Reflections...  

The beautiful blue turquoise blue of the Caribbean ocean...

Pearly-white sand between my toes...

Finding seashell treasures while snorkeling ...

Watching some of the world's best dancers practicing in the lobby...

A scrumptuous salad at the Beach Bar, just steps away from soft ocean waves...

Hitch-hiking a wave runner ride with Jose from Venezuela....

Falling off that wave runner THREE TIMES!

Meeting and making friends with dancers from all over the world...

Being mesmorized by extraordinary dance performances...

Getting a Cobo Brother "fix"...

Enjoying a fresh cup of coffee and cream at the bar...

The full moon lighting up the entire sky...

The view from my hotel room...

A refrigerator stocked full of fresh fruit and vegetables...

Muriel's contagious shining bright laugh...

Playing Spin the Bottle on the beach....

Steven's body-slam...

Rudsel's little cross-body-lead hop...

Watching beautiful rainbow-colored fish swim peacefully underwater ...

Diving off the two-story pier...

Racing Jerry and Jose back to shore...

The bike riding with Salomon...

Dancing Rhumba, Cha Cha, and Tango with Salomon...

Shopping for loved ones downtown....

Hanging out with the Caribbean Soul dancers...

Getting a wild and crazy Danny Usche "fix"...

Watching my brothers and sisters in Salsa Brava pour their hearts out on stage...

Eating at Denny's...

Catching some rays underneath a perfect palm tree...

The little after-party at Muriel's house...

Leading an eye-opening goal-setting session with a group of friends...

Desperately trying to understand Lucy...

Grocery shopping with Jerry and Salomon... 

Watching Janice's hips during an Authentic Aruban freestyle...

Buying a little white bikini for the first time in my life...

Getting beautiful little gifts from Willie...

Never seeing Joby Vazquez look more beautiful...

The beautiful white stretch Limousine waiting outside the airport...

Never seeing Luis and Joby more happy together...

The warm tropical wind on my face...

Dancing on tiles, cement, wood, and rocks, and not even caring...

Freezing to death in the air-conditioned buses...

Teaching students eager to learn...

Spinning like a top on my feet or on my knees...

The folkloric Tumba and Waltz dancers at Salsipuedes dance studio...

Steve always asking me if I'm having a good time...

The beautiful plaque the Salseros of the island made for me...

Jerry's boombox....

The smell of chocolate suntan lotion...

Getting crazy with JT (for his first time)...

Going full out with Jerry...

Rubbing my aching feet at night...

Taking long, hot baths....

Warming up in a beautiful, white, hotel bathrobe...

The view from the elevator...

The exotic birds at the hotel...

The little "Ko Kee" sounds from other beautiful black and yellow birds...

The magnificent sunsets....

The sound of Lucianno Pavorotti seranading downstairs...

Taking afternoon naps...

Television interviews...

Trading an amazing body massage for a private lesson... 

My Sevillanna Flamenco class with Cristina...

Dancing with the boys from Georgia...

Jamming with Sanora Poncenia 

Drinking "Ensures" to keep going...

Bringing hotel towels to the nightclubs...

Sweat in my face, on my partner, and flying in the air...

Being drentched after teaching...

Students telling me I've changed their lives....

Teaching my ladies how to pose for pictures...

Teaching my ladies how to get up gracefully after a fall... 

Freezing my butt off in the plane...

Emails from Carlos... 

Appreciating how lucky I am...

Forgetting to say Good-bye to Muriel at the airport; for some reason I thought she was coming home with us...

Getting on my knees and thanking God for such a beautiful gift, and for such a beautiful life.

Devoting my Life to My Father in Heaven..  

There were about ten of us at the airport on the same flight waiting patiently for the plane trip home.  We were all tired and rather gloomy, knowing that reality would hit tomorrow when we would have to go back to work.   

Benjamin Rapoport (Salsaweb Webmaster) saw a radio store and decided to buy a boombox.  The minute we heard the sweet sounds of congas and clave, we all looked over there. EVERY SINGLE ONE of us headed toward the sound.  When we got there, our looks of gloom turned into great big teeth-filled smiles and new energy.  "This is like a drug!  Look at us, we're all happy now!"  I said as someone grabbed me for a dance at the airport terminal.  I seem to remember doing this quite often with various Salseros whom have accompanied me on my many journeys around the world.  A stunned crowd of onlookers watched in amazement as we danced and danced and danced.  The last song ended just as they announced our flight was ready to depart.

  "Did our flight leave?  I wasn't even paying attention..."  James Cobo said as he finished me off in a fabulous dip.  I KNEW this was going to happen.  In the past, time and time again, I always wished I had my dance shoes on for spontaneous moments like these.  It's for that reason, that every type of  "regular" street shoe I buy, can also serve as a great pair of dance shoes for emergencies like this.  Before you buy them, make sure they have good enough soles to spin on, and that they have enough support to stay on your foot.  Literally ALL my street shoes (or sandals) can be converted to dance shoes as well in a crunch. 

 I learned this the hard way. 

 Even if my luggage were to be lost or stolen, at least I'd be wearing my emergency "dance shoes" just in case I'd get stuck someplace, and would hear the sounds of the Congas and Clave in the distance.  Make sure that they don't have suede leather bottoms - you never know if you'll be dancing on cobble stone, pavement, broken tile or cement.  Simply put, you've got to be ready for anything.  Take pride that you can "dance on anything".  The floor or your shoes should never stop a true Salsero. 

 What made this trip so special were the people; the organizers and the Salseros that attended.  The organizers, Steve Walroud and Muriel Horvers spent many sleepless nights ensuring we were all taken care of.  There were buses to take us to the various dance events, scheduled tours, a newspaper with all the activities and workshops to be held, and wonderful hosts to boot.  What was great was hearing music being played every time we entered a venue.  They always had several local volunteer hosts at the door for information.  They accompanied us on the buses, and made sure everything ran smoothly.  Each had a Walkie Talkie to to communicate and find each other 24 hours a day.  If you couldn't get a hold of one of them over Walkie Talkie, they all had cell phones as backup.  They either picked up, or had taxis waiting at the airport for the dance companies flying in.  I knew it was a very well-planned event when I noticed virtually every worker at the airport knew Muriel by her first name.   Every singel day, Steven and Muriel's crew organized the rooms, the music, the DJs, the workshops, and the day's events for everyone.  Whether you took advantage of the tours or not, they were there and available for you. 

 When Benjamin Rapoport (Salsaweb Webmaster) arrived on the island, he immediately set up Salsaweb Command Central in his hotel room.  He got a high-speed direct connection to the hotel's ISP, set up his high-tech Salsaweb-Cam, and was uploading video images of what was happening to the world within seconds.  You would often see Ben setting up the Salsaweb-Cam in strategic locations like the pool, the beach, the restaurant, the lobby, the bar, and the gymnasium where we were giving our workshops.  He worked day and night getting the pics to upload, and configuring the system to work.  My hat goes off to this Techno-Salsero.  Ben, you never cease to amaze me. 

  It was a complete team effort that made this fantasy event a reality.  Uploading digital pictures to the site every night, typing daily reports, uploading video, teaching workshops, planning the next day's activities, picking up dancers and instructors at the airport, making sure the busses arrived on time, making sure the DJ and Bands were organized and ready.... so much goes on behind the scenes at these events, that we don't even realize.  

  Every event, no matter how well planned, or how well organized, always has its share of problems.  However for the majority of us, it was rarely evident here.  Each one of us had different experiences here on this island.  The most important thing to remember when attending a World Event is to not have high expectations - especially if the event is outside of the United States.  People outside the US, in Third World countries, or on remote islands, aren't used to competition and fast service.  Life is a tad slower here... it's blistering hot outside, and people aren't used to rushing, or tripping over themselves at the drop of a dime to get to your every need.  This isn't LA or New York.  It's a small island in the middle of the Caribbean!  Islanders are not at all used to the hustle and bustle we're used to, and when there is little to no competition for your business here, sometimes the service can be a bit of a challenge.  Most have never even travelled outside their tiny island to experience the expedience, speed, and early heart-attacks of service-oriented workers.  Most are simply "content", and live long, happy lives. 

 I truly believe the most important thing to remember when you get to a remote, far-away place, is that customs and people are different. They think and act quite differently than us, and we should expect and embrace that.  It's just their way.  We are the foreigners here, and you can just imagine what they think of us!  If you're demanding, never say "Please", or much less, "Thank you" with a warm smile, you'll get terrible service.  On the other hand, if you're overly nice, smile, and act humble, they will go out of their way for you every time. 

  I know from experience.  Trust me. 

It also doesn't hurt to tip and bribe well - third world country or not. 

  As long as there is great music and others to dance with, that's all that should really matter, and all that you should expect.  Everything else is just icing on the cake. 

  When you go in with that kind of attitude, you will have a pleasant surprise every day, and a much more wonderful time. 

  Interacting with fellow Salseros off the dance floor is another nice "icing on the cake" we get to do at these types of events.  It's virtually impossible to get to know one another at the club, where the music is so deafening at times, you can't even hear yourself think. 

  Meeting people and making new friends is what events like these are all about.  If the service is great, great.  If it's not, don't let it pull you and everyone else around you down.  Focus on the positives.  Go concentrate on your own self improvement for a change.  Play some volleyball, learn to swim, take a class, write a loved one back home, gather your friends around and start showing each other shines and cool moves, buy souvenirs....  Stay positive and happy and you're sure to attract happiness into your life.  Remember, positive begets positive, and negative begets negative.    Dancers are sensitive people.  They can tell when you're down, and if you're negative, they become negative.  They feed off each other's energy, and if it's bad, it can really get bad!  But if that energy is happy and positive, it can change lives, and the course of history.