By Moe Riyasat

Come to think of it, her thirst began earlier but worsened in Guyana when her sensitive lips went from dried to parched to cracked to glued-shut, while the President of Guyana sipped ice-cold water next to her. However, the fault wasn't his, nor was it the fault of the Japanese Ambassador sitting next to him.

But, to tell the story right, it's best to start with our vacation decision.

Every year, at the end of September, my wife and I usually visit a different destination to recharge for the upcoming winter.  The vacation is timed for the tail-end of the hurricane season when it's safer to travel, and when the Canadian cold begins to creep up to warn that a deep-freeze is dead ahead, and that slush, shorter daylight hours, and even shorter tempers aren't far off.