Postcards from the Funny Farm

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Even though my new home is like a vacation spot, Sarah and I were talking the other night about vacation deals out there. If you’ve ever moved a family of 5 then you know you need a vacation after the fact. I’m not a world traveler but I have been to some amazing vacation spots in my day. Incidentally, if you want to see some truly amazing pictures on a weekly basis of local Scotland, bookmark Amy Palko’s blog.  See if you’ve been to any of these:

• Hawaii: The coconut smell of Oahu and Kauai is definitely rejuvenatory.
• Washington DC: Nice to take the underground train and learn stuff about our country’s capital.  Lots of restaurants.
• Arizona: Flagstaff and Apache Junction are nice places for Jeep tours.  As is Sedona.  The red rocks look like mars and people say there is a “center” or vortex there that has medicinal properties.
• Guadalajara Mexico.  Middle class life all around you.  Not like TJ where there is so much poverty and you take your good deals back to your hotel room fighting back the tears.  Also Puerto Vallarta is great.  Just avoid the sea of the dead.
• Florida: I’ve been to Jacksonville and Orlando.  One day I want to drop in on my blog buddy Nick there in Myrtle Beach.
• California:  The best spots are: Disneyland, the Redwoods, Fisherman’s Wharf …  I could go on since this is my native state.  Catalina Island is gorgeous.  Very affordable and there is a buffalo tour.

So, I ask myself … what’s next?

When I was an exchange student in Mexico I really learned how disorganized payphones can be in other countries. If you don’t have a phone card in Mexico (well, back in 1996 anyway) your call can be as much as $5 local and that’s just for 5 minutes. The entire payphone market has been supplanted by the phone card market there. You’re just stupid if you try to make a call with coins there. These cards are sold in every shop on every street and it is considered the best way to use a phone on the street. Now, since then I am sure cell phones have taken some precedence, especially prepaid “pay as you go” plans. Maybe someone who knows Mexico nowadays bring me up to speed.

Regardless, I learned how cool and convenient a phone card can be. When you have a cool phone card in your wallet you can just pull up to any storefront and make your call without racking up minutes on your cell or having to pay a ton of change. There was a 1-2 year stretch as I recall where I have a very cheap pager service and a set of phone cards to communicate with my girlfriend and/or friends/employers. It worked great. Now I have no need to use that system because I have a cell, but every once in a while my cell is dead or more likely than that: I left it at home. In these situations a phone card comes in mighty handy. I like having one in my wallet that has minutes on it because it acts like an insurance system against a cell phone problem. Plus, it saves the minutes on my plan. Another way I use them is for long distance calls, they are much cheaper than my carrier’s plan here in the States.

Because I like using phone cards for everything from state-to-state long distance to payphones, I have hit the jackpot with this url I ran across: therichcom.com. They have a search mechanism that finds you the cheapest cards available. If you like cards like I do, and want a few in your wallet for moments like the ones I’ve described, try therichcom.com. Their website’s ease of use is incredible. Let me know what you think of them.