Robert asked:

in a surface water sport that started in the mid eighties by a surfer named Tony Finn. With this sport the participant is towed behind a boat on a surfboard with a ski rope. Skurfing is most popular in Australia as well as some spots around the world, however it hasn't become increasing popular in the United States yet.

While skurfing is similar to other towed water sports it has no official competitions and isn't listed as a professional sport. When it comes to individuals who do this form of water sport it is very freestyle with a wide variety of individual styles and forms. The entire sport is more about personal style than have a defined set of conventions.

It is believed the skurfing is the precursor to the more popular wakeboarding. Skurfing can be done one of two ways. The first is nose riding which is used by those on a long board. The other style is with cutbacks, carves and turns which allows people to get air over a wake.

Recently a new style of skurfing was developed in which the fins were removed from the bottom of the surfboard. Those who try this option need to have more balance and finesse than those who are going with the fins attached. While the lack of fins can limit the number of cutbacks and carvings it will also allow the participant to spin in a 360-degree rotation.

Skurfing is quickly becoming the popular sport among teenagers and college students. A variety of transportation combinations are being tried by individuals throughout this sport. So how exactly does one skurf?

Before you start skurfing the first thing you need to do is understand exactly what you will be doing. You are in a sense riding a board while being pulled behind a boat. Once you understand this you can start skurfing by first practicing on land or in a calm body of water. Skurfing can be done on concrete or asphalt just the same as it can be done on the water.

If you are new to skurfing it can be very important to invest in the appropriate safety gear. This includes a helmet, knee or elbow pads and protective clothing. Safety gear is especially important if you are going to start skurfing on concrete before moving to the water. If you are going to start out in the water then you want to have a life preserver and a wet suit.

If you are going to start on land then you should start slow. Get pulled by either a bike or go-cart. At this time you can experiment with the riding options and have some fun trying out new moves. Once you are ready you can try out your moves on the water while being pulled by a boat or Jet Ski.

If you are a beginner it is always important to start slow. Rather than trying out the difficult tricks right away be sure to take the time to get a feel for your balance and the best position for your feet. Once you are ready you can try out the complicated tricks. Just remember that the key to skurfing is to keep up with your practice.

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Sebastian Grodd asked:

Believe it or not, there’s an art to this.

Wax is the only thing connecting your feet to your board so it pays to get it right.

1. Score Some Wax.

1 bar basecoat.

1 bar wax. It’s important the temperature rating suits your break or the wax won’t do it’s thing.

Get a wax comb too.

2. Remove Old Wax.

Leave your deck in the sun for 20 minutes till wax is soft, but not runny. Use the flat scraper on the comb to remove it.

You can also use a Wax Pickle or special surf wax solvent to get it all off if you’re keen (now is not the time to get DIY with funky chemicals or you may melt your board).

2. Apply Basecoat.

Hold the bar at a 45 degree angle so you rub with the edge.

Rub basecoat on lightly in a circular motion - roughly 25cm (10”) circles.

If you’re a learner/intermediate then go hard and cover ¾ of the deck from the tail up.

Don’t wax the side rails, but do rub a little where your hands grip to pop and duck dive.

Use about ¼ of the bar and you should have lot’s of sweet little bumps.

Do one final layer rubbing rail to rail, then tip to tail.

3. Apply Wax.

Now gently apply wax, again with the bar on an angle rubbing in small-ish circles.

You want to end up with nice small round bumps.

4. Future Care.

Use a wax comb with diagonal cross-hatching strokes to revitalise traction from time to time.

Keep your wax in a plastic snaplock bag so it doesn't get covered in crap and melt all over your pimp ride.

Always put your board in your bag the same way up or you’ll get wax on both sides of the bag, which means wax on both sides of your board. That’ll slow you down.

When your wax gets flat start again from Step 1.

I just wish it tasted as good as it smells.

Visit learninghowtosurf.com for more tips to improve your surfing.

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Brue Baker asked:

Although wakeboarding is considered a relatively new sport, there is still quite an interesting and complex history behind it. It is first important to know that wakeboarding is actually not a single sport but rather a combination of various ones, and is a derivative of many sports intertwined into what it is today.

The History Of Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding more than anything was derived from surfing, which has long been a favorite sport of beach dwellers. Then in the summer of 1985 foot straps were added on to the basic surfboard, a concept that has a great significance, one that absolutely cannot be overestimated when it comes to the evolution of wakeboarding. These foot straps are what allowed for big air taking the sport to something that was much more than just surfing.

Tony Finn has been of the most prominent names in the history of wakeboarding, and it was he who promoted, popularized and marketed the Skurfer throughout the 80s. The Skurfer was the newly designed surfboard with foot straps.

The only problem with this design was that it was very narrow and also because a lot of energy was required in order to get it up and planing on the surface of the water it meant that only very skilled surfers were able to participate in the sport.

The sport continued to grow and become more and more popular over time, and in 1990 there was the design of the Hyperlites, which had the overall shape of a surfboard with an obvious tip and tail. One of the most important moments in the history of wakeboarding took place in the year 1992 after World Sports and Marketing, a Florida-based sports promoter and event organizer, began staging pro wakeboard events.

As the sport has evolved it has become truly amazing to watch. Just jumping the wake is a thing long lost in the past. Now wake boarder's are many feet in the air performing acrobatic tricks as they soar way beyond the boundary of the boat's wake.

This was really when the sport of wakeboarding began to get popular and more and more people began to take a serious interest in it. Today there are many different tricks that can be performed in the sport, including:

* Raley

* Fakie

* Butter Slide

* Surface 360

* Tantrum

* Backroll

* Frontroll

* Half-cab

* Tootsie Roll

* Blind Judge

* Scarecrow

* Bel Air

Whether you are a professional wake boarder or participate in the sport purely for fun, the history of wakeboarding is beneficial to you because you should always know about those who took the risks of pioneering something you enjoy daily. Without them you would still be waterskiing.

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Robb Bailey asked:

Surfboards are measured by various dimensions: length, width, and thickness. The length of the surfboard will determine how easily you catch the wave. The longer the board is, the easier it will be to catch the wave. The width of the board will help you with balance. The wider it is, the more balance you will have out in the water. Finally, the thickness of the board will provide you with float. The thicker it is, the more buoyant you will be. You will usually find these dimensions measured in inches and written on the underbelly of the board on the stringer by the tail.

Surfboards are usually made of one or a combination of three materials: wood, fiberglass, and epoxy. Wooden boards were the first surfboards ever used to ride waves but have since become expensive to make and therefore relatively obsolete. Most surfers have balsa wood boards hanging on their walls as collector’s items. They are sturdy but heavy.

Fiberglass boards are the typical boards used on the surfing circuit. They are made of foam called a blank with a layer of fiberglass over it. They are the most delicate, but in most cases the most versatile because they can be custom shaped to your liking. The newest surfboard material is epoxy. Epoxy boards are durable but manufactured by machines. They are more expensive and ride the fastest, but they are not custom made, which avid surfers eventually prefer. Beginning surfers might prefer epoxy boards over other materials. Board makers like Bic and South Point have a line of economical epoxy boards that work well for surfers just starting out.

Most recently, there are new boards being made of carbon fiber that are extremely durable but also very expensive. Hollow-core boards are also popular because they provide more float and are extremely lightweight, yet have quick response and high performance.

Most boards also have a stringer and a rocker. The stringer is the wooden line that runs down the center and length of the board. Stringers help to keep the foam and board intact. The rocker is the curve of the board, which prevents the board from catching an edge. The bigger the rocker, the easier it will be for you to turn on your board. Long boards usually have a flatter rocker because they tend to ride on a relatively flat part of the wave . Short boards, on the other hand, tend to have more rocker because they are designed to ride a much more critical part of the wave. Bigger, faster waves require more rocker in shortboards to give the rider ample board control. .

Your collection of surfboards is called your quiver. If you stick with the sport long enough, you might eventually have a quiver of 10 to 20 boards! No matter how big your quiver is, it will certainly be a collection of boards with various shapes and sizes to suit different conditions and purposes.

When a board reaches retirement, surfers believe the board “buckles.” In other words, the board has developed some kind of weakness in its core that will no longer allow it to perform as you would like it to. When the board buckles, breaks, or is just overly aged, it means it’s time to retire your board. One way to prevent your board from aging quickly is to store it in a board bag in a cool, dry place. Boards are best stored horizontally because that will cause any water that does seep into the board to distribute more evenly, rather than sending it straight to the tail if you store it vertically. Also keep in mind that dings?even bad bumps and bruises?are easily fixable, so don’t give up on your board if it has cosmetic issues!

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Damian Papworth asked:

I had to get up early this morning and get down to Coolangatta Beach. One of my surfboard hire clients was checking out early and needed 1 mini mal and 1 short board picked up before they left. So up I got, arriving in Cooly before 7am.

On Australia's Gold Coast, Coolangatta is about 30 minutes drive south of Surfers Paradise, and like Surfers Paradise, has been made famous by some of the world class surf breaks in the area. Surfers Paradise at the north end of the Gold Coast hosts the Goldy's best beach breaks, the waves form on a shifting sand based ocean floor, picking up lots of swell. While Coolangatta at the south end of the Goldy is more famous for the world class point breaks of Snapper Rocks, Greenmount and the like. And these points, though not able to pick up as much swell as the northern beaches, definately host the best waves of the area. On their given day, the waves can bend endlessly around the points. A surfer can kick off a wave due to fatigue rather than the wave ending.

Not this morning though. This morning on arrival, the waves were less than a foot, clean as they get though with no wind to speak of. Having picked up the rented surfboards, I decided to have breakfast at a lovely little cafe on the beach front and see what happens at our beaches when there is no surf.

In looking around, it pretty quickly became clear why the Gold Coast in Australia's northern State of Queensland is one of the premier beach holiday destinations in the world. Its only 7am in the morning and there is already so much happening. Obviously the 24° water temperature helps, as does the balmy 26° outside temperature, who wouldn't want to go to the beach.

In the water, there are a couple of polynesian style surfers out, with those big stand up boards and paddle, enjoying the tame conditions with a couple of long boarders. As well as a handful of swimmers, swimming between the flags, trying to catch a little breaker on the shore edge.

At Coolangatta beach, the water is met by about 50 metres of clean golden sand. There are already a couple of groups of girls out in their bikinis, improving their tans. Ha, given how early it is, its probably their last day here and they want to get that last bit of sun before they go home. Small groups of runners and cyclists whizz past on the designated park tracks, some early morning exercise. And far out in the ocean, there is a school of whales making quite a spash on their migrations, much to the amazement of many passersby.

I observe this all from a chic little cafe, where a pretty waitress serves me my latte and eggs benedict. As a local, sometimes it is time well spent just to sit back, recognise and soak up the things that so many other people travel the world to come here and enjoy. I hope you manage to share the beauty of our home one day too. Life really doesn't get much better than this.

And if you do, don't forget you can find everything you need for your holiday at Gold Coast Surfboards. Book it all from one convenient website.

 

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Roy King asked:

A few days ago I was surfing the Internet doing some relevant research work for the newsletter. As I clicked through endless website pages that seemed alike, I had to constantly look up at the website address bar to make sure I was not stuck on the same site. Seeking relevant information to post-up for our subscribers, I felt somewhat bored and dissatisfied. Everything appeared and seemed the same. Nothing was new or exciting. At that point I glanced at my wall calendar and looked at the year, it read 2006.

The next day, I recalled my frustrated journey online involving searching for information. I realized that my psyche was not happy with the framework of the World Wide Web.

I sat at my desk and paused awhile, I allowed my mind to drift off thinking about super-nerds, geeks, computer techs, computer engineers, software designers, and the movers and shakers of the Internet world. What were they doing today?

The scene that came directly to my mind was a selective team of Hi-tech yuppies, maybe about twenty-five of them. They had just sat down at a round cherry inlaid conference table. The wooden table was huge, water glasses and a yellow pad of paper was at each seat.

The atmosphere was relaxed and causal. One interesting fact that stood out was the look on each of their faces. Their faces reflected their definite determination.

This was an arranged rendezvous of the Super-Masterminds of the World Wide Web. Their Agenda- Take it to the next level, It's time.

Finally a door opened, a young man about thirty two years old entered the meeting room. The man was well dressed in an expensive suit, and portraying a let's get it done attitude.

Everyone sitting at the wooden table began to pick up their pens and started writing something down on those yellow pads.

What were they writing down?

-The Year 2037-

In the year 2037 the World Wide Web has become a new favorable experience.

First, computers as we understood them are now called "C-Pods". A C-Pod does not even come close to resembling your old desktop monster.

C-Pods have a shape of being 1/4 inch thick, 8 inches wide, and 14 inches long. The top surface is somewhat transparent plastic material, supported by four 1/4 inch round titanium legs, being 3 inches long. The C-Pod looks like a coffee table for mice.

The plastic like top surface has been engineered to replace all the circuit boards, hard drives, memory chips, DVD players and power drives which we once became familiar with.

Inside the 1/4 inch thick plastic is where your computer now resides. Inside is the complex core of the system where the Meta Drives are stored.

A Meta Drive is a device that uses Meta Materials. Meta Materials are objects that gain their electromagnetic material properties from their structure rather than inheriting them directly from the materials that they are composed of.

The Meta drives work in conjunction with electromagnetic waves combined with photon crystals (a subatomic particle that is a quantum of electromagnetic energy, including light). The two systematically will be linked with each other and will substantially improve computing strength and stealth.

Data will be stored inside encrypted air packets and transmitted via electromagnetic wave beams.

Transmission of electronic data from one computer to another will be direct, no networking hubs to deal with. To make this materialize; beam steerers will be applied in an advanced system to utilize RF frequency modulation to deliver the data, no hard wires whatsoever. The Transmission rates of master data will become immediate and secure.

Hackers will be out of business. All data's transmitted will be stored in sealed encrypted air packets, and transmitted by electromagnetic waves, then trapped by end users. C-Pod encrypted receivers will only be authorized to acquire air packets at their authorized docker platforms.

Software will also advance to new levels. The new C-Pod technology has brought new challenges to Software masterminds. All data must travel at the speed of light and faster. Software will be stored in Nano chips and will utilize Meta material and advanced laser technology to travel from Meta drives to Pod Dockers. All software will be user encrypted to be only received and viewed by authorized receivers and Dockers. Software programs will be trimmed of all fat to deliver the ultimate performance and reliability.

Software programs will contain complete user friendly support. Concierge assistants will be an integral part of the Software Pod. There will be no need to source help from outside representatives because the software Pod Concierge will be present to directly answer all your how-to relevant inquiries, plus dutifully explain every significant function of the software to assure the end user renders the absolute best results from their software acquisition.

Software companies now will have to meet a rating level of 900 stars out of a possible 1000 stars to even be considered as a respectful representative of software. The competition will become intense amongst this field. Customer satisfaction will become the number one priority to stay afloat.

C-Pods will contain Docker home workstations. Dockers receive and transmit air packets of master data from server docker stations from through-out the world. All Dockers will store Meta materials and become proprietary to that system.

All C-Pods will give first class priority to interactivity by users. Interactivity will become instant, and will not breakup, or cause interruptions in transmissions.

Gaming, video, and data will all be viewed in a Helio format. Helio is the technology of projecting images within a column of air. Columns of air are projected 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide. Viewing resolutions will exceed 12,500 dots per inch. All presentations will be in full 3-D format. No head visors or glasses will be needed to experience breath taking programming.

Helio technology is now the ultimate experience. The Helio column of air will be suspended above your C-Pod 4 inches. No wires, plugs, or cables will be attached. Air packets will also be used to transmit electromagnetic waves from your C-Pod to the Helio receiver projector. These waves will also be encrypted with user identifications to secure the system from tampering or hacking.

Helio systems will additionally provide the system user a projected keyboard to any location within a 8 foot range from the C-Pod. The keyboard is also a projected light image in which colors, themes, lights, keypad style, location, and touch feel can be programmed to the user's likings. Here again, the Helio keyboard projector will contain a docker which can be upgraded to add calculators, ultra sound wave players, and all your servant commands.

The servant command section of the keyboard is where you will launch, upgrade, change, delete, survey, and command your docker station, surfboards, fetch pads, and your concierge services.

All businesses will be using Helio 360 degree conference viewing theaters. Helio card readers can be transmitted to any worldwide C-Pod docker station. With encrypted authentication contained within air packets, stealth security is never a problem. Deals and formal contracts will instantly be closed with secured Helio touch pads using defense type coding systems.

Cobra air packets will have the highest secret coding system ever developed for civilian use. The Cobra air packet system will essentially combine with the Meta materials program. As we discussed earlier, Meta materials. (Meta Materials are entities that gain their electromagnetic material properties from their structure rather than inheriting them directly from the materials that they are composed of). If any of these assigned structures are tampered with or invaded without Cobra screening approvals, the invader of the air packet will be disclosed. Within a Nano second of the security violation, Cobra with send out an electro-magnetic defense wave, and immediately nullify the invaders C-Pod transmitter.

Surfboards will become an essential part of your Docker system. Surfboards will provide you with the means to browse the Internet. All Surfboards will store user ID cards containing encrypted data and user information. The ID cards are called PIC's (personal identity coders). This is the location that will store all pertinent data regarding the user and their preferences.

Fetch Pad Dockers, will become the cutting edge when it comes to searching for pertinent data. Fetch Pads are programmed by the user to retrieve the most relevant data available that best matches your request.

When programmed, the Fetch Pad searches all possible sources for the data available on the Internet that the user has requested. Fetch Pads will contain their own algorithm systems installed that can be programmed by the user. No second party interference, biases, or advertisements will be involved or allowed.

Concierge Dockers. This Docker will become your personal Internet servant. Your personal requests can be preloaded at your convenience and upgraded at any time.

Concierge Dockers will constantly be searching the Internet seeking all pertinent and relevant information that meets your desires and demands that you have submitted. The data that the docker had obtained during missions will be stored in libraries that are contained in your Meta drives for instant access.

The Concierge Docker also contains an invaluable program called the Mentor. Yes, this is your personal mentor that is built-in to your C-Pod. The Mentor, through an algorithm software program will be able to decipher all external data plus compare the demands and traits that are contained by the user.

The Mentor will guide, assist, educate, evaluate, decide, and conclude the best paths for you to take to accomplish your goals.

Similar to today's matchmaker website's, the Mentor will also use the most sophisticated programs to match one's intelligence level, desirability to succeed, persistence of user, and the current competitive environment surrounding the user final goal.

The Mentor with each Docker will also provide PAQ's (personal achievement qualifiers) to the individual user status and transmitting Docker. The PAQ's are the most important factor to one's credibility on the Internet.

PAQ's ratings are attached to every air packet of data that will be transmitted over the Internet. PAQ's will internally assign a star rating to each user. The highest rating will be 500 stars.

Rating stars will be determined by Universal Internet Laws. The criteria to determine your ratings will mainly consist of the user's credibility, performance to achievements, personal goals (business, pleasure, or education), and usage (public or private).

Contained within every Docker will also reside a Meta Materials Operations Manager (MOM).

MOM's will become the fiduciary task force that will govern all Internet operations.

All PAQ's will contain fully encrypted ratings, credentials, authenticity certificates, and user ID's. MOM's will screen PAQ's to select right of passage, and also provide proper directions to final C-Pod Dockers.

Webmaster will now become certified by the Universal Internet Commission. The Commission will educate and supervise all webmaster to properly construct website to accept C-Pod acceptance dockers and receivers. All webmasters will also receive ratings for their ability to properly manage their website according to Universal Internet Laws.

Website star ratings will consist of a 1000 star program, 1000 being the best rating. Here again, credibility will reign supreme.

Search engines and keywords will become a thing of the past. A web site's star rating will determine the best data available for the request by the user. Relevance will only be compared to the user's PIC's (personal identifier coder). Relevance will not have any reflections on keywords, for they have now become useless.

The credibility and reliability will be the main focus of each and every website, thus promoting their website's star ratings.

Websites will become respected as an authoritarian of information and data that will be supplied to the utmost quality. Relevance will also reside within every website and be constantly updated to serve demanding user cravings for cutting edge knowledge.

Visitors to each website will also be able to cast votes on the overall credibility and relevance of the site that have visited. These votes will become paramount. These votes will add credibility to the website's Star ratings.

The Universal Internet Commission (UIC) will not allow any website to transmit without acceptable Star rating certification. Start-up sites will have to participate in an apprentice type program, and will be rated either as commercial or professional use after certification.

The apprentice duration will allow upstart website's to accumulate stars in a given period of time set forth by the commission. If the upstart website can not reach a minimum rating of 400 stars, the site will be given two more chances to qualify. If the site fails to qualify after three attempts, the site can only receive a rating of personal usage, and will not be able to transmit commercial business data.

Personal use website's will have a much lower rating of only 100 stars. Qualifying will also be much easier. Personal website ratings will be limited to a non-business application. Data can be transferred and received, but not for the use of any type of business means.

Qualifying Commercial websites will receive UIC certification along with PAQ Dockers. These Dockers are encrypted to recieve all inbound PAQ's. Without a PAQ Docker, a website will not be able to receive any inbound air packets.

The Internet has now become the ultimate experience. Thesuper-masterminds of the Internet world have pulled all thetricks out of their bags. They have provided us with theRoller coaster ride we have all been waiting for.

New developments in technology, credibility, and superior relevance to data have reached extreme levels of fulfillmentfor all.

These turns in events will become a new page in the history books of forward thinking. There will be new hero's to admire for their perseverance to foresee the future with their just getit done attitudes.

To close my journey to the year 2037, I've selected a new headline for my next newsletter; - Forget the new I-Pod with 200mb of storage, Just move your calendar to the year 2037 and log-on to the Ultimate Experience of the World Wide Web.

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Michael Connelly asked:

PART 2.

Oh how Colombians love their music. The type of music coming from the smoothie vendor boom-boxes always seemed to set the distinctive tone of that town. They always played the music that was popular in that particular area. Whether it was "Salsa", "Costeño", or whatever type, it was always pure Colombian music.

As we were waiting for our smoothies, my eyes began to wander. I started to take in the sights and sounds of that little village in the mountains. I saw two soldiers who looked about seventeen years old standing across the street in front of a small cafe. They were holding machine guns, and giving me the eye. These were Colombian Government soldiers who were stationed in little towns like this to keep them out of the control of Leftist Guerillas who live in the jungles that surround them.

Some of those remote Colombian towns have an aura of unrest, and that one was definitely one of them. I dared not pull out any cameras at that moment. The last time I decided to videotape in a town like that, I was immediately approached by two soldiers and promptly escorted away. I thought I would never be seen again. Lucky for me, my wife's brother-in-law was with us at that time. He happened to be a Colonel in the Colombian Military, so he interceded on my behalf. He explained to them that I was just some "crazy Gringo" who was in Colombia to visit his wife's relatives, and to surf the waves that Colombia had to offer. They released me to the good Colonel, and I promptly put my cameras away. Apparently, Guerillas have been known to come into town and videotape the soldiers and the police. Then they hand the footage over to hired assassins who slip into town soon afterwards and kill them. I can understand the soldier's apprehension with cameras. After that incident, my M.O. on the trip was to stay low-key, and not draw attention to myself.

My wife and I were getting some evil stares from several local folks that were wandering around the streets. I wanted so badly to pull my cameras out and pass the time documenting everything we were experiencing, but I could not risk it. Soldiers are not the only ones I needed to worry about. Being kidnapped by Guerillas was always in the back of my mind. Although I was able to get a lot of great footage and photos along the way (when it was permissible), my memory was my camera most of the time.

It was going to be dark in a couple of hours. We did not want to be in that village after dark. I would much rather have been viewing that town from the safety of a bus seat just passing through, but sometimes you have to stop to change busses. In that case, the bus we were waiting for was running late, thus the unscheduled and excruciatingly long delay.

As I was thinking about how glad I was going to be to get back on one of those colorful busses, a crusty old man on a Burro walked past us and gave me the stink eye. I tried to ignore it as I turned my glance upward and away from him. I began to stare at the thick mountain foliage that surrounded that little town. It was still a very wild and untamed country out there. Civilization barely had a foothold. I could see how maintaining control would be difficult for the Colombian Government.

Suddenly, I received a tap on my back and I jumped as if I had been electrocuted. It was the smoothie guy, letting me know our freshly blended fruit smoothies were ready. He handed them over to us, and we paid him with a few Colombian coins that equaled about ten cents in American money. The smoothies on that trip tasted better than anything you could ever buy in the United States. The milk they used was so fresh it seemed like it was squirted straight from the cow into the blender. They also blended in all kinds of exotic tropical fruits with names like "zapote", "tomate de árbol", and "maracuyá", all of which are incredibly delicious and can be found growing wild in the areas around the towns we visited. Those smoothies were like something a Slurpee aspires to be in it's wildest dreams.

As we were enjoying our smoothies, another local man walked up to us and made a sales pitch for a very interesting product; dried iguana eggs. He had several strings of them hanging around his neck like necklaces of giant white pearls that were about the size of quail eggs. His semi-white tee-shirt had a sweat stain from his neck down to his belly that had a brown border of dirt gathered on the edge of it. It was really hot out there, but he did not seem to mind. His face and hands told the story of a man who had worked hard his whole life in the South American sun. He was probably only about fifty years old, but his skin was wrinkled beyond it's years. This man claimed that the iguana eggs provided magical powers of fertility and sexual stamina to anyone who eats them. He then looked at me and winked. I could not help but wonder at that moment how many kids this iguana egg vendor had back at home. My wife and I chuckled at his bold claim, and politely declined his offer. As my wife turned away for a moment to find something in her backpack, I quickly handed the man several crumpled up bills on the sly. He then winked at me again, and handed me two strings of iguana eggs, which I promptly concealed in my day-pack. I figured I may be able to use these eggs on a romantic moonlit night in beautiful Tayrona, after a long, arduous journey.

Copyright 2006. Michael P. Connelly-

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Jay Brandley asked:

Skateboarding has been a popular sport for the past three decades, and still remains to be quite modern. In fact, skateboarding has been around since 1980, which happens to be the year in which the first modern skateboard was made. Since then, both young and the not so young enjoy carving the streets and experiencing the adrenaline rush of free riding, trick skating, and the like. Skateboarding has become not just a recreational sport of hobby, but has been developed into a competitive individual and team sport.

Skateboarding is deeply influenced by, and derivative of, the art and sport of surfing. Surfing, which was developed and rooted in Hawaii, is the act of riding ocean waves with a surfboard. Similar to surfing, skateboarding entails riding a skateboard on land, and more specifically, paved or concrete surfaces. Skateboards are made in different styles and made with different skating methods in mind.

Longboard Skateboards

Some skateboards are styled and fashioned after longboard surfboards. While these skateboards are not intended for extensive tricks, longboard skateboards are great for bombing hills and carving up the concrete while you cruise the streets.

Traditional Shortboard Skateboards

There are also skateboards that are intended for trick skating. These skateboards are shorter boards which allow the skater to manipulate movement more quickly and effectively, therefore being better equipped to perform stunts and trick such ollies, Casper flips, nosegrinds, and back stabs.

Training and Special Made Skateboards

When surfers and snowboarders are on dry land, they often train for their sport. There are skateboards that are specially made to allow the user to mimic movements made in surfing and snowboarding in order to train and help increase agility, balance, and other physical abilities while these ones are out of their natural sporting element.

The Skate Punk Culture

Skateboarding has been popular since the 1980's, as was mentioned in the early part of this article, and has then spawned its own culture. The skateboard culture is also known as punk or skate punk culture. Skate punk culture, like many different cultures, has a fashion and language of its own.

The Skateboard Empire and Competitions

There are many brands and companies of manufacturers of skateboards and skateboard-related items. With the popularization of skateboarding and the image that it entails, also came the monetization and financial aspect of this sport.

There are numerous skating contest events, skateboarding magazines, and skateboard fashion and clothing companies. Some of these companies include Element skateboards, Sector 9 skateboards, Birdhouse skateboards, Baker skateboards, the classic Powell skateboards, and many more. Usually, each skateboard brand has a team of sponsored professional skateboarders that represent them at skateboarding events.

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Dev Saras asked:

Kiteboarding can be land kiteboarding, kitesurfing, snowkiting (snow kiteboarding) or kiteskating (kite skateboarding). The most popular of them all is the kite surfing, although people enjoy going with the wind over the snow covered lands, oceans or just over the land.

The most popular among them all is kitesurfing or kiteboarding in an ocean or big enough river, which you move over the water, while balancing yourself on a surfboard and a large kite which you can control. The kite propels you across the water. The surfboard may or may not be attached to your shoes.

The design of the kite is becoming more sophisticated, so is the technique of staying safe while moving at a good speed over the ocean waves. The inflatable kite opens up in the air. The rider has control over the propulsion, speeding up or slowing down and controlling the course.

The history of kiteboarding runs back to 13th century Chinese invention, when they used a specially designed kite for propulsion. Kiteboarding has become a popular sport in the United States, Europe, Australia and almost all parts of the world. Much sophistication has come into the design of kites and boards, making it safer and easier for the kiteboarding enthusiasts.

Kiteboarding brings with it the best of adrenaline rush, the fun and thrills, which is not easily matched. The thrill is the same, kiteboarding fills you with the energy and passion to life. From United States to Japan, there are several dozens of locations, where you can enjoy a day of kiteboarding thrills. Some people prefer shallow waters, some prefer deep – all want wide water bodies to fully enjoy the thrills. It is only safe to avoid rocky beaches. You might also like to avoid places of risky and dangerous creatures. Kiteboarding is also allowed during the favourable seasons only and not during periods of storm. Also listen to the advice and suggestions you get while kiteboarding at such locations. This is the one entertainment and sport that keeps your adrenaline rushing. Once you are into this sport, you will feel like repeating the experience whenever you get a chance.

The ideal locations for kiteboarding are already identified by various tourism authorities and travel planners. They look for locations of wide, open shallow waters, which also have steady winds. Such locations are selected for suitability of this sport and you can also find several hotels and resorts around such areas.

For kiteboarding, you have to have the right technique, equipment and location. Without a good combination of all three, the sport is not going to be such an entertaining experience for you. Without the right technique, you risk the danger of losing your board from below your feet. With poorly designed kite, you risk losing control of your course. The wrong location can be all dangerous.

If you like adventure, make sure you include kiteboarding in your next vacation schedule. Just make sure you go to a good place with the right equipment and technique.

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Michael Ehline asked:

So you are an American and you love SUV’s. Top that off with living in Orange County California. Specifically those who live along the coast and in the coastal cities such as Huntington Beach or Malibu are notorious for having SUV’s. Let’s say you love to surf and you have a few buddies who surf too. How do you transport those surfboards to the beach to catch some waves? You might just be the owner of an SUV. Choose your SUV carefully to prevent SUV rollover injury.

There are SUV’s that are referred to as smart SUV’s. These are the ones that have a longer wheel base and have a wider stance between the wheels in the back. Tall and thin SUV’s are top heavy and can roll over very easily. Consumer Reports has a section that you can refer to for the ones that are rated as the best. It is pretty much to your advantage to check out the recommendations. They may help you choose your SUV carefully so that you prevent rollover injury to you or your passengers.

Orange County SUV rollover lawyers can all tell you that the driver usually is caught by surprise when the SUV rolls over so easily. A lot of Huntington Beach and Malibu Beach drivers are not aware that SUV’s should be driven very carefully. You cannot drive them like a regular car or truck. You must take care when cornering an SUV and drive a lot slower in the turns.

Be careful to avoid talking on your cell phone when driving an SUV. These vehicles really need your undivided driving attention, not to mention that talking on the cell phone while driving is now illegal in California. Try to avoid any other distracting activities while driving your SUV. They can flip easily. Never forget that.

Keep your SUV is good working order. Checks tire pressure regularly. Drive safely and don’t corner fast. Most of all do not make sudden jerky movements with the steering wheel. Make sure you and all your passengers are wearing seatbelts. The top heaviness and narrow wheelbase must always be taken into consideration. Installing that surfboard carrier makes the SUV a little taller, but getting that board to its destination safely, is what your want. In the unfortunate event of a SUV rollover accident, remember you can call on the experienced and qualified staffs of professional SUV crash lawyers located throughout Orange County for legal help and advice.

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