It seems like everywhere I go these days, there is always someone who has heard about my upcoming Italy trip and says things like  “Take me!” or “Put me in your suitcase” and such. Years ago, when I made a six-week-long trip to Costa Rica on behalf of Frank Martin III and the West Plains Daily Quill, people who heard where I was going had much the same response. Then, what I did was to see if there was a way to take everyone along virtually, which I ultimately did by posting almost daily reports from whatever internet cafe I could find.

One such was on a roadside porch attached to a tiny cabin where a tall German fellow had one computer hooked to the internet, a George Forman grill for hamburgers, an ice chest for beer and sodas and a shelf of paperbacks you could rent for 2 Colones (about 54 cents) a week. Another was in a family’s garage with two computers for hire at 1 Colone per hour, where I typed missives home while a small gaggle of teenage boys giggled over dirty pictures they were calling up on the other screen.

By far the handiest and most comfortable was a dark little streetcorner storefront in San Jose that had five computers hooked to a central hub and featured snacks and drinks. I got to be such a familiar face there that they had my diet Coke in a glass with ice at my elbow when I sat down.

I’ll attempt to do the same on this trip. Hopefully the hotel has a hookup accessible to guests. If not, there’s bound to be one nearby. Probably won’t be able to send any pictures until I get back stateside, but I’ll do my best.

Join me now if you like. Think up some questions to ask, or suggest foods or other things I should be bringing home. Any other traveler’s tips would be greatly appreciated as well. I’ll need all the help I can get.