Tanya Mariposa on Racism in El Salvador

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There is racism in Central America, maybe is not so evident here in El Salvador because we the Salvadorans take it more as a joke. Since here we don´t have more "pure bloods" and in a same Salvadoran family you can see children of all the colours of skin and hair, we don´t understand very well what is so important about that.

There is racism in El Salvador, that's true, but it is far from the hate. Is something more soft, difficult to spot... but it is more evident in the resentful people with low self esteem. Always, the stupid loser lady/man who no one really likes is the one racist.

So, I'm Salvadoran...I have an opinion about the racist people. An opinion that I learned in El Salvador.....

Well-said, by Tanya Mariposa, shared publicly on Google+
 

Long Life in the Nicoya Peninsula (3)

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A senior Nicoyan woman relaxes for a portrait. After waking up at 4 a.m., she bakes tortillas for a couple of hours and walks five miles to the village to sell them. In addition to keeping hard at work, successful centenarians have a strong sense of purpose—a plan de vida for the Nicoyans. They feel needed and want to contribute to a greater good.

Reference: Blue Zone Photos: Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.
 

Long Life in the Nicoya Peninsula (2)

Jose Guevara

Jose Guevara lives with his family on a small farm. He has spent most of his life riding horses and working in the fields but today he gets around on the back of his grandson's four wheeler. He is 105 years old.

"I wake up at 6 am, then I will get some corn and go and feed the chickens or the pig," he says.

"I eat, but not as much ... generally beef, a good cut of pork, rice and beans -- four meals that we never went without in my house, thank God."

Reference: Does this beach paradise hold the secret to long life?

Genetics and stress, diet based on plants and water with minerals, even faith and laughter seem to be the key factors for a long life.
 

Long Life in the Nicoya Peninsula (1)

Don Faustino

On Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, a roughly 80-mile-long finger of land south of the Nicaraguan border on the Pacific Coast, researchers identified a group of villages with a significantly higher rate of longevity than the rest of the country. Dan Buettner traveled there to explore what makes a Blue Zone in a developing country.

Centenarian Don Faustino and five generations of his family are pictured on the Nicoya Peninsula in 2007. Nicoyan centenarians tend to live with their families, and children or grandchildren provide support and a sense of purpose and belonging.

Reference: Blue Zone Photos: Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.

Godiva Chocolate Aboard Turkish Airlines

Godiva's signature package is the Gold Ballotin (French for "small, cardboard box of chocolates")

I had the privilege and pleasure of flying business class recently, from Chicago to Istanbul, on Turkish Airlines, and being served a Godiva chocolate upon boarding.  I just learned that Campbell Soup owned Godiva since 1967, then sold to Yildiz in 2008.  It is evidently no accident that I and other passengers have this deliciously sinful chocolate, as Yildiz is an Istanbul-based company.    

Luxurious Sunset Beach in Saudi Arabia

This is the Sunset Beach in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, and is just off the Persian (Arabian) Gulf.  Imagine looking starboard (right side), we see the forecastle at the far end of the top photo and the quarter deck and promenade deck in the bottom photo.  Coupled with an afternoon sun and a cool breeze, it all makes for a luxurious experience.
 

Lovely Hibiscus across the Middle East

In the western world the hibiscus is considered the symbol of delicate beauty. In Korea it is the symbol of immortality. Hibiscus is the state flower of Hawaii and Hibiscus syriacus is the national flower of South Korea.  Hibiscus is used as an offering to Lord Ganesha and the Goddess Kali in the Hindu religion.

Reference: The Hibiscus Flower.

I see this lovely flower often across the Middle East, such as Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and here in Saudi Arabia.  In fact, this bush right in front of my villa has been flowering the last couple of weeks, as temperatures rose from chilly and nippy, to warm and pleasant.