A few weeks ago I took a break and left town. Actually, I left the country, to be precise. I traveled with a couple of friends to a city south of the border for some sunshine, relaxation and fun.

I had a marvelous time!

As we wandered about town, I found the "locals" to be friendly and welcoming, inviting us into their establishments and showing us their wares. While part of this was their "dog and pony show" shtick for tourists, which we clearly were, there was also a genuine warmth and welcome to the banter we exchanged; most wanted to make sure we enjoyed ourselves and were taken care of.

I found it interesting that in contrast, the other tourists were less than friendly. One evening I had the opportunity to talk with a man on the sidewalk for a few minutes. We shared information about where we were from, how much we were enjoying ourselves, etc. ... but when his companions re-joined him, they immediately headed off without a glance, let alone a hello.

During our stay, we did have the occasional exchange -- a comment in a restaurant, for example, and the woman walking down the street who enthusiastically told us the apple turnovers at the corner bakery were fantastic that morning -- but they were very few.