feedback information is so important to us that we'll give you 5% off the price of your next G Adventures trip if your feedback is completed on-line within 30 days of finishing your trip. Your tour evaluation will be e-mailed to you 24 hours after the conclusion of your trip. If you do not receive the tour evaluation link in the days after your tour has finished, please drop us a line at [email protected] and we will send it on to you.
Our adventure travel e-newsletter is full of travel news, trip information, interesting stories and contests. To avoid missing out on special offers and updates from G Adventures, subscribe at www.gadventures.com/newsletters/
Stay current on how our company invests in our global community through our foundation – Planeterra. Sign up for Planeterra's monthly news to learn more about how to give back and support the people and places we love to visit.
Minimum Age
You must be 18 to travel unaccompanied on a G Adventures tour. For minors travelling with a guardian over 21 years old, the minimum age is 12.
International Flights
Check-in times and baggage allowances/restrictions vary by airline and can change at any time. For the most up-to-date information for your flight, please contact your airline. We recommend checking in online in advance to avoid potential delays at the airport.
Max Pax
Group Leader
Chief Experience Officer (CEO) throughout, local guides.
Day 1: Antigua Guatemala
There are no planned activities until an evening welcome meeting.
Modern Antigua is a peaceful colonial city that is a pleasure to explore. Enjoy the beautiful architecture of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Included Activities:
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
Day 2: Antigua Guatemala (1D)
Enjoy a free day to explore Antigua. Opt to relax with a massage or soak up the culture in one of many cafés. Master the art of Latin American cuisine at a cooking class.
Included Activities:
Cooking Class
Day 3: Antigua Guatemala/Panajachel
Journey to Panajachel, Guatemala, a beautiful town on Lake Atitlán that is surrounded by spectacular volcanoes and small villages. Opt to explore the town on arrival.
Private Vehicle (3.00-4.00 hours)
Day 4: Panajachel/San Juan La Laguna (1D)
Take a boat tour around Lake Atitlán to local indigenous villages and visit a G Adventures-supported Mayan community project.
Included Activities:
Posadas Mayas Homestay
Boat (0.50-0.75 hours, 25km)
Day 5: San Juan La Laguna/Antigua Guatemala (1B)
Take a mountain bike ride out into the countryside or explore the fascinating markets, shops and museums within the city. Walk through quiet cobblestoned streets past rebuilt stucco homes with heavy, beautifully carved wooden entrances.
Boat (0.50-0.75 hours, 25km)
Private Vehicle (3.00-4.00 hours)
Day 6: Antigua Guatemala/Rio Dulce
Take the road past areas of dense jungle and arrive at Río Dulce, a small town on Lake Izabal, and a port stop for boaters around the globe on their way to/from Livingston and the Caribbean coast.
Additional Notes:
Depending on the departure you are booked onto, the order you visit Rio Dulce and Lake Atitlán (Panajachel & San Juan La Laguna) may be reverse. All inclusions will be offered regardless of the order you visit the two locations.
Private Vehicle (6.00-7.50 hours, 315km)
Day 7: Rio Dulce
There are plenty of opportunities for R & R. Aside from boating on Lake Izabal, there are optional tours in the area to view protected manatees. You may opt to horseback ride through a rubber plantation, explore San Felipe fort, take the morning monkey kayak tour, relax in the thermal springs, or hike through the jungle-strewn trails in the Chocón-Machacas Natural Reserve area.
Day 8: Rio Dulce/Copán
Cross into Honduras and head for the town of Copán.
Included Activities:
Border Crossing (Guatemala-Honduras)
Stop along the way to cross the border and have lunch.
Private Vehicle (3.00-4.00 hours, 160km)
Day 9: Copán
Enjoy a guided tour of the Mayan ruins of Copán and opt to soak in hot springs.
Included Activities:
Copán Ruins Guided Tour
Day 10: Copán/Roatán
Head to the diving haven of Roatán, set amongst what is part of the second-largest barrier reef in the world. This Caribbean island is famous for its marine treasures.
Crystal blue waters invite swimming, diving, snorkelling, or simply relaxing on the white-sand beaches of the Bay Islands.
Local bus (4.00-4.50 hours, 174km)
The bus will make a quick stop to purchase food and use the toilets.
Local bus (4.00-4.50 hours, 193km)
The large ferry has two floors with an air-conditioned cabin and an open air area towards the back.
Ferry (1.50-2.00 hours, 75km)
Private Vehicle (0.75-1.50 hours, 17km)
Day 11: Roatán
The beaches of the western end are some of the most beautiful in the world, with clear turquoise water, powdery white sand and swaying coconut palms. While many people spend their days immersed in the warm, blue Caribbean waters, enjoying excellent fresh seafood, you may also opt to venture into the hilly interior by scooter.
The botanical gardens offer relaxed walking amongst exotic plants and racing 'Jesus lizards', a species of lizard that runs on its hind legs. In nearby Sandy Bay, the Institute for Marine Sciences is definitely worth a visit.
Day 12: Day 13 Roatán/La Fortuna
Travel to La Fortuna, located at the foot of Arenal Volcano. La Fortuna is an excellent base for adventure. Opt to take a hike around the base of the volcano, hike the area's nature trails, swim in the chilly La Fortuna waterfall or join a canopy tour and catch a bird's eye view of the forest greenery.
Other optional activities include mountain biking, caving, horseback riding or a tour of the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge. Like much of Costa Rica, the area is a birders' paradise, with over 600 species as permanent residents.
Plane (1.50-2.00 hours)
Private Vehicle (3.00 hour(s))
Day 13: Day 14 La Fortuna
Opt to go canyoneering, whitewater rafting, hiking, caving, horseback riding, paddleboarding, kayaking, or visit a wildlife refuge. There are so many activities to choose from while in the area.
Day 14: Day 16 La Fortuna/Monteverde (1L)
Travel into the misty cloud forests of Monteverde. Enjoy a free afternoon to explore. Later, take an included guided night walk to learn about nocturnal life in the cloud forest firsthand.
Included Activities:
Guided Cloud Forest Night Walk
Shared van (0.50 hour(s))
Boat (0.75 hour(s))
Shared van (2.00 hour(s))
Day 15: Day 17 Monteverde
Optional activities here include sky walks (suspension bridges amid foliage), butterfly garden, and a canopy zip-line tour.
Day 16: Day 18 Monteverde/Manuel Antonio
Travel to the Pacific Coast. Enjoy Quepos or opt to visit Manuel Antonio National Park. The park offers excellent hiking, spectacular views, and abundant wildlife viewing. The park boasts beautiful white-sand beaches and the warm turquoise water. Opt to swim, fish, kayak, surf or take a sailing trip.
Private Van with Wi-fi (5.00 hour(s), 220km)
Day 17: Day 19 Manuel Antonio
Enjoy a free day to visit Manuel Antonio National Park, sail, snorkel or surf in the Pacific. Opt to kayak through mangroves or relax on the beach.
Day 18: Day 20 Manuel Antonio/San José
Travel to San José, and opt for a night out with the group.
Private Vehicle (5.00 hour(s), 190km)
Day 19: Day 21 San José
Depart at any time.
Included Activities:
Departure Day


text:
1973 HQ Belmont Utility Truck
Contributed by MAd Mike E.
MAd Mike E. is a Bay Area native who was in the right place at the right time.
My ride is a 1973 HQ Belmont Utility truck, affectionately known as the "Ute." Never heard of it? I hadn't either the first time I came across one.
The Ute is a tough-as-nails work vehicle manufactured in Australia for the "man of the land." Ford is generally considered to be the first company to produce an Australian Ute. Legend has it that they built the first model when a farmer's wife in Victoria, Australia asked for a vehicle that could take the family to church on Sunday and the pigs to market on Monday.
In the late 1930s, General Motors teamed up with an Australian company called Holden, and they began producing what became one of the most popular vehicles Down Under, the Holden Ute.
Personally, I had never been much into muscle cars. My first love was Japanese motorcycles, of which I had collected quite a few. I was down at Mickey's Tow Yard in Oakland one day looking for another bike to rebuild, when I noticed what looked like a white Chevelle abandoned in the far back corner.
On closer inspection, I still had no idea what it was, but I decided to buy it then and there. There was some time to kill while I got the cash together, so I did a search on Holden. Research revealed that the Holden Ute has an entire subculture in Australia. Hot-rodding classic Utes is practically a national pastime over there. Here in the States, however, there was very little information available.
Over the next three years, my Ute was rebuilt -- some areas more than once. When you have no manual and no access to parts, you try to find the closest match and hope for the best. First up was the front impact repair, followed by shocks, and it took three months to find a suitable replacement for Australian-made models. Next, we junked the old engine and transmission for a custom built Chevy 383 Stroker V8 and a TH700 R-4 Raptor Junior transmission. When we discovered that the rear end was blown to pieces, we slapped a Chevy three-quarter-ton truck rear end on there.
After a few years of improvising, I finally found a company in Australia that would ship parts. We rebuilt the front, put in new brakes and got the missing piece of trim for the windshield. Best of all, I finally scored a manual! All told, my Ute was Frankensteined together from four other Holdens.
The rarity and coolness factor of the Ute makes it well worth the trouble. I love cruising around town in it, hitting the car shows, and asking random people, "Excuse me, but do you have any Grey Poupon?" from the convenient right-side drive.
I eventually tracked down the original owner of my Ute, who told me that this car had been imported along with three others. There are only a handful of Australian Holdens in the U.S. today, and I'm lucky enough to own TWO of them. But that's a story for another time...
Given the obscurity of the Holden Ute, it's taken a village to pull it together. I would like to say a huge "Thank You" to the following people: the folks at oldholden.com for helping me identify my car and for their ongoing advice, Mike Elliot, Rob Franz, David Fulsaas, Joe Fink of Fink Automotive in Alameda, the boys and girls at Lee Auto Supply in Alameda, Dario Smart, Broadway Transmission (formerly Lee Myles Transmission) in Oakland, the gang at Vic Huberd in San Leandro, the guys and gals at the Stork Club in Oakland, A1 Spring in Oakland, and Brenden and Mark Smith.
You guys and gals all rock! I couldn't have done it without you.
We're looking for more submissions to the bi-weekly "My Ride" feature. We want to know what you drive and why. Send story ideas to email@example.com with the subject line "My Ride."
CARS is produced by the Advertising Department of the San Francisco Chronicle.
For advertising rates and information, contact Bill Barno at (415) 777-8875 or email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
flashman necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 70 diseños de 13 diseñadores freelance.
Racsal Rags is a UK children's clothing retailer specialising in character licensed clothing, shoes, toys and accessories. Think Disney Princess pyjamas and Spiderman Slippers. To expand our business we are changing our name to character.com.
To reflect this change we our looking to adapt (or change) our existing logo to better reflect our new name.
We will also be targeting an adult audience as well as children with the new logo so it may need to be toned down from its current incarnation to incorporate this new market.
Our buyers are mainly female buying for children ages 2 - 10 years old. They are looking for value, choice and convenience and the characters their children love
However, some of our new target audience will be adults so we feel we need to tone the logo down to reflect this.
We like our current logo. We think its fun and different and we like the character we have created. However the business will be called character.com going forward and the logo needs to change.
We are looking for an adaptation of the logo (or if your feeling brave and bold a completely new design). You can use the existing design as a starting point, keep our character man, remove him, change him.
You can use the existing colour scheme or change it.
As a guide before we decided to use the talented designers here we were thinking of just changing the text in the logo to black and using the character in pink still. It looked good. I'm sure you guys can do even better.
Here are some more tips for what we want and don't want:
- Logo should state "character.com"
- use / adapt existing colours / character
- be more horizontal than vertical in aspect ratio
- clean modern design
- simple design
What we don't want
- too children oriented
- cartoon style typefaces
- a logo that too busy ( we think less is more)
- multicoloured lettering
The existing ai files for our current logo are attached for your reference.
We will need 2 versions of the logo on a white coloured background and it must be provided in .ai & .psd format.
We'll try and give lots of feedback and ratings so design away and make a great logo for character.com!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter is one of the most desolate places on the entire Earth. It's a place locals say not to go since you'll, y'know, die. Good luck Range Rover.
The goal was to cross the entire Empty Quarter in one day. It's something that has never been done by a car before. The new RR Sport is pretty excellent, but is it death-defying desert excellent?
Well, I'm not going to spoil it, but I am going to say that Range Rover didn't make a documentary for no reason.
Hat Tip to Nick!


text:
Added 12/26/2010 – Thanks for checking out the post "10 Best Japanese Films 2009." My "10 Best Japanese Films 2010" can be found at this link. Be sure to check out other ten best lists for 2010 and other news from Northwest Film Forum by other contributors to Hot Splice by clicking here.
You can also see my regular reviews and reports on Japanese cinema (and more) at a page of madness. Click here.
Over the last 3 years, Japan's become my beat. Of course, I try to keep up with international cinema as best as I can, but at about 1,800 yen (20 bucks) a pop for a night at the cinema, I've been quite judicious in my filmic consumption. However, I've become quite a regular at the industry screening rooms hidden in the bowels of generic buildings (exception – Eiga Bigakku in the Tokyo Film School does have quite a bit of character) clustered around the old film industry center in and around Ginza. Many of the films on my top ten list probably won't cross the pond. It's a shame, because they're good films. But keep an eye open for festival screenings, online streamings or any opportunity to catch a glimpse of Japanese film production for 2009.
The list below is not definitive. I missed a few that had good buzz. Bandage – a fictional paean to the 90s band boom in Tokyo – and Live Tape – a single shot film following an improvising street busker wandering through the streets of Kichijoji, a hipster area on the west side of Tokyo – are both on my must see list. I saw a few too many that had good buzz that turned out to be total time wasters.
I have to place Matsumoto Hitoshi's Symbol at the top of the list. From his roots in the groundbreaking manzai team (two person standup – imagine Abbott and Costello in Japanese) called Downtown, Matsumoto hit the big screen a few years ago with the strange and hilarious Dianipponjin (Big Man Japan). His followup goes over the top with a deconstruction of comedy that's part Kubrick, part Tashlin, completely original.
Trailer (Japanese)
Kore-eda Hirokazu's Air Doll tended toward a bit of critical dismissal – too light, too commercial. With the stunning performance of Du-na Bae as a blow-up doll come to life, this reworking of Pinocchio (or is it Blade Runner?) is amazingly frank and touching with what may be Kore-eda's persistent theme – what makes us human.
Trailer (English Subtitles)
Ai no Mukidashi / Love Exposure
At 4 hours, Love Exposure seemed a bit short. When the lights came up I wanted still more. Sono Sion's over the top skewering of contemporary culture had a little something to offend nearly everyone – Catholicism, terrorism, up-skirt photography, high school mores and so much more came under the knife. Love Exposure is a delightfully excessive and tasteless film by the man who made Suicide Club.
Trailer (Japanese)
This year I saw Kobayashi's Masahiro's 2005 film Bashing. Wakaranai mines the same territory as the previous film, the lives of the marginalized and forgotten of Japan. Though not quite as perfect as Bashing, Wakaranai expands on similar themes. Along the lines of the Dardenne brothers, Kobayashi's creating an oeuvre of beautiful and terrifying films of lost hopes, fuckups and ultimately, dreams.
Website (Japanese)
Adaptations of manga are a mainstay of contemporary Japanese cinema. Most manga/film crossovers are built solely with marketing in mind. Miyoko Asagaya Kibun is from a definitely different sensibility. Adapting Shiniro Abe's seminal 1970s mangas that documented the craziness of the times along with his own faltering grasp on mental stability, Miyoko Asagaya Kibun mixes manga, fiction, history and biography brilliantly. This directing debut by Yoshifumi Tsubota is the most auspicious of the year.
Website (Japanese)
Director Komuna Yuichi is making his mark as the low budget storyteller of the special fringes of Japanese culture that are becoming the mainstream. He hit the scene a few years ago with Maid in Akiba, about the otaku/maid cafe culture centered around Akihabara in Tokyo. In Dotei Horoki (more or less meaning "virgin perv"), Komuna tackles the Japanese 30 year-old virgin problem with incisive humor and smart dialogue.
Trailer (Japanese)
While not quite as wicked as her debut film, Wild Berries, Nishikawa Miwa's Dear Doctor beautifully realizes a small community where lies big and small sustain its functioning. Following in the footsteps of Kore-Eda, Nishikawa, along with Kawase Naomi are creating a cinema style that exhibits profound ideas and sensibilities with a light touch.
Trailer (Japanese)
There's a somewhat annoying tendency in Japanese pop horror and comedy movies of having long dead samurai come back to life, in most cases ghoulishly zombified, to avenge some past wrong. It's a hoary plot device. In Raise the Castle it works. Kohatsu Yo's low budget debut manages to balance sweet comedy, a bit of a social/historical message and a love story. This film may be the be-all and end-all of this genre.
Website (Japanese)
Soda Kazuhiro is the Frederick Wiseman of Japanese documentary. His first film, Campaign, was a fascinating study of the political scene in Japan. In Mental, Soda visits a small town mental clinic, exposing the stigmas around talking about mental illness and health in Japan through touching, funny and downright harrowing stories from the patients themselves.
Website (English)
Hiyashi Kaizo will be known to Seattle audiences for his wonderful homage to silent cinema, Sleep So As to Dream, presented a few years ago at NWFF with live accompaniment by Aono Jikken Ensemble. Hiyashi's been working for years sending up the conventions of detective/spy movies. The Code is his latest and it never lets up with its nutty story, hilarious characters and situations. Plus, giving Suzuki stalwart Shishido Joe (Branded to Kill) a role makes The Code extra special.
Website (Japanese)
Tags: 2009, air doll, code, dear doctor, dotei horoki, hirokazu kore-eda, hiyashi, japanese film, kaizo, kazuhiro soda, kuki ningyo, love expose, masahiro kobayashi, matsumoto hitoshi, mental, miwa nishikawa, miyoko asagaya kibun, raise the castle, sono shion, symbol, top 10, top ten, wakaranai


text:
Saturday, January 03, 2009
You Are Going To Die!
Is there hope for the fallen? Can we turn it around after years of wasting time, procrastinating, plenty of hardship and waiting for the right moment that never comes? Hell yes! The good news is that you can have the life you dreamed of as a kid without meds and therapy. Step one is moving. Turns out that it doesn't really matter how you move. What matters is that you do. Step two involves eating healthy food. Whole food that feeds the body, spirit and especially the mind. The garbage this country eats most of the time is killing us. Junk food and fast food (AKA food porn) does NOT fuel our desire to grow, learn and change. It keeps us in a state of flux and despair. If you have problems, procrastinate and feel stuck in general, odds are you're overweight, out of shape and eat junk. The deck is stacked against you if you're overweight and out of shape. Your brain can't function to solve problems properly if your feeding your mouth tons of sugar and grease. If you like a life of quite desperation then continue to spend endless hours sitting and laying around. If procrastination, sadness, depression, low self esteem and a state of malaise fits your lifestyle then continue to eat candy, cupcakes, high fructose corn syrup, fried food, saturated fats, soda pop, processed carbs, hot dogs and tons of cheese on your pepperoni pizza. Nobody gets away with making lame choices in this world. Sooner or later (turns out later comes sooner than you thought) your bad behavior will ruin your life.
Good behavior can and will save your life. Good behavior will give you the opportunity to turn misery into joy and happiness. In the end it's joy and happiness we seek. Authentic joy and happiness comes from treating ourselves and others with respect and civility. Adult toys (cars, homes, jewelry, etc), prestige, money and looks are usually a means to short term pleasures. These things feed the ego. The ego isn't real. It's your desire to create a false you to present to the world. Nothing but smoke and mirrors to make you feel better than someone else. Yuck! What is good behavior? You know exactly what it is by now. It's a matter of whether you want to practice it consistently or not. The more disciplined you are the less problems you'll have. Honestly! For real! Life will still come at you at a million miles an hour and the issues in your life will still exist, but when you exercise and eat right you create the brain chemistry of a person who can deal with issues, problems and challenges productively and happily. Other variables like proper sleep and stress management skills play a roll as well, but the foundation of "the good life" comes from the two things that make you a joyous happy human being. Exercise and healthy food. Period. The clock is ticking and your death is inevitable, so while your here why not take the first steps toward a better life. Get off the fence, ask for help, start moving, eat your veggies, enjoy the journey, enjoy the power of right now, push play and experience the life you desire and deserve.
71 comments:
- Rachel said...
This is one thing I've learned since becoming serious about my fitness and my overall health. I was in a downward spiral of not eating, and I don't think I was coherent most of the time.
Now I feel so much sharper and more in-control. My whole personality and attitude has changed, so I definitely agree with this.
Great blog, Tony!
- sam_i_am said...
Happy New Year! Great post, Tony. Here's a timely and corroborating article from the NY Times:
A direct quote from the article:
"Since glucose regulation is improved with physical activity, Dr. Small said, "We have a behavioral recommendation — physical exercise.""
- Ali said...
Love it Tony!!
I'm reading "Spark" by Dr Ratey and this fits right in. Thanks for spreading the word about it. Everyone should read that book! As a parent I'm learning so much about the brain's ability to learn new information and how regular aerobic exercise can enhance kids' school experience.
- Anonymous said...
Here ya go, perhaps not what you were looking for. Perhaps a view that had not been considered.
II. How do we stay young and fruitful all our lives?
A. Keep learning. Acquiring new skills or knowledge stimulates our minds. Most importantly, we should continue learning more about God through studying His Word.
B. Keep loving. We are to love the Lord and other people, especially believers (Deut. 6:5: John 3:34). Individuals who are in caring relationships—whether with a spouse, friends, or family—are more likely to stay young at heart.
C. Keep laughing. Laughter relaxes your body and helps release tension. A healthy sense of humor gives us a sense of vitality (Prov. 19:22).
D. Keep leaving. Once you confess a sin or give a burden to the Lord, leave it with Him (1 Peter 5:7). Painful events from the past may come to mind, but don't dwell on them. Those who want to be youthful can't carry around the weight of emotional baggage.
E. Keep longing. Christians should want to reach their potential. So never stop dreaming about what the Lord may want to do through you. Allow yourself to use your imagination while prayerfully determining biblical goals for your life.
F. Keep looking. Watch to see how God is working in you and in the lives of those around you. Read His Word and expect Him to reveal spiritual truth. Pay attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He guides you moment by moment.
G. Keep laboring. The pattern God set for the Hebrews was six days of labor and one day of rest (Ex. 20:9). Our Maker designed us to be active. Exercising our bodies—through manual labor and other physical activity—keeps them healthy.
H. Keep leaning on your heavenly Father. Turn every burden and worry over to God. Learn to depend more and more on Him. The Christian life is impossible apart from the strength of the Holy Spirit working through us.
I. Keep your language positive. What your mouth speaks, your ear hears, your brain registers, and your body responds. People with a positive, godly attitude and a desire to obey the Lord tend to avoid much of the stress that burdens so many today.
J. Keep listening to the Lord. When you pray, don't do all the talking. Ask the Father to guide your life each day. He knows your hidden abilities and wants to help you reach your potential. Ignore ungodly counsel and choose to follow His wisdom instead.
IV. Conclusion: The Lord desires for us to be fun-loving, life-giving people that others enjoy knowing. We can choose to grow old early or remain youthful all our days. The secret is to listen to God's voice and obey Him in every situation
Not my words, taken from this weeks InTouh message.
- FitLisa said...
Thanks for the reminder, Tony. Eating a healthy diet of whole foods is not self-deprivation, but self-preservation. Guess it's the "food porn" that should really make us feel deprived! It's a mindset change that will become second nature with true dedication and a "no whine" policy.
- LisaErin82 said...
Tony, you mean we're not gunna live for ever?!?!?! Shucks.....I'm 26 years young and continue to live a life of good choices and steering away from the food porn (which is a term I LOVE, by the way!).....I don't have the intention of getting old because I'm making p90x/x+/1on1s a pLIFETIMEx....you are so right--it's about making decisions to continue growing up (man what's the fun in that?!?) or growing and feeling older. So nice to see a 50 year old man not backing down from the challenge of a life of fitness. You are a role model, Tony....I hope to continue to have Tonywisdom flying into my living room when I have impressionable children to teach :) Thanks for that, Tony, your Tonywisdom!!
- nick from ny said...
You know, last week on the way to getting my lunch, I watched a disgruntled and angry cab driver verbally abuse a sweet-looking young lady, whose only mistake was to pull up next to him at the wrong place and the wrong time. Well, can you say EGO??!! Why not attack the vulnerable and helpless of the world in order to prop yourself over the top? Hey, everybody's doing it, especially in this town!
I declare that we rise above the confusion and disappointment that an out-of-control ego thrives upon. You're right on when you talk about the "smoke and mirrors." WE all consistently tend to deceive ourselves every day, and why? Perhaps because of pride, envy, ego, greed and lust? In the end, it is our loving and ever-merciful creator who actually knows why, when and how long, among an infinite number of other things.
Discipline is the key, as you so correctly state. So many people I've talked to think it's the most boring part of life, but in actuality, life becomes boring and monotone without it. Discipline leads to variety, fun, action, movement, life and joy. And if that discipline is based in faith and peace, there's nowhere else to go but up, up and up.
Life is now!
- Anonymous said...
Tony - you are THE MAN! I love your "tell it like it is" attitude. I'm sharing this one with all my friends and family who keep making excuses not to make a commitment to their fitness, and ultimately their lives!
All the best!
Coach Jenn
- Anonymous said...
"All men die, few men truly live"
- Anonymous said...
Fantastic post!! I'm entering round 2 of P90X, and I feel great. I succumbed to the holiday food cravings, and yes... I paid the price, but just "bringing it" everyday regardless kept me from feeling too pathetic. I know the diet is key, and I absolutely will not eat crappy this round.
Anyway... I'm proud to say that I went from 61(week one) pull ups in the "Legs and Back" workout to 117 (week 12).
I'm an older grad student so good nutrition and exercise is critical to me. I can't function on a poor diet anymore. Following P90X gives me what I need to have the energy to study, and be in the best shape possible.
Thanks again, and keep it real!
- Pamela said...
NIIIICE post, Tony. This is the kind of stuff I try to tell my kids. This is a fantastic program, and I'm so pleased to have found it. BTW.....I only found a couple of spelling errors ;-p
- Neyda said...
This post hits me profoundly. I finally got the courage to tell my best friend and her husband that they are morbidly obese and need to do something about it. My friend no longer breathes normally, and when went out, she had the hardest time getting out my car, and it's not like I drive a SMART car. I was really saddened. She's only 30 and I know her family history, and it will start catching up to her soon. I will be working with her and her husband this year to start living a healthier lifestyle, and in the process I will be incorporating P90X moves. I really don't want to see my best friends die at an early age when it can be prevented. This is a win/win situation, this experience will help me develop my coaching skills so I can start helping others. Thanks for everything! I love your sense of humor in your videos! :D
- Mick_Circeo said...
Absolutely hits the spot for me, brother! "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them." (attributed to Henry David Thoreau, and misquoted here for effect).
- Becky said...
You are so right and we all need to be reminded to get back on the horse. Quiting life is like being the walking dead. I know I have been for the last 5 yrs not any more. Thank you for making a differnce.
- Anonymous said...
short term pleasures. These things feed the ego. The ego isn't real. It's your desire to create a false you to present to the world. Nothing but smoke and mirrors to make you feel better than someone else. Yuck!
- joshp said...
"...short term pleasures. These things feed the ego. The ego isn't real. It's your desire to create a false you to present to the world. Nothing but smoke and mirrors to make you feel better than someone else. Yuck!"
--Thank You for saying this.
- joshp said...
I really like reading your posts, Tony. I wish you would turn on RSS for them so that I could subscribe to your writing.
This post, and a few of the comments made me think of my brother and sister-in-law. They're Texans, living thousands of miles away from me, and they are both retired Army. My brother used to be one of the most achieved athletes in school, he was always the fittest, fastest, and most focused person I knew. I looked up to him, especially since I was always one of, if not THE most overweight person I knew in my age group.
I struggled with weight and the depression that it gives for most of my life, never finding that happy, healthy, fit zone, and never maintaining anything for any amount of time. I figured out that I needed to do something fast, as I'm now in my 30's, and the weight is really trying to pile itself on now. I tried doing all sorts of stuff, but the weight wouldn't go away. I was stuck at 250, I even broke a treadmill I ran so hard and so long! I used weights, did some cardio here Nd there...nothing, but I wasn't about to give up. I needed to get over the hump. So I got a hold of P90X last April and went to work. Now, I am in the best shape of my entire life, I have lost 50 pounds and have more muscle mass than ever before (that's a lot of fat gone!), I have energy, I am fit, I can climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, you know...
Well, my brother and his wife are both profoundly overweight. They are obese, and it is a real shocker considering his past. I invited him to do some workouts with me, casually encouraging him to just do ANYTHING with me, and this brought such a negative reaction, that I wondered if I had just ended the relationship with my brother by asking him if he wanted to lift with me while we were on vacation!
Ego. His ego is bruised since his fat little bro is now fitter than most people we both know, and he took up the role of the overeating, overweight, unhappy fatty. But how do you fix this?
He's living like there's no reason to be in shape, like there's nothing wrong with eating deep fried butter on a stick 6 times a day, like discipline is a foreign word, something he left behind when he left the Army. I know that Army people have a tough time when they enter civilian life, they both say it's harder, and I wonder if it's the lack of FORCED discipline. Nobody tells them they have to, they don't have to listen anymore so they don't.
I want to tell them exactly what you said in this blog, but I know if I try (again) that'll be it. There will be no more effort to get together, and my tenuous relationship with my brother, sister-in-law, and new niece will be lost and never grow.
Anyway, thanks for saying this. The bit about the ego being false is something most people never even consider, and certainly don't hear enough. You saved me, Tony, your program isn't just a workout, it's a change of life, and without it I certainly wouldn't be the man I am right now. ---Thanks
- Anonymous said...
Hi Tony,
This blog entry really hit home with me because I can't function without working out. What I mean to say is that if I don't include physical activity in my daily routine the stress of the world really hits hard. I've learned over the past few years that without proper nutrition and physical activity I do suffer from depression and a short fuse and the stress of daily life often became unbearable. Now all I say is "Bring It!" Those two words together have empowered me to do whatever I've set my mind to. Plus I constantly "do my best and forget the rest" You are one awesome individual Tony! You're like a life coach really. Much appreciated and I look forward to meeting you one day at one of your Fitness Camps.
All the Best from Toronto!
- Traci Morrow said...
You are precious. :)
The way you write causes me to "hear" your voice - :) - my favorite line is where you talk about rigor mortis setting in.
You're a nutball!
- Traci Morrow said...
But....GREAT message! Of course, thats a given. I just like to appreciate the author. ;)
- ruth said...
You forget the importance of making a difference in other people's lives as well - enjoying their company, helping out when you can, etc. And not taking your spouse for granted! If I hear another generalization about men I'm going to scream. My husband is a gem.
- Margs1 said...
Hi Tony,
I want to say thank you for this inspiration. I started P90x last Spring and it kick-started me back into a life of fitness that I had abandoned a couple of years ago when I moved to NYC and took a stressful job.
I am a former college athlete and when I didn't "have to be" at practice in the early AM my fitness fell off and I gained about 35 pounds.
Since the spring I have dropped 22 pounds and am much healthier. Most importantly though, I want to thank you for your message above. It is true!!
I lost a dear friend to suicide in November at the age of 28. Since then I have realized that life is so precious not to feel good or do what you love. Your words above reminded me that through my sorrow I need to keep myself on the track for 2009 and beyond.
I love feeling alive, breaking a sweat and knowing when my head hits the pillow at night that I have made the most of my days. I am working on that each day. It is not easy but I am working at it.
Sorry for the ramble! Thanks again for the words and getting the sweat going.
Margot Ahlquist
- Mike French said...
Brother Tony,
Awesome stuff my friend! Thank you!
- CT Olson said...
I like that - food porn! Gotta use that one on my fast food friends ....
Good message too
- Anonymous said...
Nice thoughts man. You hit it on the head - we wait for the perfect moment, and that moment never comes.
A videographer I listened to summed up video rendering as this: "perfection is the enemy".
To me, this really applies well to life. We should work to be the best we can, but we must not wait for the stars to be "aligned" before we feel compelled to act. I feel fortunate that I learned this from others while I still have my health in tact.
Also - nice quote on fast food. I worked for McDonalds during high school and college. I gained 50 lbs during the course of my employment - much in part due to the free soda and food porn I ate during my shifts. I became addicted and sought such food for comfort. Today, I literally shudder at the thought of just how much sugar I consumed in a day. I cannot believe I did not develop Type II diabetes.
I've broken from that food porn grip and have shed those pounds through better eating and working out (P90 rocks - look forward to graduating to P90X).
Keep up the great work Tony. Your workouts and insight have transformed by life!
- Sarah & Steven Spottswood said...
This is our first visit to your blog - we will definitely be back!
We just wanted to thank you soooo much for the light you bring to the continuing problem of obesity in this country.
Your programs are amazing! I actually did the original p90 back in college and now we just got the P90X and finished out first week.
It's tough, but we are up to the challenge and working hard!
Thanks again!
- Anonymous said...
I want to thank you for the inspiration you bring every time I turn on my P90 dvd's. I not only have changed my life around but have been blogging about it for a while and trying to get others to do the same. Thanks for the encouragement. I had someone try and convince me of a new workout program and I told them I would feel like I was cheating on you. My husband and I love spending the time with you each day in our gym. Thanks again!
Taylor of www.yourhappyhearts.com
- August said...
Hey Tony!
This is your next door neighbor, August. I have hear a lot recently about the p90 system and want to start. I noticed on your tv spot that you had some equipment. Tell me what I need to get.
- Anonymous said...
Just loved what you said. Inside, we all know this and yet most of us fail...
- Anonymous said...
Tony, I want to thank you for just being yourself. It obious to me that being in shape and helping others is just who you are. For most of my life I fought to be in good shape. I had it for about 4 years and lost if after I had some surgery to fill in a growth on my tibia. I did exactly what you said, I threw in the towl after the surgery because I couldn't run (I ran for fun and it kept me in shape). After that I feel hard and have put on over 50 pounds. The only thing that was holding my life together was the relationship I had with my girlfriend of 5 years. Finally one night we were talking about a lot of life altering decision we need to make, marriage, carrers, location, and fitness came up because we both saw the P90X informercial. I've seen a lot of gimmicks over the past couple years but I knew your program was for real when I noticed you promise results if people put in the effort. I realized my life needing more effort on my part, I need to start saving my money for marriage, pursuing a new career, and get my fat butt back in shape. I'm on week 2 of the P90X program. I might have bitten off more then I should have in doign P90X while being so overweight but I'm not normally a quitter and I decided I really wanted a challenge. Thanks again for all your encouragement and for just being yourself.
- Demi Eliese said...
I am new to your blog-but proud to say that I am in my 7th week of P90X. I have 2 kids and started out at 142 (5"4) and I am already down to 122 lbs. Your program has not only got me back to pre preggo weight, but taught me a whole new outlook on life in general. I know after this program I will continue the lifestyle changes I have learned, and I thank you for that! BTW-my kids are 6 and 8 months, and because they see mommy doing yoga alot, they both know how to do a mean downword dog. Yes-even my 8 month old! Check out my blog sometime-love to read a comment!
- Anonymous said...
Thank you, Tony. I needed this.
- Renee' said...
Just stumbled on your blog and am extremly glad I did. I'm in week two of P90X and have found myself getting up with an energy and outlook that I haven't found in years. After I was diagnosed with a severe seizure disorder and had to take disability, I found myself in quite a depression and gave up alot of the physical exercise I have enjoyed in my life. All for fear of having a seizure in public. Showing up and pushing play have not only made me sweat, but laugh and smile at the same time. You make it not only enjoyable, but you make people realize that its ok if your not the best. Everytime I want to reach for the "food porn" I can hear your voice telling me not to grab the junk that you talk about during water breaks. Thank you so much Tony!! You have no idea how much you effect peoples lives on a daily basis in so many ways..
- Anonymous said...
To Everyone,
Just remeber NO food is our enemy there is no "good food" there is no "bad food". Everything is about moderation and disipline, so please enjoy your meals and your lives, just do it in away that is healthy and good for YOU.
Also keep in mind not everybody is gonna want to excercise and get thin or ripped, that's okay, if you have a friend or love one that you're worried about then why not invite them out for a walk (shopping burns calories ladies), but just remember nobody likes a nag.
You made the decison that was right for you and ultimatly they will have to too.
Good luck to you all in everything that you do.
- Andre From Puerto Rico said...
Hey Tony,
I would like you to know How much you've encouraged me to become a better human, not only physically but mentally.
I'm a 20 year old College student in Puerto Rico. I used to go to the Gym since I was 13 years old to keep from becoming chubbier and chubbier, I was never the fittest but never the fattest, I was just Chubby... after some years, my studies in High School and a change in my ways of life I became anonymous to myself, I stopped attending the Gyms, I ate whatever, whenever, however (mostly Fatty foods and junk) and became a desk potato. I lost weight and became as skinny as skinny can get (weak, I lost much of my muscle mass I gained durring my previous years), I started to have gastric problems, not severe but it took mental peace out of me (not that i had any), I stopped drinking sodas (all types) and ate a wee bit healthier, but compared to my state of humanship i was just a skinny weakling student trying tu survive senior year. After such senior year I started attending College and my focus went mostly to my studies and my family which always went the opposing way for they looove to excercise and train. I tried quite sometimes to become that disciplined trainee i was but failed miserably, i was poorly encouraged and although i gain some muscle mass I started tumbling down the ways toward Chubbyness and thats when my lovely girlfriend started to support me and help me find something to become that fit guy I once was. In the hunt for programs and gyms and whatever really worked we found ourselves gazing at your Infomercials of P90X and likenesses and your way of working encouraged us to become better everyday (Btw, she loves Yoga X!!) and at this height I thank you, although beginner still, we have to THANK YOU for your knowledge and becoming such a great encouragement!
Thanks multiplied by infinite,
- Riza Santos said...
I finished well not really, just on month 2 of P90X, and this year I plan to get on it, then proceed to P90X++ ALL because I saw this blog!
I've been looking for something, like a sign to get back in shape. And ACCIDENTALLY stumbling on this blog is it.
- bax said...
i am in my 5th round of p90x. it's changed my life. thanks Tony for giving me the opportunity. your blog is right on... either you do it or you don't... but do something then every day do a little more. one day at a time and you can't help but succeed. Little gains add up before you know it you won't recognize your self and you will be looking in the mirror with awe and self confidence you never though you could have. I am 48 yrs old and if I never win a million dollars, I couldn't be happier or more proud of what I have accomplished. It's the personal challenge that makes you feel so good.
thanks Tony you are changing the world one person at a time :)
- zen2000 said...
Very nice post Tony. I like how you mix in some Buddhist concepts into your program. Thanks again.
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In the final installment of his satisfying summer run as guest host of "The Daily Show," Jon Oliver thanked impulse-control-challenged New York politician Anthony Weiner for weeks of comic fodder.
But his biggest thanks should have gone to Jon Stewart.
Stewart returns Tuesday to a "Daily Show" that will greatly benefit from his restored presence, but no longer needs him behind the fake news desk to guarantee laughs. That's a tribute to the host, who has put an indelible satirical stamp on Comedy Central's marquee program since replacing Craig Kilborn in 1999, while building a strong franchise that can thrive without him.
Oliver, while initially a tad nervous during interview segments, brought his own brand of energy, exasperated outrage and verbal facility to the show (Weiner is "the man whose name is so perfect for the scandal he was caught up in, it rekindled my faith in God," he quipped). He proved a fine choice, but any of the show's comic correspondents – Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, Al Madrigal, Aasif Mandvi, Lewis Black and Larry Wilmore, among them – likely could have done the job.
Stewart and his creative crew's biggest legacy might be assembling a consistently strong supporting team over the years. The program has provided springboards for the likes of Ed Helms, Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert, whose faux conservative commentator character, unlike Stewart, might be irreplaceable. The show's taken a cue from "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels, who has turned the churn of comic talent into an art (even if he has his work cut out for him this coming season).
Oliver's consistently entertaining stint raises questions about what's next for Stewart, who clearly is looking to stretch with less than two years left on his Comedy Central contract. He took the summer off to direct "Rosewater," the true story of a journalist imprisoned in Iran.
You wouldn't have known that from "The Daily Show," as Oliver gave a different – and funny – excuse for Stewart's absence every night ("He remains trapped in a Chilean mine with 18 other talks show hosts," is a favorite, along with a bawdy crack involving a then-pregnant Kate Middleton). Even amid his absence, Stewart remained a presence on a show that, thanks largely to his efforts, can go on without him.
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


text:
(June 19; Santa Cruz, California) Giro Sport Design, the industry leader in progressive snow helmet and optics technologies, has announced a summer camp sponsorship partnership with High Cascade Snowboard Camp as a helmet partner for their 2014 sessions.
"High Cascade Snowboard Camp defines progression in freestyle snowboarding, is the off-season training grounds of our top team athletes, and showcases the capabilities of Giro's products," said Brendan Murphey, Giro Brand Manager. "High Cascade is the best snowboarding terrain park in North America and the summer hotbed of freestyle snowboarding progression. High Cascade Snowboard Camp embodies the same passion for progression and evolution of sport as we do at Giro. We are beyond excited to partner with the camp to help cultivate the next generation of freestyle riders."
Terrain parks and summer freestyle camps like High Cascade Snowboard Camp is where Giro staff and team riders test and develop new products like the Combyn, the flagship Soft Shell helmet inspired by park and pipe riding where repeated impacts are the inevitable price of progression, and the Blok goggle, a versatile goggle designed with team rider input which blends superior EXV technology and function with classic style. The High Cascade Snowboard Camp relationship brings Giro together with organizations committed to progressing freestyle snowboarding. Camp attendees will see an increased Giro brand presence on campers, camp staff and coaches in Giro products like the Combyn helmet and Blok goggle, during special events, as well as in marketing collateral and social media.
"Giro has done a great job with its product, people and brand. They began with solid product then got a killer team in place to go tell the world." said Kevin English, HCSC President and Executive Director. "Above all, we respect the ethics of the brand. Giro supports athletes throughout injury cycles and are just plain good human beings. HCSC's mission is 'Life Improvement through Snowboarding' so it's clear that our and Giro's values are aligned."
High Cascade Snowboard Camp plans to have six camp sessions over the summer months beginning on June 16, 2014 through August 12, 2014. Giro athletes Bryan Fox and Curtis Ciszek will be on hand for Signature Session™ #3 from July 6 to 13, 2014. Signature Session™ #3 will also play host to the Rat Race (presented by Drink Water) on Saturday, July 12th with all proceeds being donated to Water.org.
Giro Sport Design: Founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1985, Giro Sport Design develops new ideas to enhance the ride. Since creating the first lightweight, high-performance helmets for cycling and snowsports, we have maintained a strong focus on products that enhance the feeling of freedom and independence that riding brings to life. As the leader in the design, fit and engineering of products that complement the body, Giro is the first choice of riders worldwide.
follow our line >>


text:
Events for April 22, 2018 › Everyone
Events Search and Views Navigation
8:30 am
Equipping Hour
Our Equipping Hour time for adults of all ages meets from 8:30-9:30 Sunday mornings in one of the meeting rooms off the atrium. Childcare is provided in the room next door.Find out more »
9:00 am
Hospitality hour
Welcome to Cornerstone! We invite you to join us for refreshments and fellowship in the atrium before our worship service upstairs in the main hall.Find out more »
10:00 am
Sunday gathering
Welcome to Cornerstone! Our worship service is upstairs in the main hall from 10-11:15. In our Sunday morning service you can expect singing, prayer, announcements and updates, a time for greeting each other, special kids' activities, preaching from the Bible, prayer and the Lord's Supper, and closing in song.Find out more »


text:
This nighttime route operates to serve Carolina Creek. It operates on a 30 minute frequency Monday - Friday out of Christenbury Gym from 6:30pm; the last trip departs campus at 10:00pm Monday - Thursday and a 8:00pm on Friday.
The map included here provides real time tracking for this route, including arrival predictions. For routes which are not currently scheduled to operate, you may see the message "no predictions" for some or all stops. Please check the schedule for operating times or contact us for assistance.


text:
This series consists of talks in the area of Foundations of Quantum Theory. Seminar and group meetings will alternate.
I consider systems that consist of a few hot and a few cold two-level systems and define heat engines as unitaries that extract energy. These unitaries perform logical operations whose complexity depends on both the desired efficiency and the temperature quotient. I show cases where the optimal heat engine solves a hard computational task (e.g. an NP-hard problem) [2]. Heat engines can also drive refrigerators and use the temperature difference between two systems for cooling a third one. I argue that these triples of systems define a classification of thermodynamic resources [1].
Usually, quantum theory (QT) is introduced by giving a list of abstract mathematical postulates, including the Hilbert space formalism and the Born rule. Even though the result is mathematically sound and in perfect agreement with experiment, there remains the question of why this formalism is a natural choice, and how QT could possibly be modified in a consistent way. My talk is on recent work with Lluis Masanes, where we show that five simple operational axioms actually determine the formalism of QT uniquely. This is based to a large extent on Lucien Hardy's seminal work.
We present a new formulation of quantum mechanics for closed systems like the universe using an extension of familiar probability theory that incorporates negative probabilities. Probabilities must be positive for alternative histories that are the basis of settleable bets. However, quantum mechanics describes alternative histories are not the basis for settleable bets as in the two-slit experiment. These alternatives can be assigned extended probabilities that are sometimes negative. We will compare this with the decoherent (consistent) histories formulation of quantum theory.
The nature of antimatter is examined in the context of algebraic quantum
field theory. It is shown that the notion of antimatter is more general
than that of antiparticles. Properly speaking, then, antimatter is not
matter made up of antiparticles --- rather, antiparticles are particles
made up of antimatter. We go on to discuss whether the notion of antimatter
is itself completely general in quantum field theory. Does the
matter-antimatter distinction apply to all field theoretic systems? The
Recently rediscovered results in the theory of partial differential equations show that for free fields, the properties of the field in an arbitrarily small volume of space, traced through eternity,
determine completely the field everywhere at all times. Over finite
times, the field is determined in the entire region spanned by the intersection of the future null cone of the earliest event and the past
null cone of the latest event. Thus this paradigm of classical field
Symmetric monoidal categories provide a convenient and enlightening framework within which to compare and contrast physical theories on a common mathematical footing. In this talk we consider two theories: stabiliser qubit quantum mechanics and the toy bit theory proposed by Rob Spekkens. Expressed in the categorical framework the two theories look very similar mathematically, reflecting their common physical features.
Quantum mechanics does not allow us to measure all possible combinations of observables on one system. Even in the simplest case of two observables we know, that measuring one of the observables changes the system in such way, that the other measurement will not give us desired precise information about the state of the system.
Nonlocality is arguably one of the most remarkable features of
quantum mechanics. On the other hand nature seems to forbid other
no-signaling correlations that cannot be generated by quantum systems.
Usual approaches to explain this limitation is based on information
theoretic properties of the correlations without any reference to
physical theories they might emerge from. However, as shown in [PRL 104,
140401 (2010)], it is the structure of local quantum systems that
determines the bipartite correlations possible in quantum mechanics. We
A picture can be used to represent an experiment. In this talk we will consider such pictures and show how to turn them into pictures representing calculations (in the style of Penrose's diagrammatic tensor notation). In particular, we will consider circuits described probabilistically. A circuit represents an experiment where we act on various systems with boxes, these boxes being connected by the passage of systems between them. We will make two assumptions concerning such circuits.
I will review some recent advances on the line of deriving quantum field theory from pure quantum information processing. The general idea is that there is only Quantum Theory (without quantization rules), and the whole Physics---including space-time and relativity---is emergent from the processing. And, since Quantum Theory itself is made with purely informational principles, the whole Physics must be reformulated in information-theoretical terms.


text:
AC3 doesn't measure success using typical metrics. The challenges that AC3's clients face are not always remedied with a new application or a blinking black box.
An organisation's ability to deliver services may be constrained by competing business demands or limited resources. AC3 addresses these issues by providing practical and affordable solutions that fulfil strategic goals while delivering on the immediate tactical needs. Ultimately, the solution must provide results against a pre-defined business case.
To achieve this outcome, AC3 engineers, analysts and project managers add value to every engagement with their skills, hands on experience and in-depth industry knowledge.
The service delivery and backup support that AC3 provides are built on proven and robust ITIL processes. This ensures that they can be replicated and audited to meet compliance, governance or legal requirements.
AC3 will not compromise on delivering the highest quality standards during each phase of every business engagement.


text:
University of Florida lacrosse team and head coach Amanda O'Leary announced its 2013 season schedule, which features 15 regular season contests including eight at Donald R. Dizney Stadium where the Gators hold an undefeated regular season record in the past two years, and a contest at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
The 2013 season kicks off with three-straight road contest as they face off with the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill on February 9 to open up the schedule. UF will seek to revenge a season opening loss from last season as the then No. 4 Gators couldn't overcome a first half deficit fell in a close 11-9 decision to the then No. 3 Tar Heels.
The Gators return to the Sunshine State for a matchup at Jacksonville (February 13) before heading back to North Carolina to face High Point in High Point, N.C. (February 17). The 2013 home schedule opens up with a pair of games at Dizney Stadium as UF welcomes UC Davis (February 22) in the first ever meeting of the two teams followed by a match with Albany (February 24).
UF remains in the state of Florida to begin March, when they take part in the second annual lacrosse Orange Bowl Classic. They will take on rival Syracuse on March 2 in Miami at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Orange Bowl and Miami Dolphins. Syracuse eliminated Florida in the NCAA semifinals last season in a 14-13 overtime decision. The Orange finished as national runner-up as it fell to Northwestern in the national championship game.
Loyola (Maryland) visits Gainesville (March 5) followed the Gators hitting the road for a match with Dartmouth (March 9). They then return to the UF campus for a three-game home stand welcoming Lehigh (March 12) and Stetson (March 19). The home stand concludes as the Gators open up American Lacrosse Conference play as it hosts Ohio State (March 23). The Gators are the reigning regular season and tournament ALC champions and look to extend its dominance in the league where they have won 10-straight games that dates back to March 26, 2011.
The Gators then travel to Penn State (March 30) and return home to face Johns Hopkins (April 6) to kick off April. They round out their regular-season slate facing reigning national champion Northwestern at home (April 20). The ALC Tournament will be hosted by Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. on May 2-5. The NCAA first and second rounds will be held at respective sites from May 10-12 and quarterfinals May 18th or 19th. Villanova University in Philadelphia, Pa. will serve as the host of the 2013 NCAA Championships for the first time in school history on May 24th and 26th.
Courtesy of UF Communications


text:
2-Year-Old Rapper Shows Impressive Delivery + Swagger
OMGX2. You thought Justin Bieber had swagger and Lil Wayne had flow? Pft. Then you ain't witnessed the untouchable awesomeness of 2-year-old Alim Kamara. The little boy is unbelievable. He raps with his dad, Femi Iloyi, but it's not exactly formed words and sentences words that are coming out of his mouth. It's baby talk and it's completely and totally indiscernible, but it's also cute, since the tot literally does not miss a beat.
Alim appears to have been born with music and da skillz in his DNA. He doesn't need to string together a coherent sentence, since he is so on cue and on point.
All of that, coupled with his hand movements, that ear-to-ear grin and his hilarious facial expressions, Alim has demonstrated all the qualities that are necessary and innate for a long and successful career in the rap game.
M.I.A. once rapped, "No one on the corner has swagger like us." That should be Alim's new mantra. Signed, touring rappers should take a peek at this clip for a textbook exercise in flow.
Watch 2-Year-Old Alim Rap